Fans Theatre
4032 Market Street,
Philadelphia,
PA
19104
4032 Market Street,
Philadelphia,
PA
19104
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August 25, 1963 photo added courtesy Brook Solway. “Gun Glory” 1957 and “The Sheepman” 1958 were also being shown the day the theatre closed.
The Fans Theatre closed during an August 25, 1963 showing of “Diary of a Madman.” Kids running across the roof looking for a free way into the theatre near a skylight resulted in plaster falling 100 feet and injuring patrons. The Fans had a reported crowd of 600 at the time of the incident. The theatre was listed as “Closed for repairs; open soon.” But, apparently, the 50th Anniversary in 1964 was not meant to be.
August 23rd, 1914 grand opening ad in the photo section. It opened on the 31st.
OK, thanks.
I’m trying to place this theater at 40th and Market, photo is from 1949. It looks like it says “Ericka” on the marquee. If you recognize it let me know.
http://tinyurl.com/o3cy8g
In 1919 Mr. Edward M. Fay bought the Knickerbocker Theatre and gave it his name. He was also associated with a group of theatres he owned in Providence, Rhode Island, where he was born. One of them, Fays Theatre, also bore his name and was a famous vaudeville house in that city. He had also managed the National Theatre in Rochester and acquired the McKinley Square Theater in Manhattan. This information comes from a biographical entry for Fay in the volume Rhode Island – Three Centuries of Democracy.