Grand Theater
3433 W. North Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
60647
3433 W. North Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
60647
2 people
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Christmas Eve 1971 print ad added for Grand Playhouse, via ProQuest. Advertising: “Two 16mm FILMS”–“On Our Full Screen & Color!”
The Slop Shop. Do you remember the guy behind the counter? He looked like Groucho Marx. Great place for Cherry Cokes and Vanilla Cokes and Green Rivers. Do you remember the spinning racks in the middle filled with those plastic silly joke/toys? Buzzer shaking hands,flower that squirt water, fake puke,etc.?
shoe store maybe at the corner w/ st louis
Thank you for the photo and comments. I remember going to the Sweet Shop for the most delicious Lime Aid or Lime Ricky drink. I believe it was made with seltzer water, and lime juice possibly, and then it had pieces of real lime on top, and it was so so refreshing. One time, in 1969, I took the pieces of lime into my mouth, and then I developed pretty bad cold sores, but I truly enjoyed the lime drink. There was a shoe store just west of the Sweet Shop, and my Mom would take us there too.
thank you Dennis
I was an usher there in 1962 – 1963. The soda shop next door was called the “slop shop” by the guys that hung out there. The actual name was Wisel’s sweet shop. The owners Joe and Sam lived in the apartments above the shop.
if ever there was a photo of dear old GRAND Theatre in its dying days that black & white one is it. of course i remember the ‘soda shop’ immdiately to its east with the delicious lime rickey drinks, it was run by the family of one of my grammar school classmates, and they sold buttered popcorn that was so over-drenched with topping that’d always oil stain my clothes yet i couldn’t resist
If anyone has any stories about going to/ working at this threatre in its adult days, I would love to hear them. I am chronicling the histories of adult theatres in the US. Please contact me at Thanks!
Thanks for the picture of the Grand Theatre, and that’s exactly how I remember it, being so small. I believe there was a shoe store just west of the theatre and a soda show just east of it where they had the most delicous lime rickeys.
To enjoy a photo gallery of magnificient theaters, go to: chicagotribune.com/chicagotheaters
Here is a 1982 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/cquaar
For at least a short period of time (mid to late 1966),this theatre was advertised as the GRAND INTERNATIONAL. From the Chicago Sun Times movie directory dated Saturday, May 21,1966:GRAND INTERNATIONAL-HU 9-3343 OPEN 12:30 Exclusive Polish Double Feature “DOORSTEP TO HELL” plus “ANTEK POLICMAJSTER”. On Friday, October 28, 1966, “EMPEROR and GOLEN” plus CZECH BALLET was playing; from the newspaper ad:Hilarious Czech Comedy with Jan VeRech In Color -Czech Dialogue- English Sub-Titles. By mid 1968, this theatre was called the GRAND PLAYHOUSE. Once again from the Sun Times- Friday, August 30, 1968: “TURN ME ON” “HOT NIGHTS ON CAMPUS”. Quite a history for this little neighborhood theatre.
Phone number in 1960 was BElmnt 5-9000.
GRAND theatre demolished around ‘81 – empty lot now still. Last saw SON OF BLOB there (w/ Larry Hagman) in early '70s, and they went X-rated mid-late in the decade. Very typical of small neighborhood operations I’d say, with a druggist/soda-shop 1 door east. In the early '60s my Dad painted custom posters for their management and I got a free 1/week pass as a result.
When was the Grand demolished? I lived on Avers and North from 1970 thru 1989 and I don’t remember it.
Correction…looks like Barry Manilow performed at a Grand Theater in Chicago in 1972, not 1976. How sad to think that theaters that had such vibrant histories are allowed to decay and be demolished!
Is this the same Grand Theater that Barry Manilow performed in, in 1976 along with Leo Sayer?
This had turned into a Spanish movie theater when I moved from the neighborhood 30 years ago.