Will Rogers Theater
5641 W. Belmont Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
60634
5641 W. Belmont Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
60634
24 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 81 comments
There is a much better photo of that mural on page two of the photo section. The one on page 1 is all blurry.
There is a photo of that mural on page 1 in the Photos Section that was uploaded in 2011.
There was a large mural of Will Rogers in the lobby of the theater. Does anyone know who painted it? I understand that Louis Grell did a lot of interior work for architects Rapp & Rapp and it does look like his work. I asked on the Louis Grell web page but they had no record of it.
I lived in the neighborhood and remember they had a “Fun Show” for kids on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning in the summer from around 1964 to 1967. They would play a kids movie and cartoons. They also gave away prizes with called out numbers on a pamphlet you were handed as you went in. In an ironic twist, one neighborhood friend, “Bob”, pushed in ahead of another friend, “Ted”, and bewailed that Ted won the big prize, a portable B&W TV!
Balcony was usually closed unless they had a lot of people. They would advertise on the marquee that they had air conditioning to keep cool. Also tried to fight cable TV becoming more widespread with saying “Fight pay TV.”
Double features with an intervening cartoon were the norm in the early to mid 60’s. I also recall prices at 50 cents for adults and 25 cents for children, but this quickly changed to 95 cents or 1.25 for adults and 50 or 75 cents for children.
The Will Rogers was demolished in 1990 after being closed for four years. I added a photo that was taken in either 1989 or 1990. Notice the Daley for Mayor bench.
1984 photo added credit David M. Feller.
Roustabout, thank you for the info. Very helpful! I have someone interested but wasn’t sure of a price. It is actual theater film stock(bigger than 35mm). My understanding flammable. It’s in a tin box.
Charles, check out YouTube. Search under “Cat Stevens Banapple Gas 1976 Promo” and read the comments.
A few people did mention seeing it in the theaters.
It was not uncommon for vacant or abandoned theaters to leave some projection equipment and old film behind.
I am speculating that before the wrecking ball arrived at the Will Rogers, this short film left the building and eventually made its way to you. Is it worth anything ? I am guessing you have a 35 mm print. In my opinion, that would limit its potential value.
That being said, I see a lot of unique items on eBay, Amazon and some other venues that do sell. Hope this helps. Good luck.
Thanks, for the reply. It actually came in as a donation from someone that has had it in their possession. It was not mailed here. I looked at the way I worded it. I’m just curious if it has value?
I manage a resale and just got in an old reel that was mailed to The Will Rogers Theater. It’s from Columbia pictures. It’s titled “Banapple Gas” which was a Cat Stevens song. Anyone know anything about this? Just reaching out. Kinda new to all this.
Linkrot repair: The brief article about the Will Rogers Theatre in the October 17, 1936, issue of Boxoffice can now be found here.
Here is a photo of the Will Rogers auditorium from THSA. Several others can be found through search.
Oddly enough my grandmother took me to see Funny Girl for my first movie there, in 1968 (I was 7). And the last time I went to this theater, ahortly after she passed away in 1979, and I saw the Muppet Movie. Yes, me at 18 sitting in the middle of the Will Rogers Theater, by myself, simultaneously smiling and crying, surrounded by children, as Kermit sang “The Rainbow Connextion”.
http://calumet412.tumblr.com/post/34043220411/the-will-rogers-theater-5641-w-belmont-1938
Great photo btkrefft….I went there many saturdays in the 50’s as we were “dropped off” as parents visited relatives who lived 2 blocks away. It is sad how so many great neighborhoods have changed for the worse in Chicago.
September 5th, 1936 ad uploaded here in the photo section.
The October 17, 1936, issue of Boxoffice featured a brief article about the Will Rogers Theatre, with a single photo of its Streamline Modern auditorium. The exterior had some Art Deco flourishes, but the auditorium was almost austere, nearly the sole exception being the florid upholstery on the seats. The scan of the photo is a bit blurry, but it serves to show the overall sleekness of the design.
Thanks for the response, Riverview!
Marysal:
The Sound of Music played exclusively at the Michael Todd from 1965 to 66.
It was released to the neighborhood theaters in early 67.
The movie had a two month run at the W.R. from Friday July 28 to Thursday September 28.
Best Wishes.
Nice Marquee on this one.
Does anyone remember seeing the Sound of Music at the Will Rogers Theater? What year(s)?
Here are two more 1982 photos:
http://tinyurl.com/cudpdx
http://tinyurl.com/cvux8c
The Will Rogers, looking just as I remember it:
View link
My mom used to take me there in the 70’s to see Disney movies. The things I remember most about the theater was the red carpeting, that the balcony was always closed, and how the popcorn containers had a spot on them where you would peel back the paper to see if there was a star underneath. If there was a star you won a prize.
now i don’t know this as a fact, but from being an employee there for its last few years i think that the will rogers' demise may have come from the fact that there was damage to the structure (the rumor was that it happened years before when they were showing a movie in sensurround, the movie version of the original battlestar galactica, I believe). i had been there personally a few times when the building inspector had come and talked about it but it was always able to squeak by. my guess is that eventually the building didn’t pass the inspection.