TheatreLinks

New listings compiled by Michael Moran

Fall, 2009

GREETINGS!

You’ll find this newest set of links a bit on the lean side but, to paraphrase Spencer Tracy in Pat and Mike, “There’s not much meat but what’s there is cherce.” Thanks to everyone who contributed. Keep the links coming.

Michael Moran
michaelm6@ca.rr.com

MY TOP PICK!

Check out:

Saban Theatre (Beverly Hills CA)
http://www.sabantheatre.org/
This is a sort of re-branding of a theater classic. A 2009 renovation, thanks to the generosity of Haim and Cheryl Saban, has given the theater a classy new marquee, replaced the ugly sixties glass doors and restored some of the original silver on black color scheme to the interior. Interesting history and loads of photos. Very nicely done website.

NEW U.S. THEATRE LINKS

Virginia Theatre (Champaign IL)
http://www.thevirginia.org/
In 2000, the Champaign Park District acquired the Virginia and began a four-phase restoration program to bring the theater back to its 1920s glory. Work began with a restoration of the marquee and facade. In addition to screening both current and classic movies and the Overlooked Film Festival, the Virginia is host to live performances, as well as special events.

Congress Theater
http://www.congresschicago.com/
A mix of architectural styles (including Adam and Italian Baroque), this theater has an elaborate large domed auditorium and is covered with decorations in stone, terra-cotta, and plaster. It remains remarkably intact, down to the original light fixtures and marble wainscoting. Today, this splendid survivor of the movie palace era functions as one of Chicago's grandest concert venues.

Tivoli Theatre (Downers Grove IL)
http://www.classiccinemas.com/
Built in 1928, the Tivoli Theatre has been showing first run feature films since its inception. It opened on Christmas Day 1928 for the Balaban & Katz chain, and originally had a seating capacity for 1,390. The Tivoli Theatre was equipped with a Wurlitzer theatre organ.

Guyer Theater (Lewisville IN)
http://www.guyeroperahouse.net
Architect Don Perry of Indianapolis , with the aid to the board restoration committee, designed an area reminiscent of an Edwardian salon, Lewisville style. The original tin ceiling was preserved and repaired, the original woodwork was refinished and duplicated where necessary.

Historic Anthony Theatre (Anthony KS)
http://www.anthony-theatre.com/
Thanks to the generosity and support of the community, the Anthony Theater will soon rise again.

Hamburg Palace Theatre (Hamburg NY)
http://hamburgpalace.com/cms/
Pride of ownership is evident from the moment you enter the theatre. The theatre is kept immaculate; the seats have all been re-upholstered in a very original looking velvet; and the floor is clean and shiny. Yes, the screen is even curtained and draped.

United Palace (Loew’s 175th) (New York NY)
http://www.revike.org/palace.asp
Currently the theater is home to New York evangelist Reverend Ike's Christ United Church and is known as The Palace Cathedral for church services. In recent years it has also been used as a concert venue and is known as the United Palace when booked for such events.

Stanley Center for the Arts (Utica NY)
http://stanleycenterforthearts.com/
The Stanley was built in less than 13 months on the expanding southern edge of downtown, some four blocks away from Utica’s theatre district. Unfortunately, all the theatres located there were razed during the Urban Renewal era of the 1960s and 70s. The Stanley remained open through all of this, though it suffered many years of benign neglect.

Rogers Theater Performing Arts Center (Shelby NC)
http://www.rogerstheatershelby.com/
The Rogers Theater is in the heart of beautiful Historic Uptown Shelby, North Carolina. The theater and the website are currently undergoing restoration.

Grand Theatre (East Greenville PA)
http://www.thegrandtheater.org/
The theater, now known as the Grand Theater again, has been restored to its 1924 appearance and reopened July 29, 2005. It features second-run movies with DTS Digital Surround, classic movies, concerts and other live performances.

Guthrie Theatre (Grove City PA)
http://www.The-guthrie.com
Built in 1926 as a live theatre but placed a large square white plaster screen on the back of the stage and started to run silent films between shows, from there it grew into a movie house.

Bushfire Theatre of Performing Arts (Philadelphia PA)
http://www.bushfiretheatre.org/
Opened in 1914 as the Locust Theatre with a seating capacity of 1,400. It was a vaudeville and motion picture house in West Philadelphia. By the 1930's The Locust Theatre was showing movies only. In 1977, the Bushfire Performing Arts Group acquired the Locust Theatre, and renamed it the Bushfire Theatre

Princess Theatre (Harriman TN)
http://princesstheater.blogspot.com/
This theater, the last of four in Harriman, closed in 2001. However, it is being restored by actor Muse Watson (the guy with the hook in "I Know What You Did Last Summer"), who lives in the area, and plans to reopen it sometime this fall as a movie house and performing arts center.

Crighton Theatre (Conroe TX)
http://www.crightontheatre.org
The Crighton Theatre is a truly historic theatre built in 1934, and is the home base for performances offered by Stage-Right Productions, The Montgomery County Performing Arts Society, and The Sounds of Texas Music Theater.

Lincoln Theatre (Mount Vernon WA)
http://www.lincolntheatre.org
The Lincoln Theatre, a restored 1926 historic Vaudeville & silent movie house in downtown Mount Vernon, presents a year-round schedule of concerts, current and classic films, and community events. The Lincoln is what's called a period theater, which were in vogue around the time it was built.

Moore Theatre (Seattle WA)
http://www.stgpresents.org/moore/
Part of the Seattle Theater Group, The Moore Theatre opened on December 28, 1907 and was designed by architect Edwin W. Houghton, with an original seating capacity of 2,212. It has also been known as the President, Old Orpheum, and Moore Egyptian theaters.

Warner Theatre (Morgantown WV)
http://www.thewarner.com/history.cfm
Built by the Warner Brothers, H. M., Major Albert, and J.L., at a cost of $400,000, the theatre was constructed with the interests of the guest in mind. The Warner Theatre is a historically significant structure in downtown Morgantown that should be preserved and enjoyed by the public. For this reason, Round Table Corporation purchased the theatre in 2004 with the intention of restoring it to its original condition.

Grand Theatre (East Greenville PA)
http://www.thegrandtheater.org/
The theater, now known as the Grand Theater again, has been restored to its 1924 appearance and reopened July 29, 2005. It features second-run movies with DTS Digital Surround, classic movies, concerts and other live performances.

NEW THEATRE-RELATED SITE LINKS

Balaban and Katz Historical Foundation (NJ)
http://www.balabanandkatzfoundation.com/index.html
This site celebrates the history of the Balaban and Katz Theater Corporation. It’s full of great vintage photos and information. It’s under construction so check back often.

Bob Bayles Cinema Photography
http://www.cinemaphotogallery.com/
Some are old and some are new, but they’re all beautiful examples of theaters from all over the country.

Big Screen Classics (Suffern NY)
http://www.bigscreenclassics.com
This site is another source of movie showtimes. No history available. The Lafayette Theatre opened its doors in 1924 with the silent film classic "Scaramouche," and flourished through the rest of the 1920's with live vaudeville shows and film presentations. The Cedar Lane Cinema is a former single screen movie house, which opened as the Teaneck Theater. It has been delighting northern New Jersey audiences for over six decades. Built for the small town of Newton, this now-twinned theatre showed films until it closed on 21st October 2007. Renovations were carried out and the Newton Theatre was reopened on May 16, 2008.

Lamar Movies (Lamar MO)
http://www.lamarmo.com/movies/
The site is just movie show times and coming attractions, but the theaters have an interesting past. Located on the south side of historic Lamar Square, The Plaza Theatre opened on October 25, 1934 with great fan fare. Every major studio at that time sent representatives for opening night. Telegrams were sent from Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, Mae West, Al Jolson and many others. It was remodeled in 1945 to the designs of architect Robert O. Boller and had a seating capacity of 587. Opened as the Barco Star Vue Drive-In on April 28, 1950, it accommodated 200 cars. Today it’s known as The Barco, but the capacity has doubled.

Save The Franklin THeatre (Franklin TN)
http://www.savethefranklintheatre.org/
An effort by The Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County. The enduring romance with the Franklin Theatre began in the summer of 1937. The marquee spilled brilliantly onto Main Street inviting citizens countywide to see "Night Must Fall," starring Robert Montgomery and Rosalind Russell.

West Lake Conservators (Skaneateles NY)
http://westlakeconservators.com/
West Lake Conservators is a nationally recognized firm specializing in the preservation of historic and artistic treasures. Among their many specialties is the preservation of historic theater curtains.

The Hollywood Art (CANADA)
http://thehollywoodart.blogspot.com/2008/10/paralyzed-in-dark-tribute-to-movie.html
Writer Nick Zegarac has given us a lavishly illustrated and well written blog on the history of the movie palace.

CHANGES/UPDATES

Web addresses and/or descriptions may have changeg for the following sites. If you have personal bookmarks, you may need to update them.

Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace (Cremorne AUSTRALIA)
http://www.orpheum.com.au/
The historic Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace is a six cinema complex located in Cremorne on Sydney's lower North Shore. The Orpheum opened in October, 1935 with seating for 1,700 people on two levels and offered a standard of comfort which was second-to-none, a tradition which continues to this day. The stalls were removed in 1984, which confined the theatre to its normal dress circle. In 1987, the Orpheum was restored by entrepreneur Mike Walsh O.B.E, and reopened in December 1987 as the Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace.

Additions and corrections to the listings are most welcome! Please send information to the TheatreLinks editor, Michael Moran, at michaelm6@ca.rr.com. Any technical problems or questions concerning this site or the links should be addressed to the Webmaster.

We invite any interested websites -- particularly those of individual theatres -- to link to this site. If you do so, please let us know.

Please note that the descriptive comments are written at the time each site is first reviewed and that subsequent changes to a site's content are often made. The comments are the personal opinion(s) of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Theatre Historical Society of America.

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