Restored and repurposed, the show goes on for these vaudeville-era Midwestern theaters.
By Deborah Reinhardt Palmer
As the house lights dim, the buzz of conversation through the packed theater quiets. Eyes shift from the opulent 2,000-pound glass chandelier to the stage. The orchestra begins the show’s overture. It’s opening night for “The Wedding Singer” at The Fabulous Fox Theater in St. Louis. And after almost 80 years, it’s still a blast.
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? The Fox Theater’s front entrance as it appears today and the opulent stage. Fox Theater photos |
Another opening, another show
Vaudeville, the genre of variety entertainment prevalent in North America from the early 1880s to the early 1930s, found audiences in palatial theaters. The term was derived from voix de ville, a French expression that translates to “voice of the city.” The term vaudeville was used by theater owners who wanted to attract more middle-class patrons, not the working-class rowdies in saloons and halls. The pseudo-French term also lent an air of sophistication, consistent with the Progressive Era’s interests in education.
The League of Historic American Theaters lists hundreds of these entertainment palaces in the United States and Canada. Dozens are dotted throughout the Midwest, and this is but a sampling of wonderful buildings that have been renovated and repurposed. To learn about more theaters, visit the league’s Web site, www.lhat.org.
Some of the greatest vaudevillians–Eddie Cantor, George Jessel, Mae West and Ziegfeld star Ruth Etting–played at The Fabulous Fox in St. Louis. Burlesque queen and Missouri girl Sally Rand also performed here. In the 1940s, entertainers like Bob Hope and the big bands of Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman and Glen Miller packed in the people.
When William Fox built the 5,060-seat theater for an outrageous $6 million, it was second only in size to New York’s Roxy Theater. The over-the-top interior has been coined “Siamese Byzantine;” patrons still shake their heads or drop their jaws upon entering the 90-foot lobby. The theater opened in January 1929 showing the silent movie, “Street Angel.” In October of that year, the stock market crashed and Fox took a heavy hit, eventually going bankrupt in 1932. Musical producers Franchon and Marco took a 25-year lease on the theater in 1934 and Harry Arthur became general manager.
Many St. Louisans remember buying a movie ticket for 50 cents and taking in a live show, organ concert, a Fox MovieTone newsreel and the featured film. The Fox Theater was one of the first in the country to include sound equipment for “talkies.” It also was one of the first to be fully air-conditioned, providing a welcome Saturday summer escape for many St. Louisans. Many people later would remember the less glorious 1970s, when The Fox hosted rock concerts and B-rated movies just to keep the doors open until, in 1978, the theater was closed.
In 1981, the property was purchased by a private partnership, Fox Associates (the late Leon R. Strauss, Robert Baudendistel, Dennis McDaniel and Harvey Harris). The restoration took one year under the direction of Strauss’ wife, Mary, and The Fox reopened in September 1982 as a performing arts center.
Upcoming shows include comedian Jim Gaffigan on Sept. 27, Irish vocal quartet the High Kings on Oct. 8 and the Radio City Rockettes for 38 shows Dec. 11–28.
Learn more about this St. Louis landmark during one of the regularly scheduled tours, held at 10:30 a.m. every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. See the theater’s Tony Award collection (there are five) and hear interesting tidbits of trivia and history. But the highlight on Thursday and Saturday mornings is meeting local celebrity Stan Kann, who was the house organist for more than 22 years, starting his career in the 1950s. Kann explains the history and workings of the mighty Wurlitzer and the smaller orchestral organ, which is played during evening performances by visiting organists. Tours are $5 on Tuesday and $8 on Thursday and Saturday.
The Fox Theater is located at 527 N. Grand Blvd. in the Grand Center, St. Louis’ performing arts district. For information, call (314) 534-1678; for theater tours, call (314) 657-5068 or visit www.fabulousfox.com; tickets to upcoming shows are available by calling (314) 534-1111 or visit online at www.metrotix.com.
Curtain up, light the lights
The Missouri Theater in Columbia, the only movie and vaudeville palace in central Missouri that predates the Depression, is a grand old dame who deserves this makeover that will restore youth’s good looks.
Designed after the Paris Opera House and built in 1928, the Missouri Theater was built for showing film and showcasing vaudeville acts. As vaudeville’s popularity waned, the theater almost exclusively screened movies for its patrons.
In 1953, the building was leased to a now defunct theater chain that stripped a good deal of the historic charm from the theater’s lobby and mezzanine. In 1987, the Missouri Symphony Society bought the building as its permanent home. The symphony orchestra uses the theater for its season and it is rented for other performances and events. Throughout the years, the symphony society has made necessary upgrades and repairs, but “there are just so many bandaids in the box,” said Kanani May, public relations and marketing director for the symphony and theater. The Missouri’s time had come, and a $10 million restoration got underway last July. At press time, the May 21 grand reopening, featuring singing legend Tony Bennett, was being planned while workers put the final touches on the Missouri Theater Center for the Arts.
The many changes include: enlarging the lobby three times its original size, restorative painting, expanding existing lounges and creating a full concession area, adding fully accessible bathrooms on all levels and creating a gallery and sales area on street level for the Columbia Art League.
“It’s going to be just a jaw dropper,” May said. “There are so many things even I’ve never noticed, like the beautiful scrollwork. It’s going to be like unwrapping a present on Christmas morning.”
Many of the original details that survived are more vibrant than ever. Patrons will notice the Belgian marble wainscoting, plaster reliefs, stained glass art panels under the balcony and the 1,800-pound Italian crystal chandelier.
The Missouri Theater Center for the Arts is at 203 S. Ninth St., in the heart of downtown. For information, call (573) 875-0600 or visit online at www.motheatre.org.
Editor’s note: This story originally was assigned to Nancy Miller, a St. Louis journalist who was murdered in February. She had just started writing the piece when she was killed. After hearing the horrible news of her murder, I decided to write the story and dedicate it to Nancy.
Deborah Reinhardt Palmer is managing editor for AAA Midwest Traveler.
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Jul/Aug 2008 Issue
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By Deborah Reinhardt Palmer
The movies that were shown on their screens are classics, and so are these historical theaters. Some had a life in vaudeville before stepping into the movie spotlight. Others share a naughty past in burlesque. All of them have been restored or are in the process of being saved for future generations to enjoy.
Here are additional theaters to entertain you with colorful histories and vibrant entertainment lineups.
Illinois gets the picture
The Illinois Theater in downtown Centralia is an example of the deco-style theater common during the 1920s and ‘30s. The Illinois Theater’s colorful marquee soon will advertise upcoming shows that patrons from a 50-mile radius can enjoy.
The Illinois Theater opened in 1922 as a vaudeville house and was the first movie theater in the area to show the “talkies” in 1929. It operated as a movie theater until closing in 2002. Kerasotes Theaters Inc., a Midwestern theater chain, donated the property in 2005 to the city of Centralia. A year later, the not-for-profit Downtown Centralia Illinois Theater Inc., organized to take charge of the $1 million renovation that got underway in August 2007.
Jane Pacey, program director for the Downtown Centralia Illinois Theater, said the space will have new seats, air conditioning, sound and lighting systems and accessible restrooms. Although a date when the 450-seat theater opens hasn’t been announced, Pacey said it should be open by the end of the year.
“I think people will be awed by the beauty of it,” Pacey said.
The Illinois Theater will host professional entertainment–smaller musicals, concerts, lecture programming–when it opens to the general public. Pacey also hopes to start tours of the theater in the fall.
A fund-raising performance featuring Second City Improv is slated for Sept. 26 and 27. Tickets are $25.
Pacey said the biggest surprise of the project has been the support of Centralia’s former citizens who have fond memories of the theater.
“The project is 80 percent complete. But the project cannot be completed until another $200,000 is raised,” she said.
For more information about the Illinois Theater or to purchase tickets for Second City Improv, call (618) 532-0638.
Other Illinois theaters include:
• Lincoln Theater (1921), 103 E. Main St. in Belleville, (618) 233-0123, www.lincolntheatre-belleville.com;
• Liberty Theater (1918), 1333 Walnut St. in Murphysboro, (618) 684-5880.
indiana’s happy ending
It’s been a vaudeville theater, movie house, adult nightclub and a place for teens to gather. Today, the Victory Theater in Evansville is home to the philharmonic orchestra, as well as other local and touring performers and lecturers.
The theater and adjoining Sonntag Hotel opened in 1921 with a parade down Main Street, band and organ concerts and dignitaries from Hollywood and New York. Sold to Lowe’s theater chain in 1926, the Victory operated under that ownership until 1971. It closed as a movie theater in 1979, reopening as a place for adult entertainment in the 1980s and then as a teen club in the 1990s. After several years, the theater finally was saved and renovated with private and public funding and reopened in 1998. The philharmonic held its first concert there Sept. 26, 1998. The 1,950-seat theater is owned by the city and managed by SMG Evansville.
Ed Mason, operations director for SMG Evansville, said visitors taking the theater tours often remember working at the Victory as an usher or visiting the movie house while on leave from Camp Breckenridge, an Army camp in western Kentucky that operated from 1942 until the early 1960s.
The Victory Theater is located at the corner of Sixth Street and Main Street Walkway in downtown Evansville. For information, call (812) 435-6287 or click on www.smgevansville.com.
Another theater, the Indiana in Bloomington, not only showed popular movies of the time, it played host to vaudevillians and musicians, including Bloomington boy Hoagy Carmichael and his jazz band, The Collegians. Now known as the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave., the notable marquee is still a local landmark. For ticket information, call (812) 323-3020 or click on www.buskirkchumley.org.
Curtain up in Kansas
Looking a bit like a Spanish parador, the Granada Theater in Emporia is nearing its long renovation. Its Spanish Colonial Revival architecture is being brought back to life with the help of skilled local artisans, craftsmen and laborers.
The theater, built in 1929, was saved from demolition in 1984 by local businessman, John Mallon. The Emporia Granada Theater Alliance was set in place to oversee the restoration and renovation, as well as secure nearly $3 million in funding. It’s been a big task, but work over the past five years is really starting to show.
The landmark marquee was restored in 2001. Recent work includes installing new light and sound systems, re-creating oil paintings once seen in the theater’s alcoves, making new molds for the plaster ornamentations and stenciling the auditorium’s coffered ceiling. At press time, workers were going to pour the concrete for the auditorium’s tiered flooring, which will enable the theater to utilize a variety of seating–from theater to banquet styles. The theater will be a multi-purpose facility and will Continued be available for rentals. A variety of performances and films will be offered for entertainment purposes.
When the 800-seat theater reopens, donors’ appreciation gala will kick off the celebration, followed by a week of activities ranging from performances by the Golden Dragon Acrobats to a Laurel and Hardy short movie. A street fair and other classic films also were in the mix. A concert by former Emporia residents Kelley Hunt and the Dewayn Brothers is slated for Oct. 10.
Emporia is just off Interstate 35. Kansas City is about 90 minutes northeast of town, Wichita about the same distance to the southwest. Ryan said the theater will draw from those markets and surrounding communities for audiences and those looking for a different facility in which to host an event.
The Granada Theater is at 807 Commercial St. The Granada Coffee Company and Sweet Granada, specializing in chocolate confections, are open now next to the theater. For more information, call (620) 342-3342 or visit online at www.emporiagranada.com.
Other theaters in Kansas include:
• the Hollywood Theater (1938) in Leavenworth http://home.kc.rr.com/finch/rccp/rccp.htm or call (913) 682-7557 for a recorded message about upcoming performances;
• the Opera House (1888) in McPherson. The new auditorium and arts center at 221-223 South Main St. are due to open early in 2009. Contact (620) 241-1952 or www.mcphersonoperahouse.org
Show time in Missouri
The Folly Theater in Kansas City has had its share of hard knocks. Even on its opening night in 1900, the vaudeville performers had to compete with the newly arrived Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show.
The Folly has been a vaudeville and burlesque stage, as well as a legitimate theater that once welcomed then unknown actor Humphrey Bogart. It survived a fire, the Great Depression, name changes (Standard, Century, Shubert’s Missouri, Folly Burlesque) and years of decay before its restoration over seven years and millions of dollars. Thankfully, Joan Kent Dillon and William Deramus III rallied around the Grand Old Lady on Twelfth Street and saved this piece of Kansas City’s history.
Today, the Folly Theater, located at 300 W. 12th St., is home to the Harriman-Jewell Series, plus Friends of Chamber Music, Folly Kids’ Series, and Folly Jazz Series.
For information on upcoming performances, call the box office at (816) 474-4444 or visit online at www.follytheater.com.
Other theaters in Missouri include:
• the Midland (1927), 920 Main St., Kansas City, expected to open sometime this summer;
• the Mainstreet (1921) Theater, 1400 Main St., Kansas City, is set to open by the end of 2008. Like The Midland, it is part of the new Power & Light entertainment district. The six-screen, all-digital Mainstreet will be the new flagship for AMC Theaters. A restaurant and bar will be among the entertainment options here. For updates, contact the Power & Light District at (816) 842-1045 or www.powerandlightdistrict.com.
When the Mainstreet and Midland open, downtown Kansas City will have five historical theaters in use: the Folly, the Lyric and Music Hall.
• the Landers (1909), 311 E. Walnut Ave., Springfield. Call (417) 869-1334 or visit landerstheatre.org;
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• the Guillioz (1926), 325 Park Central East, Springfield. For information call (417) 863-9491 or visit www.gillioz.org;
• Powell Symphony Hall (1925), 718 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis. It now is the permanent home of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. For information call (314) 533-2500 or visit www.slso.org.
• the Sheldon Concert Hall (1912), 3648 Washington, St. Louis. For information call Metrotix at (314) 534-1111 or visit www.thesheldon.org.
• Roberts Orpheum Theater (1917), 416 N. Ninth St., St. Louis. For information call Ticketmaster at (314) 421-4400 or visit www.robertsorpheum.com.
• the Hi-Pointe Theater (1922), 1005 McCausland Ave., St. Louis. The oldest continuously operating movie theater in the city, the Hi-Pointe always was intended to show films. For information, call (314) 995-6273.
• the Tivoli Theater (1924), 6350 Delmar in The Loop, St. Louis. Like the Hi-Point, it is part of the Landmark Theater company. For information call (314) 995-6270. The Web site for both the Hi-Pointe and the Tivoli, www.landmarktheatres.com. |
Other regional theaters, from top right, include the Illinois Theater, the Folly Theater, the Granada Theater and the Lincoln Theater. Photos courtesy of respective theaters |