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7/31/2019 PP Brochure Rev Complete 9-16-11

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CINEMA GROUP LLC presents

the rise, fall and rebirth of americas historic movie theatres

The Detroit Fox C. Howard Crane (Architect) 1929Theatre Photo by Christian Dionne

A D O C U M E N T A R Y F I L M


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Radio City Christmas Spectacular Marquee Setting Wally Coberg (Designer) 1997

Father and son at the Radio City Christmas Spectacular in 2007


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The theatres that America built in the 20s and 30s wereextravagant, exotic fantasies designed to transport audi-

ences into another world. The show started on the sidewalk

the moment you saw the theatres towering sign. More than anarchitectural travelogue, Popcorn Palaces will be the story ofthose who built these temples of enchantment and those whofound inspiration in them. Its about ushers, projectionists,stagehands, musicians, singers, dancers, designers and directors,and the audiences they served. Its the story of experiences thatshaped lifetimes, created legacies and provided the foundationfor our modern entertainment culture. Its about a child seeingthe magic that is the theatre for the very first time.


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Holland Brothers Amusement Arcade in 1894

Well-dressed movie patrons in line at The Byrd Theatre in 1935.

The Lobby of the San Francisco Fox Thomas W. Lamb (Architect) 1929 - 1963

BenM.

HallCollection

PhotobyFrankNovak

PhotobyJohnLowe


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MIDAS ON MAIN STREET

Americas love affair with the movies began on April 14, 1894 with the opening of the HollandBrothers Amusement Arcade in New York City. Stepping inside, patrons found two rows

of tall wooden cabinets, each with a narrow viewing slot. The ten motorized contraptionswere kinetoscopes, the latest invention of Thomas Alva Edison. And so, in a converted shoestore on Broadway, the movies were born. By 1910 they were everywhere and theatres builtespecially for the movies were springing up in vast and shining numbers across the land.

They swept in on a flood tide of splendor, of million dollar real estate deals, of fantasticarchitecture, of music, laughter and dreams. It was a gaudy, enchanted, phony, preposterousand lovely ageThe Golden Age of the Movie Palaceand the people loved it. After all, it hadbeen built for them.

Popcorn Palaces will chronicle not only the zenith of that heady era, but also the yearsleading up to it, the decade of decline that followed, and the amazing rebirth that saved somany of them. Produced by Cinema Group LLC, in association with the League of HistoricAmerican Theatres, this two hour, high definition documentary will make use of archivalimages, interviews with noted historians and scholars, as well as the memories of those whowent to and worked in these architectural wonders. Popcorn Palaces will be accompanied bya comprehensive educational outreach program, a lavishly illustrated companion book, and acutting-edge, interactive website.

Boston Opera House (Keiths Memorial) Thomas W. Lamb Architect 1928

AL RINGLING

ALABAMA

ALBEE

ALHAMBRA

ALLEN

AMBASSADOR

APOLLO

ARLINGTON

ASTOR

ATLANTA FOX

AVALON

AZTEC

BALBOA

BAMA

BEACON

BELASCO

BELMONT

BOULDER

BROADWAY

BYRD

CALIFORNIA

CAPITOL

CAROLINA

PhotobyChristianDionne


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Lubins Marvel was a popular projector in nickelodeons.

I dont like to do things theway everyone else does them.

The people themselves dontknow what they want. Theywant to be entertained, thatsall. Dont give the people whatthey want, give them some-thing better.

Samuel Roxy Rothafel

The picture-palace is a shrine to democracy wherethe wealthy rub elbows with the poor.

George RappRapp & Rapp Architects


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NICKELODEONS

As the twentieth-century dawned, it was clear that the movies were here to stay. Travelingtent shows introduced the miracle of The Great Train Robbery to the hinterlands. In

1903 Harry, Jack, Albert and Sam Warnerthe Warner Brothersopened a ninety-five seatstore-front theatre in Newcastle, Pennsylvania. David Grauman and his bushy-haired son,Sid, were showing movies to enthusiastic crowds in San Francisco. And John P. Harris ofMcKeesport, Pennsylvania minted a brand new name for his movie show by merging the Greekword for theatre with the price of admission to come up with Nickel-Odeon.

The evolution of the nickelodeons mirrored that of the motion pictures they exhibited.Just as films began to stand on their own and not be part of a vaudeville bill, so did the venueserected to show them grow. By 1905 nearly any city worth five-cents had a nickelodeon. Onlyten quick years had elapsed since the nightApril 23, 1896when the private imp in theviewing lens of the hand cranked Kinetoscope leapt like a prancing giant onto the gold-framed

screen at Koester and Bials Music Hall. From that moment onward the movies belonged tothe masses.

Meanwhile, in a small Pennsylvania mining town something so remarkable was happeningthat even New Yorkers sat up and took notice. There, a former Marine/hash-slinger/travelingsalesman had converted the backroom of a tavern into The Family Theatre. The entrepreneursname was Samuel L. Rothapfel and he would go on to revolutionize the very way motionpictures were presented. Indeed, in less than two decades he would move from that back roomtheatre, with chairs borrowed from a local funeral parlor, to a six-thousand seat colossus: TheCathedral of the Motion Picture. It would bear his name Roxy.

Roxy Theatre New York City (1927-1961)

CASTRO

CATHAY CIRCLE

CENTRAL PARK

CENTURY

CHICAGO

COLISEUM

CORONADO

CRITERION

DETROIT FOX

EGYPTIAN

EL CAPITAN

ELSINORE

EMBASSY

FARGO

FIFTH AVENUE

FISHER

FITZGERALD

FLORIDA

FLYNN

FOX-TUCSON

FOX-WATSON

GARDE

GOLDEN GATE


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The Roxy Theatre Walter W. Ahlschlager Architect 1927

The Oakland Paramount Timothy L. Pflueger Architect 1931 The Los Angeles Theatre S. Charles Lee (Architect) 1931

The Majestic Theatre San Antonio John Eberso n Architect 1929

TheatreHistoricalSoc

iety

PhotobyAlvinTenpo

PhotobyRobertBerger&AnneConser

PhotobyJohnDyer


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PALACES

America was going to the movies in record numbers and theatres were cropping up likemorning glories across the land to accommodate them. Cashing in on the publics

unquenchable thirst for fantasy, showmen soon dotted the Main Streets of America with athousand Xanadus that gave expression to the polychrome dreams of a whole generation ofarchitects. The results ranged from the purely classical to the wildly exotic. Both made forgreat box officethe ultimate goal of all movie palaces.

Two individuals stand out among the hundreds of architects who practiced this art of illusion.The first was Thomas Lamb, one of the busiest and best known of all the movie palace architects. Hiscareer would encompass the design of over three hundred theatres. The other was John Eberson,creator of the atmospheric. In an Eberson theatre the auditorium was (in his words) a magnificentamphitheatre under a glorious moonlit sky, an Italian garden, a Persian court, a Spanish patio or amystic Egyptian temple where friendly stars twinkled and wisps of clouds drifted.

Theatre architects aimed to create showplaces that possessed all the trappings of thevery rich, but which were accessible to all. They gave movie theatres a mass appeal neverfound in the grand opera houses that preceded them. By the end of the Twenties both thebaroque and exotic style had given way to the simplified lines and geometric patterns ofArt Deco, the apotheosis of which was reached in the golden sunrise of Radio City MusicHallthe last of the great urban colossi.

Radio City Music Hall Edward Durell Stone Architect 1932

GRANADA

GRAND

GRAUMANS CHINESE

HANNA

HANOVER

HERALD SQUARE

HILLSBORO

HIPPODROME

IMPERIAL

INDIANA

JEFFERSON

KEENEYS

KEITHS

KEITHS MEMORIAL

KENTUCKY

KESWICK

KIMO

LAKE

LERNER

LOEWS 175TH ST

LOEWS 72nd ST

LOEWS AKRON

LOEWS JERSEY


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On the worlds greatest stage, Radio City Music Hall presents a colorful and spectacular

production of Ravels famous Bolero, with dancers, drummers and orchestra providing a stirring climax.

The Poet of the Organ, Jesse Crawford at the Mighty Wurlitzer acknowledged

as the nest theatre organ ever built in New Yorks Paramount Theatre.

A double -dozen Ches ter Ha le gi rls rest the ir fea thers before

the spectacular satin house curtain at the Capitol Theatre.

Mama does God live here?

GRAUMANS CHINESE THEATREFRIDAY EVENING MARCH 24, 1933

. . P r o g r a m m e . .

(A) SELECTED SHORT SUBJECTS

(B) OVERTUREGraumans Ch inese Thea tre Orchestra Al Er ickson Directing

(C) SID GRAUMANS PROLOGUEConceived and Staged by SID GRAUMAN

Leroy P r inz, Ass is tant to Mr. Grauman

A SCENE IN THE JUNGLE( 1 ) T h e V o o - D o o D a n c e r s

( 2 ) R e tu r n o f t h e H u nte r s

( 3 ) Ga th e r i n g o f th e T r i b es

( 4 ) D a n c e to th e S a c r e d A p e

( 5 ) T h e C a p t i v e

( 6 ) I n th e T r e e T o p s w i th

P a u l i n g L o r e t t a

( 7 ) E c c e n t r i c D a n c e o f t h e Zu l u sD u d l e y D i ck e r s o n R u t t l e d g e

a n d T a y l o r T h e T w o S e p i a s T h e B o n B o n s C a r l G i b s o n

a n d B o b b y S t e v e n s

( 8 ) T h e S a f a r i

(9) Serge Flash Europea n Wanderer

(10) Studies in EbonyThe Cacholets

(11) The Black Ballet

(12) Gloria Gilbert Americas Premiere

Danseuse

(13) Entrance o f the Queen and Her Court

(14) J immy Savo

(15) Goodbye Afr ica Ensemble withAlma Travers and Margueri te

Robinson(16) Ch i l ton and Thomas Abso lute ly

Indiv idua l

(17) Grand Finale Ensemble

Chorus o f Dusky Ma idens and Afr ican Chora l Ensembles

Co lton Cron in , Stage Directo r

Mus ic and Lyr ics by Ben El l ison and Harvey Brooks

P ro logue and P ic ture Costumes by Weste rn Costume Company

RKO-Radio Pictures Presents

KING KONGF rom an I d ea Con ce i ved b y MER IAN C . CO O PER

S t ory b y MER IAN C . CO O PER AND EDG AR WAL L ACE

Di rect ed b y ER NEST V . SCHO EDSACK an d MER IAN C . CO O PE R

A Coop er- Sch oed sack P rod u ct i on

WI L L I S O B R I EN , Ch i e f T ech n i c i an

DAVID O . S EL ZN ICK, Execu t i ve P rod u cer


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AUDIENCES

During the nickelodeon era theatre owners discovered that the more elegant they made their

establishments, the more sophisticated an audience they could attract. In that sense, movies,

and the theatres in which they were shown, soon became the great equalizer. By 1911 audiences

were a gathering of disparate peoples and classes. As Motion Picture News observed, Men may

preach and talk of brotherhood, of finding a universal tongue. Moving pictures have found itit is

shown on the screen every dayeverywhere.

The Twentiesthe time when most movie palaces were builtwas a time of extremes:

extremes in wealth and poverty, culture and vulgarity, ambition and what-the-hell. It was a time

when only one family in ten owned a car. There was no television and the internet was a word yet

to be coined. Everywhere there was a thirsty curiosity about the lives of the rich and the world

in which they lived. Hollywood knew this and capitalized on it. As the movies created their own

glamorized climate, so smart exhibitors sought to profit from it. Now anyone with a little loose

change might dwell in marble halls for a few hours and luxuriate in a dream world come true.

And so America went to the movies, religiously, once or twice a week. There they found

themselves catered to by a uniformed staff and entertainedin addition to a moviewith resident

orchestras, squads of soloists, lines of precision dancers, mammoth pipe organs, printed programs

and stage spectacles that would make Flo Ziegfeld proud.

It was the ability of these palaces to host live entertainment on so sumptuous a scale that

would prove to be their salvation in the troubling years to come.

There was no greater honor for a young man than to be a Roxy usher. You were a

member of an elite corphandpicked for manly bearing and devotion to duty.

LOEWS KINGS

LOEWS PITKIN

LOEWS RICHMOND

LOEWS STATE

LOEWS VALENCIA

LOS ANGELES

LUCAS

LYRIC

MAJESTIC

MARBRO

MARYLAND

MASTABAUM

MAYAN

METROPOLITAN

MICHIGAN

MIDLAND

MILLION DOLLAR

MINOR

MISSOURI

MORRIS

MUSIC BOX

MUSIC HALL

NEW AMSTERDAM


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Mass entertainment for a new era.

Gloria Swanson bids farewell to the Roxy in the ruins of the lobby.

The Michigan Theatre in Detroit, now a triple-tiered parking garage.

As Americans moved to the suburbs,downtownsand theatressuffered.E

liotElisofonforLife

PhotobySeanHemmerle


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CHANGING TIMES

In 1946 the nations booming box office reached a historic peak of 80 million admissions. Sevenyears laterin 1953ticket sales had plummeted to one-half that number. By contrast, sales of

television sets were increasing steadily. In 1954 more than half of the households in America hadTVsby the end of the decade that number had increased to ninety-percent. Mass entertainmentin America was being redefined.

The Paramount Decree of 1948, in which the Supreme Court ordered the film studios todivest themselves of their theatres, was another nail in the coffin of the studio system. Devoid ofan incentive to provide their theatres with a steady supply of product, the studios began makingfewer films, and those they did make were expensive epics that could stand on their own. Thus, amonumental mistake like Cleopatra could prove ruinous to a studio.

In the years following the Second World War, Americans had followed the highways to thesuburbs and away from downtown. The days when crowds packed the massive auditoriums ormilled expectantly through large, ornate lobbies were gone. In the end many of the downtown

theatres faced the wrecking ball. Too cavernous, it was thought, to be converted to other uses, theywere sacrificed for their prime real estate value.

In the summer of 1960 the Roxy Theatre vanished in a pile of rubble and dust and someshards of gold-leafed plaster. Fallow ground where only an office building could grow marked therealm where romance and adventure, magic and mystery had once flourished.

THE STANLEY THEATRE

Hoffman & Henon Architects 1927

The 4,000 seat Stanley Theatre was Baltimores

largest, most opulent movie palace. Going to

the Stanley epitomized the peak of moviegoing

elegance. In the Summer of 1965 the Stanley was

torn down by its then owner, Morris A. Mechanic,

to make way for a parking lot. Tragically, the sole

reason for its demolition was so that it would

not become competition for the new theatre

Mechanic was then building as part of the citys

urban renewal project, Charles Center.

OAKLAND PARAMOUNT

OHIO

ORIENTAL

ORPHEUM

PABST

PALACE

PANTAGES

PARADISE

PARAMOUNT

PENN

PEROT

PICKWICK

POLK

PROCTORS

RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL

RAHWAY

RENAISSANCE

RIALTO

RIVERSIDE

RIVIERA

RIVOLI

RKO ROXY

ROOSEVELT


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The Ohio Theatre Thomas W. Lamb (Architect) 1928Restored 1969

Pantages Theatre Hollywood B. Marcus Priteca (Architect) 1930

Chicago Theatre George and Cornelius W. Rapp (Architects) 1921

D.R.Goff/QuicksilverPhotography

PhotoCourtesyofBroadwayLA

PhotobyMattMaldre

The Ohio Theatre was one of the first restorations of a movie palace for use as a performing

arts center and has served as a successful model for many later historic renovation projectsin the United States. Today the Ohio is the home of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra,BalletMet, the Broadway Series, Opera Columbus, and the CAPA Summer Movie Series.

Host to the Academy Awards from 1949-1959, the landmark Pantages is operated by the

Nederlander Organization. It underwent a $10-million restoration and upgrade in 2000 andis now one of Los Angeles leading venues for live theater.

Restored in 1986 at a cost of $18 Million, the theatre is now owned and operated by MadisonSquare Garden Entertainment, who continue to upgrade and restore this cultural landmark justas they have done with both the Beacon Theatre and Radio City Music Hall in New York.


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ENCORE

The 1960s were the darkest hour for the movie palace. No theatre was sacrednot eventhe Cathedral of the Motion Picture. Even a major cultural icon like Radio City Music

HallThe Showplace of the Nationwas being threatened with death and dismemberment.

Then something remarkable happened. A few enlightened individuals, along with anew generation of city planners, began to see these former theatres as a catalyst for urbanrevitalization. Not only did they possess great cultural and architectural significance, but itmade economic sense, too. Adapting the old is often cheaper than building anew. And so,after the first few palaces were renovatedinitially by symphony orchestras looking for anew homemany people, recognizing their intrinsic beauty and superior acoustics, began tolobby to save other theatres. People believed, often rightfully so, that they were taking anabandoned part of their city and making something special out of it again.

In retrospect, adapting movie palaces for new theatrical uses seems like the most naturalthing in the world. Today a symphony orchestra or touring Broadway show or rock concert

is likely to fill a theatre where only two or three decades ago some forgettable exploitationfilm played to rows of empty seats. It seems fitting that these popcorn palaces, which onceplayed host to countless thousands and the wonderful tales spun by Hollywood, should havea happy ending of their own.

Movie palaces have played a defining role in the cultural history of the United States.They are doing so again.

AFI SILVER THEATRE AND CULTURAL CENTER

Silver Spring, MarylandIn addition to painstaki ngly restori ng John Ebersonsoriginal 1938 Moderne/Deco interior, the American FilmInstitute built two adjacent state-of-the-art auditoria aspart of the $20 million complex. The 32,000 square-foot addition houses support facilities, ofces, meetingand reception rooms. Theatre capabilities include alllm formats, digital projection, broadcast quality videorecording and remote feeding capabilities via satellite,ber optic and internet.

ROXY

SAENGER

SAN FRANCISCO FOX

SHEAS BUFFALO

SILVER

SPRECKELS

ST. LOUIS

ST. LOUIS FOX

STANLEY

STRAND

TAMPA

TEMPLE

TENNESSEE

TIVOLI

TOWER

UNITED ARTISTS

UPTOWN

WARFIELD

WARNER

WASHOE

WESTWOOD VILLAGE

WILSHIRE

WILTERN

ChunY.

LaiPhotography


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THE BEACON THEATRE

New York City

The Beacon Theatre is the onlyother surviving theatrebesidesRadio City Music Hallin whoseplanning Roxy was intimatelyinvolved. Known for its awlessacoustics, many of the greatestnames in music have played theBeacon including the Rolling Stones,Jerry Garcia, Aerosmith, MichaelJackson, James Taylor, the AllmanBrothers Band and Queen. In Nov-ember of 2006, Madison Square

Garden Entertainment, a division ofCablevision, began operating theBeacon Theatre. After a sevenmonth, $16 million restoration,during which time original muralswere restored, new dressingrooms and stage oor installed,and 2100 square yards of carpetreplicated, the Beacon reopenedon February 13, 2009 with con-certs by Paul Simon. In 2011 theBeacon Theatre played host to the

Tony Awards.

PROCTORSSchenectady, NY

Originally built as a vaudeville andmovie house, and fully restoredin 1979, Proctors embarked on a$40 million expansion in 2003. A

new stage house, three times thesize of the prior stage, was built toaccommodate touring Broadwayshows. The renovations of theadjacent former Carl Companywere completed in 2007, addingthe 434 seat GE Theatre. Proctorsaspires to provide for the needs ofthe community through a dynamiceducation program for young peopleand adults alike, with in-school, after-school and community programs, as

well as teacher events and summerand winter camps. With the aid ofstate agencies, Proctors invested$8 million in its own energy plantthat allows its neighbors to heatand cool their buildings. Thesechanges have helped make down-town Schenectady a stable, viableand active neighborhood.

PLAYHOUSESQUARECleveland, Ohio

PlayhouseSquare, in downtownCleveland, Ohio, is the worldslargest theater restoration project,and the countrys largest performingarts center outside New York City.PlayhouseSquare draws morethan 1 million people annuallyto its eight performance venueswhile contributing over $43 millionin local economic impact every yearexclusively from its performing artsactivity. The not-for-prot. Playhouse

Square is not only a tourist destination,economic development engine,entertainment presenter andproducer, it is a national leader inarts education. PlayhouseSquareoffers thousands of events, work-shops, classes and more to thepublic. Nationally-recognized pro-grams enable school children tosee shows, while collaborationswith local universities teach artsintegration in the classroom.

ORPHEUM THEATRELos Angeles

Located on Broadway in the heartof the citys historic core, theOrpheum is a key player in L.A.s$40 million campaign Bringing

Back Broadway designed torevitalize what is considered tobe the largest concentration ofsurviving movie palaces on onestreet in the United States. Froma young Judy Garlands vaudevilleperformance to a recent lming ofthe hit TV show American Idol,this renowned venue continuesto host theatrical productions,concerts, special events as wellas serve as a location for lm

and television shoots. In 2001,the Orpheum underwent a $3million renovation that upgradedproduction capabilities and audi-ence amenities while restoringthe theatres historic elements.In addition, the oors above thetheatre were converted into award-winning live/work spaces for artists:The Orpheum Lofts.


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OVATION

Po p c o r n P a la c e s is a celebration of Americas moviegoing legacy. It is also the story of those individuals and

organizations who, through their passion and dedication, are preserving these monuments of entertainment

for future generations. It is the story of the Theatre Historical Society (founded by the late Ben M. Hall) and theLeague of Historic American Theatres. It is the story of Charles and James L. Dolan (father and son) whose company,

Cablevision, undertook the total top to bottom make-over of both the Beacon Theatre and Radio City Music Hall,

until both theatres were restored to their original splendor. It is also the story of David Anderson, whose company,

ACE Theatrical, has been responsible for not only the restoration of a many of Americas most historic theatres, but

also their transformation into vibrant, well managed and self-sustaining performing arts centers.

In addition, colleges and universities are playing a significant role in restoring historic theatres for the benefit

of the community and future generations. Emerson College in Boston is a case in point. After their successful

restoration of the 1,200 seat Cutler-Majestic Theatre, Emerson embarked on an even more ambitious projectthe

$92 million Paramount Center in Bostons historic theatre district. There it joined the restored Opera House (B.F.

Keith Memorial Theatre) and the Modern Theatre, part of Suffolk Universitys new student center.

Long before there was a multiplex or HBO or Netflix, the ritual of going to the movies provided us

with a gateway to a new and deeper understanding of ourselves and our world. Today theatres are priceless

resources that are bringing new vitality and civic pride to our cities. Theatres are the fabric of our past, and

the inspiration for our future.

EMERSON COLLEGE THE PARAMOUNT CENTER

Boston, Massachusetts 1932 and 2010

The Paramount Center is a first-of-its-kind mixed-use residential,academic, and performance venue. The last of the great moviepalaces erected on downtown Bostons Washington Street, Elkus/

Manfredi Architects have recreated the theatres original 1700-seatArt Deco interior damaged beyond reclamation as a smaller

590-seat performance space. The adjacent Arcade Building providedspace for a versatile 150-seat black box theater, film soundstage,

state-of-the-art 170-seat Bright Family Screening Room, scene shop,rehearsal studios, four classrooms, six practice rooms, faculty offices,

and apartments for resident students above. The Center has beencalled a triumph of architecture and urbanism.

PhotobyPeterVanderwaker


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CREATIVE APPROACH

It is our belief that the celebration of the Popcorn Palaces of yesteryear and today merits a far more vibrantand living cinematic treatment than a conventional documentary can offer. Thus, in addition to archival

footage, newly shot interviews and still photographs, we intend to create a dynamic and dramatic narrative that

brings the era , the theaters and i ts inhab itants to l ife .

The general arc of the story will make use of a classic four act structure, with each act exploring one of thefour pivotal periods in the history of these Popcorn Palaces: The Nickelodeon Era, The Golden Age of the MoviePalace, Decline and Rebirth. However, rather than offering up this enchanted world as a historical chronology, oran architectural travelogue, we will present it as a reflection of the social history of the United States in the 20thCentury. In short, our story will be about real people and events, not just buildings. Indeed, the general approachmight best be likened to the treatment of characters both real and imagined, as well as historical events and places,to be found in E.L. Doctorows classic novel Ra g tim e .

It is the intent ofPopcorn Palaces to meld real and composite characters into a compelling, dramatic narrative.Each of the four segments will have a main character through whose eyes and experiences the story will be explored.In addition when and where deemed necessary we will move back and forth between the period story and thepresent day. In this way, we hope to not only experience the bygone world of Popcorn Palaces first hand, but also see

how these theatres are faring today and what hopes and dreams they foster for the next generation.

Loews Kings, Rapp & Rapp Architects, on t he day before opening

in 1929, with the Robert Morton Wonder Organ at stage level.

Loews Kings in Brooklyn, New York one of the ve Wonder Theatres abandoned for 33

years, is now undergoing a $70 million restoration by ACE Theatrical and the City of New York.

PhotocourtesyofMattLambrosPhotograph

y


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Ben M. Hall, whose book, The Best Remaining Seats,helped spearhead the preservation movement.

Everett Kvernum running the projectors at the Columbus Theater, Columbus, North Dakota

PhotobyStrandsStudioofRugby,

NorthDakota

Changing the marquee at the Naro Theatre in Norfolk, VA Russell Markert, the founder of the Rockettes, in rehearsal at the Music Hall

An arti st rest oring a mural at the Beacon Theatre.Waiting in line for the next show at t he Roxy Theatre

PhotocourtesyofLifeMagazine

PhotocourtesyofFlickr(cait7911)

PhotocourtesyofRadioCityMusicH

all

PhotocourtesyofTheTheatreHistoricalSociety


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CREATIVE TEAM

WALLY COBERG (Executive Producer and Director) has spent his entire life in the theatre, either front-of-house as a manager, orbackstage as a designer. A natural extension of his work is a deep understanding of theatre architecture and its history. On stagehis work has been seen in theatres nationwide, including Center Stage, Louisville Ballet, New York City Opera, as well as at the Vir-

ginia, Baltimore and Boston Operas. On the road, audiences saw his sets forDia l M For Mu rd er starring Roddy McDowall, and onice as part of Walt DisneysA laddin andBea u ty an d th e Be ast. He has designed productions in Las Vegas, as well as creating themedenvironments for Busch Gardens Tampa and Williamsburg, Walt Disney World and Universal Studios Hollywood. He was AssistantDesigner at the Vienna State Opera and Resident Designer for The Opera Company of Boston. His knowledge of Christmas has beenon display in retail centers around the world, as well as in the New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Mexico City productions of theRa dio C ity Ch ristm as Sp ec ta cu larstarring the world famous Rockettes. As a filmmaker, his award-winning dramatic short,Incid en t,has been seen on PBS and at the Kennedy Center. He has taught at Towson University, the Maryland Institute College of Art andJohns Hopkins University and is presently developing a documentary, The Mystery of Edgar A llan Poe (www.mysteryofpoe.com).

JOSH WALETZKY (Producer/Editor) is an award-winning documentary filmmaker from New York City. He has worked as a director,writer and editor on numerous documentary films about cultural and social themes, beginning as sound editor on Academy Award-winning Ha rlan Cou n ty , U.S.A . He directed and edited such films as Im age Bef ore My Eye s, Par tisan s of Viln a , Academy Award-nominatedMu sic fo r th e Mov ies : Ber n ard He rr m an n , D as h iel l Ham m et t: Det ec tiv e Wr ite r, and Sacred Stage: The Mariinsky Theater.His editing credits include Emmy Award-winningItz h ak Per lm an : In th e Fidd ler s Ho u se , Peabody Award-winningRe volu tio n !, A.C.E.Eddie Award-nominated The Endurance: Shackletons Legendary Antarctic Expedition , Emmy Award-winning She Says: Wom en InNe w s, and Nu re m be rg : Its Les son fo r To day - Th e Sch ulber g/ Wa let z ky Re st ora tio n . Waletzky is a graduate of Harvard College andNYU Film School, where he studied acting and directing. He was a script and music consultant to Barbra Streisand on her productionofYent l, and has worked as a director on script development, including the screenplay for Simple Justice, under a grant from theNew York State Council on the Arts. Waletzky has also been a lifelong force in the field of Yiddish music, and co-produced theGrammy-nominated album of Jewish songs of resistance, Partisans of Vilna .

Morris Performing Arts Center South Bend, Ind iana James S. Arnoer (Architect) 1922


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Saban Theatre (Fox Wilshire) Beverly Hills, CA S. Charles Lee (Architect) 1930

CourtesyEdKelsey

NEIL MILLER (Executive Producer) is a 30-year veteran of the entertainment industry. He has served in senior executive capacitiesfor companies engaged in every facet of the live entertainment production and presentation including National Vice President forHarrahs Entertainment; Vice President of Entertainment for Caesars World, Senior Producer and Director of Production at ImeroFiorentino Associates. Mr. Miller was also the National Vice President Entertainment for Six Flags Theme Parks, where he assumedresponsibility for the creative direction of all entertainment offerings at the companys nine theme parks. Additionally, he wasDirector of Production and Show Operations for two worlds fairs, as well as Director of Entertainment at Universal Studios Florida.Previously, Mr. Millers experience was called upon by Radio City Music Hall, where he was a member of a top-notch production

team responsible for mounting eleven original productions in 24 months including: the grand reopening of the Hall. As Principaland Executive Producer at The Chimaera Group, Mr. Miller has created a wide variety of projects, shows and special events anddesigned, specified and constructed entertainment facilities ranging from sound stages to performing arts centers. Entertainmentfacilities include Casino Windsor, The M Resort, The Venetian Resort, The Cosmopolitan, Yellow Ribbon Music Theater, and CaesarsCircus Maximus to name a few. His current projects include a proprietary theater and show project in Las Vegas and a Broadwaymusical scheduled to open in April 2012. (www.chimaeracc.com)

DAVID NAYLOR (Writer) is an architectural writer, photographer, and teacher. He is best known for his first two books, Am er ica nPicture Palaces: Th e Arch itecture of Fanta sy and Great Am erican Movie Theaters, both of which celebrated the rise of these spectacular

buildings, as well as the early attempts to preserve and re-use them. Naylor was the historical consultant on the Smithsonian/PBSdocumentary, The Movie Palaces, hosted by Gene Kelly. The film was originally conceived as an accompaniment to an exhibitionof movie theater memorabilia for which Naylor served as guest curator at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum in New York City. HoldingMasters degrees from Cornell University and the University of Virginia, Naylor expanded his exploration of theaters and architecturewith advanced studies at the University of Queensland in Australia. Returning to the United States, he collaborated with Joan Dillon,a long-time board member of both the League of Historic American Theatres and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, toproduceAm er ica n Th ea te rs : Per fo rm an ce Ha lls of th e N in et ee n th Centu ry . Naylors most recent book,Ra ilro ad Sta tion s: Th e Bu ild in gsthat Linked the Nation , is a Norton/ Library of Congress Visual Sourcebook, due out in November 2011. He remains a staunch friendof the Theatre Historical Society of America, the League of Historic American Theatres, and grassroots organizations everywhere,working to find new and meaningful ways to help theaters keep their doors open.


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BOYD ESTUS (Director of Photography) is a Director of Photography and Producer/Director whose credits include the Academy Award-winning The Flight of theGossam er Condorand the Academy Award nominee Eigh t Min u te s to Midn igh t aswell as many Emmy-winning television productions. He has made films for many ofthe celebrated television series on PBS (NOVA , Fron tlin e, T he A m er ica n Exp er ien ce,

Eyes on th e Priz e), the BBC and other overseas broadcasters, commercial televisionnetworks (the long-running Unsolved Mysteries, Discover, Spenser For Hire ), theHistory Channel, the Discovery Channel, the National Geographic Society and theSmithsonian Institution. His recent projects includeLou isa May A lcot t: Th e Wom an

Beh ind Litt le Wom en ; Woody Guth rie : I A in t Go t No Hom e (American Masters); A tHom e in Utop ia; Ty ph oid Mar y: The Most Dange rous Wom an in Am er ica (NOVA);Mu rd er at Ha rv ar d; Th e Powd er an d th e Glory (Helena Rubinstein and ElizabethArden);Ann ie Oa kley , andHou din i (American Experience). Currently in productionare Mr. Em er son s R ev olu tion , Becom ing Helen Kelle r, Tu rm oil an d Tr ium ph : T he

Life of Georg e Sh u ltz and The Am erican Revolution. In addition to the AcademyAwards, Mr. Estus has received numerous awards including the CINE Golden Eagle(Louisa May Alcott, Where the Galaxies Are, Arthur FiedlerJust Call Me Maestro,

Flight of the Gossam er Condor), Melbourne International Film Festival Kino Award(So Many Galaxies...So Little Tim e), the Peabody Award (NOVA , Te nde r Place s),the Cindy, Emmy, Telly, Hugo, and many others. His work has been screened atinternational film festivals. (www.heliotropestudios.com)

MATT LAMBROS (Producer and Restoration Documentarian) is an architecturalphotographer who began photographing abandoned buildings ten years ago.Struck by both the sadness and extreme beauty of the Loews Kings Theatrein Brooklyn, NY (the first abandoned theatre he photographed), he beganfurther exploration into the history and architecture of early twentieth centuryAmerican theatres. A graduate of Boston Universitys digital imaging andphotojournalism programs, Mr. Lambros has since been documenting the

decay of Americas abandoned theatres in the hope of shedding light on theseforgotten buildings and the efforts to repurpose them. Part of raising awarenessfor these treasures is his involvement with various organizations who work torestore and reopen abandoned theatres in the United States. To that end Mr.Lambros has donated time and photographs to support such organizations asthe Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts, who in 2009 acquired thehistoric Victory Theatre, derelict since 1979. Following its restoration, it will bereturned by MIFA to its role as a live performance venue for the City of Holyoke.Recently, Mr. Lambros abandoned theatre photography has been featured inseveral publications, including Gawkerand The New York Times . His work withProctors Palace Theatre, RKO Keiths Theatre and Loews Kings Theatre (amongothers) will be featured soon in several United Kingdom art galleries. Examples

of Mr. Lambros work can be viewed online at www.afterthefinalcurtain.net andwww.mlambrosphotography.com.


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The audience at the Arlington Theatre in Santa Barbara, California.

P O P C O R N v v P A L A C E S

THERE WAS A TIME WHEN GOING TO THE MOVIES WAS LIKE STEPPING THROUGH

THE DOORWAY OF A KANSAS FARMHOUSE INTO THE TECHNICOLOR SPLENDOR

OF OZ. EXPERIENCE THAT WORLD AGAIN BY EXPLORING THE INDOMITABLE LIFE

PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF THESE MONUMENTS TO ENTERTAINMENT.

A TWO HOU R DOC UM EN TARY PR ES EN TED IN HIG H DE FI NI TIO N VI DEO

A COMPANION BOOK, LAV ISHLY IL LUSTRATED WITH RARE PHOTO GRAPHS

AN EDU CATIONAL OUT REACH PROGRA M WITH A TEACHERS GUIDE

AN IN TE RA CT IV E, CO MP RE HE NS IV E WE BS IT E


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THE THEATRE HISTORICAL SOCIETY of AMERICA

Curtis Street Denvers Theatre Row 1927

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