The old Kinema Theater building at 1211 Fulton Street, once one of Fresno’s plush entertainment palaces, is being demolished to make way for the $600,000 S. H. Krsss & Company store. The Kress company purchased the property last May from Abraham C. Schnee of Beverly Hills at a cost of $300,000. For many years it was owned by the Reading Estate Company of San Francisco. Two small shops on either side of the theater are included in the demolition project.
Oldtimers recall that the theater structure was erected in 1913 and was opened with a glamorous celebration by Mayor A.E. Snow. He pushed the button which turned on an unheard of electrical brilliance. The ushers were clad in evening dress. Every one of the 1,400 seats were occupied that November night as thousands of multi-colored serpentine rolls were tossed into the air. The mayor predicted Fresno’s great future growth. Emil Kehrlein was the theater manager and part owner.
In 1924, during the 11th anniversary celebration, Aimee Lynn Kilty was the organist. Few of thie patrons then, with their interest concentrated on the outcome of the hero’s fight for his girl, realized what a big part the musician played in providing the heart flutter and the spine chills as the play progressed. The organ was installed at a cost of $30,000 and could be made to produce, with the aid of its many pipes, an enormous multiplication of sounds.
Stage shows began in 1925 and included the University of California Glee Club, Fanchon and Marco revues and a permanent 12 piece orchestra when the Fox West Coast Theaters leased the theater. Similar attractions were billed by the Liberty Theater, also operated by Fox West Coast.
A compound cooling system was installed which kept the inside temperature at 56 degrees when it was from 116 to 120 degrees on the outside. In 1929 the Kinema first presented the new “talkiesâ€.
The theater in the following years was closed frequently for modernization, and was hit by fire on two or three occasions. In 1952 its name was changed to the Rivoli Theater when it was leased by Gamble & O'Keefe of Los Angeles. The following year it was leased by Gerald C. Hardy, who inaugurated three dimension color motion pictures.
The Fox West Coast chain took back the operation of the theater early in 1934. It has been closed for nearly three years. For a while it was used by a church youth group.
There is one more Paramount ad in the LA Times, in September 1925, that mentions the Pictorial. After that it disappears, so it probably didn’t make it past the silent era. 151 E. MLK is a bit east of Main Street, about a block and a half.
I would like to see a picture of this, if any exist. It must have been a better neighborhood seventy years ago. I would also like to see what the Rio on Western looked like.
The other scenario, since William Gabel said the theater opened in the early 1930s, was that the Olympus was a predecessor to the Joy. I think it more likely that there was one theater that opened in the 1920s instead of the 1930s.
FLAGSTAFF-Northern Arizona Theaters has closed the Orpheum here until about the first of the year to permit extensive remodeling. Clarence Shartzer, manager, said the work would cost about $100,000.
An addition which would increase the capacity to more than 1,000 persons was largely built before the Orpheum closed. Further improvements will include a new floor, new stage, pushback seats, new projection and sound equipment, an enlarged foyer and a new front.
Alexander S. Weiss, who had some theater operating experience in Transylvania before coming to the United States in 1939, has purchased the 500-seat Lincoln in Schenectady from Sid Dwore. He is taking possession December 1, when he will become a member of Upstates Theaters, Inc.
Weiss plans to close the house for several weeks for refurbishing. He will repaint and redecorate, make seat changes, improve the rest rooms and generally brighten up the theater. Isadore Bernstein has been lessee of the Lincoln for the past two years.
NEW YORK-“Sleep My Love”, Triangle production for UA release, was screened for guests following a dinner given by Gus Eyssell, managing director of the Radio City Music Hall, in the private dining room of the theater. Guests included Mary Pickford, Charles “Buddy” Rogers and Ralph Cohn, partners in Triangle; Gradwell Sears and Mrs. Sears; Jack Cohn and Mrs. Cohn; Sam Dembow, Jr. and Jack Dailey.
James Conklin, manager of the Lincoln Theater, Trenton, N.J., attracted plenty of attention to his date on “Mother Wore Tights” by capitalizing on the current long v. short skirt controversy. Conklin had a number of young women picket the Lincoln with signs reading: “Unfair-If Mother Wore Tights-Why Can’t We Wear Short Skirts?” The stunt resulted in local newspaper breaks and provoked word-of-mouth comment from passersby.
Here is part of an LA Times article dated 3/13/94:
For Les Roberson, the closing last month of the Baldwin Theater-the only black-owned movie house in the inner city-marks the end of an era. “As a kid, my friends and I walked down the street and saw movies there all the time,” said Roberson, a 30-year-old Baldwin Hills resident and sales representative for PacTel Corp. “I was waiting for `Sugar Hill' to come out so I could go see it there. And then one day last week, I was out jogging and saw it was closed. I was stunned.”
The owners are not saying when, or if, the Baldwin will reopen. The theater, along with a six-screen multiplex in Hawthorne, was part of Inner City Cinemas, a joint venture formed in November, 1992, by the national theater chain American Multi Cinema Inc. and Economic Resources Corp., a nonprofit real estate agency based in Lynwood. It was envisioned as the start of the nation’s first black-owned cinema chain. But a year and a half after reopening, the three-screen Baldwin quietly closed shortly after Inner City Cinemas filed for bankruptcy.
Ted Fortier, president of the Crenshaw Chamber of Commerce and an area resident since 1959, said that whatever the theater’s fiscal problems, the community is the real loser. “Now, when we want to go to the movies, we’ll be forced to go outside the area,” he said. “It’s really a shame. The Baldwin offered first-run movies, had good security, made honest attempts at providing good service."
Many politicians and business people in the Crenshaw community had high hopes for Inner City Cinemas, particularly for its plans to develop an eight-screen multiplex in the nearby Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. But problems within the partnership snowballed.
Last August AMC sued the Economic Resources Corp., charging the black-operated agency with mismanagement and misrepresenting its financial state. The suit also alleged that ERC owed more than $100,000 in film rentals, and that an ERC executive used joint venture funds to pay off nearly $80,000 in internal debts. Economic Resources officials could not be reached for comment.
In a statement, AMC Vice President Gregory Rutkowski, a former Inner City Cinemas director, said ICC’s financial troubles left American Multi Cinema no choice but to dissolve the partnership. After an extensive review of our options, we feel this (bankruptcy) filing is in the best interests of all concerned,“ he said. "We regret that this is necessary, but we go forward with the knowledge that this is the only alternative possible at this time.”
The Baldwin, a spacious movie house built in 1949, featured a regular lineup of black-themed films. It also frequently held premieres and special screenings; last fall it screened “The Nation,” an independent film about the Nation of Islam, and recently showed the celebrated short film “Sweet Potato Ride,” shot in and around Crenshaw and Leimert Park.
This is from the Fresno Bee Republican, 12/15/57:
Fresno Palace of Yesteryear Succumbs
The old Kinema Theater building at 1211 Fulton Street, once one of Fresno’s plush entertainment palaces, is being demolished to make way for the $600,000 S. H. Krsss & Company store. The Kress company purchased the property last May from Abraham C. Schnee of Beverly Hills at a cost of $300,000. For many years it was owned by the Reading Estate Company of San Francisco. Two small shops on either side of the theater are included in the demolition project.
Oldtimers recall that the theater structure was erected in 1913 and was opened with a glamorous celebration by Mayor A.E. Snow. He pushed the button which turned on an unheard of electrical brilliance. The ushers were clad in evening dress. Every one of the 1,400 seats were occupied that November night as thousands of multi-colored serpentine rolls were tossed into the air. The mayor predicted Fresno’s great future growth. Emil Kehrlein was the theater manager and part owner.
In 1924, during the 11th anniversary celebration, Aimee Lynn Kilty was the organist. Few of thie patrons then, with their interest concentrated on the outcome of the hero’s fight for his girl, realized what a big part the musician played in providing the heart flutter and the spine chills as the play progressed. The organ was installed at a cost of $30,000 and could be made to produce, with the aid of its many pipes, an enormous multiplication of sounds.
Stage shows began in 1925 and included the University of California Glee Club, Fanchon and Marco revues and a permanent 12 piece orchestra when the Fox West Coast Theaters leased the theater. Similar attractions were billed by the Liberty Theater, also operated by Fox West Coast.
A compound cooling system was installed which kept the inside temperature at 56 degrees when it was from 116 to 120 degrees on the outside. In 1929 the Kinema first presented the new “talkiesâ€.
The theater in the following years was closed frequently for modernization, and was hit by fire on two or three occasions. In 1952 its name was changed to the Rivoli Theater when it was leased by Gamble & O'Keefe of Los Angeles. The following year it was leased by Gerald C. Hardy, who inaugurated three dimension color motion pictures.
The Fox West Coast chain took back the operation of the theater early in 1934. It has been closed for nearly three years. For a while it was used by a church youth group.
This must be one of the very early theaters in LA, which is interesting as that part of downtown was almost in the suburbs back then.
Here is an event that was held at the Kent last October:
http://tinyurl.com/cw334u
There is one more Paramount ad in the LA Times, in September 1925, that mentions the Pictorial. After that it disappears, so it probably didn’t make it past the silent era. 151 E. MLK is a bit east of Main Street, about a block and a half.
They used a backlot instead of actually filming the last scenes downtown. I was disappointed.
Don’t forget “The Next Voice You Hear”, with Nancy Reagan, where God speaks to the people through a radio. Early fifties, I think.
Mostly about the one-man shows, Will Rogers, TR, Harry Truman.
I checked under Forum in 1954 and got a few hits, but no movie listings. Maybe you will have better luck.
I didn’t see Them! mentioned in any of the obits for James Whitmore the other day.
Maybe you could put “them” and also “giant ants'?
The national release date was 6/19/54. I don’t know about LA.
I would like to see a picture of this, if any exist. It must have been a better neighborhood seventy years ago. I would also like to see what the Rio on Western looked like.
2014 E. 1st Street.
The other scenario, since William Gabel said the theater opened in the early 1930s, was that the Olympus was a predecessor to the Joy. I think it more likely that there was one theater that opened in the 1920s instead of the 1930s.
Advertised as the Olympus in the LA Times on 8/31/24, so that should be an aka.
This is from Boxoffice magazine, November 1947:
FLAGSTAFF-Northern Arizona Theaters has closed the Orpheum here until about the first of the year to permit extensive remodeling. Clarence Shartzer, manager, said the work would cost about $100,000.
An addition which would increase the capacity to more than 1,000 persons was largely built before the Orpheum closed. Further improvements will include a new floor, new stage, pushback seats, new projection and sound equipment, an enlarged foyer and a new front.
Sorry, that ad was from Gerald DeLuca, not Warren.
By the way, did you see the Yiddish film that was playing in Warren’s ad of 2/19/08? There was some diversity in this theater.
This is from Boxoffice magazine in November 1947:
NEW YORK-“Francis the First”, a French film, opened at the Stanley Theater November 19. The theater usually shows first-run Russian product.
This is from Boxoffice magazine in November 1947:
Alexander S. Weiss, who had some theater operating experience in Transylvania before coming to the United States in 1939, has purchased the 500-seat Lincoln in Schenectady from Sid Dwore. He is taking possession December 1, when he will become a member of Upstates Theaters, Inc.
Weiss plans to close the house for several weeks for refurbishing. He will repaint and redecorate, make seat changes, improve the rest rooms and generally brighten up the theater. Isadore Bernstein has been lessee of the Lincoln for the past two years.
This was in Boxoffice magazine in November 1947:
NEW YORK-“Sleep My Love”, Triangle production for UA release, was screened for guests following a dinner given by Gus Eyssell, managing director of the Radio City Music Hall, in the private dining room of the theater. Guests included Mary Pickford, Charles “Buddy” Rogers and Ralph Cohn, partners in Triangle; Gradwell Sears and Mrs. Sears; Jack Cohn and Mrs. Cohn; Sam Dembow, Jr. and Jack Dailey.
From Boxoffice magazine, November 1947:
James Conklin, manager of the Lincoln Theater, Trenton, N.J., attracted plenty of attention to his date on “Mother Wore Tights” by capitalizing on the current long v. short skirt controversy. Conklin had a number of young women picket the Lincoln with signs reading: “Unfair-If Mother Wore Tights-Why Can’t We Wear Short Skirts?” The stunt resulted in local newspaper breaks and provoked word-of-mouth comment from passersby.
The entire block of Jackson Street on the 2023 side is a parking lot. No buildings remain.
Here is part of an LA Times article dated 3/13/94:
For Les Roberson, the closing last month of the Baldwin Theater-the only black-owned movie house in the inner city-marks the end of an era. “As a kid, my friends and I walked down the street and saw movies there all the time,” said Roberson, a 30-year-old Baldwin Hills resident and sales representative for PacTel Corp. “I was waiting for `Sugar Hill' to come out so I could go see it there. And then one day last week, I was out jogging and saw it was closed. I was stunned.”
The owners are not saying when, or if, the Baldwin will reopen. The theater, along with a six-screen multiplex in Hawthorne, was part of Inner City Cinemas, a joint venture formed in November, 1992, by the national theater chain American Multi Cinema Inc. and Economic Resources Corp., a nonprofit real estate agency based in Lynwood. It was envisioned as the start of the nation’s first black-owned cinema chain. But a year and a half after reopening, the three-screen Baldwin quietly closed shortly after Inner City Cinemas filed for bankruptcy.
Ted Fortier, president of the Crenshaw Chamber of Commerce and an area resident since 1959, said that whatever the theater’s fiscal problems, the community is the real loser. “Now, when we want to go to the movies, we’ll be forced to go outside the area,” he said. “It’s really a shame. The Baldwin offered first-run movies, had good security, made honest attempts at providing good service."
Many politicians and business people in the Crenshaw community had high hopes for Inner City Cinemas, particularly for its plans to develop an eight-screen multiplex in the nearby Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. But problems within the partnership snowballed.
Last August AMC sued the Economic Resources Corp., charging the black-operated agency with mismanagement and misrepresenting its financial state. The suit also alleged that ERC owed more than $100,000 in film rentals, and that an ERC executive used joint venture funds to pay off nearly $80,000 in internal debts. Economic Resources officials could not be reached for comment.
In a statement, AMC Vice President Gregory Rutkowski, a former Inner City Cinemas director, said ICC’s financial troubles left American Multi Cinema no choice but to dissolve the partnership. After an extensive review of our options, we feel this (bankruptcy) filing is in the best interests of all concerned,“ he said. "We regret that this is necessary, but we go forward with the knowledge that this is the only alternative possible at this time.”
The Baldwin, a spacious movie house built in 1949, featured a regular lineup of black-themed films. It also frequently held premieres and special screenings; last fall it screened “The Nation,” an independent film about the Nation of Islam, and recently showed the celebrated short film “Sweet Potato Ride,” shot in and around Crenshaw and Leimert Park.
This is from the News-Advertiser, 7/18/65:
http://tinyurl.com/c3uf4k