Midwest Theatre

Just posted photo section print ad of Midwest Theater Grand Opening.

Tinseltoes, thanks for the Boxoffice link to the Midwest’s 1960 World Premier of “CIMARRON”. The article and photo’s of the Premier reveals how big of a deal this was for Oklahoma City and Stanley Warner Mgmt. as well as MGM…A really terrific movie 2boot!

Fandangled, I recall the Midwest ran movies from other companies i.e. MGM, Fox as well as Warner Bros. and seem to recall that their Warner Theater in Okla. City did play mostly Warner films. Interesting history.

Go to the following blog link for additional Midwest photo’s and interesting tid bits http://dougdawg.blogspot.com/2006/07/lets-go-downtown-to-movies.html#Midwest

I worked at the Midwest in ‘67-'68. It was a grand old theater, classic in every way. From the huge lobby, to the mezanine overlooking the lobby, to the seven story auditorium, this theater was designed to be spacious and comfortable.

The booth was the finest I ever worked in… just lacked a dumb-waiter for toting heavy film cases up seven stories of stairs, lol. As a sixteen year old kid I put on some muscle toting those film cases that year, heh haha.

The theater itself originally opened as a stage play house. Behind the screen was another old screen built on a massive stage fronted by an orchestra pit. Behind the stage and down a set of stairs were dressing and costume rooms.

In the booth one wall was covered in lighting controls. One could adjust the lights of the auditorium to suit any mood, or spot-light any location. Though at the time I worked there the spots were long gone and we used only one set of the controls to of course light and dim the auditorium.

The screen had massive curtains across it. At times the motor that opened and closed the curtains would kick a breaker, located front and center of the screen on the floor behind the curtains. I would have to run down seven stories, through the auditorium, part the curtains and reset the breaker… then dash back up stairs and open the curtains. It was as a result of this action that I discovered the old screen, stage, orchestra pit and dressing rooms.

One additional feature that I marveled at was the star display in the ceiling of the auditorium. There were some 750 holes drilled randomly in the ceiling. An electrical system distributed power to each of the holes where a simple metal funnel, like one would add oil to your car with, acted as a lamp shade for each light bulb. Each socket had a simple bimetallic flasher, about the size of a nickle, in it and the light bulb screwed into the socket. The assembly then sat over one of the holes and from the auditorium, looking up, they appeared to be stars twinkling in the “darkened sky”.

Looking at the light controls in the booth I had noticed one was labeled “STARS” so I flipped it and as one would I looked out of the booth and low and behold there were maybe fifty stars blinking. Crawling up in the attic (okay, I admit, I am somewhat akin to a cat when it comes to curiosity) I discovered there were hundreds of fixtures, most of which the bulb was burned out. I volunteered to provide the labor, volunteering my pal and best friend who also worked there, and the Bartons agreed to buy the bulbs and new flashers (as some of the lights that were burning were not flashing), and we replaced all of the bulbs and flashers. It took us about a month to replace them all but it was well woth the trouble. I tell you it was a magnificent display to behold.

This unusual view of the Midwest Theatre comes courtesy of the Hales Collection,
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Midwest Theatre 1930’s picture
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You’re welcome, LonestDay. The YWCA also had a lovely auditorium, but vintage images show it was not too ornate.

Nice photo Cosmic.

During the 50’s and early 60’s, several buildings having large basements in the downtown OKC area were used as Civil Defense Shelters. The Midwest Theatre was one of the buildings and was
identified as so with a bright yellow Civil Defense sign on the outside of the theatre. In the basement were several large drum barrels filled with survival necessities e.g. food, water and medical
supplies. Each of the barrels were also identified with the same bright yellow Civil Defense logo as on the outside sign…Civil Defense shelters were common during the cold war nucular threat era and several movie theatres through out the U.S. were natural shelter
sites for the Civil Defense Department.

Though the Midwest Theatre opened as a “talkie” movie house, it still included a full stage, orchestra pit, and Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ a lot like the one played here –
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Miss Melba Toast..Your right on! The Plaza was a class act. I didnot work at that Theatre but, knew the owner who operated it during it’s hay days in the early 60’s. I worked at Midwest / Warner during that fun time of my teens and enjoyed the many many films that played during those days!

While the Midwest was still open during the premier of Dillinger, it had really run down and was only playing second runs and grade b films otherwise, it would have been perfect for one more final premier.