Earle Theatre

For those wishing to relive this, one of the most ornate, yet genteel of the movies palaces ever built, he would do no better than to view the ANNUAL of 1986 of the “The Earle Theatre” by the late Irvin R. Glazer, as listed for sale on the site of the Theatre Historical Soc. of America. Go to their ‘Publications: Back Issues List’ page by clicking on the link by that name on their sidebar, and details are there given to order it. The 40 pages of this softbound contain dozens of black and white photos (color still photography did not exist when the theatre opened) that reveal the extravagance of detail and materials expended upon this Adam style design. From its birth in 1924 to its razing in 1953, it was a hallmark of ‘class’ in theatres of restrained opulence. In fact, the draperies on just the lobby’s minor archways were of such richness that just one pair of the double sided portieres with their elaborate galloons, tassels with rosettes, mold double fringes and embroidered panels of velvet over the antique sating legs, would cost approx. $150,000 each in this day and age! This is one of the reasons that such elaborate draperies are rarely if ever reproduced today. The design of the tassels shown there also appears on page 151 (center photo) of the 1981 book “La Passementerie” by Pierre Boudet and Bernard Gomond, published by Dessain et Tolra, Paris, hence the draperies as well as their passementeries (trimmings) may well have been designed and made in France, an unusually expensive practice not know to have been done in other movie palaces.

The ANNUAL also has a most unusual photo on its page 38 of the Interior Decorating Dept. of the architects Hoffman-Henon in 1924 showing the unnamed man responsible for putting all the interior artistry together, a rare view into internal workings. The EARLE sported enough marble to fill a small quarry, and even the marble drinking fountains had stained glass canopies — illuminated — above them! Giant murals and tapestries filled areas that were not marble, and the auditorium sported two elegant panels of gilded grillework in classical motifs to conceal the swell shutters of the theatre pipe organ. As the photos reveal, much of the organ pipework fell with the demolition. They will not build theatres as opulent as the EARLE again, so enjoy the memories of it in this lavish 8-1/2x11 inch booklet.
Jim Rankin

The Earle was Philadelphia’s first concert theatre, before The Uptown, The tower, The Spectrum, The First Union-Wachovia Center, and The Tweeter Center. It was originally called “Elrae” before it’s opening in 1924. It was one of Philadelphia’s finest theatres, including The Palace, The Fox, The Stanley, The Boyd/REG Sameric 4, and The Mastbaum