Bryn Mawr Theatre
1125 W. Bryn Mawr Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
60660
1125 W. Bryn Mawr Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
60660
12 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 50 of 54 comments
I visited the Bryn Mawr only once, in mid-to-late 1987, to see “Gardens of Stone.” http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093073/releaseinfo
Pretty classy flick for a grindhouse.
Does anyone know if there are any pictures available of the original marquee?
The theatre was never twinned.
The 1915 item about the robbery lists the theater at 1121:
http://tinyurl.com/y9j97b2
By the way, the theatre front entrance is currently a gift shop. The auditorium is still in the back (it can be seen from the train platform) but I don’t know what it is being used for. One of these days I will venture through the back alley and check it out.
That’s kind of an odd double feature. Strange Brew was a vehicle for the McKenzie Brothers, from SCTV. Kind of a one-joke act. Then of course you have the Rocky fans going to see him beat up Clubber Lang for the eleventh time.
Wow! Thank you so much for posting this pic, ken mc. And I remember that double feature as well. I used to ride the #74 Peterson bus to school(I graduated from Senn High School). Fridays were exeptionally cool because that’s when shows would change. Come to think about it, when is the last time a theater had double features?? I sure miss those.
Here is a 1983 photo. Currently, I see a Dunkin Donuts store but no church, unless it’s in one of the store fronts next to the donut place.
http://tinyurl.com/cm4vqe
Gary, If I recall correctly “Hanky Panky” was a comedy with Gene Wilder and his wife, the late Gilda Radner. I remember that ad quite well. It would be great to see the slide of the marqee that you have.
Be well.
Tony
For a short time the Bryn Mawr was called teh Gar Wah Theater. They showed a double feature of Chinese movies followed by an English-language porn film. I have a color slide of the marquee which reads:
Gar Wah Theater
Hanky Panky begins 9PM
Gary
The 1913 Kimball was replaced with a Wurlitzer style D-X (divided)
in August 1926. It was opus 874.
I only remember seeing a few films at the New Bryn Mawr, after it’s short lived run as the Gar Wah. “Robocop” & “Action Jackson” were the last I recall. Possibly on the same bill. Which had to be near the end of the New Bryn Mawr’s run itself.
Like the Howard Theatre, there was a roof access door visible from the “L” tracks that seemed eternally propped open. I don’t remember anything particularly classic about the Bryn Mawr’s lobby or auditorium.
There was a neighborhood tavern a few doors West called Newman’s. Which had it’s own colorful cast of characters. Business men heading home mixed with blue collar types, old timers with one eyed lap dog’s at the bar, etc.
The historic Bryn Mawr hotel adorned in ornate green enamel brick, is a half block to the East on the North side of the street. The rest of the area has seemed to be in an eternal, aimless transition for over 20 years. Long vacant storefronts, with spurts of new yet classicly designed construction in both directions on Bryn Mawr.
This area from Foster to Devon is technically called East Edgewater.
Uptown is South of Foster, Rogers Park is North of Devon.
It also includes Old Balmoral, though that’s really kind of West of Broadway.
Plus whatever new names come with the addition of any given condo/townhome developments. Like the 10 sub-names in Barrington now.
In 1986 I was on the East Edgewater Chamber of Commerce. Whose main office was in the white building just East of the “L”. There were some chamber members who justifiably abhorred the term “the corridor”, when it was then used to describe Kenmore & Winthrop from Thorndale to Foster. Arson & other crimes had been prevalant in the early `80’s.
And they were adamant about changing the impression of the area through word of mouth & hopeful development.
Which was thin back then.
Having grown up within a ¼ mile radius, this movie house was pretty much my stomping ground in the late 70s and early 80s. I saw many films here(all 2nd runs)including Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Jaws 2, the 1979 re-release of Star Wars as well as many forgettable horror movies of the late 70s. The theater changed hands sometime in 1981 and for about 2 years it was known as the Gar Wah and showed mostly Asian movies. It changed hands again around 1983 and opened as The New Bryn Mawr Theater. By 1986, it did begin to get a little ‘Messy’ and I started to attend First-Run theaters. Still, I have many fond memories.
BW’s January 2005 comment and link to the Straight Dope brought back fond memories for me. I lived in Uptown and Rogers Park from 1969 to 1974 and saw a lot of movies at the Bryn Mawr and Howard theaters. The Bryn Mawr was always packed with people for $.60 double features. I can’t begin to guess how many movies I saw there. It’s been a while, but I never felt unsafe around there. All my favorite old movie houses are closed; I’m going for a visit to Chicago this spring and was hoping some of them would still be there.
I know the theater was still operating in 1987 and early 1988 because I moved to the corner of Bryn Mawr and Sheridan in the summer of 1987 and we would go to see movies at the Bryn Mawr just about every weekend. As mentioned above, it was nothing special on the inside. The cheap ticket prices were the draw. Though the area had become sort of seedy by that point, we never felt as though we were in danger when we watch a film there. Walking down Bryn Mawr, however, was another story. You usually quickened your pace when you walked through that stretch between Winthrop and Kenmore. Luckily Bryn Mawr station was an A&B stop, (remember those?), so there was usually a lot of foot traffic on the street.
I lived in Chicago from 1975 to 1979. Eventually, because I lived near Loyola, I would either drive to the Bryn Mawr or take the El train there. It was just a couple stops. Whenever on the El train looking out the window I could see posted on their sign what the Bryn Mawr was playing. If it was something good enough, I’d remember to go there soon because they didn’t keep movies there long. Because I refused to have a TV at home, I’d go to the movies about twice a week and had to save money. Tickets were real cheap, maybe just a buck or 2. The movies used to show up at the Bryn Mawr a couple months after release which was ok by me. Theater was always empty, maybe just 10, 20 people, mostly guys; and when I went there it was just 11 or 21. I never sensed danger there though. It was always quiet. I’d just pay for my ticket, watch the movie, then go home. I was in my early 20’s back then and didn’t have much money. Seeing the picture of that theater sign brought these memories back. I miss those days, I guess.
The Chicago Historical Society database of Chicago Building Permits lists a permit being issued August 31, 1912 to owner Dennis Colbert & Co. for 1125-1131 Bryn Mawr Ave. with architects C.W. & G.L. Rapp listed.
My dad sang at a church near the Bryn Mawr theater for about thirty years. There used to be a hot dog place under the EL tracks across from the Bryn Mawr where we’d go to lunch. We always went to the movies after church, so if the Bryn Mawr was advertising something decent on the marquee, we were there. As I recall, it was pretty plain inside—definitely not a palace. But the price was right and I seem to recall that the picture and sound were always good. Saw many films there; “Taxi Driver” springs immediately to mind. And I spent one memorable afternoon (without Dad, for some reason) watching a re-release of “Gone With The Wind.”
On my one visit to the Bryn Mawr in the summer of 1980, I saw “Breaking Away” and “Norma Jean” with a large matinee audience. Not long afterward the theatre’s name was briefly changed to “Gar Wah”.
On my one visit to the Bryn Mawr in the summer of 1980, I saw “Breaking Away” and “Norma Jean” wth a large matinee audience. Not long afterward the theatre’s name was briefly changed to “Gar Wah”.
The opening of the Bryn Mawr theatre was in 1912 with seating for 780. The Bryn Mawr Theatre is not listed as a full time motion picture theatre until 1923.
The Straight Dope’s first column in the Chicago Reader, 1973, addressed the Bryn Mawr’s then-successful discount house plan. http://www.straightdope.com/faq/firstcolumn.html
Re: research – help – what year was it?
My mother has a marquis flyer, from the Bryn Mawr Theatre/Chicago,listing the schedule for these “Photodramas”…
January 18(Tues)– Clara Kimball Young (“My official Wife”)
January 19 & 20 – Geraldine Farrar (“Temptation” a play?)
January 21 – Valli
January 22 – Anita Stewart/Earle Williams (“My Lady’s Slipper”-
Vitagraph play
January 24 – Pauline Frederick (“Lydia Gilmore”)
Mom was born in 1910; the ticket does not have a date listed anywhere, and we researched the Tues Jan 18,came up with either 1910/1916/1921/1927/1932 & 1938. These particular showing dates must be in the 20’s sometime. Any suggestions for the exact date would be appreciated. Thank you. Karen Zimmer
The theater sign isn’t there anymore, and the produce market is now closed. It looks like the space is now used by a church- there is a small sign and entrance off to the side.
I’ve lived about 8 blocks from this theatre for about 22 years now and I’ve only attended 2 movies there before it closed in the early ‘80s. 1st was as above,Psycho II and 2nd was my first viewing of Raiders Of The Lost Ark in a many months after 1st showing. This was a mistake since it was a horrible copy with scatches and jumps. I truley didn’t totally enjoy it until VHS and now DVD.