Loew's Vendome Theatre
615 Church Street,
Nashville,
TN
37219
615 Church Street,
Nashville,
TN
37219
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Showing 26 - 50 of 72 comments
Dave I believe I have seen a postcard of the Knickerbocker with the Orpheum across the street.
Well, they did occasionally show movies as a special event but normally they had stage shows, originally vaudeville and then road shows of the type that had formerly played the Vendome.
Jack Coursey listed them in the paper he did for Mike Slate showing the various movie theaters here and I tried to write him at the e-mail address shown with the list but my e-mail came back undelivered. Must have changed addresses.
Jack, if you read this chime in and I’ll just paste the letter here.
If they never showed movies may be why the Orpheum is not listed.If they did show movies, you may know, you could list it here with any info you may have.
Can someone please tell me why there is no page for Nashville’s Orpheum? I wanted to ask some questions and of course share some wisdom with the younger set.
Thanks again Dave for this information, I do not remember the plaque in the Loews Vendome,I went there many times but I was just 10 years old when it burned so I do not remember much about it. I wonder who ended up with this Nashville plaque? The man who I wanted to by one of these plaques from had 2 of them, one from the Loews Richmond and one from another old Loews which had also burned and was latter stored in New York till he bought it.I do have a photo of one of these plaques, not quite the same as having one but at least I know what they looked like.By the way he said he bought the one stored in New York for $35.00 and got the other one free.What a deal!
Yes, I well remember the very nice plaque of Marcus Loew in the lobby. You may be aware that for many years Loew’s did not have a concession stand and that was considered a plus by many patrons who did not like to have to hear the rattle of popcorn sacks. But eventually management gave way to the bottom line reasons for selling popcorn etc etc.
I bring this up because the plaque was near the concessions as I recall. Of course as a child I had no idea who Mr Loew was but I still admired the plaque, which was kept bright and shiny.
Just looked at my photo if the Loews Vendome posted on April 15, 2010 I can see the cables but not the Lions Heads. They would be nice to have though.I had a chance to by a plaque of Marcus Loew but the man who had it wanted $500.00, I wonder if the Loews Vendome ever had one of these plaques? I have read that there were around 144 of them made after Marcus died in 1927 and were installed in most Loews theatres at that time.Like you Dave I wish I had bought it now, but my banker, (my wife) thought it was too much to pay.
Although you may not have noticed it, the marquee at Loew’s was supported by two strong cables coming down from the building. At the top of these cables were decorative fixtures in the shape of Lions' heads.
When the Church Street entrance was finally being demolished so that Church Street Center could be built, I approached the wrecker and asked what he wanted for the two lions heads.
I can’t recall now what he asked for them but I do remember that I thought it too much and I didn’t take them. If I had it to do over, I might have gone for the deal.
Under Nashville TN in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide is a “Theatre Vendome”. T.J. Boyle, who was also the manager of the Grand Opera House in Nashville, was the Mgr. The seating is shown as 1,841 but the breakdown does not quite add up to that: Orchestra 575,Balcony 425, Gallery 800, Boxes 64. There was both gas and electric illumination. Admissions ranged from 25 cents to $1.50. The theater was on the first floor and there were 9 members of the house orchestra. The proscenium opening was 35 feet wide X 40 feet high, and the stage was 45 feet deep. Other Nashville theaters listed were the Grand Opera House with 1,650 seats and the New Masonic Theatre with 1,200 seats. The population of Nashville in 1897 was 100,000.
Oops, I meant Snooky Lanson not Smoky Larson. Must be olde age.
On December 13, 1947, I was with my parents at the Loew’s Vendome to see the movie “It Had to be You.” After the feature ran, the footlights came on and Snooky Lanson (then just a local entertainer- this was before he went to the Hit Parade) suddenly appeared in front of the curtain (the traveler, not the asbestos mentioned above) and introduced actor/comedian Keenen Wynn. This had not been advertised and as far as I know had simply been hastily arranged when Wynn was in town and available.
Wynn did a comedy monologue and concluded with an old vaudeville bit called “Guzzler’s Gin,” which had been written by Fred Allen and made famous by Red Skelton. As I mentioned in my comment on the Princess, my dad just loved Vaudeville and he got a big kick out of this added and unexpected attraction. Taking a chance that Wynn would again appear after the next showing of the feature, we moved to the box seats nearest the stage on the right hand side as you face he stage. We hit the jackpot and Lanson and Wynn were again seen after the next show. Wynn was very funny.
Many years later in 1982 Keenen Wynn appeared as a guest on Dan Miller’s show “Miller and Company” and told Miller that this was his first time in Nashville. He had forgotten the 1950 visit and I never knew why he had been in town the first time. Surely not just so he could appear on the Loew’s stage.
Then some more years later, I ran into Smoky Larson at a funeral where he sang and I reminded him of the above event and he did remember it.
More info on the Vendome, I have found a old Newspaper ad for the theatre that lists Staub A. Sheetz Manager,Allen Fox, Treasurer, Ivo Miller, Musical Director,and Chas. Johnson, Machinist.The was from the Nashville American date unknown.Also another source states that Loews bought this theatre in 1920.The theatre was already 33 years old then,as posted above Loews owned and ran this theater till the August 1967 fire, making it 80 years young when it burned.
Thanks Dave Price, I have seen Mike Slates work on T.V. “Memories of Downtown Nashville on NPT Nashville Public Television Channel 8.
thanks for a great story Dave.
Thanks for your article Dave. It’s always great to get a new prospective on a theatre that has been familiar to millions thru the years. I have never heard the information you related and it gives missing details to the history of a well loved site.
I wish I had experienced the organ at the Vendome, like I was able to at the Paramount, but it was either no longer played, or long removed, by the time I had begun patronizing the Loew’s as a child in the early 1960s.
Here’s the link to a piece I wrote for Mike Slate’s newsletter a little over ten years ago. It includes the Vendome and other theaters of 1900.
http://pages.prodigy.net/nhn.slate/nh00031.html
There is mention above of the interior of the Vendome. I am probably among the few left who saw the lighted auditorium including the front curtain with the “Place de Vendome” painting. The curtain was not often lowered during the late years and the auditorium was usually seen in semi-darkness by the patrons.
My father I and went downtown in December 1951 to see the midnight magic/spook show of Wyman Baker, known as Dr. Silkini the Magician. This entertainment played theaters all over the country as an after-the-main-program attraction and was designed to frighten the kids and teenagers who crowded the theaters. First there was a Frankenstein movie and then came the stage show which featured among other grisly effects the cutting off of the head of a volunteer from the audience, the appearance of the Frankenstein Monster on stage, and a blackout during which luminous “ghosts” and other phenomena appeared in the darkness.
The movie part went fine but Loew’s was not accustomed to having stage attractions and the audience had to sit for a long time in the fully-lighted auditorium while the stage show was being set up. I remember looking up into the once-gilded dome and at the fancy boxes, in which I had sat a few times, and at the formerly magnificent front curtain. The curtain was eventually raised and we saw that the screen had been raised out of sight but that the backdrop for the magic show had not yet been hung or at least not yet lowered and we could see all the way to the back wall of the stage. Eventually all was in place and the magic/spook show began.
I told all this years later to Russ McCown, whom some of you may have known, and he was very surprised as he had the impression that the moving picture screen was permanently mounted in such a way that it could not be raised. During the remaining sixteen years that Loew’s operated in this building I do not believe they ever had another live stage show.
After reopening after the 1902 fire the first act was Al G. Fields Minstrels,the manager at that time was Billy Sheetz.More info: around 1930 the Loews Vendrome had an agreement to drop vaudeville shows with Tony Sudekum of Crescent Amusement Co. so that his Princess Theatre just down the street would be the only vaudeville house in Nashville.In this agreement Loews got first choice on first run movies.
Saw a show last night on Nashville Public Television Channel 8 of photos of Nashville the 20th Century. It had several shots of the Loews Vendome and some other Nashville theatres.One of the photos had a banner over the entrance door that said “Home of the MGM Pitcures at the Loews Vendome.Also had a photo of The Dixie built in 1907 as the first "Movie Theatre” in Nashville.
Augusta lost four theatres to fire.The last being the DREAMLAND in late 40’s.
According to the artical about the fire at the Loews Vendome this theatre was to second one built in Nashville.Built in 1887.Mostly made of wood.The Bijou was Nashvilles first theatre.
Okay, I am checking it out.
Mike check out the LOEWS PARK CENTRAL in DALLAS, Tx.I had the chance to open that theatre in 1977 but turned it down to stay in Nashville.
According to the Nashvile Tennessean newpaper of 8/10/67 The manager of the LOEWS VENDOME at the time of the fire was Buford Cranch.Also it named William Sheetz as the arcitect.This info was supplied to me by THEATREORGAN.Thanks to him for this info.
Mike check out Madison Square Theatre it is on my favorites list on my homepage if you cannot find it.You Dawg you.
Theatre Organ,for years as a kid every Friday i would clip ads from the movie section and boy were they Great. Did this for years and then decided to put them in a tree fort on the walls. Wish i would have never done that.