Muviebuf, could this be the building that became the Ritz Theater in the 700 block of Penn St.? I know that was just a couple of doors north of the railroad.
Also, the address and map at the top are way off. The Fox was located in the Muhlenberg Shopping Center on the 5th Street Highway (Rt.222), just north of Reading.
You are right, it was Paul Angstadt. The Fox was Dick Fox’s first movie house. Prior to that it was a drive-in chain consisting of the Reading Drive-In (where I worked for several years), the Sinking Spring Drive-In and the Mount Penn Drive-In, all in Berks County, plus the Deer Lake Drive-In in Schuylkill County. If I remember right, after leaving the Fox chain, Paul Angstadt operated the Strand in Hamburg, PA.
This theatre was still open when I moved to Lebanon in March, 1979. It had to be open for a year or two after that because I went to several movies there and a big band concert. I don’t have the dates offhand, but after it closed a group was formed to try to save it. Before they could raise enough money, it was purchased by a salvage company, who stripped all the old fixtures then abandoned it. By the time the city took title it was beyond repair and was demolished. If I can come up with any other details, I’ll post them. I’m sure of it being open in 1979, because I moved here on the day of the TMI accident.
You’re right Mike. It was the Ritz. I believe it was next door to Reads. I think I do remember your mom. Really is a small world. Had you gone to the Ritz you’d know why it was called the Stinky. Place had a real musty smell. I think I was only in there once.
Good to hear from someone else who lived in the 1100 block of Penn St. When I was an usher at the Astor in the early 60’s, they had me dress up in a space suit and walk around downtown advertising for Jerry Lewis' “Visit To A Small Planet”. Walked through all the downtown theaters without a problem except the Park threw me out!
Hey, maybe you remember the name. There used to be a small theater at 7th and Penn on the northeast corner by the railroad tracks. I only remember its nick-name, “The Stinky”. Think it closed in the late 50’s.
The State is still there serving as the Cornerstone Fellowship. It was purchased several years ago and converted into a dinner theatre type venue. The seats were removed and replaced by tables and chairs. It was renamed “On Stage”, probably because it was a cheap and easy way to change the marquee sign. It was available for private parties, and several popular music groups held concerts there. It was then sold to the owner of a local bar, who remodeled it once again, but never opened due to problems transferring his liquor license.
I was on that tour in 1983, along with about 25 others with hopes of saving the theatre. Thats the only time I was inside. At that time it had some peeling paint and plaster and the balcony had been declared structurally unsafe, but it looked like a candidate for restoration. Not long after there was a major fire that destroyed all the buildings to the right in the 1982 photo. I believe the rear of the Acadamy was damaged in that fire. I’ll do a little more research for dates and post them later.
BTW, in the 1982 photo, the theatre is already closed. If you check the window on the left there is a store there by the name LaCoupe. I have no idea what they sold. Fruit A Freeze, I believe, was operating out of the theatre foyer. Sure is a horrible front they put on the building.
The Park Theatre was a prominant fixture several in my lifetime. In the photo above, the Dolly Madison sign next to the marquee was the entrance to the Park Luncheonette, which had a glass door connecting it to the theatre lobby. At the rear of the luncheonette was a stairway leading down to the Park Bowling Alley. Below that were several levels of catacombs. I have no idea why they were there. Had one chance to explore them. They were empty rooms with years of dirt except for one that had obviously been a bar. (Perhaps an old speak-easy?) To the north (left)of the marquee is the entrance to the Daniel Boone Hotel, which took up the rest of the building. This was a transient flop house with very small rooms. Next door is the Frontier Bar, not the finest place in town.
My connections: About 1952, it was the first place my friend and I were allowed to walk to the movies by ourselves. They were running kid shows on Saturday mornings. Had my first job,a pin setter at the bowling alley in 1956. Got paid 10 cents per frame. Saw my first burlesque show there in 1960. In 1964 I lived directly across the street. At this time the Park was still showing X-rated films and burlesque shows on the weekends. After it closed the former owner leased the Astor Theatre in Annville Pa, between Lebanon and Hershey on route 422, and ran X-rated movies there for a short time.
When I was an usher at the Astor, across the street, I often went to the Embassy (we could get in for free). It was a magnificent building. I remember the fire. That was a shame. The same company owned the Reading Drive-In Theatre in Temple, PA, the first drive-in in the Reading area, where I also worked as a ramp boy, the drive-in equivilant of an usher. That was like a promotion! I went from an usher at the Astor at 50 cents an hour to the drive-in for 75 cents.
By the late 50’s, the Warner was kink of dumpy. The interior was nothing very classy. This was located a couple of doors north of the Embassy Theatre, one block north of the Lowes Colonial and accross the street from the Astor. These were large art deco buildings and as a former Astor usher I can tell you that the Warner was sneered at. We used to refer to the Warner as “the Dinky” because it was so small.
Seeing these photos is almost enough to make me cry. I was an usher there in the late 50’s. At that time it was operated by William Goldman Theatres of Philadelphia. I believe the building was still owned by the Schad family, who owned the Astor and Strand Theatres in Reading and I think also a theatre in Hamburg, PA., under the name “Schad Theaters”. The manager at that time was J. Lester Stallman, and upon his retirement, Clayton Evans, manager of the Strand, become the Astor’s manager. After the Astor closed, it reopened for a short time as an X-rated movie house. I know a group trying to save the theatre had reopened it again. I remember going there for a Reading Community Theatre production of “Hair”, and also a benefit show by Barry Manilow. There were several other live concerts after that. Unfortunately, it took so long for the “powers that be” to decide what to do with the Astor that the building had deteriorated to the point of being beyond restoration. What a shame.
Muviebuf, could this be the building that became the Ritz Theater in the 700 block of Penn St.? I know that was just a couple of doors north of the railroad.
Also, the address and map at the top are way off. The Fox was located in the Muhlenberg Shopping Center on the 5th Street Highway (Rt.222), just north of Reading.
You are right, it was Paul Angstadt. The Fox was Dick Fox’s first movie house. Prior to that it was a drive-in chain consisting of the Reading Drive-In (where I worked for several years), the Sinking Spring Drive-In and the Mount Penn Drive-In, all in Berks County, plus the Deer Lake Drive-In in Schuylkill County. If I remember right, after leaving the Fox chain, Paul Angstadt operated the Strand in Hamburg, PA.
Just did a little research and found that the Colonial had a second floor ballroom. Also, the Friends of the Colonial Theater was formed in 1991.
This theatre was still open when I moved to Lebanon in March, 1979. It had to be open for a year or two after that because I went to several movies there and a big band concert. I don’t have the dates offhand, but after it closed a group was formed to try to save it. Before they could raise enough money, it was purchased by a salvage company, who stripped all the old fixtures then abandoned it. By the time the city took title it was beyond repair and was demolished. If I can come up with any other details, I’ll post them. I’m sure of it being open in 1979, because I moved here on the day of the TMI accident.
When I go by this building I always wonder what it looked like before the ugly Perma-Stone front.
You’re right Mike. It was the Ritz. I believe it was next door to Reads. I think I do remember your mom. Really is a small world. Had you gone to the Ritz you’d know why it was called the Stinky. Place had a real musty smell. I think I was only in there once.
Good to hear from someone else who lived in the 1100 block of Penn St. When I was an usher at the Astor in the early 60’s, they had me dress up in a space suit and walk around downtown advertising for Jerry Lewis' “Visit To A Small Planet”. Walked through all the downtown theaters without a problem except the Park threw me out!
Hey, maybe you remember the name. There used to be a small theater at 7th and Penn on the northeast corner by the railroad tracks. I only remember its nick-name, “The Stinky”. Think it closed in the late 50’s.
The State is still there serving as the Cornerstone Fellowship. It was purchased several years ago and converted into a dinner theatre type venue. The seats were removed and replaced by tables and chairs. It was renamed “On Stage”, probably because it was a cheap and easy way to change the marquee sign. It was available for private parties, and several popular music groups held concerts there. It was then sold to the owner of a local bar, who remodeled it once again, but never opened due to problems transferring his liquor license.
I was on that tour in 1983, along with about 25 others with hopes of saving the theatre. Thats the only time I was inside. At that time it had some peeling paint and plaster and the balcony had been declared structurally unsafe, but it looked like a candidate for restoration. Not long after there was a major fire that destroyed all the buildings to the right in the 1982 photo. I believe the rear of the Acadamy was damaged in that fire. I’ll do a little more research for dates and post them later.
BTW, in the 1982 photo, the theatre is already closed. If you check the window on the left there is a store there by the name LaCoupe. I have no idea what they sold. Fruit A Freeze, I believe, was operating out of the theatre foyer. Sure is a horrible front they put on the building.
The Park Theatre was a prominant fixture several in my lifetime. In the photo above, the Dolly Madison sign next to the marquee was the entrance to the Park Luncheonette, which had a glass door connecting it to the theatre lobby. At the rear of the luncheonette was a stairway leading down to the Park Bowling Alley. Below that were several levels of catacombs. I have no idea why they were there. Had one chance to explore them. They were empty rooms with years of dirt except for one that had obviously been a bar. (Perhaps an old speak-easy?) To the north (left)of the marquee is the entrance to the Daniel Boone Hotel, which took up the rest of the building. This was a transient flop house with very small rooms. Next door is the Frontier Bar, not the finest place in town.
My connections: About 1952, it was the first place my friend and I were allowed to walk to the movies by ourselves. They were running kid shows on Saturday mornings. Had my first job,a pin setter at the bowling alley in 1956. Got paid 10 cents per frame. Saw my first burlesque show there in 1960. In 1964 I lived directly across the street. At this time the Park was still showing X-rated films and burlesque shows on the weekends. After it closed the former owner leased the Astor Theatre in Annville Pa, between Lebanon and Hershey on route 422, and ran X-rated movies there for a short time.
When I was an usher at the Astor, across the street, I often went to the Embassy (we could get in for free). It was a magnificent building. I remember the fire. That was a shame. The same company owned the Reading Drive-In Theatre in Temple, PA, the first drive-in in the Reading area, where I also worked as a ramp boy, the drive-in equivilant of an usher. That was like a promotion! I went from an usher at the Astor at 50 cents an hour to the drive-in for 75 cents.
By the late 50’s, the Warner was kink of dumpy. The interior was nothing very classy. This was located a couple of doors north of the Embassy Theatre, one block north of the Lowes Colonial and accross the street from the Astor. These were large art deco buildings and as a former Astor usher I can tell you that the Warner was sneered at. We used to refer to the Warner as “the Dinky” because it was so small.
Seeing these photos is almost enough to make me cry. I was an usher there in the late 50’s. At that time it was operated by William Goldman Theatres of Philadelphia. I believe the building was still owned by the Schad family, who owned the Astor and Strand Theatres in Reading and I think also a theatre in Hamburg, PA., under the name “Schad Theaters”. The manager at that time was J. Lester Stallman, and upon his retirement, Clayton Evans, manager of the Strand, become the Astor’s manager. After the Astor closed, it reopened for a short time as an X-rated movie house. I know a group trying to save the theatre had reopened it again. I remember going there for a Reading Community Theatre production of “Hair”, and also a benefit show by Barry Manilow. There were several other live concerts after that. Unfortunately, it took so long for the “powers that be” to decide what to do with the Astor that the building had deteriorated to the point of being beyond restoration. What a shame.