Warren Theatre

Allen F. Hauss, former projectionist and business manager of Philadelphia Local 306 (projectionists) has just had a book published , “South Jersey Movie Houses,” (Arcadia Press), in which he clears up a fact about the Warner I had always found confusing. To quote him, “In the 1950s, the name was changed to the Warren, to use the same marquee letter, and it became a live venue.” I had always wondered why historical texts on widescreen films sometimes mentioned “Windjammer” as having run at the Warren, and some other texts insisted it played the Warner. Now I know. The book, by the way, is extrememly interesting with many rare photographs and well-written text.

“In 1929, Harry Warner spent a fortune building the Warner Theater on the Boardwalk-from its terra-cotta facade and terrazzo floors to the gilt-framed mirrors and twinkling lights embedded in the fresco on the domed ceiling, the place was plush and huge, seating over two thousand people. (The gorgeous facade remains and has been incorporated, somewhat awkardly, into the Boardwalk frontage of Caesars.)”

The Last Good Time by Jonathon Van Meter, Page 27

No, Marquee is not available online, but you can look on the Theatre Historical Society of America website and that edition is available to purchase as a back-issue.

http://www2.hawaii.edu/~angell/thsa/ Click on Publications, Marquee then back issues

cmg; Marquee Vol 12 Nos 1 & 2 (a double edition issue) for the First and Second Quarter 1980. The article on the Warner Theatre, Atlantic City is on pages 4 – 12.

Does anyone know where I can get more info/pics concerning this theater? (I’m doing a project on it for my school)

Does anybody know how much of the auditorium was retained when it was a bowling alley? I remember seeing a photo somewhere of Frankie and Annette at the opening holding a bowling ball.

Thank you for the great picture of the Warner. Morning Glory was released in August 1933. Does anyone know if the marquee as shown in the picture was ever replaced with a more modern marquee?

When we started spending summers in Atlantic City around 1966, the theater was already converted into a bowling alley. I spent many wonderful years bowling there until the casinos came in and it was knocked down and turned into a parking lot

In 1954, Atlantic City celebrated Martin and Lewis' 8th anniversary as a comedy team with a weekend of festivities. They included a parade on the boardwalk, performances at the 500 Club (where they first teamed up in 1946) and the world premiere of their new movie “Living It Up” at the Warner. Dean, Jerry and co-star Janet Leigh took part in the event, which included the cutting of a giant cake under the marquee, and a gala stage show.

When they first brought gambling to Atlantic City in 1978, both the facade and lobby of the Warner were still standing. The long lobby was used as a pizza parlor. I talked to the manager and she walked me up several flights of stairs to a storage room. There was a drop ceiling and it was fairly easy to look above it by moving one of the tiles. The entire lobby ceiling was above it, and was absolutely beautiful!

Sadly, the lobby portion was eventually demolished and all that remains today is the facade. It’s been incorporated into the design of a new casino which takes up the entire block.

The full story of the WARNER is told in a nine-page article in MARQUEE magazine of First Qtr., 1980 of the Theatre Historical Soc., titled: “The Atlantic City Story” by the late Irvin Glazer. The ten b/w photos there reveal the opulence that was the WARNER, and the issue also includes stories on other WARNERs around the nation in: Erie and West Chester, PA; Milwaukee, and Washington DC, along with a biography of the Warner Brothers.

PHOTOS AVAILABLE:
To obtain any available Back Issue of either “Marquee” or of its ANNUALS, simply go to the web site of the THEATRE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA at:
www.HistoricTheatres.org
and notice on their first page the link “PUBLICATIONS: Back Issues List” and click on that and you will be taken to their listing where they also give ordering details. The “Marquee” magazine is 8-1/2x11 inches tall (‘portrait’) format, and the ANNUALS are also soft cover in the same size, but in the long (‘landscape’) format, and are anywhere from 26 to 40 pages. Should they indicate that a publication is Out Of Print, then it may still be possible to view it via Inter-Library Loan where you go to the librarian at any public or school library and ask them to locate which library has the item by using the Union List of Serials, and your library can then ask the other library to loan it to them for you to read or photocopy. [Photocopies of most THSA publications are available from University Microforms International (UMI), but their prices are exorbitant.]

Note: Most any photo in any of their publications may be had in large size by purchase; see their ARCHIVE link. You should realize that there was no color still photography in the 1920s, so few theatres were seen in color at that time except by means of hand tinted renderings or post cards, thus all the antique photos from the Society will be in black and white, but it is quite possible that the Society has later color images available; it is best to inquire of them.

Should you not be able to contact them via their web site, you may also contact their Executive Director via E-mail at:
Or you may reach them via phone or snail mail at:
Theatre Historical Soc. of America
152 N. York, 2nd Floor York Theatre Bldg.
Elmhurst, ILL. 60126-2806 (they are about 15 miles west of Chicago)

Phone: 630-782-1800 or via FAX at: 630-782-1802 (Monday through Friday, 9AM—4PM, CT)

The architect of the Silver Legacy Casino in Reno, NEVADA chose to imitate almost precisely the still-extant facade of the Warner. Definitely a conscious decision, as it makes for a great casino entrance.