In my research about Reproduco organs I’ve got a listing from 1926 for the Cozy Theatre in Hollis, OK. That implies the 1928 hall was the second Cozy in town. To my ear, the name Cozy seems an unusual name for a theatre, but I’m finding a number of halls scattered around the mid-west with that name. Were they part of chain? In Joe’s link I see a reference to G.A. Peterson. Local developer? Theatre chain executive?
Here’s another one: The Moving Picture World, June 2, 1917. In the classified ads: FOR SALE: Gem Theatre, Hobart, Indiana; modern; vaudeville, pictures, 382 seats; two motor Simplex machines, transverter, orchestrion; making money.
DavidDynamic: speaking as an architect interested in old theatres, it’s not unusual in old halls to have fewer exits, or types of exits, from the balcony than is currently allowable. No one in theatre design or codes enforcement has ever forgotten the tragedy of the Iroquois Theatre fire (Chicago) even 100 years later. So yes, if there’s the slightest hint of danger to the audience, the balcony will be closed to the public. Sad but better safe than sorry.
The Walmur Amusement Company, Bristow, is listed in a 1926 Advertisement for Reproduco organs. Did Walmur Amusement own other theatres in town during the early 1920’s or was this their only hall?
The original Empire had a Reproduco Photoplayer. It’s mentioned in a 1926 advertisement from Reproduco organs as being one of their satisfied customers.
The Sun Theatre is mentioned in a 1926 advertisement for Reproduco Organs. Reproducos were fairly modest instruments, and all (to my knowledge) were equipped with roll players – a useful option in a place where there might not be a musician always on hand who could credibly play during a silent movie.
Dannh- yes, you’re right. I just looked at Google Earth and the building is still standing and occupied by a law office. (Seems like it would be a rather dark law office.) Thanks for the update.
Andrew, I too am trying to find the Dreamland and the Palace.
The October 1914 Sanborn map for Bowling Green shows the theatre at 430-432 Main but doesn’t give a name. It does show the outline of the balcony.
The January 1909 Sanborn map shows a storefront Moving Picture Theatre (again no name) at 411 Park Row, the other side of the square from the Princess. The little theatre at 411 is no longer there in the 1914 map.
Regarding the Palace, several maps show the Potter Opera House at yet a 3rd location on the square. A fairly substantial building, it is conceivable it was renamed Palace at a later date.
BTW, smoe, not all, the Kentucky Sanborn maps are available on line for free – not all states – but KY and a handful of others. Not all the KY maps are there, but up into the teens for some towns.
The World in Motion Theatre is one of about 200 satisfied customers listed in a late 1920’s ad for Reproduco Pipe Organs. Reproduco’s market was smaller theatres so Ken’s mention of 350 seats sounds exactly right.
The Tripp County Historical Society has reproduced a newspaper article on their website from May 30 1929 says “Gov. Wm. J. Bulow was the guest speaker at the Cosmo (Ritz) Theatre. Bulow known as a cracker-box humorist, with a drawl, and a bull’s-eye tobacco spitter…”
From a different source, a Reproduco Pipe Organ advertisement from the later 1920’s mentions the Cosmo Theatre, Winner, South Dakota, as being one of their satisfied customers, indicating either a small pipe organ or a photoplayer located here.
T.O. Here’s why I think it was a Reproduco. (will we ever know for sure?) The citation I start with is David Bowers' Encyclopedia of Automatic Musical Instruments, page 551, which shows an ad for Reproduco. It lists the Hillsboro Theatre in Nashville. However, the actual Hillsboro had a Kimball from the day it opened. It’s circumstantial evidence but my reasoning is: the Belmont theatre is in the neighborhood called Hillsboro, the Belmont was built by the Sudekum’s Crescent Amusement Company which installed Reproducos in many of their theatres and finally, those trade journal ads are notoriously semi-accurate. I have to admit being a little overly fascinated with Reproduco. They seem to have produced a huge number of instruments and yet are just one step above utterly forgotten.
HornerJack, I love the story you posted back in 2005 of the Sudekum brothers designing the theatre in the sand on the beach in Flordia. I’m guessing that wasn’t the final set of drawings! The tide would have come in and washed it away before the contractor could get in and count how seats to order. <> Seriously, the building codes in the 1920s were quite strict with movie theatres due to the quantity of flammable material in the projection booth and after the disaster at Chicago’s Iroquis Theatre. From day one, Mr. Holman would have known there was to be a projection booth in a movie theatre. There are any number of examples of theatres where the architects cantilevered the projection booth out as a method of fire protection. That in addition to all the projection booth codes for fire shutters, exhaust fans, fire extinguishers, a separate exit, rated walls, and a long list of other requirements.
On another note, there are a couple of references here to the organ at the Belmont, but I’m not finding anything in the literature of who built it. The Sudekums/Crescent Amusement bought a bunch of -ahem- modestly priced Reproduco organs. Surely a hall of this size and quality had a better organ than that.
Joe, thanks for filling in the missing information! The trade journal ad I’m starting with is filled with the semi-accurate information you mention – company name or company owner’s name instead of an actual theatre name. Leads down some interesting rabbit holes. Regarding the Booth Company, there was at least one Booth Theatre in East Tennessee; it opened in Knoxville in 1928.
The photo is hard to read, but I think it’s advertising the movie The Great McGinty, which opened in 1940 – fits with Ken’s dates above. I also found the reference to a Reproduco organ installed here, which would have the theatre open in the silent movie era.
The Strand is listed in a 1926 advertisement for Reproduco Organs as one of their satisfied customers.
In my research about Reproduco organs I’ve got a listing from 1926 for the Cozy Theatre in Hollis, OK. That implies the 1928 hall was the second Cozy in town. To my ear, the name Cozy seems an unusual name for a theatre, but I’m finding a number of halls scattered around the mid-west with that name. Were they part of chain? In Joe’s link I see a reference to G.A. Peterson. Local developer? Theatre chain executive?
Here’s another one: The Moving Picture World, June 2, 1917. In the classified ads: FOR SALE: Gem Theatre, Hobart, Indiana; modern; vaudeville, pictures, 382 seats; two motor Simplex machines, transverter, orchestrion; making money.
Was this one of Walmur’s theatres?
DavidDynamic: speaking as an architect interested in old theatres, it’s not unusual in old halls to have fewer exits, or types of exits, from the balcony than is currently allowable. No one in theatre design or codes enforcement has ever forgotten the tragedy of the Iroquois Theatre fire (Chicago) even 100 years later. So yes, if there’s the slightest hint of danger to the audience, the balcony will be closed to the public. Sad but better safe than sorry.
The Walmur Amusement Company, Bristow, is listed in a 1926 Advertisement for Reproduco organs. Did Walmur Amusement own other theatres in town during the early 1920’s or was this their only hall?
The original Empire had a Reproduco Photoplayer. It’s mentioned in a 1926 advertisement from Reproduco organs as being one of their satisfied customers.
Joe, Well. Theatre owners and the names on their halls. Sometimes all you can do at this point is look heavenward and sigh.
My contribution to this story is the listing in a 1926 advertisement for Reproduco organs that listed the Strand in Lincoln as a satisfied customer.
The Sun Theatre is mentioned in a 1926 advertisement for Reproduco Organs. Reproducos were fairly modest instruments, and all (to my knowledge) were equipped with roll players – a useful option in a place where there might not be a musician always on hand who could credibly play during a silent movie.
Dannh- yes, you’re right. I just looked at Google Earth and the building is still standing and occupied by a law office. (Seems like it would be a rather dark law office.) Thanks for the update.
Andrew, I too am trying to find the Dreamland and the Palace.
The October 1914 Sanborn map for Bowling Green shows the theatre at 430-432 Main but doesn’t give a name. It does show the outline of the balcony.
The January 1909 Sanborn map shows a storefront Moving Picture Theatre (again no name) at 411 Park Row, the other side of the square from the Princess. The little theatre at 411 is no longer there in the 1914 map.
Regarding the Palace, several maps show the Potter Opera House at yet a 3rd location on the square. A fairly substantial building, it is conceivable it was renamed Palace at a later date.
BTW, smoe, not all, the Kentucky Sanborn maps are available on line for free – not all states – but KY and a handful of others. Not all the KY maps are there, but up into the teens for some towns.
http://genealogy.about.com/od/historical_maps/tp/Sanborn-Fire-Insurance-Maps-Online.htm
The Grand had a Reproduco Photoplayer to accompany the silent movies.
The Strand is one of about 200 locations mentioned in an ad for Reproduco Pipe Organs.
The Strand had a Reproduco organ.
The World in Motion Theatre is one of about 200 satisfied customers listed in a late 1920’s ad for Reproduco Pipe Organs. Reproduco’s market was smaller theatres so Ken’s mention of 350 seats sounds exactly right.
The Weeks Theatre is listed in an ad for Reproduco Pipe Organs as being one their satisfied customers.
The Tripp County Historical Society has reproduced a newspaper article on their website from May 30 1929 says “Gov. Wm. J. Bulow was the guest speaker at the Cosmo (Ritz) Theatre. Bulow known as a cracker-box humorist, with a drawl, and a bull’s-eye tobacco spitter…”
From a different source, a Reproduco Pipe Organ advertisement from the later 1920’s mentions the Cosmo Theatre, Winner, South Dakota, as being one of their satisfied customers, indicating either a small pipe organ or a photoplayer located here.
The March 1913 Sanborn map of Lebanon calls this building the New Lyric Theatre, showing a respectable stage but listed as showing motion pictures.
T.O. Here’s why I think it was a Reproduco. (will we ever know for sure?) The citation I start with is David Bowers' Encyclopedia of Automatic Musical Instruments, page 551, which shows an ad for Reproduco. It lists the Hillsboro Theatre in Nashville. However, the actual Hillsboro had a Kimball from the day it opened. It’s circumstantial evidence but my reasoning is: the Belmont theatre is in the neighborhood called Hillsboro, the Belmont was built by the Sudekum’s Crescent Amusement Company which installed Reproducos in many of their theatres and finally, those trade journal ads are notoriously semi-accurate. I have to admit being a little overly fascinated with Reproduco. They seem to have produced a huge number of instruments and yet are just one step above utterly forgotten.
HornerJack, I love the story you posted back in 2005 of the Sudekum brothers designing the theatre in the sand on the beach in Flordia. I’m guessing that wasn’t the final set of drawings! The tide would have come in and washed it away before the contractor could get in and count how seats to order. <> Seriously, the building codes in the 1920s were quite strict with movie theatres due to the quantity of flammable material in the projection booth and after the disaster at Chicago’s Iroquis Theatre. From day one, Mr. Holman would have known there was to be a projection booth in a movie theatre. There are any number of examples of theatres where the architects cantilevered the projection booth out as a method of fire protection. That in addition to all the projection booth codes for fire shutters, exhaust fans, fire extinguishers, a separate exit, rated walls, and a long list of other requirements.
On another note, there are a couple of references here to the organ at the Belmont, but I’m not finding anything in the literature of who built it. The Sudekums/Crescent Amusement bought a bunch of -ahem- modestly priced Reproduco organs. Surely a hall of this size and quality had a better organ than that.
The unusual name Lillian suggest common ownership with the Lillian Theatre in Clarkesville Tennessee.
The Dixie Theatre had a Reproduco organ during the silent movie era.
Joe, thanks for filling in the missing information! The trade journal ad I’m starting with is filled with the semi-accurate information you mention – company name or company owner’s name instead of an actual theatre name. Leads down some interesting rabbit holes. Regarding the Booth Company, there was at least one Booth Theatre in East Tennessee; it opened in Knoxville in 1928.
The photo is hard to read, but I think it’s advertising the movie The Great McGinty, which opened in 1940 – fits with Ken’s dates above. I also found the reference to a Reproduco organ installed here, which would have the theatre open in the silent movie era.
The Hickory had a Reproduco organ to accompany silent films.