Chicago Theatre
175 N. State Street,
Chicago,
IL
60601
175 N. State Street,
Chicago,
IL
60601
98 people
favorited this theater
Showing 176 - 200 of 304 comments
Looks like the office space above the lobby has been renovated. Last time I saw it (probably 1990) that space had basically been gutted to the brick walls.
Thank you that answers a lot of questions .
thank you for your time on this matter.
Plitt took over in the mid-60’s. Actually, the theatre was part of the ABC/Paramount chain split off after the consent decrees. Plitt worked as a circuit manager for ABC/Paramount directly under the ABC head Leonard Goldenson. The ABC owned TV station in Chicago was WBKB (Balaban & Katz Broadcasting)and the engineer who put it on the air was I. F. Jacobson, who was the technical head of the Balaban & Katz theatres. When ABC/Paramount got out of the theatre business, Plitt took over the chain. I was working part-time as a projectionist in a downstate Illinois Publix theatre (the chain had theatres under a variety of names including Paramount/Publix) at the time Plitt took over and gave circuit-wide passes to all the employees. My passes were always listed under the Plitt theatres name, and it was about that time that the top of the Chicago vertical sign was changed to Plitt.
Also i also think that the high side attraction boards were removed durring the restoration, also the vertical sign is not the orginal one i think it is lighter than the first one and the marquee i think now has a sort of a piller think happing on the street level. If i rember right thire was a whole page in the Sun-Times or may be the Tribune i am not sure witch one. Thanks again
I saw in the picture from the post above that the name on the vertical sign whare the B&K would be it says PLITT whan did PLITT take over from B&K?
Thank you for your time
When did the first Hollywood-style premiere take place in Chicago, and at what theatre?
The CHICAGO TRIBUNE gives us the answer: Thursday, October 24, 1940, p. 23, c.1 (news item):
CHICAGO’S FIRST MOVIE PREMIERE IS A SCOOP FOR STATION WGN
Chicago showed Hollywood something yesterday about putting on a real motion picture premiere—and a day early at that. But the rousing reception given the arriving “Northwest Mounted Police” stars and Producer Cecil B. DeMille was only a foretaste of what may be expected when Chicago has its first real motion picture premiere tonight.
The premiere of the DeMille technicolor production tonight is double barreled. First of all WGN, the Mutual network, and the Canadian corporation network will bring the radio premiere to the nation and to Canada. This is a scoop for WGN, for the premiere is exclusive over these networks. It will be presented from 7:30 to 8 o'clock on the regular In Chicago Tonight program under the direction of William A. Bacher.
In the 80’s when David Letterman was at NBC, he took his show to the Chicago for a week.
A P.S. to my post above,
The Eric Zorn web blog is “ A Change of Subject"
And the "Prince Castle Hamburgers” were square,the ice-cream was also square.
And “CockRobin” was the 2nd encarnation i think that their are still some around. Thank you for your time:)
As Per PAUL FORTINI
s comment on Jan 14th 2007 I think the name of the hamburger place that you were refering to was "PRINCE CASTLE HAMBURGERS" not "KING CASTLE" if you "Google" "Prince Castle Hamburgers" you will come a cross something from the Tribs Eric Zorn a web blog called “CHANG OF SUBJECT” he and the people who post memories of the past mention “Prince Castle”.It was eather the 1st encarnation on the “COCKROBIN” chain or may be the 2nd i am not sure, only thing is that what i find is that the Ice Cream was square i am not sure about the hamburgers. Also could the theatre be eather the UA or the LOOP?
Thank you for your time :)
That makes sence.
I think the writer meant to indicate (by saying “as they always can”) that Chicago being the way it is, inspectors could cite pretty much anything to justify closing it if they so desired, regardless of whether it was a real issue or not.
Per Cinemaven’s comment of 12/16/2006.
The hamburger place you’re referring to may have been “King Castle.” I think the chain existed ‘til the early 1980s and , yes, they served “White Castelesque” burgers.
As for the State-Lake, it was never demolished. The building now houses WLS-TV (ABC Channel 7) studios.
Thank Your post, it sheds some more light on to the Rialto.
If you find out any thing else please post it.
Also did the Trib say anything in detail about the ordinance violations, their must have ben a whole bunch if it had more then the Iroquois did. I guess that thay used the Chicago as “tie in” to the name of the show. Well thank you for your time.
Now here’s a neat fact for fans of the musical and film “Chicago”. Although the film’s big theatre scene is depicted as being at the Chicago, the real-life counterpart happened at the other end of the loop – at the Rialto. Found in a 1980 Trib article: “The only trouble with [1920 state’s attorney Robert E.] Crowe was that he kept losing cases. For some reason there was a rash of murders about that time — four or five of them — in which wives or girlfriends were indicted for killing their companions. They were all acquitted and with each acquittal the Rialto Theater, at State and Van Buren, would book as part of their show the freed and notorious woman. It was embarrassing to Crowe; his failures went up in lights. [Mayor William Hale] Thompson handled the situation. He sent a platoon of city inspectors to the Rialto; and they found, as they always can, more violations of city ordinances than were ever imagined at the Iroquois Theater. Thompson said he would have the place closed if they didn’t stop booking the women who had beaten the rap against Crowe.”
Thanks BW.
That would be the State-Lake.
I remember when I was very young and I was taken to see the film “E.T.-The Extra-Terrestrial” for the first of what would be probably ten times in 1982 alone in the Chicago theater. I also remember there was a theater directly across the street where we went to see “John Carpenter’s The Thing” after “E.T.”, however I cannot recall the name of the theater which sat across from the Chicago. I also remember next to that theater was a restaurant that served White Castle-style burgers which we used to dine afterwards. I was wondering if anyone who knows could jog my memory on what theater that was across from the Chicago? I seem to remember it was one of the first of the eventually demolished downtown movie houses to go. Thanks in advance.
A 1927 video clip of the Chicago’s marquee can be seen by searching for 26130 at http://www.wttwdigitalarchives.com/searchres.php 1951 views by searching for 25327, 25328, or 25330. 1954 views by searching 26438 or 26439.
Wow! Brian, those are some fantastic pics! Thanks so much! :–)
Here are updated links to my June, 2005 post. Plus more.
From Russell Phillips' Galleries:
1982 (pre-restoration) photos of:
Auditorium Entry and Proscenium
Men’s Lounge
Grand Stair Detail
Ladies Lounge
Foyer with Vending Machine
Stair Landing & Mezzanine
Auditorium from Balcony
Auditorium, Lower Level
Here is another a few years later.
Here is another from the same time.
Here is a photo of State Street in the 60s.
I remember watching Tom Gnaster play the Chicago Theatre organ at the grand reopening, which I think was in 1985. It was a great instrument and Tom was a great organist. I wish Tom were still with us today.
Oh, they’re not mine. But it was a nice candid shot, a change from the way you usually see these. And I think it just doesn’t look busy enough to be downtown, but grant park is a possibility too. Maybe somewhere in the south loop.