I don’t recall a theater dead on the northeast corner. I believe there was a Reads department store which was later occupied as a music store. But there definitely was another theater on the north side of Penn Street called the Ritz. I cannot give you the exact location. I think it was somewhere between 7th and 9th. It was no longer open by the time I was old enough to roam Penn Street on my own as a kid. I never saw the inside. I was born in 1950 so it shut down most likey prior to 1958.
Speaking of “A Small Planet”, it sure is a small world. My mom worked at the candy counter of the Astor at the same time you mentioned being an usher there. If you were to remember her, you would probably know her as Josie. I spent a lot of time in that beautiful palace. In fact I seem to recall the space suit. I was a rather frequent fixture in those days. I must have saw 101 Dalmations 101 times
JimmiB your memory is quite accurate; I lived across the street from the early 50’s until about 1962/63. Prior to the burlesque days, I recall Saturday continuous, “all day”, running horror flicks. One time they had Wolfman, Frankenstein and Dracula ‘live’ in the lobby. Frankenstein and Wolfman were held in chains while Dracula kept them at bay with a whip. It turned into a near riot when one of the monsters broke loose. The management never did that one again.
I don’t recall a theater dead on the northeast corner. I believe there was a Reads department store which was later occupied as a music store. But there definitely was another theater on the north side of Penn Street called the Ritz. I cannot give you the exact location. I think it was somewhere between 7th and 9th. It was no longer open by the time I was old enough to roam Penn Street on my own as a kid. I never saw the inside. I was born in 1950 so it shut down most likey prior to 1958.
Speaking of “A Small Planet”, it sure is a small world. My mom worked at the candy counter of the Astor at the same time you mentioned being an usher there. If you were to remember her, you would probably know her as Josie. I spent a lot of time in that beautiful palace. In fact I seem to recall the space suit. I was a rather frequent fixture in those days. I must have saw 101 Dalmations 101 times
JimmiB your memory is quite accurate; I lived across the street from the early 50’s until about 1962/63. Prior to the burlesque days, I recall Saturday continuous, “all day”, running horror flicks. One time they had Wolfman, Frankenstein and Dracula ‘live’ in the lobby. Frankenstein and Wolfman were held in chains while Dracula kept them at bay with a whip. It turned into a near riot when one of the monsters broke loose. The management never did that one again.