I was an usher at this theatre for several years in the early 1970’s. We were paid a whopping $1 an hour (but we got to watch all the latest releases). This was partially because we were all underage, but I’ll try to stay on topic. The theatre was magnificent. Yes, it was art deco, but on a very small scale; not a “masterpiece” like some of the old theatres here in the Chicago area. Ticket prices in the 70’s were $1.25 for adults and $0.75 for children.
Let’s take a tour, shall we. As 14 year olds, we left very few areas of the building unexplored. There were secret storage rooms off the main lobby, up the ladder behind the marquee, small, tight tunnels below the seating for plumbing and heating pipes. It was fun to crawl beneath the theatre floor knowing there were hundreds of viewers right above us. The projection room was cramped, dirty and smelly, but functional (with dual projectors). The stage in front of the screen was large enough for small stage shows. No stereo, surround, Dolby or THX; just one enormous speaker cabinet directly behind the screen. The screen actually had millions of tiny holes in it. You could stand behind it during a movie and look out and clearly see all the audience as if no screen were there at all, due to the reflected lighting from the projector. Saturday nights were special. Saturday night was called “Bank Night”. The “Judge”, who was about 200 years old, would be helped onto the stage where he would draw raffle tickets from a large drum. Getting him up there and back took about 20 minutes. It was like watching Tim Conway do one of his skits. The manager’s office had two safes, a large, obvious floor safe, plus a hidden wall safe behind a picture for the real cash. There was a big, comfy couch in there too, where the manager would nap while we all ran the theatre. Yes, the lobby drinking fountains were surrounded with mirrors and many of the walls were velvet or felt or something like that. The outer and inner lobbies were magnificent, with many advertisements for current and upcoming releases. I believe that I remember faux Classic Greek statuettes on the walls in the theatre. I think there were a few strategic Greek columns in the inner lobby/concession area, but I may be romanticizing. There definitely was a little sitting area with a very fake fireplace, complete with red light bulb, just to the left of the concession stand.
The police almost shut down the theatre one time when the controversial “Harrad Experiment” came to town. It was nominally rated R, but bordered on X due to nudity. I remember reluctantly letting in two local cops who watched half the movie, leaning against the short wall dividing the seats from the concession area, before they decided to leave without event.
I have plenty more memories and stories, but those are not for this forum.
This theatre, perhaps along with the old Morley Library and Morley Music Hall, were the cultural highlights of Painesville in those days. Hopefully, that statement can stand on its own.
I was an usher at this theatre for several years in the early 1970’s. We were paid a whopping $1 an hour (but we got to watch all the latest releases). This was partially because we were all underage, but I’ll try to stay on topic. The theatre was magnificent. Yes, it was art deco, but on a very small scale; not a “masterpiece” like some of the old theatres here in the Chicago area. Ticket prices in the 70’s were $1.25 for adults and $0.75 for children.
Let’s take a tour, shall we. As 14 year olds, we left very few areas of the building unexplored. There were secret storage rooms off the main lobby, up the ladder behind the marquee, small, tight tunnels below the seating for plumbing and heating pipes. It was fun to crawl beneath the theatre floor knowing there were hundreds of viewers right above us. The projection room was cramped, dirty and smelly, but functional (with dual projectors). The stage in front of the screen was large enough for small stage shows. No stereo, surround, Dolby or THX; just one enormous speaker cabinet directly behind the screen. The screen actually had millions of tiny holes in it. You could stand behind it during a movie and look out and clearly see all the audience as if no screen were there at all, due to the reflected lighting from the projector. Saturday nights were special. Saturday night was called “Bank Night”. The “Judge”, who was about 200 years old, would be helped onto the stage where he would draw raffle tickets from a large drum. Getting him up there and back took about 20 minutes. It was like watching Tim Conway do one of his skits. The manager’s office had two safes, a large, obvious floor safe, plus a hidden wall safe behind a picture for the real cash. There was a big, comfy couch in there too, where the manager would nap while we all ran the theatre. Yes, the lobby drinking fountains were surrounded with mirrors and many of the walls were velvet or felt or something like that. The outer and inner lobbies were magnificent, with many advertisements for current and upcoming releases. I believe that I remember faux Classic Greek statuettes on the walls in the theatre. I think there were a few strategic Greek columns in the inner lobby/concession area, but I may be romanticizing. There definitely was a little sitting area with a very fake fireplace, complete with red light bulb, just to the left of the concession stand.
The police almost shut down the theatre one time when the controversial “Harrad Experiment” came to town. It was nominally rated R, but bordered on X due to nudity. I remember reluctantly letting in two local cops who watched half the movie, leaning against the short wall dividing the seats from the concession area, before they decided to leave without event.
I have plenty more memories and stories, but those are not for this forum.
This theatre, perhaps along with the old Morley Library and Morley Music Hall, were the cultural highlights of Painesville in those days. Hopefully, that statement can stand on its own.