In 1946 there was no CinemaScope or any other wide screen projection. Every theater had a 1.33:1 screen that was nearly square. CinemaScope didn’t come out until 1953.
I came across this article in MOTION PICTURE HERALD March 15, 1941 about a police raid on the Sedgwick.
POLICE RAID COOKING SCHOOLS AS LOTTERIES
Philadelphia Circuit Promotion Halted Because of Door Prize; Two Theatre Games Allowed
As the courts in Philadelphia ruled theatre chance games were games of skill, the city police were raiding a cooking show at a theatre on the charge that it was an illegal lottery because of a door prize feature.
“Quizzo” and “Lucky 13,” successors to “Bingo” in the city’s neighborhood movie houses, were officially pronounced games of skill by Quarter Sessions Court Judge Eugene V. Alessandroni, in a test suit. His ruling carried a “but” which is big enough to warrant police action if operators yield to temptation to turn the games into lotteries. Police, however, permitted the cooking schools conducted in Warner houses by the Philadelphia Record to continue on Wednesday after the paper agreed to award prizes for a quiz contest rather than for door-stub numbers.
“The conduct of this game was apparently legal,” said the court. “We cannot help but feel that since control over not only the choice of the question but also over its composition and the answer thereto considered to be correct, is vested exclusively in the management, unscrupulous manipulation of these factors can readily change this from what appears to be a game of skill into one of chance.” It was pointed out that this possibility left final supervision of the conduct of the game to police authorites.
Police Raid Theatre
Also last Thursday, police raided the Sedgewick Theatre, a Warner Brothers house, where more than 700 women were attending a kitchen and cooking show prior to the matinee. Entry was made after ten door prizes had been awarded with 20 additional lucky numbers to be selected for as many additional prizes.
The cooking sessions were sponsored by the Philadelphia Record in co-operation with the Electrical Association of Philadelphia and conducted on Tuesdays and Thursdays, rotating at 21 neighborhood Warner theatres in the city. Police action at this time came as a surprise since the cooking schools have been in session for two years, this being the third time around the circuit.
Police contended that the award of door prizes was akin to Bank Night, every admission ticket being numbered with the wininng numbers drawn as for a Bank Night. Value of the prizes for the entire series of 21 sessions was set at $25,000 with a grand prize of a 1941 Ford De Luxe Tudor Sedan. The sessions were an advertising promotion on part of the newspaper, merchants buying space to exploit the school and contributing the prizes as well.
.
.
.
The article went on about legal attacks on theaters throughout the country for conducting games of chance like door prizes.
I came across this in MOTION PICTURE HERALD March 15, 1941 about news reel theaters in Philly. I was surprised to see it mentioned the Karlton as a second-run house.
Two Phiadelphia News Houses
In Philadelphia, there are two center-city theatres dedicated to the newsreel. The 493-seat Translux, operated by the Translux Movie Corporation, and managed by Harry Jordon, opened in January, 1935. Hourly programs are presented with the admission “always 25 cents” (plus tax), from 10:30 A.M. to 11:30 P.M. daily, 10 A.M. to 12 midnight on Saturday and 2 P.M. to 12 midnight on Sunday.
Four newsreels are edited to form a half-hour review and four shorts complete the program. Newsreels are changed twice weekly and shorts once a week.
The editing of the newsreel follows a regular pattern, first emphasizing foreign news, then local, national defense and sports. Since the advent of the European war, news shots of the conflict have taken prominence. However, according to the management, in recent weeks, not much has been coming through to satisfy the patrons. First pictures of a battle or invasion are advertised by one-sheets in front of the house. Blow-ups are used for regular advertising. When war newsreel pictures are unusual special attention is given, as the pictures of the incendiary bombing of London were sold as “The Burning of London.”
The other Philadelphia newsreel house is the News Theatre, operated by William Goldman Theatres, Inc., independent circuit. Seating 385, the house was first opened in 1937 with a policy similar to that of the Translux, offering shorts and edited newsreels. The following year, the house experimented by featuring a revival instead of the short subject. This proved so successful that it was adopted as a regular policy. As a result, the News offers a two-hour program, changed weekly, of a feature picture revival and a 25-minute giant newsreel, edited from all five newsreels. The house is open from 10 A.M. to 11:30 P.M. weekdays, 10 A.M. to 12 midnight on Saturday and 2 P.M. to 12 on Sunday, charging 15 cents until 6 P.M. and 25 cents (plus tax) in the evening.
War news is the chief newsreel attraction, according to the management, but interest is equally keen when there is some item of special importance. Moreover, during the football season news shots of the principal games are as popular as war happenings.
In January Warner Brothers gave special attention to the newsreel at two of its second run houses in the downtown area, the Karlton and the Palace. A 25-minute digest from the five newsreels is presented and advertising follows the headlines of the day.
When I worked night shift for a railroad from 1969 to 1972 I would often go to one of Philly’s 4 all night theaters after work at midnight. The News looked so dark and creepy I never went in, going only to the Palace, Center and Family (which was pretty creepy itself).
I recently came across these articles in MOTION PICTURE HERALD March 15, 1941. One describes how newsreels were promoted to the public before TV let us see the news at home.
24-Hour Policy Set
The News theatre, owned and operated by William Goldman in downtown Philadelphia devoted to newsreels and feature picture revivals, will be the second house in the city to go on a 24-hour continuous policy. Some six years ago, Warners instituted an all-night operating policy for the circuit’s Family theatre, which was destroyed by fire Sunday. Special added attractions for the after midnight showings will be inaugurated at the News, with the policy expected to get under way by Easter.
Two Phiadelphia News Houses
In Philadelphia, there are two center-city theatres dedicated to the newsreel. The 493-seat Translux, operated by the Translux Movie Corporation, and managed by Harry Jordon, opened in January, 1935. Hourly programs are presented with the admission “always 25 cents” (plus tax), from 10:30 A.M. to 11:30 P.M. daily, 10 A.M. to 12 midnight on Saturday and 2 P.M. to 12 midnight on Sunday.
Four newsreels are edited to form a half-hour review and four shorts complete the program. Newsreels are changed twice weekly and shorts once a week.
The editing of the newsreel follows a regular pattern, first emphasizing foreign news, then local, national defense and sports. Since the advent of the European war, news shots of the conflict have taken prominence. However, according to the management, in recent weeks, not much has been coming through to satisfy the patrons. First pictures of a battle or invasion are advertised by one-sheets in front of the house. Blow-ups are used for regular advertising. When war newsreel pictures are unusual special attention is given, as the pictures of the incendiary bombing of London were sold as “The Burning of London.”
The other Philadelphia newsreel house is the News Theatre, operated by William Goldman Theatres, Inc., independent circuit. Seating 385, the house was first opened in 1937 with a policy similar to that of the Translux, offering shorts and edited newsreels. The following year, the house experimented by featuring a revival instead of the short subject. This proved so successful that it was adopted as a regular policy. As a result, the News offers a two-hour program, changed weekly, of a feature picture revival and a 25-minute giant newsreel, edited from all five newsreels. The house is open from 10 A.M. to 11:30 P.M. weekdays, 10 A.M. to 12 midnight on Saturday and 2 P.M. to 12 on Sunday, charging 15 cents until 6 P.M. and 25 cents (plus tax) in the evening.
War news is the chief newsreel attraction, according to the management, but interest is equally keen when there is some item of special importance. Moreover, during the football season news shots of the principal games are as popular as war happenings.
In January Warner Brothers gave special attention to the newsreel at two of its second run houses in the downtown area, the Karlton and the Palace. A 25-minute digest from the five newsreels is presented and advertising follows the headlines of the day.
The Family theatre, Warners' all-night motion picture theatre in downtown Philadelphia, was completely wrecked by fire early Sunday morning during the 14 hours it was closed for its weekly cleaning. Only the projection booth and the sound equipment in the rear of the theatre escaped damage. Albert Plough, Warner district manager, estimated the damage at approximately $25,000
The Walton was on of the theaters I went to growing up in the late 50s and early 60s. I didn’t go there often because it was the farthest of the theaters I could walk to (mile and a half). I do remember going there for the original Godzilla in the mid 50s. It was so crowded we were sitting on the floor in the aisle. I think the last movie I saw there was The Medusa Touch with Richard Burton which came out in 1978. One other thing I remember about the Walton was the price structure. In the 1960s I remember three price levels, child, adult, and teenager. Nice touch. Just because you’re over 12 doesn’t mean you can afford an adult ticker.
I think the theater you are remembering, Penway14, was the Center Theater. There were four theaters on that block of Market Street. The Fox was at the corner of 16th St. Next to that was the Stanton, later the Milgram. The Studio was in the middle of the block and specialized in Adult films. The Center was next to the Dewey’s luncheonette at the 17th St. corner. The Center, in the 60s and 70s, played double bills which usually changed three times a week (Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday), and usually included a cartoon or other short. I often went in the 60s when I played hookey in high school, and the 70s when I worked late shift on my first job. The Center was one of the Stanley-Warner chains three all-night theaters downtown. (The others were the Palace and Family, later Apollo.) The lounges were down a narrow stairway off the lobby, as you remember. Since it showed six features a week the Center had a very eclectic booking policy, showing every kind of movie except kids/family movies. They had dramas, westerns, sci-fi, horror, and often foreign/art films. I saw my first Polanski and Fellini films there. It was also the only theater I can remember that had a ‘Ladies Section’ reserved on the right side of the theater. It was eventually torn down to make room for the Liberty Place towers. Pity.
That probably is the Rialto. I’m not familiar with the theater, but the street appears to be belgian block (cobblestone) with trolley tracks in it. That’s what Germantown Avenue is at that location.
The Cheltenham Theater was a great place to see movies before it was twinned. The projection and sound were excellent, and I remember it having one of the largest screens in Philadelphia. After 2001 A Space Odyssey ended its Cinerama engagement at the Randolph I believe it moved to a 70mm six track sound showing at the Cheltenham because it was the best sound and screen in the city.
The photo above is not the same Palace Theater. The photo shows the Budco (later AMC) Palace Theater on Chestnut street. That theater originally opened as Theater 1812.
I went to the Palace often in the 1960’s. It frequently played the first run of the Japanese rubber suit giant monster movies. It was also one four theaters in downtown Philly that were open all night. The others, all on Market Street, were the Center, News, and Family (later the Apollo).
As far as the closing date for the Logan, I believe it was 1972. I lived not far away on Olney Avenue from 1972-1975 and would sometimes walk to the Logan. The last show I saw there was a double bill of Hammer thrillers, ‘Vampire Circus’ and ‘Twins of Evil’. That was on a Sunday night and the theater was closed on Monday. IMDB lists the release date for both films as 1972. After the Logan closed the only other theaters I could walk to were the Esquire and the Lane. Like the Logan those buildings are still standing, but have not been cinemas for decades.
Thanks, Howard, for the link to the Renel’s fireplace. I remember those chairs very well, although I never sat in them. When I was going to the Renel in the late 50’s and early 60’s the lounge always seemed to be very dimly lit and creepy to this young boy. I was very quick in going to the boys room (I think to the left of the fireplace, girls to the right) and did not want to linger in the lounge at all.
I went to the Clearfield only once as a boy. MGM was running a promotion with Quaker Oats for Forbidden Planet. They put a free child’s ticket in each box of oatmeal. My dad took me to see it at the Clearfield on a double bill with Invasion of the Body Snatchers. What ever happened to double features? I don’t remember anything about the inside of the theater, but I seem to remember that the theater’s name was in blue neon above the marquee.
I saw many films at the Bandbox from the early 60s to its closing as a repertory house in the mid 70s. The downstairs lounge was possibly the first theater cafe in the country. The theater box office was on the left side of the entrance, under the marquee. Upon first entering the theater there was an outer lobby with a floor that sloped gently upward. The candy stand was in this outer lobby.
I remember seeing William Castle’s gimmick film ‘Mr. Sardonicus’ here. That was the film where the audience voted on the outcome of the story. The ticket taker gave you a ballot after tearing your ticket. The ballot had the image of a fist with an extended thumb printed with glow-in-the dark ink. In the outer lobby there was a large standup photo display of William Castle with a hole into a light box attached to the back. You would insert the glow-in-the dark ticket into the light box to charge it up so that at the appropriate point in the film you could vote either ‘thumbs up’ or ‘thumbs down’ for the villain. Of course, there was no real voting. The story had a twist ending that would fit either vote.
Anyway, the doors at the rear of the outer lobby led to the inner lobby. The auditorium was to the right of the inner lobby, so the theater was L-shaped. The auditorium had two aisles, and it was wider that it was deep, allowing for a much larger screen than you might expect in such a small theater. I remember a rather large area in the front without seats. As a repertory theater there was a piano up front that was played for silent movies. Mr. George Garabedian was often the pianist.
The stairway to the downstairs lounge ran along the left side of the inner lobby, beginning at the far end. The lounge was about the same size at the upstairs inner lobby. In an effort to increase income they installed a cafe in the lounge shortly before the theater closed. This was possibly the first cinema cafe. So that patrons did not miss the movie being shown upstairs there was a closed circuit broadcast of the film on a small black & white TV.
The Bandbox was a great place to see movies. Art Carduner programmed a wide selection of great films, new and old. Sometimes the distributors would force him to book a film he didn’t want in order to get a film he did want, and he would often say so in the program. The program guide sent to those on the mailing list was filled with short descriptions, and sometimes long essays, on the films written by Alda Cortese (I think that was her name). I wish I’d saved those old programs.
The Andalusia Drive-In was in some way related to the Lincoln Drive-In on Roosevelt Blvd., only a few miles away. In the late 60’s to early 70’s each theater gave out a discount coupon good at both theaters. As I remember, the coupon was for a $2 a carload price on Monday and Tuesday nights. Two dollars a carload for a triple feature! Those were the days!
The antitrust lawsuit that caused the Hollywood studios to sell their theaters, like the Mastbaum, was brought by independent Philadelphia exhibitor William Goldman. The studios always showed their best films in their own theaters, leaving the independents to show second-rate or second-run features. After winning the lawsuit Goldman went on to build his own chain of Philadelphia theaters. William Goldman Theaters were eventually sold to Budco Quality Theaters in the mid to late 1970s.
The Duke/Duchess and Regency Twin were not the only theaters to be demolished for the Liberty Place Towers. Two small theaters on Market St. near 17th were also demolished. They were the Studio and the Center. The Studio was an independent theater that adopted an XXX policy by the time it closed.
The Center was, at one time, a Stanley-Warner theater, and was one of four downtown theaters that was open all night. (Palace, Family, and News were the others.) I attended the Center frequently in the late sixties while on a 4 to midnight shift. They changed the double feature bill three times a week (Sun, Wed, Thur) and showed every kind of film, from Polanski’s Repulsion and Sartre’s No Exit to Night of Bloody Horror and Man From Laramie. In addition to a double feature there was always a cartoon, usually a two-reel short, and lots of previews. It was just like a Saturday matinee. All you had to do was learn to ignore the snoring drunks.
In 1946 there was no CinemaScope or any other wide screen projection. Every theater had a 1.33:1 screen that was nearly square. CinemaScope didn’t come out until 1953.
I came across this article in MOTION PICTURE HERALD March 15, 1941 about a police raid on the Sedgwick.
POLICE RAID COOKING SCHOOLS AS LOTTERIES
Philadelphia Circuit Promotion Halted Because of Door Prize; Two Theatre Games Allowed
As the courts in Philadelphia ruled theatre chance games were games of skill, the city police were raiding a cooking show at a theatre on the charge that it was an illegal lottery because of a door prize feature.
“Quizzo” and “Lucky 13,” successors to “Bingo” in the city’s neighborhood movie houses, were officially pronounced games of skill by Quarter Sessions Court Judge Eugene V. Alessandroni, in a test suit. His ruling carried a “but” which is big enough to warrant police action if operators yield to temptation to turn the games into lotteries. Police, however, permitted the cooking schools conducted in Warner houses by the Philadelphia Record to continue on Wednesday after the paper agreed to award prizes for a quiz contest rather than for door-stub numbers.
“The conduct of this game was apparently legal,” said the court. “We cannot help but feel that since control over not only the choice of the question but also over its composition and the answer thereto considered to be correct, is vested exclusively in the management, unscrupulous manipulation of these factors can readily change this from what appears to be a game of skill into one of chance.” It was pointed out that this possibility left final supervision of the conduct of the game to police authorites.
Police Raid Theatre
Also last Thursday, police raided the Sedgewick Theatre, a Warner Brothers house, where more than 700 women were attending a kitchen and cooking show prior to the matinee. Entry was made after ten door prizes had been awarded with 20 additional lucky numbers to be selected for as many additional prizes.
The cooking sessions were sponsored by the Philadelphia Record in co-operation with the Electrical Association of Philadelphia and conducted on Tuesdays and Thursdays, rotating at 21 neighborhood Warner theatres in the city. Police action at this time came as a surprise since the cooking schools have been in session for two years, this being the third time around the circuit.
Police contended that the award of door prizes was akin to Bank Night, every admission ticket being numbered with the wininng numbers drawn as for a Bank Night. Value of the prizes for the entire series of 21 sessions was set at $25,000 with a grand prize of a 1941 Ford De Luxe Tudor Sedan. The sessions were an advertising promotion on part of the newspaper, merchants buying space to exploit the school and contributing the prizes as well. . . . The article went on about legal attacks on theaters throughout the country for conducting games of chance like door prizes.
I came across this in MOTION PICTURE HERALD March 15, 1941 about news reel theaters in Philly. I was surprised to see it mentioned the Karlton as a second-run house.
Two Phiadelphia News Houses
In Philadelphia, there are two center-city theatres dedicated to the newsreel. The 493-seat Translux, operated by the Translux Movie Corporation, and managed by Harry Jordon, opened in January, 1935. Hourly programs are presented with the admission “always 25 cents” (plus tax), from 10:30 A.M. to 11:30 P.M. daily, 10 A.M. to 12 midnight on Saturday and 2 P.M. to 12 midnight on Sunday.
Four newsreels are edited to form a half-hour review and four shorts complete the program. Newsreels are changed twice weekly and shorts once a week.
The editing of the newsreel follows a regular pattern, first emphasizing foreign news, then local, national defense and sports. Since the advent of the European war, news shots of the conflict have taken prominence. However, according to the management, in recent weeks, not much has been coming through to satisfy the patrons. First pictures of a battle or invasion are advertised by one-sheets in front of the house. Blow-ups are used for regular advertising. When war newsreel pictures are unusual special attention is given, as the pictures of the incendiary bombing of London were sold as “The Burning of London.”
The other Philadelphia newsreel house is the News Theatre, operated by William Goldman Theatres, Inc., independent circuit. Seating 385, the house was first opened in 1937 with a policy similar to that of the Translux, offering shorts and edited newsreels. The following year, the house experimented by featuring a revival instead of the short subject. This proved so successful that it was adopted as a regular policy. As a result, the News offers a two-hour program, changed weekly, of a feature picture revival and a 25-minute giant newsreel, edited from all five newsreels. The house is open from 10 A.M. to 11:30 P.M. weekdays, 10 A.M. to 12 midnight on Saturday and 2 P.M. to 12 on Sunday, charging 15 cents until 6 P.M. and 25 cents (plus tax) in the evening.
War news is the chief newsreel attraction, according to the management, but interest is equally keen when there is some item of special importance. Moreover, during the football season news shots of the principal games are as popular as war happenings.
In January Warner Brothers gave special attention to the newsreel at two of its second run houses in the downtown area, the Karlton and the Palace. A 25-minute digest from the five newsreels is presented and advertising follows the headlines of the day.
When I worked night shift for a railroad from 1969 to 1972 I would often go to one of Philly’s 4 all night theaters after work at midnight. The News looked so dark and creepy I never went in, going only to the Palace, Center and Family (which was pretty creepy itself).
I recently came across these articles in MOTION PICTURE HERALD March 15, 1941. One describes how newsreels were promoted to the public before TV let us see the news at home.
24-Hour Policy Set
The News theatre, owned and operated by William Goldman in downtown Philadelphia devoted to newsreels and feature picture revivals, will be the second house in the city to go on a 24-hour continuous policy. Some six years ago, Warners instituted an all-night operating policy for the circuit’s Family theatre, which was destroyed by fire Sunday. Special added attractions for the after midnight showings will be inaugurated at the News, with the policy expected to get under way by Easter.
Two Phiadelphia News Houses
In Philadelphia, there are two center-city theatres dedicated to the newsreel. The 493-seat Translux, operated by the Translux Movie Corporation, and managed by Harry Jordon, opened in January, 1935. Hourly programs are presented with the admission “always 25 cents” (plus tax), from 10:30 A.M. to 11:30 P.M. daily, 10 A.M. to 12 midnight on Saturday and 2 P.M. to 12 midnight on Sunday.
Four newsreels are edited to form a half-hour review and four shorts complete the program. Newsreels are changed twice weekly and shorts once a week.
The editing of the newsreel follows a regular pattern, first emphasizing foreign news, then local, national defense and sports. Since the advent of the European war, news shots of the conflict have taken prominence. However, according to the management, in recent weeks, not much has been coming through to satisfy the patrons. First pictures of a battle or invasion are advertised by one-sheets in front of the house. Blow-ups are used for regular advertising. When war newsreel pictures are unusual special attention is given, as the pictures of the incendiary bombing of London were sold as “The Burning of London.”
The other Philadelphia newsreel house is the News Theatre, operated by William Goldman Theatres, Inc., independent circuit. Seating 385, the house was first opened in 1937 with a policy similar to that of the Translux, offering shorts and edited newsreels. The following year, the house experimented by featuring a revival instead of the short subject. This proved so successful that it was adopted as a regular policy. As a result, the News offers a two-hour program, changed weekly, of a feature picture revival and a 25-minute giant newsreel, edited from all five newsreels. The house is open from 10 A.M. to 11:30 P.M. weekdays, 10 A.M. to 12 midnight on Saturday and 2 P.M. to 12 on Sunday, charging 15 cents until 6 P.M. and 25 cents (plus tax) in the evening.
War news is the chief newsreel attraction, according to the management, but interest is equally keen when there is some item of special importance. Moreover, during the football season news shots of the principal games are as popular as war happenings.
In January Warner Brothers gave special attention to the newsreel at two of its second run houses in the downtown area, the Karlton and the Palace. A 25-minute digest from the five newsreels is presented and advertising follows the headlines of the day.
From the Motion Picture Herald March 29, 1941
The Family theatre, Warners' all-night motion picture theatre in downtown Philadelphia, was completely wrecked by fire early Sunday morning during the 14 hours it was closed for its weekly cleaning. Only the projection booth and the sound equipment in the rear of the theatre escaped damage. Albert Plough, Warner district manager, estimated the damage at approximately $25,000
The Walton was on of the theaters I went to growing up in the late 50s and early 60s. I didn’t go there often because it was the farthest of the theaters I could walk to (mile and a half). I do remember going there for the original Godzilla in the mid 50s. It was so crowded we were sitting on the floor in the aisle. I think the last movie I saw there was The Medusa Touch with Richard Burton which came out in 1978. One other thing I remember about the Walton was the price structure. In the 1960s I remember three price levels, child, adult, and teenager. Nice touch. Just because you’re over 12 doesn’t mean you can afford an adult ticker.
I think the theater you are remembering, Penway14, was the Center Theater. There were four theaters on that block of Market Street. The Fox was at the corner of 16th St. Next to that was the Stanton, later the Milgram. The Studio was in the middle of the block and specialized in Adult films. The Center was next to the Dewey’s luncheonette at the 17th St. corner. The Center, in the 60s and 70s, played double bills which usually changed three times a week (Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday), and usually included a cartoon or other short. I often went in the 60s when I played hookey in high school, and the 70s when I worked late shift on my first job. The Center was one of the Stanley-Warner chains three all-night theaters downtown. (The others were the Palace and Family, later Apollo.) The lounges were down a narrow stairway off the lobby, as you remember. Since it showed six features a week the Center had a very eclectic booking policy, showing every kind of movie except kids/family movies. They had dramas, westerns, sci-fi, horror, and often foreign/art films. I saw my first Polanski and Fellini films there. It was also the only theater I can remember that had a ‘Ladies Section’ reserved on the right side of the theater. It was eventually torn down to make room for the Liberty Place towers. Pity.
That probably is the Rialto. I’m not familiar with the theater, but the street appears to be belgian block (cobblestone) with trolley tracks in it. That’s what Germantown Avenue is at that location.
The Cheltenham Theater was a great place to see movies before it was twinned. The projection and sound were excellent, and I remember it having one of the largest screens in Philadelphia. After 2001 A Space Odyssey ended its Cinerama engagement at the Randolph I believe it moved to a 70mm six track sound showing at the Cheltenham because it was the best sound and screen in the city.
The photo above is not the same Palace Theater. The photo shows the Budco (later AMC) Palace Theater on Chestnut street. That theater originally opened as Theater 1812.
I went to the Palace often in the 1960’s. It frequently played the first run of the Japanese rubber suit giant monster movies. It was also one four theaters in downtown Philly that were open all night. The others, all on Market Street, were the Center, News, and Family (later the Apollo).
As far as the closing date for the Logan, I believe it was 1972. I lived not far away on Olney Avenue from 1972-1975 and would sometimes walk to the Logan. The last show I saw there was a double bill of Hammer thrillers, ‘Vampire Circus’ and ‘Twins of Evil’. That was on a Sunday night and the theater was closed on Monday. IMDB lists the release date for both films as 1972. After the Logan closed the only other theaters I could walk to were the Esquire and the Lane. Like the Logan those buildings are still standing, but have not been cinemas for decades.
Thanks, Howard, for the link to the Renel’s fireplace. I remember those chairs very well, although I never sat in them. When I was going to the Renel in the late 50’s and early 60’s the lounge always seemed to be very dimly lit and creepy to this young boy. I was very quick in going to the boys room (I think to the left of the fireplace, girls to the right) and did not want to linger in the lounge at all.
I went to the Clearfield only once as a boy. MGM was running a promotion with Quaker Oats for Forbidden Planet. They put a free child’s ticket in each box of oatmeal. My dad took me to see it at the Clearfield on a double bill with Invasion of the Body Snatchers. What ever happened to double features? I don’t remember anything about the inside of the theater, but I seem to remember that the theater’s name was in blue neon above the marquee.
I saw many films at the Bandbox from the early 60s to its closing as a repertory house in the mid 70s. The downstairs lounge was possibly the first theater cafe in the country. The theater box office was on the left side of the entrance, under the marquee. Upon first entering the theater there was an outer lobby with a floor that sloped gently upward. The candy stand was in this outer lobby.
I remember seeing William Castle’s gimmick film ‘Mr. Sardonicus’ here. That was the film where the audience voted on the outcome of the story. The ticket taker gave you a ballot after tearing your ticket. The ballot had the image of a fist with an extended thumb printed with glow-in-the dark ink. In the outer lobby there was a large standup photo display of William Castle with a hole into a light box attached to the back. You would insert the glow-in-the dark ticket into the light box to charge it up so that at the appropriate point in the film you could vote either ‘thumbs up’ or ‘thumbs down’ for the villain. Of course, there was no real voting. The story had a twist ending that would fit either vote.
Anyway, the doors at the rear of the outer lobby led to the inner lobby. The auditorium was to the right of the inner lobby, so the theater was L-shaped. The auditorium had two aisles, and it was wider that it was deep, allowing for a much larger screen than you might expect in such a small theater. I remember a rather large area in the front without seats. As a repertory theater there was a piano up front that was played for silent movies. Mr. George Garabedian was often the pianist.
The stairway to the downstairs lounge ran along the left side of the inner lobby, beginning at the far end. The lounge was about the same size at the upstairs inner lobby. In an effort to increase income they installed a cafe in the lounge shortly before the theater closed. This was possibly the first cinema cafe. So that patrons did not miss the movie being shown upstairs there was a closed circuit broadcast of the film on a small black & white TV.
The Bandbox was a great place to see movies. Art Carduner programmed a wide selection of great films, new and old. Sometimes the distributors would force him to book a film he didn’t want in order to get a film he did want, and he would often say so in the program. The program guide sent to those on the mailing list was filled with short descriptions, and sometimes long essays, on the films written by Alda Cortese (I think that was her name). I wish I’d saved those old programs.
The Andalusia Drive-In was in some way related to the Lincoln Drive-In on Roosevelt Blvd., only a few miles away. In the late 60’s to early 70’s each theater gave out a discount coupon good at both theaters. As I remember, the coupon was for a $2 a carload price on Monday and Tuesday nights. Two dollars a carload for a triple feature! Those were the days!
The antitrust lawsuit that caused the Hollywood studios to sell their theaters, like the Mastbaum, was brought by independent Philadelphia exhibitor William Goldman. The studios always showed their best films in their own theaters, leaving the independents to show second-rate or second-run features. After winning the lawsuit Goldman went on to build his own chain of Philadelphia theaters. William Goldman Theaters were eventually sold to Budco Quality Theaters in the mid to late 1970s.
The Duke/Duchess and Regency Twin were not the only theaters to be demolished for the Liberty Place Towers. Two small theaters on Market St. near 17th were also demolished. They were the Studio and the Center. The Studio was an independent theater that adopted an XXX policy by the time it closed.
The Center was, at one time, a Stanley-Warner theater, and was one of four downtown theaters that was open all night. (Palace, Family, and News were the others.) I attended the Center frequently in the late sixties while on a 4 to midnight shift. They changed the double feature bill three times a week (Sun, Wed, Thur) and showed every kind of film, from Polanski’s Repulsion and Sartre’s No Exit to Night of Bloody Horror and Man From Laramie. In addition to a double feature there was always a cartoon, usually a two-reel short, and lots of previews. It was just like a Saturday matinee. All you had to do was learn to ignore the snoring drunks.