Fabian Theatre

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Uploaded on: September 30, 2015

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Probably the most famous shot of the Fabian occurred here in 1940 where Universal moved the scheduled October opening of “One Night in the Tropics” from New Orleans to Lou Costello’s hometown of Paterson, New Jersey, where Costello was performing a benefit to help raise funds for his church. Universal took no rental fees for the opening and the publicity continued with the town declaring it “Costello Day”. What was supposed to have been a breakout film for Allan Jones had turned into the showcasing of minor stars Bud Abbott & Lou Costello. Lou broke ground on the site of Paterson’s new St. Anthony’s Church, to boo, and Universal found its new box office stars thanks to the festivities at the Fabian. (Info from the book, “What Dreams Were Made of: Movie Stars of the 1940s.”)