Ready Theatre
420 E. Main Street,
Niles,
MI
49120
420 E. Main Street,
Niles,
MI
49120
4 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Operated by: Moore Theatres
Previously operated by: Paramount Pictures Inc., W.S. Butterfield Theaters Inc.
Architects: Charles Howard Crane, Myrle Smith, William P. Whitney
Previous Names: Ready 4 Theatre
Phone Numbers:
Box Office:
269.683.1112
Manager:
269.683.1112
Nearby Theaters
Opened on October 20, 1927 with Bebe Daniels in “Swim Girl, Swim”. The Ready Theatre is listed in the Film Daily Yearbook, 1941 edition, with a seating capacity of 1,000.
In the 1950 edition of F.D.Y. the seating capacity is given as 1,144.
In the 1940’s it was operated by Paramount Pictures Inc. through their subsidiary W.S. Butterfield Theatres Inc and Butterfield Michigan Theatres Co.
In recent years it had been split into four screens and was last operated by Moore Theatres who closed it in December 2004.
In 2009, the dividing walls erected for the four screen theatre have been removed and the building is being renovated to reopen as a live theatre venue, with some move theatre use.
Contributed by
KenRoe
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Recent comments (view all 15 comments)
Good News! I arrived in Niles this past Thursday and when I drove past the Ready I noticed that work was being done. Today I was allowed into the theatre and shown the auditorium which is almost completely restored. The walls and ceiling have been painted and leafed. Seats have not yet been installed and the lobby is presently in the process of being returned to it original splendor. The owners have scheduled a grand reopening for sometime in October. I am not quite sure what venues are being planned for the theatre but it will wonderful to have the Ready Theatre back in operation.
I was a young movie goer at this theater before it closed. I always looked wistfully at the boarded up windows, hoping that someone would restore it to its (imagined) former glory. I’m glad they’re finally doing it. It would be great if they could redo the old marquee on the outside of theater. It would be a great facelift to historic downtown Niles.
Hey, everyone. My group and I are doing an oral history on Ready Theatre and we are going to interview someone who has memories of the Ready Theatre. If anyone is interested or would like to help out email me at ! Thank you!
I found some footage of the theater in the “home movies” section of archive.org. The theater appears at 3:48 –
https://archive.org/details/97028_hm_niles_michigan_and_elsewhere
The Movie on the marquee is “Let Freedom Ring”, released in 1939.
07/15/15 photo added credit Anita Rodgers. Elevators and restrooms being added. Handicap access etc., in keeping with the historical aspect of the theatre. Apparently small theatre rooms and a bar too.
Via the “If you grew up in Niles/SW Michigan then you remember what…..who….” Facebook page.
1934 photo added courtesy of Penny Meyers Churchill. This from Wally Eberhard: “That’s me standing in front of my dad, Ray Eberhard, Ready manager…and my big bro Jack is kneeling at far right.”
Beautiful interior design here. Light is deco but the rest looks Italien or French to me. Window murals are great. Nice to see it is returning for all to enjoy. Too many ugly mega-plex boxes out there.
I had many fine memories at the Ready Theater back in the 60’s. I ate fudge bars frozen from the second floor. Wish I was a kid again in Michigan.
1927 construction photo added courtesy of Joe Barron.
The Ready Theatre launched October 20, 1927 with “Swim Girl, Swim.” It closed as the Ready 4 Theatre on December 30, 2004. The next day, operators Moore Theatres relocated the multiplex into the former Wonderland Discount Store as the Wonderland Cinema opening December 31, 2004.