Isis Theater
124 W. Reno Avenue,
Oklahoma City,
OK
73102
124 W. Reno Avenue,
Oklahoma City,
OK
73102
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The Isis Theater was another of the theatres along W. Reno Avenue and opened on August 14, 1921 with Roy Stewart in “The Westerners” & Fatty Arbuckle in “The Rough House”. It was located on W. Reno Avenue and S. Robinson Avenue. From what I found it closed in the late-1940’s or early-1950’s. The Isis Theatre has been demolished since closing.
Contributed by
Chuck
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Recent comments (view all 9 comments)
Listed in the Film Daily Yearbook;1950 edition as having a seating capacity of 500. Earlier F.D.Y. in the 1940’s give a seating capacity of 328.
Reno Street was tough, after dark it could be dangerous. Drab hookers and gay hustlers gathered after dark on the dimly lit street corners of Reno. It was no accident that most Reno Street walk up hotels hung red curtains in their windows. Yes, this was the district to go slumming in if looking for something different.
Decorated with limited molded plaster Egyptian detail from a decorator’s supply catalogue, the Isis was a sweet little theatre that was somehow too clean to fit in on Reno Street. But Reno was where it was.
The Isis and Pix never showed skin flicks, but instead stuck with tried and true B Westerns and action packed drama movies. Here is a 1937 print of the Pix from noted Photographer Dorothea Lange.
Believe it or not, this dull little theatre belonged to Paramount/Publix.
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I’m surprised at your goof, Cactus; Refer to your oft mentioned Oklahoman Archives web site to find that after the late 1940s when Paramount divested itself of this tiny house the PIX switched over to erotic fare. Newspaper ads blazed ADULTS ONLY across the top of PIX ads, and offered saucy titles such as “Him Against Her”, “Wife Swap”, “Under Cover Secretary”, etc.
And as Cactus said, the ISIS Theatre never slumped into showing skin films. Its one isle, ‘shooting gallery’ auditorium did indeed have a few cast plaster focal points, along with colorful Egyptian wall paintings, hyroglyphics, and quasi lotus theme stage drapes.
Okie, what have you been smokin'?
To see exactly what the Isis Theatre looked like go the the below web site and type in word “isis”. This photo is representative of what most Griffith Bros. theatres.
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With such a bad reputation I’m surprised they bothered to stop Reno Street from burning down, but they did. Doug Loudenback found this great newspaper picture of the Isis Theatre.
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1933 Pic of Isis Theatre, Oklahoma City, added to Photo Section
Correction to above note…1935 – 1936 Pic vs. 1933.
This opened on August 14th, 1921. Grand opening ad posted.