Essex Theater

kencmcintyre on March 19, 2009 at 3:48 pm

This is from a 1936 NJ Supreme Court case. It looks like the parent company ran two theaters in Newark at that time, the Essex and the Congress:

Prosecutor was an employee of Mira Theatres Corporation, which appeared to control two moving picture houses, one called the Essex Theatre, at No. 100 Springfield avenue, Newark, the other called the Congress Theatre on South Orange avenue, also in Newark. The Mira Corporation carried compensation insurance with the Ocean company, defendant above named, covering accidents at the Essex Theatre and that alone, though including in item 6 of the coverage clauses, “all operations necessary, incident or appurtenant thereto, or connected therewith, whether such operations are conducted at the work places defined and described in said declarations or elsewhere in connection with, or in relation to, such work places.”

teecee on August 20, 2006 at 12:34 pm

Here are some excerpts from that article:

The Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ), Sept 26, 2002 p057
Crazy for Gracie; A new one-man show about George Burns and his better half.

Byline: MICHAEL SOMMERS

By the way, Burns remarked to a Star-Ledger writer in 1947, did you know that the first vaudeville date Gracie and I played together was in Newark? Almost 25 years ago, I guess, and I think it was called the Hill Theatre, over on Springfield Avenue.

Allen agreed to team for a “flirtation act” written by Burns, who got them a three-day booking in Newark at the Hill (later Essex) Theater at 100 Springfield Ave., one of those decaying theaters that had never seen better days. Together they were paid $5 to perform three shows a night.

That place was so primitive there was no heat backstage, said Burns. We opened there in mid-winter and nearly froze in the dressing rooms. Had to run down to the basement and warm up in the furnace room before we could go on.

CAPTION(S):

1. An archival photo of the old Essex Theatre in Newark. Burns and Allen first performed together there in 1922, when it was known as the Hill Theatre.

Ken Roe on August 20, 2006 at 12:11 pm

The Essex Theatre was located at 100 Springfield Avenue, Newark, NJ. It is listed as the Essex Theatre from at least 1940 in Film Daily Yearbooks and is also listed in that publication from 1940-1955 as operating as a Negro theatre.