Ritz Theatre Company
915 White Horse Pike,
Oaklyn,
NJ
08107
915 White Horse Pike,
Oaklyn,
NJ
08107
2 people
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Last week, I had a wonderful visit to the Ritz with Bruce Curless, the founder and director of the theater company that operates it. I added 26 photos. Some interesting tidbits of history:
The ticket booth’s lower panel was covered with aluminum before they tookover but inside the theater is seen in the original marble or stone.
The main, concession lobby, now has to its far left an entry to another room but originally ended with decoration like on the right side. The room that is now entered has a framed carpet that was the original carpet, and was found in a closet at the auditorium’s rear that was turned into a handicapped accessible bathroom.
Most of the light fixtures are not original to the theater except the ticket lobby’s ceiling’s fixtures.(the ticket lobby being where the ticket booth backs up into) In the auditorium, there are 4 chandeliers previously at a church and the central chandelier is from a lighting company.
When they tookover, the movie screen & carbon arc projectors were still there. They tried films with vaudeville but too few attended. The screen is gone. Someone was allowed to take the projectors.
There was a balcony to the left and right of the projection booth. To the left is now the Green Room. The right is also no longer used as a balcony.
The auditorium’s original proscenium arch is present, but often hidden by drapery for shows.
Outside, at the auditorium’s rear is a walled up section that Bruce says was for sound speakers when talkies arrived, but later walled up as speakers became smaller.
Revenues have dropped, so the Ritz will present a fund-raising show on April 5. Philly.com story here.
The Haddon Township Historical Society has a page of pictures and history about the Ritz Thetare. The link is: View link The historical society web site also mentions that the Ritz will be the location for a film about a closed cross-town theatre — The historic Westmont Theatre. Brent J. Donaway’s documentary film The Grand Old Lady (Footprint Films)is going to premiere at the Ritz Thetare on May 6, 2007. Info is from a flyer located at www.myspace.com/TheWestmontTheatre I think it is really cool that one local historic theatre, the Ritz, will be the premiere location for a film about another local theatre.
Looks like a nice cozy little theatre. I wish the owners success.
Additional information and photo:
View link
Listed in the 1970 FDY as part of William Goldman Theatres, Inc.
Listed as a Budco Theatre in the 1985 International Motion Picture Almanac.
Another photo:
http://www.njfilm.org/GIFS/Ritz.jpg
Just noticed, the homepage isn’t posted here:
http://www.ritztheatreco.org/
I guess this theater is haunted:
View link
Film Daily Yearbooks;1941 and 1943 editions give a seating capacty of 600. In the 1950 edition of F.D.Y. seating is given as 746.
A Gottfried organ was installed in this theater in 1927.
Address is 915 White Horse Pike, Oaklyn NJ 08107. Although the theater is in Haddon Township, it has an Oaklyn mailing address and was always shown as an Oaklyn theater in movie listings.