Mars Theatre

BURGLARS AS ACTORS; ‘AUDIENCE’ IS VICTIM - Logan Square Theater Safe Is Robbed of $500 While Watchman Looks On, Believing “Show” a Rehearsal.

Five burglars staged a hold-up and safe robbery in the Logan Square theater, 2542 Milwaukee avenue, owned by John R. Thompson, early Sunday morning. The audience consisted of one man, Jackson Le Maire, night watchman. The audience was entertained - also robbed.

While making his rounds, Le Maire let himself in at the front door of the theater. He found the stage bright in the glare of the footlights. He noticed five men moving about on the stage. Three of them wore masks. “These actors are going to pull some Western stuff, I guess,” said the night watchman. The “rehearsal” progressed rapidly. The “actors” went through their parts as if they were letter perfect. Le Maire caught the drift of the “lines” from time to time. “I thought the safe was in the wings,” said one “actor,” who looked like Edwin Booth. “It’ll take me about two minutes to blow her wide open,” said another “artist” up stage, in a melodramatic whisper. ‘The soup’s all right tonight, kid, belleve me,“ said a third, whom Le Maire took to be the low comedian of the sketch. "There’s an old property safe in the right wing” mumbled Le Maire. “I don’t suppose they know where it is and I’ll go back and show them. Their little drama won’t be complete without it.” He strolled down the central aisle and mounted to the stage. “You’ve got a great sketch, boys,” he said genially. “I guess you need a safe for local color. I’ll show you where it is.” His kindly criticism was rudely interrupted. One of the “actors” - undoubtedly the heavy villain - caught him a clip under the chin which knocked him down. Before he recovered, the entire troupe of “Thespians” and tied him, hand and foot, with rope. Incidentally. they rifled his pockets of seventy-five cents.Then they found the safe - not the property one, but the real one - and blew it open with a charge of nitroglycerin. They secured $500 and escaped. Two hours later Le Maire wriggled from his bonds and reported the robbery to the Shakespeare Avenue police. “I don’t mind my loss of seventy-five cents.” said Le Maire. “The performance was worth it. Those fellows are artists. They ought to land on the big time. I only hope I’m the lucky man to 'book’ them.” (April 27, 1914)

Demolition photo added credit Dennis Popiela. Description copy credit Logan Square Preservation Facebook page.

View through the front arched window of the Mars Theater (originally the Logan Square Theatre) on Milwaukee south of the Square under demolition during the Blue Line extension in 1968-1969. It’s site was most recently used as a parking lot for the Discount Mega Mall. The building visible at the left across the street is current the home of Sparrow.

the 2556 address street number to me makes much more sense (than 2542), from remembering the Mars in the mid-‘60s

Undated photo as the Logan Square Theatre added, courtesy of the Logan Square Preservation Facebook page. They listed the address as 2556 N. Milwaukee Ave., not 2542. Anyone have an official address source?

rso1000

I was wondering which Logan theatre that October photo referred to. Then I realized that the old Logan Square ‘L’ terminated to the southeast of the present, surviving Logan Theatre.

It was renamed the Rio after a 1934 remodeling, and the Mars in 1949. Interestingly the mars name was the original one announced in 1934, but apparently not adopted for 15 years.

This LOGAN SQUARE theatre was called the MARS in its final years (had large marquee), and its' demolition I would place @ 1965 (technically before the subway ramp began in 1969). I used to go right past it then although shuttered for (apparently) years, when you rode the Kimball CTA bus from the north entering the old ‘L’ terminal bus lanes. Another name for the LOGAN SQUARE / MARS theatre would be the RIO. The MegaMall bldgs alluded to elsewhere here definately were not the theatre(s); they’d be a couple doors south of the original site. Hope I’ve been of some help.