Steel Pier Theatre & Steel Pier Ocean Theatre
1000 Boardwalk,
Atlantic City,
NJ
08401
1000 Boardwalk,
Atlantic City,
NJ
08401
2 people
favorited this theater
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Facebook page dedicated to Steel Pier with hundreds of photos.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063574932118
March 18, 1951 photo from Duke University Libraries. Enlargeable within link.
https://repository.duke.edu/dc/rcmaxwellco/XXX5575
Thanks Rivest I had no clue there was a separate theater there called the Ocean. The three theaters in the Steel Pier in the 60’s-70’s was the Music Hall, Casino and Midway. The Music Hall had a movies followed by a vaudeville show. The Casino had only movies and the Midway had The Tony Grant stars of tomorrow. In 73 Hamid sold the Steel Pier to the guys who owned Million Dollar Pier. They demolished the huge Musical Hall theater to put in International Thrill rides. It was a flop. They moved the stage shows to the Casino and it was not even close to what they had been. Not only did they remove the great screen they had but they put in a small screen that was about the size of a home movie screen. The first year a tropical storm came and destroyed all the rides.
The Ocean theatre in the Steel Pier opened on Christmas Day, 1953 and the listings stopped in 1954.
The Wikipedia article mentions that there was three movie theatres on the pier.
Stopped showing movies in 1975.
Mikeoaklandpark, yes I remember it vaguely from the early 70’s when my parents took me there. walterk, as of now my schedule looks like I will have off all day and night on Saturdays, and Tuesday and Thursday nights. Still not confirmed.
Mikeoaklandpark, yes I remember it vaguely from the early 70’s when my parents took me there. walterk, as of now my schedule looks like I will have off all day and night on Saturdays, and Tuesday and Thursday nights. Still not confirmed.
markp, I'll be around for a bit starting the end of next week (21st). Hopefully you won't be so tied up with Dunkirk that we'll get a chance to hang out. I'll email you shortly.
Speaking of Dunkirk, I might opt to see it at the Regal, the much nearer alternative for me managed to scratch their print of Hateful Eight by time I got to view it.
markP you remember the Steele Pier?
walterk, you back in jersey?
Walter K I had no clue about the high diving horse issue. From what I remember and probably you and Cindelphila remember those horses were treated great. These animal right activists need to get a damn life. They were the cause of the Ringling Bros circus folding. UGH
Mikeoaklandpark, the current owners of the Steel Pier announced they were bringing the diving horse back in 2012. They dropped the idea within two weeks due to massive public outcry.
This was their second attempt, when they were just leasing the Pier in 1993, they hired an outfit called High Diving Mules to perform. In that performance, a mule, dog and miniature horse did the diving. Public objection was such that the act was cancelled after several weeks. I don’t think that attitude will change anytime in the foreseeable future.
Hard Rock International, who took over the Taj Mahal, will have two venues equipped for live entertainment with over 7,000 seats between them. As that complex is still connected to the Steel Pier by a bridge over the boardwalk, I doubt the Pier owners will invest millions to place another live venue that near. More than likely they will strive to make it a first class amusement park, like they’ve been doing for the last 25 years or so.
Being a Jersey kid who remembers the Atlantic City of a different era, I would like to see the pier host live and filmed entertainment again, but like Cinedelphia, I doubt that will happen.
I would think that bringing in big name entertainment might work. I am not sure if any of the hotels have big name shows like Vegas they didn’t when they first opened, but I bet the one thing they do bring back is the high diving horse.
“Steel Pier featured every great entertainer of their day from Frank Sinatra to Al Jolson to The Beatles”. The Beatles never played Steel Pier (unless you count their films, Hard Days Night and Help). The Beatles did play Convention Hall. I wonder what the current owners have in mind when they say “restore to its former glory”? I would doubt we will ever see the return of movies, big name live entertainment, etc to the Pier….but you never know. Except for the IMAX at one of the Casino/Hotels there are no more movie theaters in Atlantic City (or Ventnor or Margate). I don’t think that is going to change anytime soon.
Actually David all of Atlantic City was. Overview info has been updated. Thanks CT.
Was this place possibly in the American version of Monopoly?
I agree Walter K.I find it exciting that they want to rebuild it to the glory days of the past.
CT, Please update the overview to show it is now an amusement park.
Mikeoaklandpark, that piece is from the history page at the Steel Pier website. Its information page says the Pier is “located near the Taj Mahal”. Further down that page it also mentions that it is “located across the Boardwalk from four of the largest hotels in the World: Resorts International and The Taj Mahal.”
By the way, the Taj Mahal closed last year and was recently purchased by Hard Rock International. They are currently renovating the property and will reopen it as the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino next summer.
The description in the overview would be more accurate if it were to say the site is now an amusement park.
Here is a copy of the article Walter K referenced.
The World-Famous
Steel Pier
Steel Pier featured many entertainment attractions, such as The Diving Bell, The Water Circus, The Marine Ballroom, Movie Theatres, The General Motors Exhibit, Midway Games, Tony Grant’s Stars of Tomorrow and the famous Diving Horse.
The Steel Pier has a long and colorful history. It was once considered the greatest entertainment venue in the United States. First opened to the public in 1898, Steel Pier originally debuted as a theater, but expanded to include attractions, rides, and corporate exhibits.
Steel Pier featured every great entertainer of their day from Frank Sinatra to Al Jolson to The Beatles. Steel Pier truly was the “Showplace of the Nation.”Steel Pier and The Diving Horse were featured in a Disney movie titled, Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken. This was the story of Sonia Carver and her life as a rider on the Famous Diving Horses.
The Steel Pier has been rebuilt many times over its history, including once by Mayor Bader, whose name has been made famous by the recent HBO Series, Boardwalk Empire. Steel Pier featured many colorful showmen owners, such as Frank Gravatt, George Hamid and Donald Trump.
Trump’s plans for Atlantic City and Steel Pier were never realized. During Trump’s ownership, the Steel Pier was leased to the Catanoso family, who continued the entertainment tradition operating under tumultuous ownership conditions for almost twenty years. In August 2011, the Catanoso family and a group of investors purchased the Steel Pier, its buildings, and the bridge connecting the boardwalk to the Taj Mahal. The Catanoso group has embarked on a multi-year plan to restore the Pier to its former glory and make it once again, “The Showplace of the Nation.”
I really appreciate all the info re the Pier. It was also a big part of my growing up in Atlantic City and Ventnor in the 60’s.
Walter K thank you. What awesome news. That was a major part of my childhood in the 60’s
The Taj Mahal was on the other side of the boardwalk, connected to the Steel Pier by a bridge. The Pier was for many years owned by the Taj Mahal, but leased to a family who eventually purchased it in 2011. More information here.
Photo added from segment of CBS Sunday morning showing that the Pier currently as an amusement park. The bio above says it’s the Taj Mahal. Which is correct?
And now a page from our “Sunday Morning” Almanac: June 18th, 1898, 119 years ago today — the day Atlantic City, N.J., opened its famous Steel Pier, with Annie Oakley in person as the headliner.
Great segment on CBS Sunday morning today about the Pier
Loaded with amusements and attractions, the Steel Pier was the centerpiece of the jam-packed beach scene that Thomas Edison captured on film in 1901. The pier featured diving horses, bears on bicycles, and tiny cars that spun in midair, and acrobats galore. The pier hosted some of the very early Miss America pageants as well.
It also was the stage for some of the biggest entertainers of the day. The Three Stooges ogled a bathing beauty in this 1938 color short of dubious political correctness. In 1958, Ricky Nelson performed for a Steel Pier record crowd of 44,000-plus.
Eventually, however, changing times and vacation habits caught up with Atlantic City’s Steel Pier; it closed in 1978.
And then, in 1982, came WORSE: The main building of the Steel Pier was destroyed in a suspicious fire that raged for more than six hours.
There were no serious injuries, but a fire official said that the Steel Pier’s career was ended.
Not quite, as it turns out.
The Steel Pier has been rebuilt with new rides and amusements — an echo of the original pier’s claim to be “The Showplace of the Nation.”
When the Ventnor was first twinned the projection appeared to be fine in both auditoriums. In its latter years as a twin the projection in the smaller room was really bad. I actually believe toward the end the Ventnor Twin was leased to someone else who ran the theater but it was in pretty poor shape by then.