Armitage Theatre

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Uploaded on: September 1, 2020

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Armitage Theatre marquee. 2/10/61-3/31/61 photo credit Georg Toft, courtesy Colleen Toft Griffin. Description credit Colleen Toft Griffin. “My father Georg, who has since passed, moonlighted doing news photos when he was a wedding photographer in the 60’s. He said it was a great time in life, the only thing you needed was a camera and a “I belong here attitude” to be a lensehound as they were referred as in those days. In 1961 he was out taking pictures for news stories and captured this favorite of his. It is the legend of Chicago politics, Mayor Richard J. Daley, standing on a reviewing stand speaking to a street full of people as he dedicated the new street lighting system, the mercury vapor bulb, that was so much brighter than the old 200 watt bulb system. By coincidence, he is standing in front of a movie marquee that is advertising, “King of Kings”. He captured Mayor Daley just under the marquee wording. His fellow photographers loved the shot, but it never got published, the innuendo was too great.”