 Is there anything sweeter than a beautiful movie palace? 
You probably recognize Grauman's Chinese Theatre, in Los Angeles. These days it's called TCL Chinese Theatre, because it's owned and operated by TCL Corporation—based in China, ironically. Since we write so often about movies we thought it appropriate to discuss the beautiful buildings in which the films were exhibited. Back in the day these were usually purpose-built structures, though some did split duty for stage productions and concerts. While many of these old palaces survive, nearly all surviving vintage cinemas in the U.S. were under threat at some point. Generally, if they hadn't been given historic protection they wouldn't be upright today. Other times, if a city was poor, real estate costs didn't rise and old buildings stood unthreatened, usually idle. This happened often in the American midwest, where movie houses were neglected for decades before some were resurrected amid downtown revitalizations. It sometimes happens in Latin America too, although occasionally the formula fails. For example, Cartagena's majestic and oft photographed landmark Teatro Colón, located in the historic section of Colombia's most popular coastal tourist city, was torn down fewer than six months ago to make way for a Four Seasons Hotel. Some of the cinemas below are well known treasures, while others are more unassuming places. But even those lesser known cinemas show how much thought and work was put into making moviegoing a special experience. The last photo, which shows the Butterfly Theatre in Milwaukee, exemplifies that idea. The façade is distinguished by a terra cotta butterfly sculpture adorned with light bulbs. As you might guess, many of the most beautiful large cinemas were in Los Angeles, which means that city is well represented in the collection. Enjoy. Paramount Theatre, Oakland (operational). Cine Maya, Mérida (demolished). The Albee Cinema, Cincinnati (demolished) Cooper Theatre, Denver (demolished). Paras Cinema, Jaipur (operational). Cathay Cinema, Shanghai (operational). Academy Theatre, Los Angeles (operational). Charlottenburg Filmwerbung, Berlin (demolished). Pacific's Cinerama Theatre, Los Angeles (operational). York Theatre, Elmhurst (operational). La Gaumont-Palace, Paris (demolished). Essoldo Cinema, Newcastle (demolished). Théâtre Scala, Strasbourg (operational). Teatro Colón, Cartagena (demolished in 2018). Teatro Coliseo Argentino, Buenos Aires (demolished). Pavilion Theater, Adelaide (demolished). El Molino Teatro, Barcelona (operational). Fox Carthay Theatre, Los Angeles (demolished). Kino Rossiya Teatr, Moscow (operational). Nippon Gekijo, aka Nichigeki, Tokyo (demolished). Cine Impala, Namibe (operational). Cine Arenal, Havana (operational). Teatro Mérida, Mérida (operational, renamed Teatro Armando Manzanero). Ideal Theater, Manila (demolished). Odeon Cinema, London (semi-demolished, converted to apartments). Mayan Theatre, Los Angeles (operational). Rex Cinema, Port au Prince (being restored). Urania Kino, Vienna (operational). Tampa Theatre, Tampa (operational). The Butterfly Theater, Milwaukee (demolished).
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The headlines that mattered yesteryear.
1924—Leopold and Loeb Murder Bobby Franks
Two wealthy University of Chicago students named Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold, Jr. murder 14-year-old Bobby Franks, motivated by no other reason than to prove their intellectual superiority by committing a perfect crime. But the duo are caught and sentenced to life in prison. Their crime becomes known as a "thrill killing", and their story later inspires various works of art, including the 1929 play Rope by Patrick Hamilton, and Alfred Hitchcock's 1948 film of the same name. 1916—Rockwell's First Post Cover Appears
The Saturday Evening Post publishes Norman Rockwell's painting "Boy with Baby Carriage", marking the first time his work appears on the cover of that magazine. Rockwell would go to paint many covers for the Post, becoming indelibly linked with the publication. During his long career Rockwell would eventually paint more than four thousand pieces, the vast majority of which are not on public display due to private ownership and destruction by fire. 1962—Marilyn Monroe Sings to John F. Kennedy
A birthday salute to U.S. President John F. Kennedy takes place at Madison Square Garden, in New York City. The highlight is Marilyn Monroe's breathy rendition of "Happy Birthday," which does more to fuel speculation that the two were sexually involved than any actual evidence.
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