 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).
 Shoot first, ask questions later. 
Above is a Famous Detective Cases from October 1936 with a cover featuring everyone’s worst nightmare—a smalltown cop with a big gut and a bigger gun. Among the articles is a detailed look at Hazel Glab, who was notorious for a while due to being accused of the murder of her wealthy husband John. Police initially couldn’t make a case against Glab, which of course left the press to speculate and theorize. When we were looking at some of those old articles we found several illustrations, including a smoking gun art piece from an April 1930 Milwaukee Sentinel, of which we’ve posted a portion below. There was also a photo of a detective re-enacting John Glab's last moments, with another smoking gun, and we’ve posted that too. Hazel Glab did eventually go to jail—at first it was for forging her husband’s will, but in January 1936 prosecutors indicted her for second degree murder. Glab was paroled in 1943, but she  made news again in 1945 for a domestic incident, in 1958 when she was hauled into court on pandering charges, and yet again in 1965 when she was charged with making threatening phone calls. There are other stories as well—like the time she shot a man in the face for “insulting” her. Glab died in 1977, but perhaps we’ll get back to her a bit later. There’s certainly enough material.
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The headlines that mattered yesteryear.
1969—Manson Followers Continue Rampage
A day after murdering actress Sharon Tate and four others, members of Charles Manson's cult kill Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. Manson personally orchestrates the event, but leaves the LaBianca house before the killing starts. 1977—Son of Sam Arrested
The serial killer and arsonist known as Son of Sam and the .44 Caliber Killer, is arrested in Yonkers, New York. He turns out to be 24-year-old postal employee David Berkowitz. He had been killing people in the New York area for most of the previous year. 1945—Nagasaki Destroyed
The United States detonates a nuclear bomb codenamed Fat Man over the city of Nagasaki. It is the second atomic bomb dropped on Japan. 40,000 to 75,000 people are killed immediately, with tens of thousands more sickening and dying later due to radiation poisoning. The U.S. had plans to drop as many as seven more bombs on Japan, but the nation surrendered days later. 1969—Manson Followers Murder Five
Members of a cult led by Charles Manson murder pregnant actress Sharon Tate and coffee heiress Abigail Folger, along with Wojciech Frykowski, Jay Sebring, and Steven Parent. The crimes terrify the Los Angeles celebrity community, and even today continue to fascinate the worldwide public. |
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