Chicago History Podcast
Stories from history of the Greatest City in the World - Chicago. The places, events, and the people behind it all.
Chicago History Podcast
Episode 101 - The Theater at Dearborn and Division
Before Walgreens became its current occupant, the northwest corner of Dearborn and Division in Chicago was home to storied movie theaters for over 70 years.
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"Night In Venice" by Kevin MacLeod
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"Lobby Time" by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/3986-lobby-time
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Theater jingle: Let's all go to the lobby. Let's all go to the lobby. Let's all go to the lobby to get ourselves a treat. Delicious things to eat. The popcorn can't be beat. The sparkling drinks are just dandy, the chocolate bars and the candy, so let's all go to the lobby to get ourselves a treat. Let's all go to the lobby to get ourselves a treat!
:On the corner of Dearborn and Division streets in Chicago, in an area just north of the fabled gold coast is a Walgreens store. Not just any Walgreen's store, but the 1000th Walgreens store, which opened on September 6th, 1984 with Illinois governor James Thompson in attendance, as well as an aging faded movie star on hand to cut the ribbon. While some heralded the addition of this store to the neighborhood, others mourned the loss of yet another cinema in this great city. My name is Tommy Henry. Welcome to the Chicago history podcast, where we will look at places and events in and around Chicago with which you may not be familiar. From theaters to music, venues, to sports, auditoriums, and more, we'll discuss Chicago history and maybe learn a little bit more about the greatest city in the world.
Speaker 2:Back in 1913, entirely different building opened on the same lot on the Northwest corner of Division and Dearborn, a motion picture theater called the New Dearborn theatre, the word"new" likely included so as not to be confused with a defunct vaudeville house with the same name. The c inema's name was later shortened to Dearborn Theatre. In the early days of the theater, silent features shown o ften had stars of the day like Mary Pickford, Theda Bara and Francis X Bushman. Bushman, it should be noted, started his movie career with Bronco Billy's Essaney Studios, which was based in Chicago. The films would change every day or two and were often supported by two reelers(which were about a half an hour long), war news, and H earst cartoon comedies. Matinee prices were 10 cents for adults in 1918 and 5 cents for children. Evening prices went up a nickel t o 15 cents for adults and 10 cents for the kids. On Saturday, November 2nd, 1929, the Publix-Balaban& Katz chain hosted an event to celebrate their takeover of the Greater Talkie theater chain. At this event, thousands of balloons were released from the roofs of their theaters, which included the Berwyn Theatre, the Congress, LaGrange, the Dearborn and others. Hundreds of the balloons containing passes to the Publix-Balaban& Katz new chain of Publix Greater Talkie theatres at 1:30 PM. That day, a parade of general motors cars left each of the theaters and joined together at- you guessed it- the Dearborn Theatre- 40 West Division Street. By the way, leading this parade was the specially designed Publix theaters radio equipped automobile said to cost$30,000 at the time. Adjusted for inflation, that is roughly$450,000 today. Executives from Publix-Balaban& Katz were to fly over each theater at the moment the balloons were released to get pictures and film footage, but alas, I have not found any footage from the event On May 7th, 1942, the theater was renamed the Surf Theatre. The ad in the Chicago Tribune on that day, read"All dressed up and someplace to go. The Surf plan for theatre going combines tasteful surroundings in a gay mood with unobtrusive, but friendly service. Add a single selected feature, the Surf Digest of news and views, and you have the modern design for entertainment at moderate prices. Claudette Colbert, Ray Milland, and Brian Aherne in"Skylark" and the Surf Digest mirrors the world today in short subjects. Complete performances at 8 and 10:05 pm. In 1956, it was at the Surf Theater where the film classic"Citizen Kane" was shown for the first time since its original release in 1941. A 20-year-old William F riedkin, a graduate of Chicago's S enn High School who was working in the m ail r oom at WGN TV at the time, went to see a noon screening of"Citizen Kane" at the Surf. Friedkin claims to have stayed all day, watching it five times in a row.“I entered the Surf at noon and I didn’t get out until midnight,” Friedkin recalls.“I saw it five straight times and it was a profound experience that led me to believe film could have a great influence on people’s lives.” Friedkin, if you don’t recognize the name, later went on to direct“The French Connection” and“The Exorcist,” to name a few. On May 16th, 1963, actor Ricardo Montalban greeted theater goers in person in the Surf lobby to help promote"The Reluctant Saint." a film in which he appeared alongside Maximillian Schell and Italian actress. Lea Padovani. Ads from various newspapers show movies at the Surf leaned toward art house films of the day, including Ingmar Bergman, films,"Porgy& Bess," Lawrence Olivier's"Henry V,""The Little Kidnappers," and others. In early 1963, the Surf Theatre closed An ad in the help wanted section of the September 17th, 1964, Chicago Tribune, read:
Speaker 3:Girls: if you're a pretty young girl who would like to work as a theater bunny in the soon to open Playboy Theater, we have a job for you. We have full time and part time jobs, weekends and weekdays. You may be a cashier bunny, a lobby, or a hostess bunny. Apply in person to the Personnel Department, 232 East Ohio between nine and five. Those, uh, I might say were different times to be sure. While the theater's longtime original entrance was on Division Street, it was later moved to the Dearborn side, about where a restaurant called Eduardo's Enoteca is today During the buildup to the opening of the Playboy Theater, ccolumnist Maye Tinne wrote in the Chicago Tribune, quote,"Contrary to some previous reports, there will be bunnies but no booze at the Playboy Theater. The girls will serve coffee when the former Surf Theatre reopens September 29th after extensive remodeling, which will include a new marquee and canopy, walnut paneling in the lobby, which will be furnished in contemporary style, and new lighting. The Playboy Theater did indeed open on September 29th and the opening feature was"Nothing But The Best," a comedy starring Alan Bates and Denholm Elliot. An ad in the October 9th, 1964, Chicago Tribune read"Why is all Chicago talking about the Playboy theater? Its first feature is the highly acclaimed, British satire"Nothing But The Best," called quote'The happiest mixture of murder and mirth since Guinness went straight.' Plus Playboy Playtime, featurettes a comedy tale of Fanny Hill and Dudley Do-right of the Mounties." And many Chicagoans are getting their first closeup look at the famous Playboy bunnies, an attraction once reserved for Playboy Club Key holders, but now available to all Chicago's movie-going public as a pleasant part of the smart new Playboy theater decor. Popular prices prevail throughout all continuous performances. Evenings$1.80, matinees on Saturday and Sunday,$1.50. Parking just one block away at 1225 North State Parkway-$3.50. In addition to art house, mainstream, some risque movie selections and the Chicago International Film Festival during its early years, the Playboy Theater also hosted live events.
:In April of 1966, the Playboy Theater was the site of"Sounds for a Swingin' Sunday," two performances featuring the Chicago Jazz Ensemble, with 22 of Chicago's finest musicians(according to the ad) conducted by William Rousseau. Side Note: in September of 1971, a judge ruled that a theater in Lake Worth, Florida and one in Jacksonville, Florida had to stop using the name"Playboy Theater" as it infringed on the parent company of Playboy magazines patents. In early October, 1976, Playboy showed its last films-"The Producers" plus"Monty Python and the Holy Grail," before shutting their doors. In an October 10th, 1976 column about the state of movie theaters, Chicago Tribune, film critic, Gene Siskel noted quote"Management of the Playboy was a haphazard affair over the years, even though Playboy chief Hugh Hafner is an avid film freak." In the same column. Ron Lichterman, the theater manager of the Playboy Theater was quoted saying"We could have run American Graffiti, a monster hit, exclusively three years ago, but we had to play Playboy's own picture"The Naked Ape," a financial bust.""We had an exclusive shot at Flesh Gordon, another hit," Lichterman continued,"but no one was willing to come up with a$35,000 guarantee. People who knew nothing about the movie business were making the decisions."
Speaker 4:On October 8th, 1976, a group of investors took over the theater and renamed it The Chelex Theater. Chelex is spelled C H E L E X. On October 12th. Gene Siskel reviewed"The Last Affair" at the Chelex, which was directed by the head of the Chelex investors, a man named Henri Charbakshi. Opening his review with the line"You will probably not see a worse film this year." In January of 1977, a column devoted to changes in movie theaters around Chicago in the previous year, Siskel wrote"On the North side, a number of important theaters changed ownership. Richard Stern added the Devon to his Wilmette theater. Plitt theaters acquire the Esquire and then open it's four Water Tower Place mini cinemas and a group of local investors bought the Playboy and stupidly changed its name to the"Chelex Theater." In parentheses, Siskel went on to write"How about the Daley Theater, fellas?" The Chelex allegedly lost$100,000(over$400,000 in 2019 money), during its short time open. On June 1st, 1978, Siskel ended a column with"And finally, kiss the Chelex Theater, 1204 North Dearborn Street, goodbye. It will reopen June 3rd with new owners and a new name, the Sandburg Theater" As expected, on June 3rd, 1977 the new theater was renamed one final time as the Sandburg Theater. The first film shown was"Silver Streak" with Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder, which had openened in first run theaters seven months before with admission$ 1.50. By December of that year, the Sandburg was quote"Closed for Remodeling," never to reopen under those owners again. In a June 25th, 1978 Tribune article, Gene Siskel compared the Sandburg with the nearby Village Theater on Clark, roughly a half a mile away, writing"The bunch of theater operators who renamed the theater, the Sandburg, never seemed to care about showing good movies. They also didn't care about heating the place. The last time I reviewed a picture at the Sandburg, it was so cold. I wore gloves to take notes.
:In May of 1979, best friends, Bill Horberg, then 19, and Albert Berger, all of 21 years old, leased the shuttered Sandburg Theater, setting out to open a repertory house. In a December, 1999, article in the Chicago Reader, horberg said"The theater had fallen into a state disrepair, despite that it was a thrilling business experience. The theater was very successful for what it was. It was a single screen, so it was hard to make it a profitable venture. We got locked into the economics, but we showed a Hitchcock festival, Ophuls films, we premiered Fassbender movies and showed everything from"The Thin Man" and"The Searchers" to the revival premiere of"Peeping Tom." While Horberg felt the theater had a strong core audience, it couldn't compete with the arrival of VCRs. After two years, the two friends sold their lease to Larry Edwards, then the owner of the Biograph theater. Edwards ran the theater for just a year."There was a fire across the street," Horberg says,"and the landlord canceled all of the leases." The Sandburg Theater lasted until April, 1983, when it was closed and demolished. Horberg, it should be noted, went on to fame as a Hollywood producer, having a hand in the films"The Talented Mr. Ripley" with Matt Damon,"Cold Mountain" with Nicole Kidman,"The Kite Runner,""Milk" with Sean Penn, and many other high profile and award winning releases. By the way, the aging faded movie star I referred to earlier in the podcast? That was the then-80-year-old Cary Grant, who had not acted in a film since 1966's romantic comedy"Walk Don't Run," who was on hand with his fifth wife, Betty, to promote Faberge cosmetics and perfumes. Grant, it seems, left acting and joined Faberge in 1968 as a company director, helping grow the brand Fans of the theater have noted the irony in having Cary Grant, also said to be a personal friend of Walgreen's heirress Betty Walgreen, there to cut the ribbon on the site where so many fans enjoyed Grant's films over the years. Do you have memories of this theater under any of its many names? Something important I may have missed? Maybe you have a topic you think might be a good fit for a future episode of the Chicago History Podcast. If so, send me an email@chicagohistorypodatgmail.com. As always, get out and explore, learn more about whatever city you live in, and stay safe.