MILWAUKEE MOVIE PALACES
Milwaukee Movie Palaces is currently out of print, but Larry Widen’s new book on Milwaukee theaters, “Silver Screens,” is being published by the Wisconsin Historical Society. Silver Screens will be available in early 2006. More information will be available soon.

In the meantime, enjoy these fun facts about some of Milwaukee’s historic theaters.

The Academy of Music had the distinction of being the first theater in Milwaukee to install electric lighting (1882), and the first to show a motion picture (1896).

The Tosa Theater was built in 1930 by Ross Baldwin, a former Universal films salesman from Chicago. In 1940, a theater operator from Ripon, Ben Marcus, bought the Tosa as his first entry into the Milwaukee market. In 1999, the theater was remodeled into the Rosebud Cinema Drafthouse.

The Regent was operated by Fred Seegert in the 1920's. Seegert closed the theater in 1929 because upgrading from silent picture equipment to the new "talking" movies was too expensive.

The Tower, at 27th and Wells Streets, was one of the Saxe brothers' movie palaces. These ushers were trained to treat customers with the utmost courtesy and respect, showing them to their seats and even brushing off their coats.

The Varsity theater at 13th and Wisconsin has since been annexed into Marquette University where it is used as a lecture hall. In the 1940,s the Varsity building housed the Fox-Wisconsin theater company's headquarters.

Another crew of ushers, this time at the downtown Warner theater, 212 West Wisconsin. The Warner opened in May, 1931. The theater was twinned in 1973 and renamed the Centre; later it was called the Grand Cinemas 1 & 2. The theater closed in 1995.

The Egyptian was located on Teutonia Avenue just south of Capitol Drive. Gold statues and Egyptian-styled decor were used throughout the auditorium and lobby. The theater was demolished in 1984.

The Bluemound Drive-In opened in the 1940’s. The former drive-in property is now occupied by Fuddruckers restaurant near Brookfield Square.

Built in 1895, the Schlitz Palm Garden was converted into a movie theater in the 1920's. The Garden, as it was called, had the distinction of playing Milwaukee's first "talking" pictures with Al Jolson in 1927.

Thomas Saxe, along with his brother John, opened many of Milwaukee's first theaters. Their 1902 nickelodeon, was located at 2nd and Wisconsin. In 1909 they opened the Princess theater on 3rd Street. Other Saxe theaters included the Alhambra, the Wisconsin, the Oriental, the Garfield, the Tower and the Uptown.

Now read about Harry Houdini’s days in Milwaukee, John Freuler and the Butterfly theater, Jacob Litt's fabulous Bijou Theater and the crazy 19th century dime museums in Milwaukee's Amusement History.

Or take a look at more than 100 vintage Milwaukee postcards
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