A Tale of Two Theaters

Thinking about the various theaters of the Jazz Age era in Uptown led me to think about the Music Box Theatre, a movie theater built in 1929 that still shows art films today. I love seeing movies at the Music Box, and have been thinking about it especially often lately because they show a lot of the old Christmas classics around the holidays. There is just nothing like the sheer joy of watching an old black and white holiday movie like "White Christmas" under the starry ceiling of the Music Box. It is 100% pleasure. The only thing that makes me sad when I think about the Music Box is its lesser-known sister theater, the Ramova, around 35th and Halsted in Bridgeport, not far from where I work. Unlike the Music Box, the Ramova is no longer operational. It is just sitting there, falling apart, its fate unknown. So this post is the tale of two sister theaters, one on the north side and one on the south, and their opposite fates.

Both theaters were built in 1929. At a time when theaters were built to seat 3,000 people, both the Music Box and the Ramova were considered very small, seating just 800 and 1,500 people, respectively. At the time, it seems that the Music Box would have been sandwiched somewhere in between two major centers of entertainment--the major Uptown scene around Broadway between Wilson and Lawrence, and the scene around Lincoln and Belmont. The Ramova also would have been on the fringes of the popular neighborhoods, a little ways northwest of "Chicago's Harlem" around 47th and South Shore, and a little ways southwest of Bronzeville. It would, however, have been just outside the gates of the then-Union Stockyards, which were a major center of industry (I actually work in the former stockyard complex, more on this later).

Both theaters were also designed in the "atmospheric style." I think that my apartment building also must be in the "atmospheric style" (see the previous post on the Jazz Age). Basically, this style pulls from the most eye-catching of a whole host of things in order to create something imaginative and evocative, but not necessarily historically or culturally accurate. The walls of both theaters feature pillars, vines, and arches. Scenes of Spain and Italy are painted, and there are fountains in the lobbies. The ceilings are painted deep blue and light up with a thousand little lights, making it seem as if you are watching the movie in an outdoor, European courtyard of some time in the distant past. It's really beautiful.

The lobby of the Music Box.

The biggest of the theaters in the Music Box.

 Although small, these theaters saw their heyday. Probably the most notable thing to happen was the premier of Charlie Chaplin's "The Great Dictator" in 1940, which took place at both theaters (simultaneously?) because the larger theaters wouldn't show it. It was the first film to satirize the Nazis and Hitler, and the United States was still formally at peace with Nazi Germany at the time. So it found a voice at these smaller theaters, somewhat off the radar.

Both theaters fell out of use as first-run theaters in the 1950s and 60s. The Ramova actually initially had a bit more use than the Music Box, as it was used for Spanish-language films to serve the large Hispanic community in the area. Between 1977 and 1983, the Music Box was used for Spanish films, porn films, and Arabic films.

After this, the fates of the two theaters diverged. The Music Box was reopened to show foreign, independent, and cult films, and has grown to be one of Chicago's premiere venues for off the beaten track kinds of films. Many films have had their Chicago premiere at the Music Box. Famously, "The Break Up" starring Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston had its worldwide premiere at the Music Box (it was shot in Chicago, and Vince Vaughn is a Chicago native).

The Music Box exterior.

Meanwhile, the Ramova has fallen into disrepair. It was closed in the mid-1980s and nothing has been done with it since. It looks like there are some community efforts to do something with it, but nothing has happened.

The Ramova's exterior.