While recently watching “That’s Entertainment III,” a delightful compilation of clips from classic MGM musicals, I pondered where Renoites might have gone to experience the original films— from the birth of “the talkies” in the late 1920s through the 1930s, ‘40s, ‘50s and beyond.
Before the days of television, going to the movies was the great American pastime. And what was unbelievably cool is that even people of modest means could enjoy a night (or afternoon) of wonderful entertainment for relatively little money. It was not just the pictures on the silver screen that enchanted audiences and helped them to forget their troubles, even during the Great Depression and World War II. The theatres themselves were like palaces, with plush seating, gorgeous art, dazzling chandeliers and more.
In the 1980s, I spent some time as the publicist at the Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet, Illinois, a historic landmark that started out as a vaudeville house, then was a movie house and now still thrives as a venue for live performances. The slogan then was “The Rialto Square Theatre: Where The Show Begins Before The Show Begins” and you could certainly understand why, when you saw this jaw-droppingly beautiful facility: http://www.rialtosquare.com/
I wasn’t around to witness the golden age of movies in Reno, but from what I can gather, the Majestic Theatre was probably the most significant and opulent movie theatre in The Biggest Little City’s history. Through online research and research at the Nevada Historical Society, I learned that the Majestic was located on East First Street near South Virginia Street in downtown Reno, next to the famous but long-gone Mapes Hotel.
Here is how that part of downtown Reno looks today:
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| Once upon a time, Reno's famous Mapes Hotel and Majestic Theatre stood near this location in downtown Reno. |
Here, courtesy of a Web site called Cinema Treasures, is how the exterior of the Majestic looked in the early 1900s: http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/19405
The Majestic opened in 1910 as a playhouse, filling the gap between large entertainment venues in Salt Lake City and San Francisco.
A 1974 story from the Nevada State Journal said that the first “talking picture” in Reno was shown at the Majestic, utilizing Thomas A. Edison’s kinetophone, a “combination talking machine with motion pictures,” operated with a crank and accompanied by a phonograph recording. That event took place in 1913.
The Majestic was remodeled in the Moorish style by architect Frederick DeLongchamps and reopened with a grand gala in 1925. According to a 2004 story in the Reno Gazette-Journal, the souvenir program from that event mentioned a “most inviting restroom for the ladies” and “a modern, forced-air furnace” as well as electric lights among its many attributes. (A Wurlitzer theatre organ had also been installed at the Majestic in 1918.)
During the Majestic’s gala in 1925, a live program featured Tony (Peccetti) and His Melody Men and Rena Semenza and Ethel Lunsford in a skit called “Tea for Two,” as well as Master Brady billed as The Boy Caruso.
The film for that occasion was “Shore Leave” starring Richard Barthlemess and featuring Samuel Hines.
In 1928, the Majestic installed equipment to allow the showing of sound pictures. “The Jazz Singer,” produced by Warner Brothers and starring Al Jolson, was shown in November 1928 at Reno’s Majestic Theatre. This was the first feature-length film with spoken dialogue.
In 1941, 3-D films were introduced at the Majestic. Cinemascope came about in the early 1950s and had glorious four-track sound. (A big deal at that time!)
In 1955 and 1963, the Majestic was plagued by floods in downtown Reno and the latter disaster necessitated a temporary closure of the theatre.
The marquee at the Majestic was turned off on the night of April 28, 1974. The final movie shown there was “The Three Musketeers,” presumably the 1973 version which starred Oliver Reed, Raquel Welch, Richard Chamberlain and Michael York. In 1921, the Majestic had shown the silent version of “The Three Musketeers” with Douglas Fairbanks Sr.
A Nevada State Journal article from October 1974, headlined “Thunderous Roar Accompanied Majestic’s Biggest Performance,” described the throngs that assembled to watch the Majestic’s demolition.
It was a very sad day, I am sure, for the generations of movie fans who frequented and loved the Majestic.
My research at the Nevada Historical Society also yielded the following random facts:
The Wigwam Theatre at Second and Sierra in downtown Reno was replaced by the Nevada Theatre with new amenities in 1942 and became the Crest Theatre, showing 3-D movies in 1948. The Crest was wrecked in 1978 to clear the way for the Moneytree Casino.
Downtown Reno’s Rialto Theatre on West First Street opened in 1915 and became the Granada in 1926. In 1974, the Granada was divided into two theatres. In 1983, it was one of the venues nationwide which drew big crowds with “The Return of the Jedi.” The Granada closed in the early 1990s and was demolished in 1997. The site is now occupied by a condo building, across the street from the modern-day Century Theatres, as seen here:
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| Long ago, Reno's Granada Theatre (formerly called the Rialto) stood near the scene of the modern-day Century Theatres in downtown Reno. |
Another downtown Reno theatre, the Tower, on South Virginia Street near Liberty, was torn down in the early 1960s and replaced by a bank and offices. But before its demise, the Tower premiered the TV show “Bonanza” which was set in the Reno-Tahoe area. The stars of “Bonanza,” who were still unknowns then, attended the special event and “Bonanza” went on to become one of the most successful TV series of all time.
A 1943 edition of the Reno Gazette-Journal revealed that in April of that year, downtown Reno’s Majestic was showing “Lucky Jordan” with Alan Ladd and “Shadow of a Doubt” with Joseph Cotton.
The Granada showed “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” (a musical romance) and “Nightmare” with Brian Donlevy and Diana Barrymore in April 1943.
At the Nevada Theatre in April 1943, patrons could watch “Kings Row” with Ann Sheridan, Robert Cummings and Ronald Reagan. (Yes, kids, the same guy who later became President of the United States).
Meanwhile, the Tower in downtown Reno was showing “Belle Starr” with Gene Tierney and Randolph Scott, as well as “Charley’s Aunt” with Jack Benny and Kay Francis.
Another fun fact about downtown Reno’s Granada Theatre was that in 1979, midnight showings of “The Rocky Horror Picture show” attracted kids dressed in drag and carrying props, a practice which many older patrons found disgraceful. R-rated movies at the Granada were also a problem in the 1970s, according to the Nevada State Journal. Tourists were dumping their youngsters off at the theatre while they went to nearby clubs and casinos.
Delving a bit into downtown Reno’s movie theatre past was interesting. My thanks to the helpful staff at the Nevada Historical Society, located next to the University of Nevada, Reno, on North Virginia Street.
Photos of, or anecdotes about, Reno’s old-time movie theatres would be most welcome. Please e-mail me at maryd89521@gmail.com if you have some gems to share.
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