HISTORICAL SOCIETY HISTORY- TRAILS BC • OF COUNTY • 9811 Van Buren Lane • Cockeysville, MD 21030

ISSN 0889-6186 Editors: JOHN W. McGRAIN and WILLIAM HOLLIFIELD VOL. 38 NOS. 3 & 4 SPRING 2007 VOL. 39 NOS. 1 & 2 The History of Motion Picture Exhibition in Towson By William Hollifield

One might think that the Towson Theatre, which operated from 1928 to 1992, was the first place in Towson where motion pictures were shown to the public. The theater building is still where it always was but it has a different name on its marquee. However, before the Towson Theatre opened, movies were being shown to the public across the street in the Odd Fellows hall which was called the Community Theater. Earlier, movies were shown in another theater just down the block from the site that became the Towson Theatre. This theater was called at var- ious times the Recreation, the LeRoi, and the Columbia. Earlier still, at York Road and Pennsylvania Avenue there was an out- door theater, called the Airdrome, which operated only briefly. Movies were also shown on a regular basis in the church halls of some of Towson's churches. The earliest showings of motion pictures in Towson were exhibitions held on one or sometimes two successive evenings in one of the churches. The first of these may have been on July 31, 1902, when Captain Charles H. Stanley presented his "pop- ular program of entertainment," consisting of motion pictures and original songs, in Calvary Baptist Church. Refreshments were offered for sale on the church lawn afterward. On Monday evening, November 17, 1902, B.B.H. Lawrence, a representative of the Edison Motion Picture Company of Washington, D.C., with "a competent corps of assistants" con- ducted an exhibition of motion pictures in the Towson Methodist Episcopal Church. It was announced as being a rare treat, showing actual events throughout the world, including the recent coronation of King Edward VII of Great Britain. The Sheet music of 1919 showing how movies were projected in theaters in the early years. The only words inside are: admission prices were 25 and 50 cents. The Maryland Journal of Towson wrote of the event: Mov-ies how we love the mov-ies greet-ing ed-u-cate and The exhibition of motion pictures . . . was one stim-u-late the old and young Mov-ies drive dull care and of the finest of that class of entertainments that sor-row fleet-ing so we'll sing the Mov-ie Song. has ever been seen at this place. . . . The church These uninspiring words may explain why the song was not a was well filled with an appreciative audience who memorable popular favorite. sat with raptured admiration throughout the full two hours of interesting and entertaining exhibi- tion. The invention of motion pictures upon can- vas is a marvel in itself and excites the greatest wonder in the beholder. It shows the actual life PAGE 2 HISTORY TRAILS OF BALTIMORE COUNTY SPRING 2007

movements of persons and objects in the minutest The programs were considered a success, both financially detail, minus sounds. Some of the scenes are ludi- and as an instructive and interesting entertainment, the paper crous in the extreme, while others are so realistic said, predicting that upon a return engagement the management as to cause a shudder of horror to pass over the would be greeted with larger audiences. The church received audience, especially in the case of the photo- about $36 from these two performances. grapher, who attempted to "snap" a moving express train and was struck by the train. But their fears were calmed when they remembered it was only on canvas. The company exhibit a large number of marine views that were simply superb, especially the feeding of Mother Carey's chickens when one can almost imagine he hears the rush and whir of the gulls' wings. The erup- tion of Mt. Pelee and the destruction of the city of Martinique with its thousands of inhabitants was a realistic scene. What pleased the little ones was the old-time fairy tale of Jack and the Beanstalk. If a return engagement can be secured, we bespeak for the management a much larger audience. Representatives of the Edison company returned and showed Motion pictures were shown in the early years of the twenrieth motion pictures in the same church on Monday and Tuesday century at the Towson Methodist Episcopal Church when it was located just north of Towson where the Investment Building evenings, March 28-29, 1904, with a different program each now stands. day. Hundreds of people attended these performances. The Maryland Journal stated that "the views were clear and dis- tinct, and life-like in every minutest detail of movement." One An exhibition of "life motion pictures and illustrated songs" of the films shown was "The Great Train Robbery." The news- was held in the Towson Methodist Episcopal Church on, paper said that the film was Monday and Tuesday evenings, March 20 and 21, 1905. The . . realistic in every detail and kept the audience admission charge was 15 cents and the proceeds were to be keyed up to the highest tension of excitement. All used for church missions. were really glad when the "bold, bad robbers" On a Friday evening in May 1906, Marion S. Pearce and Philip met the just deserts they received. J. Scheck presented their "popular motion picture entertainment" at Calvary Baptist Church in Towson. Theater historian Robert Headley states that Pearce and Scheck, who later operated theaters in Baltimore, held exhibitions in various locations in and near Baltimore during the period 1902-1907. On a Friday in October 1906, a moving picture exhibition was held in the Guild Hall of Trinity Episcopal Church in Towson. The program featured films of San Francisco before and after the earthquake and fire of April 1906, including the city in flames, dynamiting the buildings to try to impede the fire, outdoor kitchens and other facilities for the refugees, a trip through the wrecked city, and a panorama of Golden Gate Park. In addition, there were scenes from the Oberammergau Passion Play, "a fire run, spring house cleaning, evolution of a butterfly, illustrated songs, pictorial stories, musical specialties and other features representing pathos, mystery and comedy." The admission cost for the hour and a half program was 20 cents. The proceeds were said to have been for a worthy cause. Another moving picture entertainment was held at the Calvary Baptist Church as it appeared between 1892 and 1929, Towson Methodist Episcopal Church on a Thursday and Friday when it was destroyed in a fire. Motion pictures were first shown in May 1907 with the proceeds to be used to pay for the here in July 1902. recarpeting of the Sunday school room. PAGE 3 HISTORY TRAILS OF BALTIMORE COUNTY SPRING 2007

A moving picture entertainment was held at Calvary Baptist Church by the Junior Christian Endeavor Union on Friday evening, May 1, 1908. By early 1909 motion pictures were apparently no longer a novelty for local people. Those in Baltimore County who were interested could see them in Baltimore. Towson's Union News, reporting on the opening of a moving picture theater in Highlandtown—then in the county—stated, "And now they are going to have a moving picture show at Highlandtown. There ought to be enough of these in Baltimore already to fill the public demand. Looks like they are too thick to thrive." Exhibiting the same lack of enthusiasm, the paper stated in July 1910, "Towson would never have been happy until it had; so now it can be safely said its cup of joy is complete. A mov- The Guild Hall, later known as The Casino, formerly located ing picture show opened here in the Merryman Building (old on West Pennsylvania Avenue. Motion pictures, sponsored by Towson High School) on Chesapeake avenue on the Fourth." Trinity Episcopal Church, were shown here as early as 1906 Apparently this was to have been a permanent venue for and later, under sponsorship of the Towson Town Club, in 1913. moving pictures, but it must not have been successful since the newspaper contained no further information about it. Other events took place in the building and, in December 1910, Motion pictures were first shown in the hall on the afternoon Merryman's Hall was announced as the location of a moving and evening on two successive days in early February 1913 and picture entertainment being held on a Friday evening with the three successive days later in the month. Like the "clean proceeds to go to the Junior Endeavor Society of the Towson vitascope pictures" shown at the Church of the Immaculate, it Methodist Protestant Church. was announced that only "carefully selected films" would be In February 1911 motion pictures of the Passion Play or life shown at the Towson Town Club. These moving picture per- of Christ as well as other subjects were shown on two succes- formances were to be conducted daily, with matinee and sive evenings by the Junior Christian Endeavor Society of evening performances, beginning April 1913. Towson's Methodist Protestant Church along with music by the The Towson Town Club also sponsored a Chautauqua in Simpson family. Towson in May 1913—a week-long program of 31 events At a Thanksgiving program in 1911, a crowd was entertained including lectures and entertainments and two reels each night with three hours of motion pictures in the school hall of of "worth-while motion pictures." A newspaper reported that Towson's Church of the Immaculate. The films were described the films were instructive and interesting, especially those as "clean vitascope pictures" and were accompanied by "a bit shown one night which explained how to get rid of mosquitoes. of ballet dancing, some dialect character recitations and some By then the motion pictures had come to be referred to as solos rendered in splendid style." The program was so well movies. The newspaper, in reporting on the Chautauqua events, attended that it was repeated the following evening. stated: When the "movies" were thrown on the screen Towson Town Club the usual buzz over the entire audience was heard, Probably the first regularly scheduled motion picture per- everybody reading to everybody else just what formances in Towson were begun in April 1913 by the Towson the character of the picture would be—you know Town Club, a civic organization that had been established in just what it is like in the parlors of the "movies." early 1912, having absorbed and taken over the functions of the Motion pictures were also a feature of the Chautauqua held Towson Improvement Association. Its purpose was to encour- in Towson for a week in July 1914. age civic improvements in Towson and to provide educational In October 1914, five reels of motion pictures featuring programs and recreational opportunities. In March 1912 the Maxwell automobiles were shown at the Towson Town Club. club had acquired a building that looked like a house and which The films showed the entire process of manufacturing the cars was formerly known as the Guild Hall or Guild House and later and also included views of scenery, automobile races, and hill- as The Casino. The building had bowling alleys, billiard and climbing contests. The Union News stated, "Every man who pool tables, a reading room, and a hall that could be used for owns an automobile, every man who would like to own one, lectures or performances. A club official stated that they had and every person who has ever seen one will be interested . . ." created "a centre of amusement for the young men and women in the films. Free tickets were available at Massenburg's Drug for bowling, pool, cards, dances, moving pictures and other Store in Towson or from the Wilson Motor Company, which forms of entertainment, away from the saloons and other sold the Maxwell cars in Baltimore. demoralizing influences." A motion picture publication of August 1912 reported the PAGE 4 HISTORY TRAILS OF BALTIMORE COUNTY SPRING 2007 incorporation of the Home Amusement Company by Charles described the Airdrome as a winner—everyone said the pic- A. Green, Ernest C. Sparrow, and others to erect a movie tures were "all right and worth seeing." theater in Towson. However, nothing came of this effort. There were also large numbers the following week despite an People in the Towson area who wanted to see movies still had increase in the admission price for adults on two evenings each to drive or take a streetcar or the railroad to the theaters in week. Baltimore. It was anticipated that a permanent building would be erect- ed if the open-air movies were a success. However, on Airdrome Thursday evening, August 19, the proprietor packed up and "left for new fields." The Jeffersonian eloquently reported that The earliest movie "theater" in Towson (constructed specifi- [t]he fellow who conducted the Towson movie cally for showing motion pictures) was an open-air affair on a show disappeared in the silent watches of the lot on the southeast corner of York Road and Pennsylvania night, leaving behind him several unpaid bills and Avenue. According to Towson's weekly Jeffersonian, as many debtors who have not felt at all kindly Most every town in the country has its own disposed toward him. Some people say if the motion picture theatre, but somehow no one has show had not been a "bum" affair the proprietor ever ventured to start an affair of this character in could have made money. Towson, although the demand for such amuse- ment has been popular, many of the town folks Recreation Theater going to the city in quest of recreation of this kind. In September 1915, the month after the Airdrome ceased The "peculiar-shaped" structure housing this venture was operating, John Mariner of Norfolk came to Towson and tried referred to as an "airdrome." It opened on Saturday night, July to buy property in the center of the town. He offered to buy a 3, 1915. Local people were invited to come and celebrate the vacant lot from William A. Lee at the corner of York Road and eve of the Fourth of July and enjoy moving pictures in the open Pennsylvania Avenue, but Mr. Lee declined to sell. He did pur- air. Its Baltimore organizer promised to provide only the best, chase the store and house of A.J. German on the east side of high-class films and to have different ones every day. The price York Road just north of Pennsylvania Avenue, and it was of admission was five cents. According to the Jeffersonian, it rumored that he intended to build either a department store, a( would be "not a cheapjohn affair, but a real show that will be garage, or a moving picture theater. worth while." By mid-October he was completely remodeling the existing building to include three stores with dwellings above them and planned to erect a 45 by 85-foot brick building on the back of STOP! LOOK LISTEN! the lot which was to be either a garage or a moving picture the- .TOWSON'S.NEW-AIRDROME ater—he had not decided which at the time. By the end of WILL OPEN TONIGHT November, the construction was nearly finished and the brick building in the rear had been leased to a Baltimore man as a Celebrate the Eve of the 4th and Enjoy Moving Pictures moving picture theater. There were two stores, rather than In the Open Aix• three, in the building on York Road, the northernmost of which Nothing But The Best Selected Photo Plays. had been leased to a man who planned to open a seafood shop. Program Changed Daily. The theater, with its entrance next to the stores on York Road, was expected to seat about 500 people. A metal roof was being York Road and Pennsylvania Avenue • Towson, Md installed and the theater was expected to open by December 15. COME ONE! COME ALL! However, the seats could not be installed in time, and opening day had to be delayed until January 11, 1916. The first and only advertisement for the Airdrome, from the A band driven in a covered motor vehicle played through the Jeffersonian, July 3, 1915. streets of Towson in the afternoon to advertise the Recreation Theater's opening that evening. Despite rain and sleet, which made the streets slippery, the theater was full, 312 people hav- On opening night, there was a large audience but several ing each paid five cents admission. The Towson Union News things went wrong. There were problems with the lights and characterized the crowd as having "some class" and including with the projector, and a rain shower occurred during the per- "more strangers than you could shake a stick at." The films formance—not good for an open-air event. shown were about as good as one could see in the big theaters, The manager gave out return checks which people used on in Baltimore; Towson was becoming more and more like New _ the following Monday evening, when some thrillers and a York each day, the newspaper said. comedy were shown. Large numbers attended A heating problem soon became evident during a cold spell, the showings throughout the week and the Jeffersonian making the theater uncomfortably cold. Another large stove PAGE 5 HISTORY TRAILS OF BALTIMORE COUNTY SPRING 2007 was installed within the next week and this provided abundant business and left town, finding that the moving picture business warmth. "not all it was cracked up to be." according to a Towson newspa- The theater opened Monday through Saturday (it was closed per, to the dismay of many local people who had patronized it. on Sundays, as were all movie theaters at the time) at 6:30 p.m. There were also matinee performances at 2 o'clock on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Adults paid ten cents on Monday and Wednesday and on Saturday evenings and five cents Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday and at the Saturday matinee. Children paid five cents at all shows. An ad listing the movies for the week of January 24, 1916, announced what was described as a thrilling feature called "Quits" as well as the somewhat provocatively titled "He was only a Bathing Suit Salesman," described as a picture everyone in Towson should see because it contained scenes filmed in Baltimore. On a Thursday night in February 1916 the recently-organized band of the Maryland School for Boys came to Towson in two hay wagons and performed musical selections outside the the- The former St. Francis Church which, after the new Immaculate ater. They went inside to see the movies and played again while Conception Church was built, housed the parish school in its the reels of film were being changed. A large crowd turned out basement. The hall above (former sanctuary) was' used for because of the presence of the band, and all the seats were showing films beginning in 1916. It was known as Paramount filled. Hall then because the movies came from the Paramount Film Company. In May the Towson Town Club held a "movie benefit," intended to be the first of a series of entertainments, at the the- ater. The program consisted of singing by a male quartet—men Paramount Hall from some of the major Baltimore churches—some solo Also on Thanksgiving of 1916, movies were first shown in singing, and what was described as some special moving pic- the parish hall of the Roman Catholic Church of the tures. Immaculate on Ware Avenue. A new church building had been Early one morning in August, the theater was found to be on erected, and the old church was used for the parish's school. fire. The firemen came—he firehouse was only a block away— The school was conducted in rooms in the basement level, and smashed in the door, and found the place full of smoke. They the hall above—formerly the church—was used for movies and quickly extinguished two fires in the roof with estimated dam- probably for other events. It was named Paramount Hall age of about $100. Repairs were made within a few weeks and because the movies came from the Paramount Film Company. the theater was again open for business. The films were shown every Tuesday and Friday with mati- nees at 3:15 and two shows in the evenings, beginning at 7 p.m. LeRoi Theatre Paramount Hall's opening feature was "Fanchon the Cricket" Not long afterward, in late October 1916, new owners took starring . Other movies shown there in over the Recreation Theater and renamed it the LeRoi Theatre. November and December 1916 were "Are You a Mason," star- On Thursday, opening night under the new management, there ring John Barrymore; "The County Chairman," a comedy fea- was free admission and the theater was full, with 50 or more peo- turing Maclyn Arbuckle; "The Rose of the Ranch" with Bessie ple standing in the rear. Barricale; "The Warrens of Virginia" with Blanche Sweet; The theater was full in early November 1916. A Towson news- "Gretna Green" with Marguerite Clark; "David Harum" with paper speculated that this was because people wanted a place to W.H. Crane; and "Mistress Nell" with Mary Pickford. "get rid of that election grouch." The new management was The movies shown in January were "David Crockett" with showing some first-class movies, equal to those seen in Justin Farnum; "Selfish Woman" with Reid and Ridgely; Baltimore's leading theaters. One recent film, "The Island of "Under Cover" with Dawn and Moore; "Hulda from Holland" Regeneration," the newspaper said, was especially good. The with Mary Pickford; "the Clown" with Victor Moore; "Little theater also began a serial, "The Scarlet Runner," on Saturday Lady Eileen" with Marguerite Clark; "International Marriage" which was to be continued the following Saturday at matinee and with Rita Jolivet; and "The Dream Girl" with Mae Murray. In evening performances. addition to these "high-class" features, comedy cartoons were On Thanksgiving almost everything in Towson was closed and shown at each performance. "nearly everybody" went to Towson's movie parlor; there were Towson's Union News said that "[t]he increased number of large crowds at both matinee and evening performances. patrons is a pleasing tribute to the pictures, which instruct as By February 1917 the theater's management abandoned the well as entertain both children and grown-ups." PAGE 6 HISTORY TRAILS OF BALTIMORE COUNTY SPRING 2007

In December 1918, it was announced that the weekly movies bers weighing 365 pounds. There were no stuffed at Paramount Flail would be temporarily discontinued and there pillows or padding about his person—it was just would be monthly showings, the first of which would be on natural fat. The various members rehearsing were New Year's Day. These had stopped by August 1919 when it all in costume, some of them attempting to por- was announced that movies would be resumed in a few weeks. tray the everyday apparel of "hayseeds." But they In late September, the first of 15 weekly installments of the were overdrawn, as no one who saw them ever serial "The Great Gamble" was shown. remembers seeing a Baltimore county farmer in scarecrow toggery worn by the alleged actors. The Great War The person who owned the house where the filming was to have taken place was said to have been offered $50. However, In mid-1918 the Government requested that movie exhibitors the filmmakers changed their plans and decided against shoot- show a short patriotic film about the war after their regular fea- ing their film in Towson. tures. These were referred to as "Four Minute Men" because During the First World War, movies were made to show to they were four minutes in length. Paramount Hall began show- those fighting overseas. In November 1918, the Jeffersonian ing them in July. Some of the titles were: "The Kaiser and the stated that "the movie man who is taking the 'Smiles Pictures' Bees," "Our Two Great Enemies," "Sinking the Submarines," to be shown our boys over seas, visited Towson and 'carried' and the "Capture of the Kaiser and the Crown Prince." some of our smiles away." This statement referred, of course, Shortly afterward, in September 1918, the Red Cross spon- to the words of the popular song, "Smiles." sored what was intended to be a series of free weekly movies In the fall of 1920, "The Call of the Hour," a motion picture about the war in front of the county courthouse, in an area about the Towson State Norman School, which was intended to referred to as Court House Park. The purpose was to educate interest students in joining the teaching profession, was being the public not only about the Red Cross activities but also about shown at the high school at Centreville, Maryland. the entire war effort. An ad promised that they would show how modern warfare is conducted, how cities are destroyed and countries devastated, what the Red Cross is doing, and how your money is spent. The movies were shown in the open on a curtain stretched in front of the courthouse. At the initial showing, on a Tuesday evening, the band of the Maryland School for Boys performed a concert before the movies started. A large crown attended. Future movies were to be held on the following four Monday evenings (weather permitting). The Jeffersonian commented that at the showing on September 9, three Germans were seen talking in German near the courthouse gate. The paper stated that "If America was good enough to come to and make their home—a good place to earn their livelihood—then it is a good enough place to learn and speak its language and especially during the war. It is unbecoming a German, especially alien enemies, to stand in the public parks and "jibber" in German." — Baltimore County Public Library The series ended suddenly, after only two showings, since the The Columbia Theatre in Towson about 1920. The sign above exhibitors could not obtain further films. They had hoped to get the entrance says, "See Yourself Life Size Screen." This rare photograph was preserved by Mrs. Sherman Dance. them from a source in Baltimore but were unsuccessful. As a result, those who came to the park on September 16 were disappointed. Columbia Theatre The movies outgrew the Paramount Hall premises and the Early Movie Making in Towson pastor of the church, Father Philip H. Sheridan, used $10,000 Towson nearly became the locale for a movie in August of his own money to buy the then-closed LeRoi Theatre and the 1915. A Towson newspaper reported much hilarity near the fire adjacent stores, announcing that this would provide the congre- house at York Road and Allegany Avenue where a company of gation with a public meeting place for amusements and other actors in two automobiles were rehearsing part of a comedy, purposes. Only movies of "a high moral order" would be "The Pansy Sanatorium": shown there. The theater was renamed the Columbia and the There were also about a dozen or so perfectly first performance was on Saturday, October 11, 1919. good eggs wasted, which were smashed against Films were shown two evenings a week. The "Silver King" the jaws of one of the actors. There were some with William Waversham was being shown in November 1919 heavyweights in the company, one of the mem- and "Uncle Tom's Cabin" the following month. In January PAGE 7 HISTORY TRAILS OF BALTIMORE COUNTY SPRING 2007

1920 it was announced that first run movies would be shown at the theater and that this should ensure that all seats would be filled. The Columbia was used for "Throbs and Thrills," a minstrel show along with movies which was sponsored by the nearby Black and Decker Manufacturing Company one evening in May 1920. Admission for this special event was 25 cents. In June 1920 a professional pianist was hired to perform in the theater. The theater must have at one time shown a film made locally. A photograph of the front entrance shows a banner that read "See Yourself Life Size Screen." An ad in the 1921 Towson High School yearbook stated, "We — Baltimore County Public Library pay the extra expense of showing pictures so far away from the big centres and save you much time and the additional fares to After the Columbia Theatre was closed, its building became the Mayflower Laundry. This view is from a 1926 publication of the Baltimore." Baltimore Gas & Electric Company.

Chesapeake Hall There was another theater showing movies in Towson, but it was for black people. In January 1920, Progress Masonic Lodge No. 39 obtained a license to show films in their hall at East Chesapeake and Delaware Avenue in Towson. This second-floor room was designated Chesapeake Hall Theatre. Several elderly East Towson residents interviewed by Louis Fop, -4.,,ouNG Ate) OLD Diggs in his book Since the Beginning: African American Communities in Towson, mentioned going to movies there. One resident, born in 1928, recalled going to the movies there every Friday. They were silent films and the admission charge was ten cents. Movies were also shown in the Relief Association Building located next to Mt. Calvary AME Church by a Professor Moore. — Baltimore County Public Library To the north of Towson, black residents at one time attended Advertisement for the Columbia Theatre from the 1921 movies occasionally shown by Eugene King on Friday or Sidelights, yearbook of Towson High School. Saturday nights at a building on Bellona Avenue south of Lincoln Avenue known as the Galilean Fisherman Hall. This Eventually, however, in response to criticism of the apparent was a lodge hall in what had previously been the Lutherville sponsorship of the theater by a clergyman, the theater was Colored School. When the movies were shown on the first closed. In August 1922, the Baltimore Sun wrote that Towson floor, the members of the lodge would move their meetings to had grown but residents were asking why there was no movie the second floor. The building was torn down in the 1940s. theater for them in the town. Large cities such as New York and Chicago had hundreds of theaters and even inconsequential Eudowood places throughout the country like "Windy Corners or Seth's Movies were not permitted to be shown on Sundays until Crossing" had a "movie parlor" showing films at least one 1932, but in June 1920 it was announced that the lady managers night a week. Towson residents wanted a theater even if it oper- of Eudowood Sanitarium, located just east of Towson had rent- ated only on Saturday nights—and they did not want "any ed the Garden Theater in Baltimore and would provide a mov- outside party to operate it." ing picture entertainment at 8 o'clock on a Sunday evening. The former theater was being used by the Mayflower There was no fixed admission charge but a silver offering Laundry by 1926, still with a passageway leading to York would be received at the door. The money was to be used to Road. Later the building was used for automobile sales and help purchase a movie projector to entertain the patients (there service, and the former passageway to York Road was put to were about 200 at the time). There was no further record of another use. Eventually the building was demolished. movies being shown at Eudowood. PAGE 8 HISTORY TRAILS OF BALTIMORE COUNTY SPRING 2007

alize, and in July 1927 the newspaper contained an ad for the Later 1920s "New Theatre" which was to be built on West Chesapeake Avenue. In the mid-1920s movies were shown in some of Towson's churches. A series of four Sunday evening open-air services was held in Towson in June and July 1923 which were attend- ed by the clergymen of the Protestant churches of Towson. Moving pictures were part of the first program which was con- ducted by the pastor of the Methodist Protestant church. The Methodist Episcopal church, then located where the Investment Building was later constructed, was showing movies, generally of a religious nature, on Sunday evenings each month in early 1926. The titles were "The Man Nobody Knows" (February 1926); "The Stream of Life" (March 1926); "A Mother of Men" (April 1926); "Johnny Ring and the Captain's Sword" (May 1926); and "Hell and the Way Out" (October 1926) The Roman Catholic Church of the Immaculate began show- ing films again in its parish hall. "The Vanishing American" was shown in September 1926 and "Behind the Front" in April 1927. The Student Council of the Methodist Protestant Church spon- sored a movie on the evening before Thanksgiving in November — Baltimore County Public Library 1927. A newspaper announcement stated that young people's Movies were shown on the second floor of the Odd Fellows workers, Sunday School superintendents, clergymen, scout Hall in the late 1920s. It was called the Community Theatre because the hall was known as the Community Hall. —leaders, and Camp Fire Girls leaders were invited to attend. (Photographed in 1968 by David Turner.) The Rotary Club sponsored films at the Penn Hotel in Towson in October 1927 showing the evolution of the public The New Theatre, according to the newspaper announce- schools in the county. Several weeks later the same films were ment, had been acquired by "a prominent Moving Picture shown to a "packed house" at Glen Arm School by the Parent- Concern and is now being completed and decorated." Seven Teacher Association. hundred grand opera chairs, the latest projection equipment, a pipe organ costing $10,000, "and everything else for the com- Community Theater fort of the people of Towson and the surrounding territory" Movies were also shown in the Odd Fellows Hall on York were to be installed and then a grand opening would be held on Road. The lodge hall was rebuilt following a fire and rededicat- Labor Day, September 5, 1927. The place was to be a "monu- ed in September 1926. On the second floor was a large meeting ment to Towson" and the equal of any modern theater. The room, with a reported seating capacity of 500, called the grand opening did not occur. A fire insurance map of 1929 Community Hall and from this came the name of the showed a large building on the south side of west Chesapeake Community Theatre. with stores fronting on the street. The back part of the building Jack Wulfert, writing in 1968, recalled that people paid five was labeled "to be movies" but it was not used for a theater and cents, were given a folding chair, and sat wherever they could the entire building later became an A. and P. grocery store. find a vacant spot. The Community Theatre placed advertisements in Towson Towson Theatre newspapers only after the modern Towson Theatre opened Finally, in October 1927, a new company began constructing across the street in March 1928. The last of these ads was on the still-extant Towson Theatre building on the east side of York May 5, 1928, and the theater probably stopped showing movies Road between the Hotel Towson and the old Baltimore County at about that time because of competition from the newer the- Bank building. The Towson Theatre Company was incorporated ater. The lodge officials have not been able to provide any in Baltimore County in September 1927 by Porter G. Seiwell, information about the movies but one person has stated that William G. Allen, and E. Gertrude Seiwell, Mr. Seiwell's wife. there are still some old movie projectors there. The capital stock was $100,000 in 1,000 shares of $100 each. By 1926 plans were being made to construct a modern theater Mr. Seiwell (1881-1965), the company's president, had for- in Towson. In October a newspaper announced that plans had merly operated theaters in several Pennsylvania cities for 15 been made to build a 1000-seat theater on the west side of York years. The family had lived in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, in Road south of Willow Avenue. It was to have an elaborate 1910 and 1920, and Mr. Seiwell had been the paymaster of a coal entrance and to be fronted by several stores. This did not materi- PAGE 9 HISTORY TRAILS OF BALTIMORE COUNTY SPRING 2007 company there in 1920. ing descriptions of the new theater which included ads placed The theater was expected to have 600 seats and to cost by the contractors who had worked on the theater and congrat- $100,000, with a $10,000 Kilgen organ. It was hoped that it ulatory ads placed by various Towson businesses. would be completed in time to have its opening on Christmas Everything was luxurious and up-to-date. The building was day 1927. described as having an elaborate and artistic entrance on York Road. The lobby, "pretentious and beautifully furnished . . . with comfortable table seats, thick carpets, lightened by soft toned floor lamps [to make it] an ideal place for patrons to meet their friends or wait for the show to be completed before enter- ing the main auditorium." Then we come to the theatre itself, and it is, indeed, a work of art. Nothing is missing, from two projectors to make the pictures continuous, to the thick rich carpet on the floor. Seats that are so comfortable that we feel the management will have to provide entertainment of unusual interest to keep the patrons awake; lighting effects that are of every color of the rainbow; walls that are carefully decorated, and hangings of unusual beauty and richness. The theater was ready for live performances as well as films: The stage, which is adaptable for the realistic as — Baltimore County Public Library well as the silent drama, is provided with curtains Architect's drawing of the proposed Towson Theatre by John of rose velour, and also footlights. Two dressing Ahlers of the firm of George N. Mackenzie III. The entrance rooms are provided for the actors or actresses, with was somewhat different when the theater opened in 1928. all the modern and latest conveniences. . . . the (From a Hughes Company glass negative in the collection of building is equipped with a ladies and gentlemen's the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.) rest room, and a manager's office. The office is tastefully furnished and is provided with an elabo- As is often the case, construction was not completed by the rate system of telephones which permit the one in anticipated date. An "army of workmen and craftsmen" labored charge to keep in close touch with every section of to complete the brick building with concrete foundations and the building at all times. floors, and the grand opening occurred on Thursday, March 1, The theater contained an organ purchased from the Kilgen 1928, company of St. Louis which furnished organs to many of the The crowd at this event was described as one of the largest large churches and theaters all over the world. The company to have ever attended a performance of its kind in Baltimore stated that this organ was one of the best they had installed in County. Those in attendance warmly praised the theater and the any movie theater. entertainment it provided. There were performances at 6:30 The building was heated by a modern oil furnace, in a rein- and 8:30 p.m. consisting of a first-run feature film, a comedy, forced concrete enclosure, which produced vapor-controlled and a Pathe newsreel, heat. The electric wiring was of the best quality and "absolute- The most outstanding feature of the program was said to ly safe." The building met fire safety standards and there were have been the singing of Miss Marie Seiwell, John Head, and multiple fire doors. The roof was of reinforced gypsum which Bernard Cousine who were dressed in costumes symbolic of kept the building warm in winter and cool in summer. There the early days of Towson and who "brought down the house" were two large electric fans on the roof to provide fresh air at singing old-time songs. Miss Seiwell, the daughter of Mr. and all times. According to the Jeffersonian, "theatre men from Mrs. Porter G. Seiwell, was a soprano who performed in light New York and Chicago say that [the building] is the prettiest as operas in the Baltimore area. There were a number of floral well as the best neighborhood house that has been constructed arrangements sent by local businesses and individuals who south of Philadelphia." Of course, the management stated that wished to congratulate the management of the new theater. only the latest and best movies were to be shown. The account of the opening in the Jeffersonian said the the- The theater was designed by a local architect, George N. atre was dedicated to General Nathan Towson, hero of the War Mackenzie III, who also designed the Towson Presbyterian of 1812, who, it was alleged—incorrectly—was the founder of Church, the former Baltimore County Bank building, and the Towson. general offices of the Black and Decker Company near The Jeffersonian devoted a section of several pages to glow- Towson. He died only a few months after the theater opened. PAGE 10 HISTORY TRAILS OF BALTIMORE COUNTY SPRING 2007

William H. Sands, Inc., was the general contractor. Others Are In the Air," You Can't Stop Laughing at This One. who worked on the building were Joseph J. Strohecker of Friday – Lon Chaney in his most wonderful production, Govans, who installed the heating system; Boring and Boring " After Midnight." of Baltimore, who did the interior plastering; and Benson of Saturday – "Spoilers of the West." This is a Special Western Charles Street in Baltimore, who designed and executed the Picture. Serial: "The Green Archer"; two comedies. wall decorations, draperies, and carpet. "Ben Hur," described as "the mightiest of all Photo plays," In an editorial welcoming the new venture, the Jeffersonian was to be shown the following Monday and Tuesday. stated that local people would no longer have to go to A special matinee performance was featured every Saturday Baltimore to see top quality movies and, in addition, the pres- "for the children as well as grownups." ence of the theater would benefit Towson merchants because it The Community Theatre's newspaper ads continued until bring people from miles around. At that time, there were no May 5, 1928. It is likely that it was forced to close at about that traffic or parking difficulties in Towson: time because it could not compete with the modern Towson Going to Baltimore to see a show is not so bad, Theatre. but it has its drawback. In the first place the prob- lem of parking anywhere near the place of The Theater Organ amusement is an annoying one, and driving In October 1928, a columnist for the Jeffersonian using the through city traffic is anything but pleasant. name Nancy Hanks, having heard that theater organs had With a first-class show house right here in interiors so large that they could accommodate a dozen or more Towson, both of these unpleasant features can be men at a time, visited the Towson Theatre and asked the man- avoided, and folks well be able to enjoy just as ager, Porter G. Sei well, for a "tour" of the organ. She said that good pictures as the theatres in Baltimore can he graciously agreed to accompany her, and this is what was offer. seen: The Jeffersonian did not mention the program shown on the Housed in six large chambers, each consider- opening day, but an ad in the paper on March 3, 1928, provided ably more spacious than the rooms of a modern the program for the coming week: apartment, are the assorted devices capable of Saturday - the feature presentation, "Interfering Gent"; a producing some eighteen thousand individual Mack Sennett comedy, "When A Man's A Prince"; and a sounds, simulating anything from the sonorous Sportlight, "Tackles and Touchdowns." sweep of the fullest symphony orchestra to the Monday – the feature, "Coney Island;" a comedy, "Tanks of yelp of a small dog whose tail has been trodden the Wabash": and a Pathe newsreel. upon. Five of these melody-making enclosures Tuesday – the feature, "Once and Forever"; a comedy, are beneath the stage; another, containing the "Beauty Parlor"; and "Hiking Through Holland" with Will golden pipes for counterfeiting fan fares, is at the Rodgers. top of the proscenium. A set of chimes inserted in Wednesday – the feature, "The Great Mail Robbery"; a com- an attic-like space between the gilded top of the edy, "Social Error"; and a Sportlight, "Cups and Contenders." theatre and the roof of the building is also at the Thursday – the feature, "The Girl From Gay Paree"; a com- command of the organist. edy, "Smith's Baby"; and a Pathe newsreel. A comprehensive tour of an instrument of this Friday and Saturday – the feature, "Cohens and Kellys in character cannot be accomplished in a few min- Paris"; a comedy, "Seeing The World"; and a Pathe newsreel. utes. It included a trip to a motor room, where At the same time, Towson's Community Theatre, which had compressed air, essential to the operation of one been operating across the street on the second floor of the Odd of these veritable factories of music is created. Fellows Hall and had not previously placed newspaper ads, Thick tubes more than a foot in diameter convey began listing is program in the newspaper, stating, "Always the motivating air to reservoirs, called regulators, watch our Weekly Program for the Best Motion Pictures in from which it is fed into the tuneful pipes in town." This theater's program for the same week was: response to the player's pressure from the keys— Saturday – "Chang," described as "the most wonderful pro- a pressure that sends an electric current coursing duction in years." over a wire to the particular device creating the Monday – Rin-Tin-Tin in his latest and biggest production, desired note. The current acts upon a magnet "Jaws of Steel." which releases a disk at the end of the pipe and Tuesday – Johnny Hines in "Homemade," A Laugh from admits the compressed air, which dashes to the Start to Finish. opening and rushes through it with sound-pro- Wednesday – Olive Borden in "The Joy Girl," Miss Borden ducing velocity. is one of America's Sweetest Screen Stars. One organ has three consoles, including a Thursday – Wallace Berry and Raymond Hatton in "Now We major one equipped with five manuals and two PAGE 11 HISTORY TRAILS OF BALTIMORE COUNTY SPRING 2007

minor ones with three each. It has three hundred Seiwell, and although hundreds of different notes stops, each representing a distinctive instrument and effects seldom deviate from their correct of effect. The flicking of an ivory tab by the quality, there is always the possibility that some organist may turn the resonant booming of a bass insignificant weakness might destroy an other- viol into the chirping of a flute. Each of the five wise perfect performance. To the trained ear the rooms beneath the stage is devoted to the produc- merest touch of flatness can be heard through the tion of strains that simulate different classes of loudest and most impressive peal of the organ. instruments. One, for example, is devoted to For that reason it must be installed in such a way pipes that mimic the sounds of a string ensemble. that every part of it can be reached with no loss Another chamber produces an expression as of of time. the woodwinds. A third provides the brasses. The The Towson Theatre opened at the end of the era of silent pipes range in size from the half-inch pigmy that pictures. Talking pictures came the following year. In April effects a shrill squeal as of the top note of a pic- 1929 the theater was wired for sound, using RCA's Photophone colo, to the 16 foot giant that gives off a guttural System. Eighty miles of electrical wire, 20 dynamic speakers, tremolo. The smallest pipe is scarcely a quarter- and two truckloads of accessories were used in this process. inch in width; the largest, fashioned to give the Mr. Seiwell said that the day had passed when audiences were resonance of one twice its length, is more than six satisfied merely with the novelty of sound in motion pictures inches in diameter. and that they now demanded good music faithfully reproduced, The room that produces the effects of percus- interesting skits on the screen done with real naturalness of sion instruments and miscellaneous appliances both speech and action as well as perfect synchronization of offers an especially rich reward for exploration. sound and movies. Electro-pneumatic power inflates bellows to The new system would allow everyone in the theater to hear which drumsticks are attached, forcing them the sound at appropriate levels without being too loud for those against the trap or bass affairs, whichever may be sitting in front and without extraneous noises or scratches or desired. Similarly operated hammers enable the grating monotones during pauses in the action. organist to play the piano and the xylophone, The sound system was installed relatively quickly, within a both of which are included in the chamber's week or two, and did not require closing the theater. diverse furnishings. Initially, the sound movies, advertised as "100 67o Talking From his distant seat, the organist can also Pictures," were interspersed with silent movies. During the engineer the jingling of sleigh bells, the clatter of week of May 6, 1929, "The Ghost Talks," a sound film, was hoofs and the whistling of wind. Cymbals, almost shown on Monday and Tuesday, followed by "Cohens & two feet in diameter, are prominent appurte- Kelleys In Atlantic City," a on Wednesday and nances. And, for interpretive selections, there are Thursday, and then "Strange Cargo," a talking picture, on contraptions that yield the meowing of cats and Friday and Saturday. the twittering of birds. An improvement was made to the theater's sound system in Small bellows-driven hammers cause the September 1932 which, it was said, made "talkies" sound as strings of a harp to vibrate in faithful simulation natural as the human voice. of the lingering notes produced by human fingers Having a modern theater in Towson made a difference to the in a glissando. There are bells of numerous sizes people of Towson and the northern part of Baltimore County. and shapes, permitting of the effect of a madly A man identified only as "Old Timer" who often wrote weekly careening fire engine through the streets of a city columns for the Jeffersonian, wrote in July 1928 that he went as well as of a cow winding slowly o'er the lea. to Towson with family members on Saturday night to see the The array of whistles is very imposing, with no movies. He said he was surprised and delighted with the the- form of screeching identified with present-day ater and the excellent movies. There was no longer a need to go civilization neglected. to Baltimore for such entertainment, he said, but parking had A thermostat safeguards the instrument rooms become a problem in Towson as it was in the city. They had to against changes of temperature, which would park several blocks from the theater. cause the pipes to expand or contract, resulting in The Old Timer said he saw people from the Manor, Parkton, flatness of tone. The organ attendants make a Mt. Carmel, Butler, and Chestnut Ridge. They had come to buy thorough inspection of all the rooms from time to their weekly supplies from the groceries and meat stores in time, supplementing by actual examination the Towson and also to go to the movies. All these people ate sup- checking up conducted by ear at the console. per at their regular time, drove to Towson in half an hour or An organ of this kind requires just about as less, did their shopping, went to the movies, and returned home much tender care as an infant, I was told by Mr. for their regular bedtime. PAGE 12 HISTORY TRAILS OF BALTIMORE COUNTY SPRING 2007

Gwin Owens, writing in 1986 about the period in the late sponsored another benefit performance in the Towson Theatre. 1920s and early 1930s when his family lived near Towson, said This was a play called "Henry's Wedding," with a cast of 150 "I remember the excitement that attended the building of the local people including Judge Frank I. Duncan, Magistrate Towson Theater, the house of a thousand thrills, with Saturday William P. Butler, and Mrs. Guy Campbell. serials and our favorite Westerns." This was a comedy about Henry Doolittle, a 55-year old On January 2, 1929, the wooden Calvary Baptist Church bachelor who planned to marry a younger widow and the diffi- burned down. While the present stone church was being built, culties caused when his nephew Jack announced plans to marry the congregation held its services in the Towson Theatre. on the same day and collect a $100,000 legacy under his grand- Sunday school classes were at 9:45 a.m. and regular church father's will. services at 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. This did not interfere with the The performances were on two successive evenings and movies because Sunday movies were not allowed in Baltimore admission prices were 50 and 75 cents. It was well attended City and County at that time. Even before the fire, the theater despite inclement weather, and the public health association had been used for church services. On a Sunday in August received $281.20. 1928, Calvary's services were conducted in the Towson Theatre. The Blue Laws and Sunday Movies Beginning in February 1929, the pastor delivered a series of The Children's Aid Society had obtained special permission Sunday evening lectures on different religions—Buddhism, from the County Commissioners to allow the benefit perfot st- Confucianism, Hinduism, and Mohammedanism—in the theater. ances on a Sunday. The "blue laws" of the time prohibited the showing of movies, as well as other activities, on Sundays. Benefit Performances People were expected observe the Sabbath and go to church, On Monday and Tuesday evening, June 1 and 2, 1930, "The not only on Sunday morning but in the evening as well. In a College Flapper," was performed in the Towson Theatre with letter that appeared in the Jeffersonian, the week following the proceeds to benefit the county's Ninth District Public Health benefit performance, a person identified as "A Blue Law Center. The play was described as a "side-splitting comedy" Advocate" wrote, designed to conclusively answer the question, "What is a I thought it was against the law to keep moving college flapper?" All the performers in the rather large case picture theatres in Baltimore County open on were local residents, including businessmen and politicians Sunday. Under the guise of assisting the unem- and their wives. There were also 28 "flappers" who should ployed all the moving picture theatres in the have been girls but were men. In addition, there was a Girls' County were open on last Sunday and from what Chorus which consisted of 26 actual females. I can learn they all did a big business. As a con- On the Sunday evening just before Christmas of 1930, the sequence, church pews on Sunday night were theater held a benefit movie performance for the general relief nearly empty and ministers preached to only a fund being distributed by the Children's Aid Society of handful of the faithful. Baltimore County. It was characterized as a success, with the Moving picture theatre owners hope to use the entire gross receipts of $125.85 being given to the society. Sunday night show for the unemployed as a Similar performances were held at other movie theaters in wedge, and it is time for all Christians to band Baltimore County. together and put their veto on these Sunday night The following year, on November 22, 1931, the county shows, whether for the unemployed or not. theaters again held benefit movie performances. Theater This drew severe criticism from the Jeffersonian in a lengthy employees volunteered to work without compensation. As in editorial titled "Shame on You," calling the blue-law advocates 1930, the gross receipts were collected from the theaters by the fanatics and bigots who espoused laws framed to meet condi- county police who turned them over to the County tions and prejudices that prevailed in 1794 and who Commissioners who then gave them to the Children's Aid . . . blow their noses violently when the unem- Society for distribution to needy families. Mrs. Mary Dulany, ployed and needy are mentioned. They fanatical- the organization's director, stated that, if the unemployed were ly deplore Sunday moving picture performances to be helped, everyone should attend one of the performances. which will swell the fund for feeding and shelter- The 1931 receipts were lower than in 1930. The Towson ing destitute babies, women and men. Theatre took in only $59.75. Total receipts from all the county No earthquake or other calamity has yet been theaters (in Dundalk, Sparrows Point, Essex, Overlea, and reported as having swallowed up a community Towson) were $622.67 compared with a total of $1,156.02 for where Sunday evening benefit performances the previous year, but Mrs. Dulany stated that even that amount have been held—the truth of the matter is that all would help a lot in view of the conditions that would have to these places look quite the same physically each be met in the coming winter. Monday, and are infinitely better able to meet In October 1932 the Ninth District Public Health Association their obligations to the needy within their midst PAGE 13 HISTORY TRAILS OF BALTIMORE COUNTY SPRING 2007

than fanatic-ridden cities and towns. . . . Avenue, Towson, whose coupon was drawn from a barrel on There were also several letters to the newspaper expressing the stage of the theater. disagreement with the Blue Law Advocate. One of the writers, Later the theater awarded two gold coins to the people who identified as "Chat D' Enfer" ["Hellcat"] wrote: guessed closest to the number of tickets in the barrel used in the A Blue Law Advocate recently stated . . that contest. as a result of the Sunday performances in County The Odd Fellows hall was again used to show movies, just theaters, "church pews were empty and ministers for one evening in June 1935. Two free performances of an preached only to a handful of the faithful." "All-Star talking picture spectacle" called "Highway Patrol," One would infer from such a statement, that in produced by the Goodrich tire company, was sponsored by the times of rigid "Blue Law" enforcement those Stebbins-Anderson Company, the local Goodrich dealers. people who attend evening services only do so There was also a newsreel and a contest for free prizes. because of a lack of better entertainment else- A similar promotional event, featuring movies with sound, a where! Consequently, one wonders if "Blue Law newsreel, an appearance by Captain "Bob" Woodward, a stunt Advocate" expects a shower of encomium to be entertainer, and door prizes, was offered free of charge by the poured over a large congregation which owes its Eierman Motor Company, a Chevrolet dealer, at the Firemen's size to the fact that theaters are closed! Hall in Cockeysville in September 1935. Again one would infer (from the writer's rather promiscuous use of the word "Christian") that The Rex only the aforementioned "handful of the faithful" In October 1933 the Rex Theatre opened on York Road south are true Christians! of Govans and appears to have offered a degree of competition Won't "A Blue Law Advocate" consult Mr. to the Towson Theatre. An article in the Jeffersonian in Webster's dictionary before he again "speaks his November 1933 stated that people from Towson and elsewhere piece"? Possibly, there may be some Christians in Baltimore County were making the Rex their entertainment among the theater-goers! center. The new theater was described as one of the most beau- The prohibition against Sunday movies was not to last much tiful in this section of Maryland. When the theater opened, sev- longer. The Jeffersonian, on March 24, 1933, printed a picture eral live attractions were scheduled to accompany the films On of State Delegate Holmes Alexander, labeled "Daddy," with an one night, the performers were the Celebrated Bubby Johnson explanation that he was the "daddy" of a bill in the General and his 13 Famous Radio Artists; the next two nights, Margaret Assembly to permit Sunday movies which had just been Sims and her eight musical misses ("one of the finest girls' approved by the House of Delegates and had then been submit- orchestras in the East") were performing. ted to the Senate. The weekly listing of the movies at the Rex were advertised Following the legislation's approval, the first Sunday movie in the Jeffersonian and were often more prominently placed at the Towson Theatre was on June 10, 1933. The program con- than those for the Towson Theatre. Also, the newspaper used sisted of Diana Wyndward and Clive Brooke in "Cavalcade" publicity photographs each week from features appearing at and a comedy, "Fair Play." The same films were shown on the the Rex. following day, Monday. Blue law advocates attempted to petition for a referendum in An Incident Baltimore County which would have permitted voters to decide on repealing the law allowing Sunday movies. To have The Jeffersonian in July 1935 reported an incident involving the referendum, they needed the signatures of 3,638 registered a group of black boys who were trying to watch a movie voters-10 percent of the number of votes cast for governor in through an open door at the Towson Theater without paying. It the 1930 election—by June 30, 1933. Had they succeeded, the must have been a slow news week in Towson and the story showing of Sunday movies in the county would have stopped must have amused the editor since the paper gave it promi- until the general election of November 1934. However, the nence on the first page and provided considerable detail. The referendum petitions contained only 2,626 names, and the Towson police must not have had much to do at the time either. effort to stop Sunday movies in the county failed. The newspaper stated that the movie being shown was thrilling and sensational enough, but, "[i]f woolly hair could Promotions stand on end there would have been a bunch of straight-haired colored youngsters in the alley alongside of the playhouse, In March 1932 the Towson Theatre played a part in what was `knot-holing' the picture through a door left ajar for ventilation. referred to as the Towson Merchants' "Buy at Home" Gift But the excitement of the screen drama was nothing to com- Campaign. The Towson Theatre, the Brooks Price Company pare to that which followed the sudden appearance of six (automobile dealers), Stebbins Anderson Company, George H. policemen from the local station bent upon the rounding up of Stieber, and Harris & Williams joined together to award a the young chiselers." Chevrolet car which was won by Mrs. Justus Dohme of Cedar PAGE 14 HISTORY TRAILS OF BALTIMORE COUNTY SPRING 2007

When the police came, the boys ran in all directions "like a of $100,000 in 1,000 shares of $100 each. The company's prin- drop of ink hitting on a marble slab." Some disappeared down cipal office was located at the same address as the Towson the alley like magic, jumping over fences and across lots in a Theatre and Mr. Seiwell was its president. The name should wild scramble to reach their home area in East Towson. Seven have been Bel Air since the company was formed to modern- of them were caught, most of them when they ran into an ize and operate the Argonne Theatre in the town of Bel Air in empty storeroom in the alley which had no exit except a small Harford County. window. Three of the boys were apprehended while trying to get through the window. Local Historian's Recollections The movie was called "Black Fury" and, according to the John McGrain moved to Towson with his parents in 1943 Jeffersonian, the name described the attitude of the parents of and recalls the theater as a large auditorium approached by a the seven boys when they had to go to the police station to deal long incline from the ticket booth. with the problem. "Fury of the blackest sort was written on the The corridor walls were lined with large photos countenance of one mother," who was called from a church of movie stars, none of whom I recognized. The service to get her son. She was quoted as having said to him, faces dated from the golden age of film in the late "Movin' picture. I'll give you one o' the movin'est pictures you 1930s. ever seen when I git you home. An' you won't have to steal no Towson was crowded with war workers at that look at it either." time and the movies were packed. People needed Porter Seiwell, the proprietor of the theater, said the boys some escape from the news of horrors of war and were only a nuisance and he did not want them interfering with the toil of munitions production. Hardly a year patrons leaving the theater by the side exit. He did not want before, the U. S. and Britain looked as if they them prosecuted, and the local magistrate dismissed them with might lose the war. But in 1943, I saw an extra a lecture and a warning to keep out of the alley. long full-color newsreel of the capture of General Rommel's Afrika Corps in Tunisia, and from The Belair there on, the Allies were winning. The feature In May 1937 Mr. and Mrs. Seiwell and William C. Allen films were often patriotic in those days. incorporated the Belair Theatre Corporation with capital stock There were usually three films a week and they

Front and back of a Towson Theatre program for December 27, 1953 — January 9, 1954. Most of the movie thectkrs produced cards like this or more elaborate leaflets to promote their coming attractions. PAGE 15 HISTORY TRAILS OF BALTIMORE COUNTY SPRING 2007

weren't brought back nor did they run for weeks In early March 1984 the theater closed for remodeling and in at a time. There was only a short window to see early April it reopened as two theaters, the Towson 1 and 2. some excellent pictures. Some great films eluded The first films shown in the new theaters were "Fanny and me until the age of television. Kids like action Alexander" in theater #1 and "Tender Mercies" with a sneak films about flying and naval operations. As a preview of "Spinal Tap" in theater #2. By early 1985, the the- small child, I couldn't tell one male actor from aters were designated the Towson Twin Cinemas. another, especially if they wore business suits— The movies became the Towson Art Cinemas on November and they seemed to talk too fast. I seem to recall 7, 1986, with advertisements proclaiming that they were that there were occasionally live speakers at the "Dedicated To Unique Film From The U.S. & Abroad." movies urging people to buy War Bonds. There In the summer of 1987, a display of historic photographs of were certainly patriotic messages projected on Towson, including several of the theater when it was opened in the screen about that. 1928, was being shown in the theater lobby. The free exhibi- At one matinee, there was trouble with the pro- tion was open during the hours when films were shown: 7:15 jector, and the operator played a record of to 1 p.m. on weekdays and 1:15 to 10:15 on weekends. Antonin Dvorak's Humoresque about five or six The showing of art or specialty films did not last very long, times; that many repetitions of that old war horse of Gypsy violinists probably turned me on to since in July 1988, the theaters became part of the J.F. theater classical music for ever. chain and were known as the J.F. Theatres Towson Twin. Later, some of the Goucher students com- In September 1989, Barbara Recher, Mr. and Mrs. Baker's plained that the Towson was dinky for such a daughter, leased the theaters to Loews of Baltimore, Inc. The metropolis. theater closed for several weeks when the lease expired at the Thirty Seconds over Tokyo was probably one of end of January 1992. The lease was renewed on February 21 the war-era films I saw. I remember also The Egg and Loews announced that it would continue to show first-run and 1, a story about a woman who raised chick- movies at first-run prices. A Loews' spokesman said the the- ens, and the rustic farces starring Pa and Ma aters were often used to show movies to local movie critics Kettle. Then there was a film about a couple because they had Dolby stereo sound and "they have an building a suburban house who were frequently absolutely beautiful wall-to-wall picture on each screen." told by their contractor they needed "One more load of gravel." I probably saw Lassie Come Home and National Velvet in those days. I have never forgotten the bouncy tune of "Gary Owen" in They Died with Their Boots On, but I might have seen that at the Forest on Garrison Boulevard rather than the Towson. Later, the Towson Theatre was operated by the Towson Amusement Corporation, which was established in June 1950 by Porter G. Seiwell, William C. Allen, and H. Anthony Mueller with capital stock of $100,000 in shares of $100 each. Mr. Seiwell became the president, Mrs. Seiwell, vice president, and R.H. Hildebrand, the secretary-treasurer. In the days before everyone had a television at home and people could go to the movies several times a week, ticket prices were reasonable by today's standards. New admission prices announced for the Towson Theatre beginning December 1951 were 50 cents (42 cents plus 8 cents tax) for adults from 5 to 9:30 p.m. and 25 cents for children (21 cents plus 4 cents tax). Ticket prices were lower between 1 and 5 p.m.: adults paid 35 cents (29 cents plus 6 cents tax) and children paid 20 cents (17 cents plus 3 cents tax).

The Last Years of the Towson Theatre — Baltimore County Public Library Stanley and Elizabeth Baker, operators of Hicks-Baker The marquee of the Towson Theatre in its last days, photographed Theaters which owned several movie theaters in the Baltimore in 1991 by Rich Riggins of the Patuxent Publishing Company. area, acquired the Towson Theatre from Mr. Seiwell in 1959. PAGE 16 HISTORY TRAILS OF BALTIMORE COUNTY SPRING 2007

However, Loews leased the theater only on a monthly basis could not support two large hotel projects. A 10-screen movie and, on July 1, 1992, terminated the arrangement and closed theater was substituted. the theaters, obviously unable to compete with the new Towson The General Cinema Corporation opened the Towson Commons theaters that had opened in May just a block away. Commons Theaters at the southwest corner of York Road and A spokesman for Loew's would say only that the Towson twin Pennsylvania Avenue, with eight screens and 2,200 seats, on theaters did not fit into their long-range plans and that it was May 22, 1992. At the opening ceremony, there was a proces- difficult to operate the smaller theaters at a profit. Bigger the- sion of honored guests, including the Baltimore County aters made more economic sense, he said, ". . . theaters are Executive, several elected representatives, Miss Maryland, going to have to offer much more than just larger screens. They Miss Preakness, members of the Lutherville and Providence have to have better sound, better pictures; they have to offer Volunteer Fire Departments, and the corporate officials of the something that people can't get at home. We are going to have General Cinema Corporation and LaSalle Partners, which built to provide the biggest and best that we can." Towson Commons. Also present were people dressed as Mrs. Recher was unsuccessful in finding a new tenant for the Ronald McDonald, Wally Woodchuck, the Baltimore Zoo mas- building, and in 1995, her sons, Brian, Steve, and Scott Recher, cot, and a character from the movie "Alien III." The movie convened it into a billiards club called Rec-Room Billiards. receipts until May 28 were to go to the Ronald McDonald They realized that the acoustics of the building made it a per- houses. fect place for concerts, and by 1998 many local and national Among the movies shown at the opening were "The Player" rock groups were performing there. and previews of "Alien III" and "Sister Act." Ticket prices dur- In March 1999 the Recher brothers transformed the Rec- ing the first week were $1.40 and $1.05 for some of the movies Room into the Recher Theatre. The theater has a capacity for and $4 for the newer movies. There was free popcorn and a soft 700 but does not offer seating. It has a kitchen and two bars, drink for all ticket holders. The charge for parking in the adja- and in the adjacent Rec Room are pool tables, games, and a cent parking garage, with a validated movie ticket, was $1 for number of televisions. three hours. Paul DelRossi, president of General Cinemas, which then Towson Commons had 1,400 other movie screens in 31 states, expressed his view that "this theater is going to do great." Adam Wasserman of the In 1989 the Towson Commons project was being planned on county Office of Economic Development was also and the west side of York Road between Chesapeake and expressed his opinion that the opening of the movies was one Pennsylvania Avenues. At first, the plan was to have a hotel of the best things to occur in Towson in a long time: "This will with retail stores on the street level. Later the plan was changed bring people here that we have never had before. It will bring to eliminate the hotel because the Sheraton Hotel had been attention to Towson. and that's what we want." built on Fairmount Avenue and it was decided that Towson

Front and rear views of the former Towson Theatre as it appeared in 2003.