New Grand Central Theatre

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New Grand Central Theater, Grand Boulevard and Lucas Avenue in 1925 New Grand Central Theater.jpg
New Grand Central Theater, Grand Boulevard and Lucas Avenue in 1925

The New Grand Central Theatre (also spelled with Theater) was a movie theatre at 705 North Grand Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri. It was designed by St. Louis architects Helfensteller, Hirsch & Watson and was built in 1913.

Helfensteller, Hirsch & Watson was an early twentieth-century American architectural firm from St. Louis, Missouri. It succeeded Hirsch and Helfensteller which had been founded in 1903. The firm's partners included Ernest Helfensteller, William Albert Hirsch and Jesse N. Watson. The firm quickly gained prominence with its 1912 design of the Moolah Temple in St. Louis.

It was built as Grand Central Theatre by the Skouras Brothers as a 1,750 theater for showing of motion pictures, unusual for the time. It cost $150,000. The theater was the host location for the first St. Louis "talkie", Al Jolson in The Jazz Singer . The theater was also the first St. Louis theater to show an all-color talking and singing musical, On with the Show , in June 1929. It was renovated and became the New Grand Central Theatre in 1921. The 2,500 seat renovated theatre had room for a 21 piece orchestra and a Wonder Kilgen organ. [1]

Al Jolson Russian-born American entertainer, actor, and singer

Al Jolson was an American singer, comedian, and actor. He was dubbed "The World's Greatest Entertainer" at the peak of his career. His performing style was brash and extroverted, and he popularized many songs that benefited from his "shamelessly sentimental, melodramatic approach." In the 1920s, Jolson was America's most famous and highest-paid entertainer.

<i>The Jazz Singer</i> 1927 film by Alan Crosland

The Jazz Singer is a 1927 American musical drama film directed by Alan Crosland. It is the first feature-length motion picture with not only a synchronized recorded music score but also lip-synchronous singing and speech in several isolated sequences. Its release heralded the commercial ascendance of sound films and ended the silent film era. It was produced by Warner Bros. with its Vitaphone sound-on-disc system. The film features six songs performed by Al Jolson. It is based on the play of the same name by Samson Raphaelson which itself was adapted from one of his short stories titled "The Day of Atonement".

It was closed in 1931 and later demolished and replaced by a parking lot. [1]

See also

Marie Moentmann American accident victim

Marie Moentmann (1900-1974) was a 15-year-old girl who lost her hands and full use of both arms in a factory accident in 1915 in St. Louis, Missouri.

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References

  1. 1 2 "New Grand Central Theatre, at Cinema Treasures".

Coordinates: 38°38′24″N90°13′50″W / 38.64000°N 90.23052°W / 38.64000; -90.23052

Geographic coordinate system Coordinate system

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