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| Crowds Storm Opening
of New Tivoli Theater
By Ben Hecht Source: Chicago Daily News, 17 February 1921, pg. 27. From the remodeled delicatessen store known as the Nickelodeon to the Parnassian edifice that opened its doors last night at East 63rd street and Cottage Grove avenue is a movie thriller itself. Last night several thousand people endeavored to take the Tivoli by storm. The lure of Constance Talmadge and the forty-piece orchestra was a secondary inspiration to the great crowds. They came hurrying from all points of the compass for a look at the "marvelous and amazing moving-picture palace." Movie crowds have grown a trifle blase in the matter of marble exteriors, chiseled foyers, lighting effects and luxurious decorations. But the Tivoli gave them something new. Seats for 4,500 Fans. Inside there were seats for 4,500 patrons. Applause sounded in the auditorium continually. And the firm of Balaban & Katz, owners of the new structure, felt that the money invested was beginning to bring its returns. As early as 6 o'clock the patrons began darkening the streets. By 6:30 the lines reached from 63d to 64th street. When the doors finally opened the lines had extended to 65th street and the neighborhood surrounding the Tivoli resembled a segment of Armistice day. Thousands of movie enthusiasts choked all the thoroughfares leading to the theater. Seemingly no more than a handful of the crowd was able to gain entrance, although the interior is the largest in Chicago. Even Lobby Gives Thrill. But those who didn't get in were not at all disappointed. The eye-bursting decorations of the foyer and the fanfare of marble and crystal provided a thrill in themselves. The outsiders stood by thrilling under the exciting magnificences of the lobby. Inside the thousands listened to the big orchestra hurling bewildering sounds against the vast walls. The eerie lighing of the place converted the marble auditorium into vast pink, golden and lavender bubbles that burst into different colors as the music played. Constance Talmadge and her "Dangerous Business" occupied for the first few hours a secondary place. Chicago's "wonder theater" was the main show and under its glowing marble the movies of the one-time nickelodeon underwent a new coronation. |
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Page authored: 1 May
2005 -
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