Page Eight
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Sunday, January 15, 1956
The Saga of a Theatre
From Opera to Door Prizes:
The Downfall of the Whitney
Almost Half a Century of Catering to Ann Arbor Audiences
I
By DAVID KAPLAN
Daily Feature Editor
AFTER bringing a galaxy of
entertainment stars to Ann
Arbor in plays and movies, the
Whitney Theatre is now a memory.
Nondescript rubble covers the
ground where the theatre oncer
stood. It's age a detriment to its
safety, the building was torn down
last spring. Now, plans for a new
theatre are in the talking stage I
and construction is expected to be-
gin in the spring.
The theatre that boasted plays
with Edwin Booth lad its originp
in a two story building at the 1
corner of North Main and West
Ann Strieets. The ground floor
had food and clothing shops and
upstairs was the Athens Theatre.a
Erected in 1871, the building,
was at taken over by Bert C.
Whitney who owned opera houses(
in Chit t, Btrit ind Toronto,4
and swho renmied it The Whitneyw
Theatre.1
AT A CO SIT o $8000 Whitney
rebuil ttheit atre and the en-
tire building. On January 18, 1908
an opening nut audience paid up
to $25 asct to see "A Knight fora
a Day" produced by the Chicago--
Whitey Opera House Company. AT THE CORNER of Main and Ann, over the stores of two buildings, the Whitney Theatre provided
From tir on, greats of the
theatre world payed the Whitney Ann Arbor with a range of entertainment that included the Barrymores, Westerns and egg-rolling
as part of their road tour be- contests. The old Whitney has now bowed to the times - and a cinemassope, stereophonic sound
tween New York and Chicago, movie theatre is being planned for the site.
James Murnan, whose father own-
ed the Whitney Theatre and W'- Grace George, still a leading act- Now the theatre and production The Whitney's 1500 chair seats
ney Hotel from 1915 until 1929, ress in today's American theatre, budget had been raised. Admis- were divided into 593 on the main
recalls some of the stars he saw appeared at the Whitney on Feb. sion price was $2, but now for floor, 408 in the balcony and 475
In plays at the theatre. 8, 1910 in "A Woman's Day" and your money you would hear music
Among them woere Richard prices for the performance ranged by a symphony orchestra of 30 in the high gallery whose seats
Bennett (father of Joan and Con- from 35 cents to $1,50. members and see a film employing were rows of pew-like benches.
stance), John Drew in "The Chief," As part of the Klaw and Ei "n- 125,000 people and 7,500 horses. There were also six seats in each
M's. Leslie Carter in "The Circle," ger Booking Circuit, the Whitney The stepped up production and of the six side boxes.
Francis X. Bushman and Ethel and received plays with such stars as cost in all areas seemed sudden
John Barrymore in many appear- Billie Burke, Elsie Janis, Maude within the space of eight days, but Fancy Parlors
ances Adams, Lillian Russell and Ann distribution methods had also been
One of Murnan's old playbills Arbor's own Frank McIntyre, who stepped up. "Birth of a Nation" & Prisons
announces the appearance of Ed- was Cap'n Andy in the original which had been filmed in 1914 and WAS produced from
win Booth in "Julius Caesar" on stage version of "Showboat" released in 1915 took two years to LIGHTING
May 7, 1888, but mot of Murnan's reach Ann Arbor, "Intolerance" 183 16-candle power lamps for
collectionM dae from 1885 thlrou h Full-length plays were not he was filmed in 1915, released in 1916 footlights and 415 three-colored
1925 nuy Ingthe fa f18 Lhan and had its local showing in a lamps for general stage lights. Its
Hownte brought his "Trae little more than a year after, sets were unprecedented for a
H. Howe brought his bTravel house running one-night stands.
Perfume Spray Show" of pictures and commen-
tating to th Whitneey. The audi- Road Shows Since most road shows did not
rTHE FOIBLES of a theatrical nee was admitt y Taprice sae carty sets with them, each theatre
prima donna were more re- of 2,s a d 0 p scalePOPULAR STAGE stars of the provided common backdrops to
spected then and Murnan related Later that year the Washington day were coming to town and perform the play against. The
an incident when the theatre was Square Players from New orkt performing at the Whitney more Whitney had nine sets which in-
sprayed with perfume "They made their viit to town. The than a decade after its opening cluded a fancy parlor, a plain
thoutht th wouldmgve. ithmoy -smallnd uhnkn n rtow. g p night. Films had not, as yet, be- chamber, kitchen, cottage, prison,
thought this would give it atmos- small and unknown repetory group come such an important enter- garden, woods, street and a hori-
phere," Murnan says. had as one of its mmbers a soon- tainment media. May Irwin ap- zon.
The play was Sacha Guitry's to-be-acclaimed actress, Her name peared in her comedy "On the On the stage-level dressing
torrid "Sleeping Partners" and it was Katharine Cornell. Hiring Line." In the cast was an rooms, well-fitted with lights,
starred Irene Bordoni and Wallace unknown actress now a noted tables, couches and sinks, there
Eddinger. Murnan is still in "show Movies Take Over stage, motion picture and televiion were solitary stars on each door.
business" and runs the box-office actress-Nydia Westman All together there were 25 dressing
at the Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre RT WASN'T ntil the spring of Hoad shows of popular successes rooms spread out on the three
in the League. 1917 that movies alone were also made their stops at the Whit- levels backstage,
Sir Harry Lauder appared at shown at the Whitney as THE en- ney. The Chicago compny of
Si ar adrapae ttertainment. The event was David nem C g cmayws What the audience saw before
the Whitney during one of his Wark Griffith's monumental epic tl n PreferBlothe curtain went up was an inter-
many "farewell tours" of the ark Grffith monuesal epi in town o Nov. 10, 1926 and was ior of dark oak woodwork, red
and the first o the coosally lavish followed eight d ys 1later by the uhltrd 'as apt aa
United States. Not to neglect ballet pictures. The picture was "Birth upholstered seats, carpets and
and the dance, the Whitney stage of a Nation," starrin Lillin Gi I Windy City's company of "Abe' draperies. The ensemble colors
t ain"sarn ila ih rsh Rose" arpc' h nebeclr
was also the scene of performances and it was given lush treatment as Continuing the solo and dance were gold, sky blue, light green
by Pavlova and Nijinsky. The was customary with the "spectac- show tradition set up before dhe and pale yellow.
traiealiy magnifient diva Nazi- ulars" of that day, first World War, Ruth St. Benis Upon entering the lobby, the
moss also rought hem vehicle to There were only two perform-ed their theatregoer was flushed with lightI
tone, ances a day for the two-day run joint program at the theatre on from three French-finished chan-
theseat enirely, aear fovr on May 18 and May 19. With a top Jan. 15, 1927. deliers which flooded the Italian-
the theatre entirely, appeared for admission price of $1.50, the per- Legitimate ;lays or poofessional tile floor of a "very mild and mel-
the first time at the Whitney in formances boasted a 20-piece sym- companies were not the only ones low color" and the paneled walls
etere tree,4-onundryfivenpay.phony orchestra for a movie that to use the Whitney. Several sea- with their red burlap appoint-
They were three, our us five part cost $500,000 to make, employed sons of Junior Girls Flays were mients.
Alco productions running up to 18,000 people and 3,000 horses. performed there as were several Although the interior and ex-
and ten cents. E Right days later on May 26, 1917 Union Operas, such as 'CultureY terior remained comparatively un-
another of D. W. Griffith's pic- "Michigenda" and "Cotton Stock- changed, the bill of fare took a
]EFORE MOVIES were inter- tures was given the two-perform- ings." drastic upheaval in 1934. The de-
spersed into the stage programs, ance treatment. This time the epic The versatile theatre was well pression had eaten into show busi-
such shows as George M. Cohan's was "Intolerance ." The four equipped for the varied forms of ness and roadshows were unprofit-
"The American Idea" starring stories of intolerance through the entertainment it presented. Acous- able ventures. L. C. Mull, manager
Trixie Friganza on Nov. 1, 1909 ages were tied together with a tically it was probably the best in of the State Theatre and the
and one of the perennial versions poignant picture of Lillian Gish the city. Its seating capacity was Majestic Theatre (which occupied
(Stetson's) of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" gently rocking a cradle symbolic slightly larger than that of he the site of the Maynard Street
on Dec. 4, 1909 were the usual fare. of the cradle of time. Michigan Theatre today. Carport) as manager of the Whit-
ney Theatre decided to convert
entirely to film showings.
DOUBLE features were shown
with an admission price of 15
cents until 6 p.m. and 25 cents
after 6 p.m. One of the first pic-
tures shown under the new policy
was "The Scarlet Letter" starring
Colleen Moore. Other greats of
the 1930's whose films were shown
at the Whitney included Shirley
Temple, Neil Hamilton, Bela Lu-
gosi, Ben Lyon and Will Rogers.
In the following decade the
bill was usually a western with a
second rate film. Pictures such
as Roy Rogers in "Rainbow Over
Texas" and Eddie Dean in "Song
of Old Wyoming" could usually be
found playing to gun-taing
youngsters.
Buring one such Western,
"Devil's Cargo," a high rate of
tension taos apparent inside the
theatre. It was Sept. 23, 1948,
The lobby 'was peaceful until 9
Pm. Then a "tall stranger"
walked tip to the cashier's cage,
drew a revolver out of his pocket
and shoved it through the cage.
"Check this while I see tie show,"
he said. The startled cashier gave
the stranger his ticket and he
disappeared into the theatre.
The cashier then called the
police who found the gun unload-
ed and defective. Policemen
watched for the "tall stranger"
after the showing was over, but
he didn't appear. The gun was
added to the collection of confis-
cated and unclaimed property at
the police station,
Gimmicks
THE LATE 1940's were the days
of the gimmick to attract pa.
tronage. The Whitney participated
in the fetish by having an egg-
decorating contest for March 18 to
March 25, 1948 in connection with
the theatre's showing of "The Egg
and I." Prizes were: $10 to the
first-place winnOr, $5 for second
prize, 10 prizes of $1 each, and 10
pairs of tickets.
By this time the building was
more than 75 years old and age
had taken its ruinous toll. The
former owners had been told to
close the building, but were ae
to stall for two years. Finally o
Feb. 17, 1952 the Whitney Theatre
was permanently closed. Gone
were the plays of the Barrymores
and the movies of Roy Rogers.
Sixteen years before, in 1936.
W. S. Butterfield Theatres Inc,
acquired a 99-year lease on the
property, and now planned to build
a new movie theatre. For more
than three years after its closing,
the Whitney stood deserted, un-
used and forgotten. On Oct. 8, 1954
WPAG-TV ran a television show
honoring the fabulous history of
the theatre.
LAST WINTER the Butterfield
Theatres received notice from
the State Fire Marshal and Buid-
ing Commissioner to raze the
building.
The theatre group complied and
in May the historic building was
torn down. At present, legal talks
concerning a common wall next to
the theatre site are holding up
scheduled spring construction.
When the case is settled, a 1400-
seat theatre will be built. It will
have a cinemascope screen, stereo-
phonic sound, air conditioning and
no offices. Its programs will be
a mixture of "art" and straight
run films.
No nane has been selected for
the new theatre which will stand
on the ruins of the riches-to-rags
Whitney Theatre.
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