Buffalo Movie Theaters - Table of Contents

A WORK IN PROGRESS
An Oral and Visual History of Buffalo Movie Theaters
Buffalo, New York
Please send your photos and memories. Indicate if you want your name and/or e-mail address included online.


Click on illustrations for larger size

Gayety Theater
Photo courtesy of
Bob Schley

 

Genesee
Photo courtesy of
Rich Schweiger

 

Hippodrome
( Shea's)
Photo courtesy of
Vintage Buffalo Views (C. Andrle)

 

Lafayette Theater
Photo courtesy of
Bob Schley

 

Lafayette Theater
Photo courtesy of
Rich Schweiger

 

Shea's Theater
Postcard courtesy of
Chris Andrle

 

Shea's Buffalo
Photo courtesy of
Bob Schley

 

Shea's Buffalo
Source:

1991 Painting by Dr. V. Roger Lalli

 

Shea's Buffalo

 

Teck Theater
Photo courtesy of
Bob Schley


 Memories ............

TWO NEIGHBORHOOD THEATRES I DIDN'T SEE MENTIONED WERE THE ORPHEUM ON GENESEE NEAR BAILEY AND A SMALL SHOW, I CAN'T REMEMBER THE NAME, ON GRIDER  ACROSS FROM THE HOSPITAL NOT FAR FROM THE PUBLIC SWIMMING POOL. MY RECOLLECTION WAS THAT IT COST LESS THAN A DIME AT THE ORPHEUM TO SEE 2 MOVIES, A COUPLE OF SERIALS, MANY CARTOONS AND THE NEWS. THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE MID TO LATE FORTIES. - BOB IN JUPITER


Fascinating site.. My neighborhood, the Fruit Belt, had 3 movie houses within striking distance, not including the downtown houses which were all in walking range. The New Ariel was on High St. between Michigan Ave. and Maple St. They changed programs 3 times a week and had separate Sat and Sun Matinees Admission was 9 cents for matinees and 12 cents for evening shows. The other theaters in the neighborhood were the Columbia and Colonial houses both on Genesee Street maybe 10 blocks from one another. Along with the Unity on Grant St., they were owned by either Gammler or Gammer something like that. The Genesee St. theaters both became Full Gospel Churches and the Ariel was used by Roswell Park Hospital for animal storage . - Dan Tremblay

During mid-thirties I saw movies at the Maxine Theater (?) on Seneca. It was down the street from a Shea's on Seneca St. (where Cazenovia St. ended). There was also a Capitol Theater (?) on South Park Avenue. Where I saw a magical performance by Katherine Hepburn in Alice Adams. Haven't seen either of these theaters mentioned on your site. I attended these three theaters from 1934-'35 thru 1938.

Somewhere in all of the reminiscences about Buffalo theatres someone mentioned that the Teck theatre was less than first rate. Three, or maybe four generations back it was the major legitimate theatre in Buffalo. My Dad was the pianist there for several years but took up another instrument because he was put on standby pay when the touring companies brought their own pianist. (It did give him the opportunity to be a spear-carrier in one of the operas that played there during his piano playing tenure.) When the Erlanger opened the Teck fell on harder times. Of performances at the Teck I have no memory. Nor do I have memories of performances at the Court Street theatre where my Dad began his career as a bass violinist but I have a flitting memory of walking across Court Street to the theatre, which was in the first or second block off Main St.

My true memories of performances are of Saturday matinees at Shea's Hippodrome where Pop moved from the Court St. There were two conductors whose names I remember; Harry Wallace who died and was replaced by Al Greenberg. Conductors had contracts but the musicians served at the pleasure (or good judgment) of the conductor. And I do remember some of the musicians. But this is more about performances.

The side sections of seating at the Hippodrome began at the front with two seats in the front row. At Saturday matinees one of those two seats on the left side was mine! I can't believe I was there every week but I have no other memories of Saturday afternoons.

On the other hand Olsen and Johnson, Burns and Allen, Jack Benny, Jack Pearl, and Ken Murray are names still in my memory as well as bits of their acts. Of course, there were animal acts, ventriloquists, singers, and acrobatic acts and others running the full gamut of the vaudeville troupes.

Despite those memories, I cannot remember what specifically brought those experiences to an end. Perhaps it was not just one thing but a consequence of a merging of illness, talkies and the depression and maybe a change of conductors. While the experiences did end, they have left me permanently with a love of live theatre. - Bob Wurtz

The Center (or Centre) was originally the Hippodrome (Shea's). The Paramount was originally the Great Lakes (also Shea's, I think).

The Teck (Shea's) was a white elephant from the day it opened.

The Buffalo played first-run films from MGM and Fox. Paramount played first-run Paramount. For the life of me, I can't remember who played first-run Warner Brothers (I think it was the Paramount) I believe the Center played primarily moveovers from the Buffalo, altho I remember "The Miracle Of Our Lady Of Fatima" playing there first-run. The Century played first-run RKO, Republic and Eagle-Lion. Briefly, in the 40's they brought back vaudeville (fun). The Lafayette (Basil) played first-run Universal and Columbia. As for us kids, the Century meant Disney (at the time RKO released Disney') and the Lafayette meant Abbott & Costello (Universal)

The Century ran vaudeville (with a feature film) for a time in the very late 40's or very early 50's.

For those who live in the Buffalo area, the ultimate authority on Buffalo theaters is Ranjit Sandhu's massive Buffalo theater manuscript, which can be seen by asking for it at the reference desk in the Special Collections Department, Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. It has never been published or cataloged, and to my knowledge, BECPL has the only copy outside of Ranjit's possession. It cannot be used outside of the department.

It documents every known theater, opera house, movie palace, music hall, and saloon-with-a-stage built before 1939 in the city of Buffalo, and there were *hundreds* of them. It runs about 400 pages. - Cynthia Van Ness



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