The Uptown Theatre: A Palace of Enchantment

By Rob Christopher in Arts & Entertainment on Nov 3, 2010 4:40PM

Until (and if?) The Uptown reopens, all we can do is remember its glory days as one of Chicago's premiere showplaces. Via CompassRose and the Uptown Chicago History Blog, we came across a PDF of the August 17, 1925 issue of Balaban & Katz Magazine. This special "Uptown Theatre Issue" gushes madly about the brand new venue, declaring it "Not for TODAY---But for All TIME." It contains the Inaugural Program, which included a performance by The Edgewater Beach Hotel Oriole Orchestra, an operatic stage production entitled "Under Spanish Skies," and the main feature, The Lady Who Lied, starring Lewis Stone and Virginia Valli. (Incidentally, the film is one of the estimated 90% of silent films now presumed lost forever.)

The entire 32-page magazine is fascinating and worth an extended read. We love the ads, especially the one for the Yankee Doodle Doo Restaurant at 4731 Broadway ("Every Evening we serve a One Dollar Dinner of Smothered Chicken and Waffles.")