The Golden Age of Indianapolis Theaters

17. The 1940s, a Decade of Success and Sadness

17 The1940s,aDecadeof SuccessandSadness First-run movies dominated downtown theaters in the 1940s as the city found itself rid of a depression and entertaining larger audiences , many of them affected by a war. Some of them were in uniform , stationed at Fort Harrison or Camp Atterbury, others were saying good-bye to husbands, sons, or daughters, and still others were turning to jobs needed to produce military supplies. Loew’s launched the new decade’s movie era in January, nearly two years before Pearl Harbor, with the long-awaited and highly publicized Gone with the Wind. It had its gala premiere at 8 pm on a Friday. Night showings and Sunday matinees required reserve seating at $1.10 a ticket. Weekday matinees offered general seating for just 75¢. Business was so successful that the film occupied the theater for four weeks. One year later it returned and stayed for two weeks at lower prices. Another historic movie introduced to the city at Loew’s was Charlie Chaplin’s The Great Dictator, which was noted for three significant reasons. It made fun of Germany’s Nazi leader, it was available to the public thirteen months before we were at war with Germany, and it allowed audiences to hear Chaplin’s voice for the first time. On another level of entertainment, this was the theater that introduced Jane Russell to Indianapolis following a delay of three years due to censorship problems . Produced by Howard Hughes, The Outlaw benefited from the delay. The Filmgoer’s Companion noted that “the publicity campaign emphasized the star’s physical attributes.” Local audiences responded accordingly. The film stayed at Loew’s three weeks. Most of the bookings, usually double features, tended to be family oriented, however. Hoosier Red Skelton appeared in fourteen films, equaling the number 179 of times a film series on the comic strip Blondie with Penny Singleton and Arthur Lake was shown. The list of other MGM, United Artists, and Columbia stars that occupied the screen at the theater would fill a book, starting with the Andy Hardy adventures, the Marx Brothers, Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, and many, many musicals starring Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, and Mickey Rooney. Another powerhouse cinema was the Indiana, which had set aside its stage policy. It got the pick of films coming out of Paramount, Universal, 20th Century Fox, and RKO Radio. Rarely did they remain at the theater more than a week. Shows that were held over were sent to the Circle and the Lyric. After the Lyric was sold, its new owner leased it to the Greater Indianapolis Amusement Company , joining the Indiana and the Circle. By 1947 Keith’s was leased to the same company. An indication that the Indiana was doing well was a decision to keep it open year-round. The last time it closed its doors was the summer of 1941. Among its many attractions was Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane, which the Filmgoer’s Companion identifies as a production “often acclaimed the best film of all time.” Others first seen at the theater were Bing Crosby’s Holiday Inn and Going My Way, Crosby’s “Road to . . .” pictures with Bob Hope, Casablanca, Yankee Doodle Dandy , Pride of the Yankees, and It’s a Wonderful Life. Twice the Indiana was the setting for World War II military emergency assistance for the wounded. When This Is the Army, the film version of what originally was an all-military stage revue, came to the Indiana, special plans were made for its premiere. The sponsor was the 11th District American Legion with Governor Henry Schricker and Mayor Robert Tyndall as co-chairmen. All seating was reserved with a top ticket price of $11. Regular prices were restored during an unprecedented three-week stay. Seventy-five thousand was the customer count for the first week. Six months later, the General Hospital Band from Fort Harrison performed on the Indiana stage for another military fund-raiser. Sponsored by all of the Indianapolis theaters, it netted over $400,000. This was the same year (1942) that Indianapolis had responded to what the Indianapolis Star called the first state war bond rally (January) held in the United States since the war began. The newspaper’s owner, Eugene C. Pulliam, was the executive chairman of the defense savings staff. Fort Wayne–born actress Carole Lombard came back to help inaugurate the campaign at the Cadle Tabernacle and...