Many years before the internet and deal sites like Groupon, various local companies sold discount books. I recall some that continued this tradition, well into the early 2000s. I had never heard of the Chicago-based King of Fun until I discovered a little booklet and membership card at an estate sale. The 1971-1972 booklet of deals cost $15 and offered 2 for 1 deals and other discounts. While many of the businesses are lost to history and I could find nothing online, I thought it would be fun to see how many movie theaters and entertainment venues included in this little booklet are still in business, if any.
King of Fun Membership Book and Card, 1971-1972
Mister Kelly’s
Located on Rush Street in the city’s Gold Coast neighborhood, this club was a welcoming venue for rising stars who later gained international fame. Owned and operated by George and Oscar Marienthal, Mister Kelly’s changed show business and became one of American entertainment’s greatest proving grounds. The legendary nightclub launched the careers of superstars like Barbra Streisand, Richard Pryor, Bette Midler, and Steve Martin. Other greats included Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Anita O’Day, Della Reese, Ramsey Lewis, Herbie Hancock, Mort Sahl, Lily Tomlin, Flip Wilson, and Bob Newhart.
The club smashed color and gender barriers, transforming entertainment in America in the 1950s to 1970s. In 1969, Mister Kelly’s was sold to Arts and Leisure Corp., entertainment division, then Paul Wimmer bought it in 1971. Security issues, late-night TV, and the emergence of Las Vegas style venues that could afford to pay the performers more money led to Mister Kelly’s demise in August 1975.
Della Reese at Mister Kelly’s (Source: Facebook)
Ella Fitzgerald at Mister Kelly’s (Source: Second Take Jazz Art)
Joan Rivers at Mister Kelly’s
Rainbo Gardens/Rainbo Arena
Located at 4812-4836 N. Clark Street, this is one venue that went through major changes. Its origin dates back to 1894 as Moulin Rouge Gardens. A second floor was added in 1905 that featured a two-story beer hall, bowling alley, outdoor dance floor, and standalone refreshment stands. The name was changed to Rainbo Gardens shortly after WWI. The dining room, called the Rainbo Room, could accommodate as many as 2,000 diners at a time. Some of the biggest names in Chicago nightlife performed there during the early 20th century. Larry Fine was an emcee at Rainbo Gardens between 1925 and 1928. In 1927, the outdoor gardens were converted into an indoor sports arena with 1,726 permanent seats.
Fast forward to modern-day Rainbo Arena. In 1957, The Theater Cafe was converted to an ice skating rink, called Rainbo Arena, which was a practice rink for the Chicago Blackhawks for a few years. The south end of the building housed a pro bowling alley in the 1960s. This was converted into the original Electric Theatre/Kinetic Playground music venue in 1968. Apparently, many rock and roll bands performed there, although the Aragon ballroom is in close proximity on Lawrence Avenue.
In the 1970s and thereafter, Rainbo was a popular late night roller rink until it was torn down for a new housing development in 2003. I remember going to one roller skating birthday party at Rainbo in grade school and spraining my wrist – what a klutz!
Rainbo Gardens Exterior (Source: Robert Loerzel)
Rainbo Gardens Interior (Source: Robert Loerzel)
Boxing Stubs (Source: eBay)
Cicero Outdoor Theatre
This drive-in theatre was located in south suburban Monee. It opened on May 2, 1969, as a single screen drive-in, but a second screen was added in August 1982 and it became the Cicero Twin Drive-In. At the end of the 2002 season, the drive-in shut down and it was demolished in the fall of 2003.
Halsted Outdoor Theatre
Located in south suburban Riverdale, this drive-in opened in 1950 as the Four Screen Drive-In. Each screen could accommodate 300 cars and was the first quad screen drive-in to be built. It was renamed the Halsted Outdoor Theatre by 1955 and operated with only one screen. In 1979, a second screen was added and the name was changed to the Halsted Twin Drive-In. The drive-in closed in the late-1980s, briefly reopened for the 1991 season, then closed and was demolished in 1944-1995.
Halsted Outdoor Theatre Ad (Source: Cinema Treasures)
Howard Theatre
Not long after it opened in 1917, this Rogers Park theatre was acquired by the Balaban & Katz chain. It was equipped with a Kimball 3 manual 9 ranks organ and was known for its ornate Neo-Classical style façade, complete with sculpted masks of comedy and tragedy. They continued to show first run films until closing around Thanksgiving 1975. In 1999, the long-vacant Howard Theatre’s auditorium was razed, however, the beautiful façade and outer lobby were saved and integrated into apartments, a live theatre space, and retail structure.
Original Howard Theatre Illustration (Source: Pinterest)
Howard Theatre (Source: Cinema Treasures)
Howard Theatre with Red Line CTA (Source: Cinema Treasures)
I-80 Outdoor Theatre
This Tinley Park drive-in opened on May 28, 1971, with a single large screen and enough parking for about 1,200 cars. It was located off Interstate 80 at Harlem Avenue and closed in 1987. It was in close proximity to the World Music Theatre (now the Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre). The I-80 Flea Market operates on the former premises of the drive-in.
I-80 Outdoor Theatre (Source: Cinema Treasures)
Lamar Theatre
Originally known as the Oak Park Theatre, this venue was built to accommodate both vaudeville and motion pictures in 1913 and enlarged two years later. The street was called Wisconsin Street back then, but it was changed to South Marion Street at some point. A marquee was added in 1929, the lobby was remodeled in 1930 in Art Deco style, and its name was changed to the Lamar Theatre. A new lobby and fire doors were installed in 1973. The Lamar lost its status as Oak Park’s leading movie theatre when the Art-Deco Lake Theatre opened in April 1936. It closed in the early-1980s and was torn down in 1988.
Lamar Theatre (Source: Library of Congress)
Patio Theatre
On a bright note, the Patio Theatre in Portage Park is still going strong and the only one in the discount booklet that is still in business today. Designed in the Atmospheric style with a Neo-Pompeiian/Italian courtyard theme, the Patio Theater opened in early 1927 with the movie The Blonde Saint (1926), in addition to some stage acts plus a newsreel.
The theatre apparently closed around 1982 until October 1987, when it reopened. It closed again in 2001 due to A/C and licensing problems, work began on restoration in the summer of 2010, and it reopened on June 3, 2011. The twinkling stars and moving clouds and grand neo-Pompeian lobby have been restored to their original elegance. With a capacity of 1,000 seats, this is the largest single screen movie theatre in Chicagoland. Although the theatre retains its original 1927 marquee, the original vertical sign was removed in the 1970s.
Patio Theatre (Source: Foursquare)
Patio Theatre (Source: Urban Remains)
Rockne Theatre
The Ambassador Theatre was built for the M & H Theaters Corporation in 1924 and opened on October 20, 1925. By 1926 it had been taken over by the Ascher Brothers Inc. chain. It could seat 2,500 in its auditorium and originally hosted stage shows in addition to motion pictures. Its marquee was V-shaped, with signage on both W. Division Street and N. Monitor Avenue.
After the death of Knute Rockne in a plane crash in 1931, the Ambassador Theatre was renamed the Rockne Theatre in his honor. By the 1970s, the theatre was showing adult films and its run as a movie theatre ended in the early-1980s. The Rockne Theatre began a new life as the New Inspirational Missionary Church, but sadly, the updated façade is quite unattractive.
Rockne Theatre, 1941 (Source: Cinema Treasures)
Roseland Theatre
Built in 1914 at 113th Street and Michigan Avenue, the nearly 1,000-seat theater was among the city’s earliest movie houses. The Roseland Theatre was located in a three-story Neo-Classical-style structure that also housed apartments, offices, and retail storefronts. In the mid-to-late 1930’s, the Roseland Theatre and storefront level were remodeled in Art Moderne style, with a new sleek and simplified facade, as well as a neon-lit new marquee.
When it closed in 1977, the building managed to evade demolition and served as retail and office space until 2018. In ongoing efforts to revitalize this area, proposals have been made to repurpose the large vacant building.
Roseland Theatre, 1962 (Source: Cinema Treasures)
Roseland Theatre Marquee (Source: Cinema Treasures)
World Playhouse
Located in the famous Fine Arts Building (formerly the Studebaker Building) at 410 S. Michigan Avenue, the World Playhouse is where Roger Ebert saw his first movie as a film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times in 1967. The building harkens back to 1884–1885, although it was extensively remodeled in 1898.
In April 1933, the Fine Arts Theatre was renamed World Playhouse and featured foreign films, essentially becoming Chicago’s first dedicated foreign and art film theater. In its final year (1972), it mainly showed adult films among other imports. It was renovated and reopened in September 1980 for chamber music. In December 1982, M&R Amusement Company converted the two theatres into a cinema complex. Moonlighting was shown in Theatre 1 (Studebaker) and Veronica Voss in Theatre 2 (World Playhouse). The World Playhouse continued showed live entertainment on occasion in the beginning. Both movie theatres closed in November 2000, but the Studebaker is still going strong as a live performance venue..
World Playhouse (Source: Cinema Treasures)
