Historic Theaters of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley

by Arcadia Publishing

Overview

Historic Theaters of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley traces the evolution of modern cinema through the rich local history of the Mahoning Valley.

From the days of the gaslit opera houses through the era of the drive-in, the Mahoning Valley's theatrical culture has thrived. The finest theaters in northeastern Ohio rose with the manufacturing might of the Steel Valley. The Warner brothers, who started their careers in Youngstown, opened their first theater in New Castle, Pennsylvania, and celebrities from Katharine Hepburn to Red Skelton graced local stages. The finest vaudevillians and the lovely ladies of burlesque were always a ticket away. Take a trip back to the Park Burlesque and the opulent Palace Theater and revisit the theater culture of Warren and Trumbull County. Author Sean T. Posey traces the evolution of modern cinema through the rich local history of the Mahoning Valley.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467137928
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	08/21/2017
Series:	Landmarks
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	1,111,390
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Sean T. Posey is a freelance writer, photographer and historian. He holds a bachelor's degree in photojournalism from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and a master's degree in history from Youngstown State University. His work has been featured in a variety of publications, including Citylab, Salon and Bill Moyers and Company, as well as in the books Car Bombs to Cookie Tables: The Youngstown Anthology and the Pittsburgh Anthology, both by Belt Publishing. The History Press released Sean's first book, Lost Youngstown, in 2016.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 9

Introduction. From the Warner Brothers to Burlesque: An Unlikely Theater Town 11

Part 1 The Birth of Local Theater

From the Stage to the Nickelodeon 15

The Warner Brothers in the Valley 26

Part 2 A Bawdy Burlesque Town

A Town Where You Can Take It All Off 39

Part 3 Neighborhood Theaters in the Valley

Campbell, Struthers and Canfield 55

Girard and Hubbard 68

Part 4 Warren and the Robins Legacy

The Theaters of Warren 81

Part 5 The Golden Age of the Downtown Movie Palaces

The State and Forgotten Downtown Theaters 93

Palace Theater 107

Warner Theater 116

Part 6 A New Frontier

Drive-Ins and Beyond 127

Notes 141

Bibliography 147

Index 151

About the Author 157