From our NYC member DEBBIE HUMPHREYS -
Say Happy Birthday to the girls at the Empire.
They are 100 years old today.
The Eltinge (now Empire) opened on September 11, 1912 with
“Within the Law” by Bayard Veiller. It ran for 541 performances!
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Email your finds and stories to Readerboard@historictheatres.orgCategories
Conclave Theatre Tour 2013
Every summer THS picks one of America’s great theatre regions for our week-long summer tour. Attendees are treated to exclusive tours of theatres and unprecedented behind-the-scenes access.
This summer, we’ll explore the Greater New York Capital Region and Berkshires — both exciting and under-explored areas, rich in theater history and a perfect summer destination.
We’ll visit:
NEW YORK
• Schenectady • Albany • Troy • Cohoes • Rome
• Utica • Gloversville • Chatham • PoughkeepsieMASSACHUSETTS
• North Adams • Pittsfield • Great BarringtonCONNECTICUT
• Waterbury • Thomaston • TorringtonTheatre stops include emerging projects in their first flush of rebirth, to a fully restored Art Deco movie palace and more.
For a full schedule, hotel booking information and
to register online, visit the THS website by clicking the THS header on this page.
Julian Eltinge (born William Jullian Dalton, 1881-1941) was an American stage and screen actor and female impersonator.
The name Eltinge appears on an outdoor theatre poster in Buster Keaton’s wonderful silent comedy “Seven Chances” but only after Keaton (in searching for a bride) sees the “female” image on the poster and hastens inside the theatre to woo her. Keaton subsequently exits the stage door of the theatre, somewhat bruised and confused, after discovering the “female” is really a man. Today’s audiences don’t know the name Julian Eltinge.
Fred Astaire, in the early part of the film “The Band Wagon” is seen and heard looking for the Eltinge Theatre in NYC. Again, today’s audiences have no clue of that name.
Oh well, time passes on. The past is oft forgotten.
Fascinating! Thank you, Wayne!
A wonderful way to reuse a theatre when a multiplex is desired and there is sufficient real estate surrounding the original building. Well worth a visit!