Warner Theater Flood 1972

-articles in Erie Daily Times

Imagine the horror of coming into work on a Monday morning and finding several feet of water in your building. Imagine turning the key and opening the doors to a historic landmark in Downtown Erie and finding thousands of gallons of water in the isles.

That's exactly what happened at the Warner Theatre on Monday, January 17th, 1972 when Robert Bowman and Vinnie Marchant showed up and discovered water covering the seats inside the Warner. 

Two pianos- a baby grand and an upright- were destroyed, as was carpeting and a number of items that were stored in the basement. It was a real mess.

Luckily, crews were able to pump out the water and clean up the debris. Several generations of fans have enjoyed movies, concerts, plays, dance recitals, weddings and graduations at the Warner Theatre at 811 State Street in Erie, PA. 

Enjoy more historic facts and photos of Erie, Pennsylvania at Old Time Erie

Erie Transitway Mall near 8th and State

Old Time Erie: Transitway Mall photo ©Debbi Lyon 2013.

This is what State Street looked like in May of 1987 in Downtown Erie, PA. The City of Erie wanted to make the downtown area pedestrian friendly, so the sidewalks were widened and benches and planters were installed a number of years prior to this. There were several permanent chess boards in this area, and it was common to see people deep in thought planning their next move. I took this shot in front of the First National Bank of Pennsylvania at 717 State St., looking south. The Warner Theatre, at 811 State St., is visible in the background, as is Methodist Towers.

"Conceptually, the mall was a product of the Downtown urban renewal efforts of the late 1960s. Its purpose was to re-energize the traditional downtown creating an exciting atmosphere for both office workers and shoppers. There was a strong feeling that this mall and complementary renewal activities would stem or even reverse the drain of retail from the City center. It did not work." -2000 Edition of the City of Erie Land Use Plan. Prepared by the City of Erie; assisted by Graney, Grossman, Ray and Associates.
Old Time Erie
Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield currently occupies the old First National Bank Building. The chess boards and and the benches are gone, removed when the Erie Transitway Mall was ripped out in 1993 to widen State St. The Warner Theatre still stands in all its splendor, a tribute to the rich history of the City of Erie.

Enjoy more historical facts and photos of Erie, PA at: Old Time Erie

Erie, PA Theaters in 1948, Warner, Columbia, Strand and more

Erie, PA Theaters in 1948: Warner, Columbia, Strand, Regent and more

Ad in the Erie Daily Times from April 2, 1948

Let's see how many Erie, Pennsylvania movie theaters that you remember. We'll start with the biggest, the Warner Theatre on State Street. If you went to the Warner on Saturday, April 3, 1948, you could see 17 big cartoons beginning at 10 a.m. for only a quarter plus tax. That included two hours of cartoons for kiddies of all ages, such as Bugs Bunny, Little Lulu, Daffy Duck and Tom and Jerry. What kid would say no to that?

You could see three big westerns at the State Theater on Friday April 2, 1948; a matinee was 25¢, the evening show was 33¢, and children cost 17¢ each, plus tax. The Columbia and the Strand offered the typical night fare with first or second run features.

There were plenty of neighborhood theaters, such as Hillcrest at 2505 Peach Street, the Folly at 26th and Poplar, the American, the Lyric at 548 West 18th Street, the Gem at 4th and Cherry, the Regent at 1019 Parade Street, the 18th Street Theater and the Aris Theater. (The Lake Theatre at 921 East 26th Street shows up in the 1957 Erie city directory.)

Warner Brothers controlled three theaters: the Warner, the Strand and the Columbia.

Here's a picture of the Warner Theatre on State Street about 1965.

Joanne Marchant Heim said, "In 1971, Congress used the anti trust law to force the movie studios to sell their theaters and Warner was forced to seel it's Warner, Strand and Stanley Theaters. The Columbia in Erie was gone by then. Warner sold the Strand and Warner in Erie to Cinemette, Inc."

Cinema 18 opened in 1968 on West 18th Street.

Here is a list of Erie movie theaters from 1918 which includes the Columbia, Folly, American, the Gem and more. In this list, the Strand was located at 922 State Street and the Majestic was at 20-22 West 10th Street. Did the Strand later move to 13 West 10th Street (the current home of the Erie Playhouse)?

Which theater was your favorite?

Enjoy more fun and fascinating reflections on the history of Erie, PA at: Old Time Erie

P.A. Meyer Fire State Street Erie, PA part 1

P.A. Meyer Fire State Street, Erie, PA pt. 1

P.A. Meyer & Sons aftermath of fire. Photo by Chester Wasielewski. ©2012 Debbi Lyon.

P.A. Meyer & Sons was located on State Street in Erie, Pennsylvania, in between the Warner Theatre and Trask's department store (which was torn down and replaced by Mid City Towers, shown on the right in the  picture above.) P.A. Meyer's caught fire in the winter and was completely gutted.

See the article "Warner Theatre State Street about 1965" for a photo of P.A. Meyer's before the fire: P. A. Meyer before the fire. This article was published on Old Time Erie blog on May 21, 2012.

Bruce Moorhead was a rookie on the Erie Fire Department when the call came in. "Got called in on Friday night, around 7 p.m., got relieved Sunday morning at 7 a.m. I believe the snorkel froze with the basket hanging out over the burnt out building," said Bruce. "That was one h--- of a cold night." He responded from Station 8 at 23rd and Ash Street.

The building that formerly housed P. A. Meyer & Son caught fire on Friday, January 27, 1978. By that time State Street had been changed to include a pedestrian friendly shopping area as part of the Erie downtown redevelopment under Mayor Louis Tullio. The planters shown here are barely visible with all the snow plowed up against them.

Enjoy more fun facts and photos of historic Erie, Pennsylvania at: Old Time Erie

Sam Cooke at the Warner Theatre in 1958 Erie, PA

Sam Cooke played the Warner Theatre in 1958 in Erie, PA

Twenty acts appeared at the Warner Theatre in Erie, Pennsylvania for the 'Show of Stars for '58' tour on April 23, 1958. They performed two show, one at 7 p.m. and another at 9 p.m. Tickets were reasonable, ranging from two to three dollars. The following singers and groups appeared:

1. Sam Cooke "You Send Me" (a #1 hit which debuted in Oct. of 1957)
2. Jimmie Rodgers "Oh, Oh, I'm Falling in Love"
3. Paul Anka "You Are My Destiny"
4. George Hamilton the IV "Now and For Always"
5. Clyde McPhatter "Without Love" 
6. La Vern Baker "Jim Dandy"
7. Frankie Avalon "Dee Dee Dinah"
8. The Silhouettes "Get A Job"
9. The Royal Teens "Short Shorts"
10. The Storey Sisters "Bad Motorcycle"
11. The Crescendos "Oh, Julie"
12. The Monotones "Book of Love"
13. The Play Mates "Jo Ann"
14. Jimmy Reed "You're Somethin' Else"
15. Jackie Wilson "Reet Petitie"
16. Harold Cromer "Jim Dandy"
17. Huey Smith and the Clowns "Don't You Just Know It"
18. Jimmy Dell 
19. Bobby Marchan (who later had a #1 R&B hit "There's Something On Your Mind Pt. 2"

Paul Anka, La Vern Baker and Clyde McPhatter had appeared at the Warner on Nov. 13, 1957 on the previous 'Show of Stars' tour. Sam Cook died December 11, 1964, just six years after performing in Erie.

Read all about the history of Erie, PA at Old Time Erie

Warner Theatre 1957 Show of Stars Concert

Warner Theatre 1957 'Show of Stars' concert in Erie, PA

The ad on the left is for the 'Show of Stars' Nov. 13, 1957 show at the Warner Theatre in Erie. The ticket stub
on the right is from the 'Show of Stars' at the Warner on April 23, 1958. Courtesy of Nancy Schaffner Coake.

I was amazed the see the line-up for this show at the Warner Theatre in Erie, Pennsylvania on Nov. 13, 1957. DJ Alan Freed put together this package, which toured the U.S. and Canada. The performers only had one day off during the first 24 days of November! The tour hit Detroit on the Nov. 10th, Pittsburgh on Nov. 12th, Boston on Nov. 15th, Toronto on the 18th, Buffalo on the 19th and Philadelphia on the 20th.

This tour featured some of the hottest acts of the day, some of them at the start of their careers. Fats Domino was blazing hot. He had nine Top 100 hits during the first eleven months of 1957, including "I'm Walkin'" which peaked at #4, and "Blue Monday," which reached #5. Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers' "Goody Goody" debuted in July of 1957 and peaked at #20. You can watch a clip of it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kld4z6ZgyHc. The Everly Brothers first hit, "Bye Bye Love" debuted in May of '57 and spent 27 weeks on the Billboard chart, peaking at #2. Watch the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFoIdxLBm_A (Phil Everly died on January 3, 2014.)

This line-up is mind-blowing! Buddy Holly and the Crickets, Eddie Cochran, LaVern Baker, Buddy Knox, the Drifters. Man, I was born too late. The next time I watch the Buddy Holly Story, Why Do Fools Fall In Love (about Frankie Lymon), I'll think about them performing at the Warner in Erie, PA. Here's a clip of Eddie Cochran singing his first hit, "Sittin' In The Balcony," which debuted on the chart in March of 1957: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fbqp6ryEsbw

On a side note, here's a link to the Canadian documentary about Paul Anka, which we had to watch in Mrs. Burgoyne's English class at Academy High School in Erie, PA.  http://www.nfb.ca/film/lonely_boy 

The "Show of Stars" came back to the Warner on April 23, 1958. We'll discuss that in another post. 

Enjoy more articles and old photos of Erie, PA at Old Time Erie

Warner Theatre State Street about 1965

Warner Theatre State Street about 1965

Warner Theatre photo by Chester
Wasielewski, © Debbi Lyon 2012.

This shot of the Warner Theatre at 811 State Street in Erie was taken about 1965. The movie on the marquee is "Your Cheatin' Heart" starring George Hamilton as Hank Williams, Sr. 

The remainder of the stores, from left to right, are:

815 State St. ?

815 1/2 State St. Household Finance Loans

817 State St. P.A. Meyer & Sons 

827 State St. Trask's 

The Warner Theatre has been restored to its glory days and many special events are held here, including concerts, dance recitals, high school graduations and weddings. The Floral Gallery is next door at 815 State St. There are law offices at 821 State St. Mid City Towers occupies the corner where the old Trask's department store used to be. Mid City Towers, which has an address of 12 East 9th Street, has several businesses on its ground floor. P.A. Meyer was destroyed by fire and later demolished.

Here are some Erie movie theater ads from 1948.

Enjoy more fun facts and old photos of Erie, PA at Old Time Erie