Oswego Theater

Oswego Theater, previously known as Hippodrome Theater, was opened on January 22, 1941. The theater was built for M. Shapiro and Sons. The theater was designed by an architect named John Eberson in the art deco style due to its pre-modern feel, in a modern town. The theater is split up into 7 screens and when it first opened it could hold 2,000 people. The theater still has most of its original vintage decorations and style. Besides Oswego theater, there was also the Strand which ran “B” movies and the capital that ran “C” westerns, while Oswego Theater showed “A” movies. Back then, there was not one set ticket price for a movie showing, but instead, a person was charged based on where they sat. Similar to what happens now when one goes to see a concert, performance or sporting event. If a person had balcony seats, they were charged 33 cents compared to 44 cents for an orchestra street. There were ushers who're job was to guide people to their seats. “This Thing Called Love” was played on opening day staring Melvyn Douglas, Rosalind Russell, Lee J. Cobb and Binnie Barnes. The theater had no refreshments or popcorn machines because it made too much of a mess. To compensate for the lack of refreshments, the theater had a few candy machines spread throughout the theater. It is now called Oswego Cinema 7 for its seven-screening rooms.

Sources

Groom, D. J. (2016, October 7). Oswego man part of theater's history. Retrieved from https://www.oswegonews.com/osw/oswego-man-part-of-theaters-history-20161007

Oswego 7 Cinemas. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/8746

OSWEGO 7 CINEMA. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.oswegony.org/sites/Oswego-7-Cinema/details