Opening Week at the Beaver Theatre, 1925

When the Beaver Theatre opened in downtown Beaverton on February 14, 1925, it immediately presented itself as more than just a movie house. Advertisements for the theater’s opening week show how the Beaver combined films, comedy, live entertainment, and community promotions to attract local audiences. In a relatively small town like Beaverton, the theater quickly became both a source of entertainment and a gathering place for residents. The Beaver’s grand opening featured Reginald Denny in the silent comedy Oh Doctor!, along with additional comedy reels, news films, and a live musical performance by “Mr. Kirkham, Silver Tenor.” The program reflected the variety of entertainment common during the silent film era, when theaters often mixed movies with live acts to create a full evening experience. In the weeks that followed, the Beaver continued showing a wide range of films. Advertisements promoted westerns like Hoot Gibson’s The Sawdust Trail, adventure serials such as The Sign of the Cactus, romantic dramas like The Spitfire, and family-oriented comedies starring actors including Jackie Coogan and Buster Keaton. What makes these advertisements especially interesting is how strongly they emphasized audience participation and community involvement. The Beaver hosted “Country Store” promotions, prize giveaways, and “Pay Night” events that encouraged large crowds and repeat attendance. One advertisement even used the slogan “Go Where the Crowd Goes,” presenting the theater as one of the liveliest places in Beaverton. Through its opening week programs and promotions, the Beaver Theatre established itself as a central part of everyday social life in the town.