While today we expect movie theaters just to play movies, this wasn’t always the case. Theaters were more prominent parts of their neighborhoods and hosted all kinds of events. In Tillamook, Oregon in the 1910s, it was not out of the ordinary for films to not play at all on some days at certain theaters. Specifically, at the Gem Theatre, there were quite a few productions from high schools and churches performing things like plays, comedy, and music¹.

Frank Neugebauer the proprietor and manager of the Dime Theater in Pendleton was attacked by Councilman J.T. Hinkle on Febuary 17th 1909. The main reason for this was that Frank had decided to cancel an act due to it being a very poor act. He brings up in his response that this act had previously been “chased” out of the Star theater the year before because of how bad it was. Also, he says that the act had an initial trial run and did not go well. He paid them for their nights work but refused to let them come back again.

A woman theater owner? Pre-suffrage? Love to see it.

The sport of boxing has had a tumultuous time throughout its long history in the United States. Fighting through times of extensive  regulation from both State and Federal legislatures, the sport has always managed to survive as a popular spectacle. In the early 1900s, boxing was mostly relegated to fights between local sports clubs with minor crowds and promotion. These matches were purely exhibition as officially judged bouts or bouts with payouts were federally illegal, acting as a ban on prizefighting in general.

The Ice Hippodrome, or Ice Palace, opened in Portland in 1914. It was a huge building, the largest ice skating rink in the world when it was built. It was regularly advertised next to theaters in the Morning Oregonian as a form of entertainment (Figure 1). Like the movies, the ice rink often advertised live band performances to go along with their skating sessions. When it opened, it even offered free instruction to beginners, making skating more accessible to the general public.

The Gem Theater

During the first World War, the United States film industry established itself as a powerhouse both domestically and abroad. The outbreak of war in Europe interrupted the global film market, and Hollywood thrived by filling the holes left by European markets unable to produce or export films during the conflict. However, despite the commercial success and establishment of the industry as something akin to what we know of it today, there were other aspects of moviegoing during this era of note.

I love the catchy phrases and slogans featured on many theater ads from this time period, as if clever wording will be enough to make someone buy a ticket at that theater over another one with more pedestrian advertisements. Here's a sample of some of my favorites:

IF LAUGHING HURTS YOU STAY AWAY (Bell Theatre, Springfield, Oregon, 1916)

The St. Helens Mist was one of the primary newspaper companies in St. Helens in the early 20th century.  After scouring articles that were available through the UO library website, I was able to find many instances of documented male managers and owners of theaters in the city of St.