The Research Process

While conducting research on the Star Theatre in Burns Oregon, I have been challenged with the facts that Burns is a very small city, and along with that there were multiple operating theaters in Oregon that were names “Star” at the time, there were other in Astoria, Bend, Medford and many more across the State at the time. However using the historic Oregon Newspapers collection I was able to find an advertise

I began my research by using the Historic Oregon Newspaper database with the keywords "majestic" and "theater" in the location of Ontario, Oregon in order to find results limited to theaters with this title, but was met with only few results. I refined the search by changing the spelling of "theater" to "theatre," and found that this was a successful refinement as my search yielded over 100 results instead of only 4 results from my previous search.

When I first began my research, I realized that it was a little harder than I expected. The theater I initially chose was not very big and did not last long, only being open for a year in a small town. This made it difficult to find any information about it, so I decided to switch to a different theater. I ended up on the Orpheum Theater located in Pendleton, Oregon, and open for seven years, from 1908 to 1915. The Orpheum was run by Dr. Harry A. Medernach, who had taken it over after the death of his father sometime in 1909 or after, and who eventually sold the theater in 1916.

In my initial research about the Lyric Theater in Prineville, Oregon, I have found that its conception was very complicated. The history behind the theater in its first few years of operation is a bit confusing to follow, and sometimes dates seem to contradict each other. This confusion is exacerbated by the fact that the theater changed names and locations several times before settling on “The Lyric”.

The Electric is a theatre in Albany, Oregon. It played various genres of films to appeal to all age groups for its intended audience from Cinderella for the ladies and children to the tramp and the bulldog. It had gone through various different managements, proprietors, and re-openings until its 'rebranding' in February 1911 where it was then called The Cassino by the new owners Messrs, Al. G. Perry, and I. G.

I began this research process and I was lucky enough to quickly find an advertisement for the Wexford Theater in Salem, Oregon. This advertisement was found in the "Theatrical and Amusements" section of the Statesman Journal paper which was at the time called Daily Oregon Statesman. More specifically I found it located in this section where editors write about "newsy gossip of the photo plays" as well as concerts and theaters. On April 18th of 1913, the Wexford was mentioned two separate times on this page demonstrating its high level of popularity with the people of Salem.

One of the theaters that I will be looking at is the Dime Theater that was in Pendleton Oregon. This theater ended up lasting for a bit over a year, which was common during this time. One of the most ironic parts about the newspaper article about the Dime Theater was the tag line at the top that says: “The show that’s here to stay”. For a lot of theaters, going past the year mark was very challenging to do. There were theaters constantly opening up, shutting down, and changing management all throughout the early 1900s.

Hello, my name is Ellie and I am currently in CINE335 taught by Professor Aronson and Mrs. Peterson. Fortunate for me, I happened to select two Eugene theaters, the Nickelodian and the Lyric Theater, both of which came with a "shell" of information. In other words, I large chunk of research has already been completed on both theaters due to their locality and highly specialized information sources. As a senior in their final term of education, this was quite the welcomed discovery to make!

        Central Point, located near the border of Medford, Oregon is host to a one Savoy Theatre (1912-1917). Although this town is not very popular in regards to other Oregon cities, Savoy Theatre was among their few forms of entertainment. Whether this theatre was host to its local high schools Glee club, or for its spectacular plays, it was seen as a community forum where townspeople could get their fill of performances. Located in this picture was just one example of the events that would be held at this theatre.

The Star Theater (or Theatre, both spellings are used in primary sources) opened on July 5th, 1911. The attached news clipping is the first mention of the Star in the Bend Bulletin. The announcement is simple and includes key information like the proprietors, Hill and Newman, and that their intention is to show only high class films approved by state censorship boards. To start my research into the Star, I’ve dived into the Historic Oregon Newspapers database to explore the news coverage about the theater. From my initial searches I have gathered a lot of fascinating information.