Wexford Theater Research

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. The first image shows the article announcing the showing of two productions including a five-part feature that will be shown on the 19th and 20th of April. There is then a short description of the film which gives audiences a little taste for what they should expect in going to the theater. The second image is smaller in terms of the section allocated for the wexford advertisement, however it still provides a lot of useful information and gives some context with information next to the post. Specifically in this ad, readers can see the showings of the day such as "The Governor Maker," "Putting one Over," “Every Inch a Hero,” and they also mention the upcoming showing of “The Old Curiosity Shop” which was previously mentioned in the ad above this one but on the same page. I also like how there is a very small word statement that gives impressions of the films like "a drama with a great climax" or "guarantee to laugh'' which I think is great to have because that way guests who are not interested in dramas, scary, action movies, or whatever the case may be, will know to avoid specific films. Another important aspect of this ad is the price of five cents being posted there too which is super useful for people at the time but also for us in the future to notice and analyze the changes which have occurred regarding exhibition and audiences.