Before rebranding as (alive and operating) Avalon Theatre, the Sunnyside Theater opened its doors at the same location in the summer of 19121. Considered one of the best suburban neighborhoods in Portland, 35th Avenue, and Belmont was a prime location for a movie theater during the exhibition boom. For a 10¢ admission, Sunnyside Theater offered romantic and dramatic photo plays, hosting an orchestra to play on stage, as well as comedy acts2. By 1918, Sunnyside Theater had the reputation of being one of the prettiest theaters in the East Portland district, leading to owner W. A. Ayres to purchase a second projector3. Later on, other offerings would expand to include travel films and military documentaries.
Sunnyside Theater Print Ad. Morning Oregonian, Jan. 19, 1913, p.3. Newsbank.com
Lawrence F. Fearing and Fred A. Conner held the manager roles for a good part of a decade, until coming to an agreement with George H. Adams in 1923 and pursuing ownership of the Star Theater (East 55th Avenue and Foster) soon after4. Under Adams, the Sunnyside Theater had less of a presence in print media, not spending to have the promotion it previously had. The biggest change seen was renovations to conjure the theater with a game room next building in 1925, where the theater would be advertised as the “New Sunnyside Theater” for a 2-week span5.
Sunnyside Theater Reopens. Morning Oregonian, Apr. 6, 1932, p20. Newsbank.com.
Starting in 1929, the theater began renting out theater equipment, storage rooms, and the venue itself, which continued to 1935. The theater closed down in the early 1930s before announcing a reopening in June 1932 under new manager James Hawthorn6. The theater would come back with new and improved sound equipment with a new focus on families as the target audience. In September 1935, property owners Strong & Co. would post an estate ad saying that the Sunnyside Theater building was available to rent, leading the way for the Sunnyside Theater to transition to Avalon Theatre7.
During the theater’s first decade, there was consistent advertising from local papers such as the Morning Oregonian. These ads showed what was playing or performing at Sunnyside throughout the week or were on a theater list to receive big upcoming releases. The theater promoted itself by having a busy theatrical schedule, promising to bring in a variety of films consistently. Certain ads would try to convince you to see a movie just with a single word, while others would play up the quality of the films being screened by saying “the best show of the season”8. The theater would often add a second night showing after the 4:00 pm matinee and 7:00 if they wanted to build up anticipation for a certain showing9.
Sunnyside Theater Programming, Portland, Oregon, 1923. Image credit to Oregon Historical Society.
