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About the Historic
Fargo Theatre
History (1920,
1930,
1940,
1950-60,
1970,
1980,
1990)
1950's -
1960's
In 1952, the Fargo Theatre was remodeled to serve primarily as a movie
house. To better accommodate film patrons, the former two-story lobby
was sealed off to create a mezzanine level. Functional improvements
and marble covering were incorporated into the front facade at street
level. In the auditorium, new seats were installed on the main floor,
but the stage and the auditorium design remained structurally the
same. An article in The Forum on March 30, 1952 provided the following
description of the remodeling:
"A third larger than before, the lobby has an entire glass front
with green and brown, floor-length drapes with a contrasting ivory
offset. The 550 yards of plush, lawn-green carpets add to the brilliant,
luxurious atmosphere of the theater and the green theme is followed
throughout the entire theater.
Two entire walls of mirrors and a false fireplace, set in the west
wall of mirrors, highlight the lounge on the mezzanine floor. Two
over-stuffed settees and a number of comfortable, over-stuffed chairs
provide a relaxful atmosphere."
As the "A" house in Fargo-Moorhead, the Fargo Theatre held prestige
as the best equipped theatre in the area. It had been the first to install
talking picture equipment in 1927, and it was the first theatre in the
Dakotas to install CinemaScope in 1953. This new process combined a
giant panoramic screen with four-directional sound and an anamorphic
lens to create a three-dimensional effect without requiring the use
of glasses. The alterations included the installation of a new screen,
two and one-half times as wide as it was tall, and four separate sound
systems to handle the sound tracks. In December 1953, CinemaScope made
its debut with the epic film "The Robe," which drew record-breaking
crowds in its opening week. Other epic films included Leo Tolstoy's
"War and Peace" in 1956 and "The Ten Commandments" in 1957.
The business of selling movie studio products during the 1950s and 1960s
relied on cooperative alliances between theatre owners, theatre managers,
and local businesses and organizations. Promotions, gimmicks, and tie-ins
with the community were part of the economics of filling move houses.
In 1955, the Fargo Theatre held a "bucket brigade" and gave out 6-gallon
household buckets to patrons to promote the film "Ma and Pa Kettle at
Waikiki." In that same year, the Fargo Theatre distributed foreign coins
at Saturday matinees for children to collect. The Theatre promoted religious
movies through local and nearby churches, and collected toys for underprivileged
children in lieu of admission. These are just a few examples of the
Theatre's involvement in the community.
Continue with History
(1920,
1930,
1940,
1950-60,
1970,
1980,
1990)
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