The Park Theatre is a COVID survivor.
Closed since March 15, the Cobleskill theater reopened on Friday - not a bad recovery for a 98-year-old.
Built in 1922
Construction on the Park Theatre began on May 15, 1922 after Mrs. Grace Taylor Steacy let the contracts and made the announcement at her home next door - now the Bull’s Head Inn.
“The wing of the present Steacy home will be removed to permit the construction of the theatre,” announced the Cobleskill Index of May 11, 1922.
“A firewall will be constructed between the theatre and the house…”
Four months after construction began, the new theater was set for its premiere.
“Opening of the new Steacy theatre, ‘The Park,’ on Thursday night of next week [September 21, 1922],” reported the Cobleskill Times of September 14, will be an event of interest to Cobleskill people and the management of Schoharie County’s finest playhouse promises to give the first night audience one of the latest and best screen pictures ever offered.
“The splendid new fire proof playhouse, of architectural beauty and modern appointments, will be thrown open Saturday night of this week when ‘the lights will be on’ for public inspection.”
First Movie Shown
The first movie shown at the Park Theatre was on Thursday, September 21, 1922 at 7pm – ‘The First Born,’ a silent movie which had been released January 30, 1921, starring Sessue Hayakawa as Chan Wang.
Tickets were 25 cents for children and 40 cents for adults.
On Friday the movie was ‘One Man in a Million,’ followed on Saturday, September 23, 1922 by ‘Kismet’ – the new theater’s first matinee – with shows at 3:30, 7 and 9pm.
By the end of its first year, there was more big news for the new theater.
Schine and Fox, Briefly
In December 1922 the Park Theatre was leased to Schine Theatre Enterprises, Inc. of Gloversville and became one of a string of 18 theaters in the chain.
“We shall feature Paramount productions,” stated the new management, “and with the cooperation of Cobleskill people will give them a service second to none in any city in the state.”
The ‘gala opening week’ of the Park Theatre under the new management of the Schine company started on New Year’s Day 1923 with the showing of ‘The Kentucky Derby’ - matinee 10 cents for children and 17 cents for adults; evening shows 15 and 25 cents.
Schine ran the Park for almost seven years, until September 9, 1929, when the Fox Metropolitan Playhouse took over – briefly.
“It has been renamed the Fox-Park,” reported the Index of September 12, 1929, “and a large electric sign will shortly be installed on the front of the theatre to announce this fact.”
But on December 12, 1929 it was announced in the Index that the long-time manager of the theater, Mr. J. C. Carpenter, would take possession of the theater from Fox on January 1, 1930.
Talkies
Mr. Carpenter arranged for the installation of Western Electric sound equipment which would allow for the showing of Vitaphone and Movietone talkies.
The first talking movie at the Park Theatre was shown on New Year’s Eve December 31, 1929 at 11pm – ‘Midnight Daddies,’ “Mack Sennett’s All-Talking Mirth Provoking Comedy.”
Interestingly, ‘The Jazz Singer,’ with Al Jolson, considered to be the first talkie, had played at the Park a year-and-a-half earlier, on June 18, 1928 – apparently in its silent version.
Depression hits
In 1933 manager J.C. Carpenter was forced to close the Park and lock its doors.
“Since the depression hit this section of the state the crowds attending the shows here have grown smaller and smaller,” said the Schoharie Republican of March 30, 1933.
But the Park stayed closed only two weeks before Frank Wieting became manager – Grace Taylor Steacy was still the owner – and re-opened it March 30, 1933.
Wieting was a local shoe dealer and Mrs. Steacy’s son by her first marriage to Frank P. Wieting.
Sunday Movies
Movies on Sunday had been legal in New York State since 1919 when Governor Al Smith signed a bill ending the prohibition of moving picture shows - also fishing and baseball games - on Sundays.
But the law – opposed by the Lord’s Day Alliance and other religious groups – “provided that consent was given by the local governing body.”
The Village of Cobleskill did not consent to Sunday movies.
At an unofficial straw vote on August 4, 1928 the Sunday movie question was overwhelmingly approved – 481 to 40.
The vote was taken at the Park Theatre on a Saturday night.
Over the next few years the village board scheduled referendums on the issue, only to abruptly cancel them.
On May 3, 1932, a village vote was held.
The measure to allow Sunday movies was defeated as “opponents of Sabbath shows in Cobleskill” carried the vote, 401 ayes to 550 nays.
Finally, on July 27, 1934, “much to the surprise of most of the residents here,” Sunday movies were approved 469 to 351.
The first Sunday movie was shown at the Park Theatre on Sunday, August 12, 1934 – ‘The Cat’s Paw,’ starring Harold Lloyd – with shows at 2:30 and 8:30pm.
Exchange Club Kiddies Christmas Party
On Monday, December 22, 1930, The Cobleskill Exchange Club – which had been formed just two months earlier - sponsored a “Christmas party for all of the kiddies in Schoharie county who care to come to the Park Theatre.
“A good movie will be provided and Santa Claus will be on hand along with members of the Exchange Club to pass out nice boxes of candy to all comers not over twelve years of age residing in Schoharie County...
“It is suggested that parents come to town to bring the kiddies to the show and do some Christmas shopping among Cobleskill’s gift stores while the young people are inside the theater attending the movies.”
At the fourth annual party in 1934, over 750 children attended.
1959 was the last year that the Exchange Club sponsored the Kiddies Christmas Party at the Park Theatre.
That year 650 students, grades one through three, attended, first singing Christmas carols from the Hotel Augustan porch, joined by the Cobleskill high school band.
At the theater, Santa Claus appeared and handed each kid a gift.
In 1960, the Exchange Club hosted the party at the Cobleskill high school auditorium, where the kids met Santa and saw movies.
Thus ended the 29-year string of Exchange Club Kiddies Christmas Parties at the Park Theatre.
War Years
On Friday, October 8, 1943 at 8pm, in the middle of World War II, the Park Theatre held a premiere showing of the movie ‘This Is the Army,’ tickets at $1.10, proceeds going to ‘Army Emergency Relief.’
The movie starred Ronald Reagan and featured a stellar soundtrack peppered with Irving Berlin classics:
This Is the Army, Mr Jones; Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning; Alexander’s Ragtime Band and God Bless America – sung by Kate Smith.
Following the Friday premiere, ‘This Is the Army’ was shown again – at regular prices - Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Other shows that week were ‘Man From Music Mountain’ – starring Roy Rogers - and ‘Murder at the Waterfront’ on Saturday, and ‘We’ve Never Been Licked’ Thursday and Friday.
Theater Sign
The Park Theatre sign on the pole – the one that we remember - was erected about December 1950, as evidenced by a Harold Toles photograph dated December 16, 1950 which he labeled ‘Park Theatre – new marquee.’
It replaced an earlier one, as shown by a 1942 photo on the theater’s website.
In late May 2018, the sign, then in poor condition was taken down after “a windstorm had it swaying back and forth,” according to theater owner Tom Nigro.
After a reign of 68 years, the sign sits at the Historic Treasures Building at the Cobleskill Fairgrounds.
Wieting, Perlmutter then Nigro
In 1956, Frank Wieting stepped down as manager after 23 years.
He leased the theater for a period of ten years to Julius Perlmutter of Albany, who also ran the drive-in theater on Route 7 east of Richmondville.
Since about 1975 the theater has been under the management of the Nigro family.
Just last week theater manager Tom Nigro announced, “We got the green light…We’re good to go as soon as someone gets me a good movie.”
And that movie, the first after being closed for eight months? – ‘Freaky.’