Once And Continuing Glory
The Story of The Loew's Jersey Theatre

Once upon a time, the great film studios of old Hollywood built theatres the like of which no one had ever seen before. They had marble columns that soared to ceilings covered in gold leaf, bronze railings, rich red tapestries and plush carpets. And they were huge, with thousands of seats.

These buildings seemed more like palaces than theatres. Not surprisingly, they came to be called Movie Palaces.

In spite of their name, Movie Palaces were as much legitimate theatres as cinemas. They were equipped with full stages, orchestra pits and dressing rooms, as well as projectors. Because in that long ago time the still-new movies were presented as part of a double bill with live stage shows of elaborately choreographed dance revues or a mix of song, dance and comedy acts -- variety shows once known as Vaudeville.

Most Movie Palaces were also fitted with massive pipe organs. Originally intended to add sound to silent films, these instruments became stars in themselves as organ concerts, as well as audience sing-alongs, became popular parts of the regular programming in many Movie Palaces.

The reason the Hollywood studios built the Movie Palaces was an insight as bold as it was simple: that the theatre building itself should be so spectacular as to become essentially the opening act for the show on the stage or screen, and that together Movie Palace and show would make an uplifting and unforgettable experience.

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