Curated by Aimee Benoit
Introduction
Discover southwestern Alberta on the silver screen! Since the early twentieth century, filmmakers have been drawn to the region’s magnificent snow-capped mountains, expansive fields of wheat and historic main streets. Southwestern Alberta has served as a “stunt double” for many other places, but has also occasionally been the feature of big-screen productions.
Cinescapes invites visitors to explore the history of movie entertainment, from production to exhibition, as movies evolved from a side-show novelty into one of the most popular forms of mass entertainment. The exhibit showcases artifacts from the local commercial and independent film industry, examples of cinema technologies, a feature on Lethbridge’s “picture palaces” through the twentieth century, and hands-on activities that engage visitors of all ages in some of the mysteries of movie-making.
Lethbridge’s Picture Palaces
Touring vaudeville shows gave local audiences their first thrill of moving pictures, when short films were added to variety programs. However, feature films were soon the leading attraction.
The Bijou became the first regular movie house in Lethbridge in 1907, and by 1913 eight different theatres had opened. Some were purely movie houses, while some also hosted amateur plays or vaudeville shows, with programs changing up to three times per week. By 1920, movies had gone from sideshow novelty to mass entertainment.
Theatre architecture reflected the rapid rise of moving pictures. Because nitrate film was highly flammable, Lethbridge city council passed a by-law in 1908 requiring that all theatres be built of brick or stone. Street front awnings and ornate decorations added to the venues’ respectable appearance, while brightly illuminated signs promised spectacle and magic.
During the golden age of picture palaces from the 1920s to 1940s, Lethbridge movie houses clustered on 5 Street South, but many later theatres followed development to the suburbs.
How many of these theatres do you remember?
View of 5 Street South, Lethbridge’s “theatre row” in the early twentieth century. The Starland and Empress theatres are shown at left, ca. 1913-1919.
Galt Museum & Archives, 20001076255.
Lyceum (Starland/Star/Phoenix/King’s/Kings)
330 5 Street South
1908–1925
Tucked away beside the Alexandra Hotel, the Lyceum was a small but impressive theatre, with some 250 electric bulbs lighting up its distinctive, arched façade and recessed vestibule. This was the second theatre in Lethbridge, and although it did host live performances in its first two years, it later became strictly a movie house.
View of the Starland theatre next to the Alexandra Hotel on the corner of 5 Street and 4 Avenue South, ca. 1911–1919.
Galt Museum & Archives, 19931015001.
The Lyceum charged 25¢ for adults and 15¢ for children; at that cost, the movies were a relatively affordable form of entertainment for people of all backgrounds.
The Lyceum was built before building controls were introduced in 1908, which may explain why a wall collapsed in July 1909, during excavations for the hotel next door. After reopening that fall, the theatre was purchased by the Starland Company—a chain from Winnipeg, operating across western Canada.
In 1921, a young Calgarian named A. W. Shackleford was invited to manage the newly renamed Kings Theatre. He ran it for a year and returned in 1924 to purchase the lease. Tom Mix and Zane Grey cowboy movies brought in decent crowds, but the Kings struggled to turn a profit and closed in 1925.
Roxy Theatre, ca. 1950.
Galt Museum & Archives, 19752201449.
Empress (Roxy)
328 5 Street South
1913–1959
The Empress was an attractive first-run movie house that opened in 1913 with 600 seats. In 1933, it was purchased by the Majestic Theatre Company, spearheaded by A. W. Shackleford. The newly renamed Roxy beckoned patrons with its brilliant, lighted canopy, and machine-cooled air in the summertime.
Shackleford shifted the first-run movies to other venues, focusing the Roxy on kids’ Saturday morning matinees, serials, rereleases, and westerns. Business gradually moved to the Paramount after it opened in 1950, and the Roxy closed in 1959.
The Majestic Theatre, ca. 1910–1912.
Galt Museum & Archives, 19931015002.
Majestic
512 5 Avenue South
1910–1942
The Majestic was a large and elegant theatre built by Montana entrepreneur Sam Griffiths, primarily for live presentations. Although it had a projection room in the balcony, its primary feature was a generous stage that was used almost every night of the week by amateur theatre groups, as well as travelling vaudeville and musical revues.
When the Majestic first opened, the local newspaper described the tastefully decorated theatre as a “dreamland.” The centrepiece was an oil painted curtain made in New York by scenic artist Lee Lasch.
Galt Museum & Archives, 19740030000-007.
Ticket prices at the Majestic varied from 25 cents to a dollar depending on the quality of seats. Popcorn, ice cream and carbonated drinks were available for a dime apiece.
By the late 1920s, the Majestic was struggling to stay afloat and began to show movies to fill in periods between live shows. On May 9, 1929, the Majestic played the first sound picture in Lethbridge, inaugurating the era of the “talkies.” Despite this milestone, attendance dropped as the Depression set in, and the theatre was closed in the 1930s.
Morris (Sherman/Orpheum/Colonial/Palace/Capitol)
414-416 5 Street South
1911–1973
Al Morris built the Morris Theatre in 1911, next door to his previous theatre, which had been called the Eureka.
Galt Museum & Archives, 19851120000.
When the Morris opened in November 1911 as a successor to the short-lived Eureka (1908-1911), it was the epitome of theatre comfort. The vaudeville and movie house featured an elegant canopy overhanging the sidewalk, an orchestra pit with live musicians, dressing rooms and 550 upholstered seats… until students discovered the cushions made the perfect padding for roller skate straps!
The Capitol Theatre with its sleek modern façade, ca. 1946.
Galt Museum & Archives, 19901053014.
The building changed hands several times and became the Palace Theatre in 1924. Four years later, manager A. W. Shackleford went into partnership with the Famous Players Corporation and bought the Palace, which reopened in 1929 as the Capitol—an upscale, spacious theatre featuring a new balcony, an elaborate painted ceiling and central chandelier.
The Capitol was used for road shows and movies, and it became one of the first theatres in southern Alberta to transition to the “talkies.” It served Lethbridge movie-goers for the next four decades, until it was closed in 1973 to make way for the Lethbridge Centre mall.
Lealta Theatre, ca. 1950–1960.
Courtesy of Dianne King.
Lealta
258 13 Street North
1940–1963
The Lealta was established in 1938 by Cameron and Emily Doughty, in the one-time Monarch Theatre (1911-1915) on 13th Street N. Three years later Doughty bought the former Bank of Commerce building nearby and renovated it into a new theatre, seating about 350 people. As the only north-side theatre, the Lealta became the go-to movie house for neighbourhood residents.
During the next quarter century, the Lealta played over 5,000 films including musicals, foreign language films, experimental films, and the first filmed opera shown in Lethbridge: The Barber of Seville. Despite these unique offerings, the small venue could not accommodate widescreen Cinemascope films and struggled to compete with television for audiences. The Doughtys closed the Lealta and retired in 1963.
The Paramount Theatre at its grand opening, October 9, 1950.
Galt Museum & Archives, 19752209060.
Paramount
723 4 Avenue South
1950–1967
When the Paramount Theatre opened with Fancy Pants on Thanksgiving Day in 1950, hundreds of people lined up around the block. The theatre became a landmark in the city, and the kingpin of A. W. Shackleford’s movie house empire.
The Paramount had a striking, illuminated sign and marquee that dominated the corner of 4 Avenue and 8 Street. It featured a generous, carpeted lobby, a candy bar, a men’s smoking room and ladies’ powder room, upholstered slide-back seats, and a modern air conditioning system. With no other comparable venue in the city, the Paramount was also used for live productions and events, such as graduation ceremonies and the annual Kiwanis Music Festival.
In 1968 the Paramount Cinema opened as an addition to the original venue, making it one of the first dual auditorium theatres on the Prairies. Ongoing improvements, such as a new Dolby sound system and high-back seating, reflected Shackleford’s philosophy that “If you don’t innovate, you stagnate.”
After the Shackleford family sold their interest in the Paramount, the quality of the facility was not maintained by subsequent owners and in 2007 it was converted into offices and retail space. The Paramount’s illuminated sign remains today as a reminder of the city’s last true “picture palace.”
Arial view of Green Acres Drive-In, April 12, 1973.
Galt Museum & Archives, 19931064327.
Green Acres Drive-In
Mayor Magrath Drive South & Scenic Drive
1950–1986
The 1950s and 1960s were the heyday of drive-in theatres, with more than 4000 operating across North America. In 1950, a Calgary-based company opened the Green Acres Drive-In in Lethbridge, and two years later A. W. Shackleford and associates took over operation. The theatre had a 60-square-foot screen and a capacity of about 400 cars, later expanded to 575.
Lethbridge Herald advertisement for opening of Green Acres Drive-In, April 27, 1950.
Drive-in theatres were perfect for a date—and a novelty for parents, who could bring their kids along in pjs and enjoy a late show. Green Acres wooed families with westerns and comedies; they also installed a playground, and organized Easter egg hunts, yodelling cowboy stage shows and bingo games starting at 6 pm.
Despite their popularity, drive-in theatres were limited to the summer months with long daylight hours, and many were gradually squeezed out by urban sprawl and competition from multi-screen theatres. In 1984, Shackleford commented, “I wouldn’t sink a wooden dollar into drive-ins these days.” Within two years, Green Acres had closed.
College Mall Cinema
College Mall (Mayor Magrath Drive South)
1969–1994
This single-screen, 680-seat theatre opened in College Mall in 1969. It was managed by A. W. Shackleford’s eldest son, Doug. The theatre closed in 1994, and the mall was demolished in 2002.
College Mall Cinema, October 14, 1969.
Galt Museum & Archives, 1991107610316.
Lethbridge Centre Cinemas I/II
418 5 Street South
1975–2005
In 1975, Twin Cinemas 1 and 2 (later Lethbridge Centre Cinemas) opened at Lethbridge Centre. Famous Players closed the theatre in May 2005.
Cineplex Odeon (Galaxy)
Park Place Mall
1988–Present
Galaxy Cinemas in Park Place Mall, ca. 2011.
Courtesy Warren Nagurny, Galaxy Cinemas.
The Cineplex Odeon opened in the summer of 1988 with six screens, all equipped with Dolby stereo sound systems. Four more screens were added in 2004, and the theatre was renamed Galaxy Cinemas. With a current total seating capacity of 1,750, Galaxy Cinemas continues to expand audience experiences through immersive entertainment such as 3D and D-Box seating.
Movie Mill
1994–Present
Leonard and Debra Binning opened the Movie Mill in August 1994 as the first independent discount theatre in Canada. With $1.50 matinees and $2.50 evening shows, the theatre was an immediate success, launching price wars that gave Lethbridge movie-goers the best deal in the country for a time. Over the years, the Binnings have upgraded the space with a conversion to digital, new seats, and a variety of complementary businesses including pizza, mini-golf and frozen yogurt.
Being an independent family-owned business means competing against the large theatre chains for everything from promotions and advertising to the choice and availability of movies. However, it also gives the Movie Mill flexibility to show smaller independent, faith-based and other specialized films.
Projection room of the Paramount Theatre, 1950.
The Paramount was the second theatre in Canada to install these state-of-the-art Simplex projectors. An average movie had more than three kilometers of film, which was fed through the projector at a rate of about 27 meters per minute.
Galt Museum & Archives, 19752201453.
From “Movies” to “Talkies”
In the late 1800s, Thomas Edison patented a series of devices that made it possible to screen motion pictures: the kinetograph (a motion picture camera), the kinetoscope (a wooden cabinet for viewing stereographic images), and the vitascope (an electrically powered projector). Competing technologies led to the rapid rise of filmstrip based “movies” that could be viewed by large audiences.
Silent movies were usually accompanied by live musicians and used intertitles (title cards) to convey dialogue. The addition of sound was a major milestone in the transition to “talkies” after 1927. At first, sound was recorded onto a separate disc, which the projectionist had to synchronize with the picture. Sound-on-film simplified the process by combining both sound and action onto a single filmstrip.
Harry Boyse and Paul Baron in the projection room of the Capitol Theatre, ca. 1938.
Galt Museum & Archives, 199110004340.
Colour technology, Cinemascope, Dolby surround sound and other innovations have continuously improved the quality of movie exhibition. However, the most significant change since 2000 has been the rise of digital cinema projection. Movies that were previously shipped to theatres in heavy canisters containing several film reels, now arrive on encrypted hard drives, which deliver a pristine picture every time.
Motiograph 35 mm film projector, ca. 1945–1955.
Donated by Al Anctil. Galt Museum & Archives, P20120038001.
Motiograph projector
A Motiograph projector with “Mirrorphonic” sound system was installed in the Waterton Theatre in the 1950s, by then-owner Gordon Brewerton. Originally it used carbon arc lamps and had a twin projector that alternated playing 20-minute reels. Larry Becker, certified projectionist, purchased the Waterton Theatre in 1976 and retrofitted the projector with xenon lamps and a platter system that allowed multiple film reels to be spliced together and played on a single projector. For Becker, the Motiograph was “the heart of the operation” and continued to be used until digital projection forced it out of commission in 2011.
Harry Boyse
If anyone knew their way around a projection booth, it was Harry Boyse. One of the first projectionists licenced in Alberta, Boyse worked at the Empress, Majestic, Capitol and Paramount theatres in Lethbridge as the head projectionist for A. W. Shackleford.
By the 1920s, projectionists in Alberta were unionized and needed three years of training and a first-class certificate to work in the larger theatres. Highly flammable nitrate film stock and carbon arc lamps made for a hazardous job—and threading film through a projector in a hot, cramped and dimly-lit projection booth was not always glamorous work. Still, Boyse’s passion for the craft kept him in the industry for more than 40 years.
The number of union projectionists decreased as multiplex theatres became automated. In the current digital age, some theatres have maintained a projectionist on staff, but the role no longer requires the specialized skills once needed to bring moving pictures to the silver screen.
Retired projectionist Harry Boyse loading a motion picture projector, November 27, 1973.
Galt Museum & Archives, 19971048007.
Projectionist’s smock, ca. 1940–1950.
Donated by Ken Boyse. Galt Museum & Archives, P19970071006.
Early advertisements for moving pictures focused on the novelty of the medium, as in this 1909 promotion for “1000 feet of colored film.”
Show Business
As moving pictures matured into mainstream entertainment, they became big business. Local theatre managers used the Lethbridge Herald to advertise upcoming shows, initially by title or length of film. By 1913, the names of silent screen stars such as Mary Pickford or Sarah Bernhardt were splashed across the daily news. Billboards were also placed outside theatre entrances to attract passers-by, until the signs were banned under a 1921 city by-law.
View of Lyceum Theatre (far right), with billboards along sidewalk, ca. 1909.
Galt Museum & Archives, 19861134000.
Movies also stirred public concern. A provincial censor board was set up in 1913 to guard against scenes with seduction, murder, gambling or other indecencies. Some movies were shown to men-only or women-only crowds, and minimum ages were set for anything determined to have questionable content. In response, theatre managers issued personal endorsements to reassure audiences that they offered wholesome pictures and cultured entertainment.
The responsibility for movie promotion gradually shifted toward film studios and their regional distributors, and the showmanship of local theatre managers became less important to a movie’s success.
A. W. Shackleford in the projection room of the Paramount Theatre, 1957.
Galt Museum & Archives, 197525081026.
Alfred W. Shackleford
“Shack” never intended to be in the theatre business. He took a job as an usher in Calgary’s Regent Theatre while training to be a draftsman—and one thing led to another.
In 1921, by then working at the Fox film exchange in Calgary, Shackleford was approached to manage the small Kings Theatre in Lethbridge. With silent partners, he bought the Kings in 1924, and within four years became associated with the Famous Players Corporation. By 1934, Shackleford controlled the Majestic, Capitol and Roxy—every movie theatre in Lethbridge at the time.
Smoking jacket, ca. 1940–1950.
This jacket was worn by A. W. Shackleford, usually on Sundays while he was relaxing with a cigar. Shackleford spent most of his life devoted to the theatre business, retiring at the age of 90.
Donated by Bob and Mildred Shackleford. Galt Museum & Archives, P19990062003.
Over the next several decades, Shackleford continued to expand his theatre interests, adding the Paramount, Green Acres, College Mall and Lethbridge Centre theatres. He also entered politics, spending 24 years on city council (10 of them as mayor), while his sons Doug and Bob helped run the theatres.
What was the secret to Shack’s show-biz success? He was not a movie buff, as he himself admitted, but he had a passion for the business and knew how to please the “conservative and unpredictable” movie-goers in Lethbridge. He also kept his theatres in top condition, with the latest technologies and comforts.
On the Set
Southern Alberta has been called the world’s “stunt double,” its mountains, prairies and badlands standing in for locations around the world. Occasionally the region has also played itself on the silver screen.
One of the first commercial films made in southern Alberta was a small-time movie called The Romance of Lethbridge, filmed and released in 1920 with an entire cast of local actors. That year, Canadian producer Ernest G. Shipman also began work on Cameron of the Royal Mounted, a Mounted Police story centred in Fort Macleod. When it was released in April 1922, the Lethbridge Herald commented, “now we know what the ‘movies’ can do with our beloved Alberta.”
Since the 1970s, southern Alberta has been a popular site for filming Hollywood movies, thanks to government incentives available to American filmmakers, the region’s diverse landscapes and the pool of talented industry experts.
Cameron of the Royal Mounted (1920) was a silent movie starring Gaston Glass, Vivienne Osborne and Irving Cummings. Based on a popular story by Ralph Connor about Alberta’s settler days, it featured a squadron of Royal North-West Mounted Police officers from the Fort Macleod detachment, as well as local Blackfoot people—though Mounted Police officers also played First Nations roles. The film was distributed across North America in 1922 and achieved modest success.
Ad from the Lethbridge Herald, July 30, 1920. The Romance of Lethbridge was produced by Calgary-based filmmaker W. R. Marshall, manager of the Imperial Film Company of Canada. The “love and comedy” was shot in Galt Gardens, along 5 Street, and at the residence of Mart McMahon on 11 Street South.
Casting call for Betrayed (1988), initially called Summer Lightning, which appeared in the Lethbridge Herald, July 11, 1987.
