The Lakeview Theatre was located at 30609 Jefferson Avenue, and was owned and operated by Mr. Raymond Jewell Francis and his wife, Eva. This was during the time that St Clair Shores was better-known as "Lake Township" and when much of the area was still farmland or open-space area, awaiting development by real estate investors that helped to create the neighborhood as you see it today.
Mr. Francis owned and operated the theatre, but in addition to this also had a Real Estate office in the same building and because of his varied business interests, at least three of the streets in the neighborhood here were named after him and his famly:
"Raymond", "Jewell", and of course "Francis".
This small neighborhood house opened in 1922 and could seat about 570, and was like most theater houses across the area. It had a small, cozy feel for folks and had just enough seats to make it worthwhile.
In the larger cities like Detroit or Mount Clemens, there were at least three- to-four movie theatres in the neighborhoods for most folks who wished to walk to them. This area however, was "suburban area" and the population and attractions for them were fewer and far-between.
Most of these "suburban" houses were privately owned and operated, compared to the others being part of a "chain" or franchise, and usually the folks who managed them were from the area and also knew a lot of the patrons who attended the shows. In its heyday, For most people, however, it was a social gathering place along with being an entertainment hub for the area.
The decor of the theatre included things like a Glo-Dial clock adorned with neon colored light just along side of the screen. These clocks also had the word TIME displayed on top, which for many folks meant “TIME TO EAT”. There were also the “Coming Attractions” bi-fold flyers that were printed in a different color every week for the movies that were on their way to the theatre.
An example of a "Glo-Dial" clock
There was also a Sweets Shop a few doors down from the Lakeview theatre which had ice cream and other confections for folks to enjoy on those warm summer evenings and would of course attract people to the theatre for a show to go along with thear sweet treats.
In the 1930s, a ticket for a show cost 6 cents and usually popcorn was 5 cents. This was the sort of place that many people knew the folks that were regulars, as well as the folks who managed and worked there.
At least two of the projectionists who worked here lived in the area, as well as the owners did too. The facility was well-known to be managed very well and keeping things clean for its patrons.
Saturday afternoon matinees at the Lakeview were very popular with the neighborhood kids. For one thin dime you could see an hour of cartoons, a newsreel, the latest serial-movie chapter, and maybe a Three Stooges or Laurel and Hardy "short" along with two feature films.
Ad for Saturday Matinees
During those Saturday matinees, some of the children were known to bang the seats with their feet, or shoot staples at the screen with rubber bands. The ladies who ran the theatre on those days (Mrs. Francis or Mrs. Kellhoffer, the ticket-seller) would take a moment to stop the film, turn on the overhead house lights, and read the kids the riot act saying "shape up or ship out!".
The kids usually didn't have much else to do, and it was definitely a different time. The Lakeview and its entertainment source was about all that most neighborhood folks had, so the kids usually would settle-down after the pause in the action.
An example of Dinnerware given away at the Theatre.
This one was from the Martha Washington in Hamtramck, MI.
The Saturday evening showings were usually very different than the afternoon matinees had been. Saturday night shows were for the adults and for many theatres it was "free dish night" and many of the dinnerware manufacturers struck a deal with theater owners to sell them their wares and attract the housewives with their new design in plates, cups, and other "housewares".
Sundays were usually geared towards shows for the whole family, rather than geared towards the kids. Usually there were two movies, with some cartoons and a newsreel. Usally the adults were better-behaved than the kids had been the day before.
As with most theatres, the projectionists were usually trained in the art of setup and Projecting the films on the house equipment, but also had to be versed in the repair of the celluloid material that the films were produced on. The times that it did happen during a performance, they would have to splice the film back together the best they could but it wasn't always the best repair job and things didn't quite line-up properly for a few minutes because of the fixes. Sometimes the scenes were incorrect for the story, or the pictures and recorded sound no longer matched. In some cases, you would hear the storm brewing on the soundtrack, but the skies were clear and sunny. Another time the horse started talking to the cowboy, or the man would be barking at his dog!
Other issues included a time here that they had to adapt to a different problem with the power to the sound system went dead during a showing of Shirley Temple’s "Bright Eyes".
1934's Bright Eyes starring Shirley Temple
Folks graciously brought-in their car batteries from the parking lot to use so that the show could continue for the audience.
For the projectionists who worked in the original design of the building, one of the unique items with the Lakeview was how you had to access the projection booth. Access to this proejction room was only by climbing a ladder to get up to it, which in itself was not always a safe process because they had to carry the large film reels up-and-down the ladder with them. This was later rectified by one of the later renovations of the building, but at the time it gave exercise to anyone who worked there and was a spectacle to see, of course.
An item in the January 22, 1935, issue of The Film Daily said that a remodeling of the Lakeview Theatre in St. Clair Shores was underway and plans for the remodel were created and executed by the Dearborn architectural firm Bennett & Straight. The Lakeview started-off as a single-story building and it likely was given its second-story and higher roofline during the remodel to accomodate the balcony inside and other faciliites.
1938's Army Girl + Arsene Lupin Returns
Two of many of the films shown at the Lakeview.
One of the renovations gave the Lakeview a new front façade which matched-up and looked typical for most theatres of the time. This front was usually made of porcelain-enameled panels. In some locations that this was done, the panels were even colored to match some of the surrounding buildings. The marquee was usually embellished with yards of colorful neon and hundreds of tungsten filament lamps that chased magically along the front and undercarriage of the theater’s entrance. This theatre wasn’t as grand as some of the the downtown movie palaces such as the the Fox or the United Artists, but at the time it was the most modern Art Deco building in the neighborhood.
One of the biggest movies ever to be shown at the Lakeview was the 1939 epic "Gone with the Wind", and it drew quite a few folks from the area to see the motion picture.
During World War II the movie theater was one of the most popular forms of entertainment around. Patrons of the Crystal were kept up to date with events at home and on the war front with twice-weekly newsreels and travelogues. Even after the war this popularity continued and in 1946, theater attendance was at an all time high with 57% of Americans going to the movies on a weekly basis.
In the post-World War II era, America experienced phenomenal economic growth, mainly with the auto industry as well as a housing boom. Americans had more money to spend on luxury items, and gasoline was no longer being rationed so folks began to travel and commute more. This was the time that the "mass migration to the suburbs" had began and the inner-cities were not as populated as they once had been. By 1950, the entertainment source of television had become the dominant medium for those who could afford it and the way folks enjoyed their relaxation time began to change in society.
Eventually, attendance numbers began to decline because of these changes and Television was one of the main focuses of blame by the film industry. Because they had these devices in their homes, many folks changed their primary source of entertainment and source of information and the decline of the theatre attendance began to reflect this change.
Typical auditorium of the time (Crystal Theatre, Detroit)
Its been said that Mrs. Francis (owner/manager of the Lakeview) had stated that "TV was the 'death knell' of the neighborhood motion picture business" and that this was one reason for the decline.
There were so few folks at one point that the staff many times would stop the film after the last people would leave (even if it wasn't over) just because there was nobody to watch it.
One of the last pictures they showed before closing ( Journey to the Center of the Earth) was in late 1959. As the story goes, it was a cold evening and about 10 of the neighbor kids and their parents walked up to the Theater, saw the movie and walked back in the cold and we all had Hot Chocolate there. It was actually quite a memorable event.
The Theater closed soon after this in 1960 and the building sat empty and decaying for many years before finally being demolished and the land reused for parking.
The story of the Lakeview Theater isn’t unique or unusual. Dozens of neighborhood movie houses have suffered the same fate over the years, and the situation isn’t any different in other major metropolitan areas. The small independent theaters that have survived this long are now facing a new challenge with the shift from film to digital projection as well as other factors. At a cost of $100,000 for a digital conversion, one in every five screens in the United States could go dark because they can’t afford to convert.
The neighborhood theater was once the anchor of the community and although the Lakeview was in business for a couple of decades, it provided entertainment, information and fond memories for a generation of residents who lived in here in the area.
Lakeview Theatre - 1950's
The Lakeview Theatre will long live-on in the memories of those that were part of its history, either by seeing a show there or those who owned or worked there. This venue is a wonderful part of SouthEast Michigan's entertainment and social history and unfortunately the popularity of such places will likely never be seen or experienced again. Whether it was a theatre, dance hall, or concert venue, these things all make it a treasure that is part of the Michigan Cinema (and Entertainment) History.