Category: Theatre
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Dreamland Park – Rackets, Murder & Ruins
Read more: Dreamland Park – Rackets, Murder & RuinsIf you know anything of its past, the name Dreamland Park likely inspires a sense of dread within you. A tale of kidnapping, rape, torture and murder at the hands of the notorious Pagan motorcycle gang are what this park is most well-know for. But what if I told you the park’s shady past didn’t…
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Astor Theatre – 732 Penn Street, Reading
Read more: Astor Theatre – 732 Penn Street, ReadingThe Astor Theatre was constructed at the cost of half a million dollars on the south side of the 700 block of Penn Street. It was built on the site of the Arcadia Theatre, which was Reading’s oldest theatre, and opened on October 3rd, 1928. The Astor’s stunning art deco interior finishes are emblematic of…
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Promise Unfulfilled: The Brief Life and Bizarre Death of Actor Robert Morris
Read more: Promise Unfulfilled: The Brief Life and Bizarre Death of Actor Robert MorrisA couple weeks ago an email popped up in my inbox from a Vernon Gravely. He had cited BerksNostalgia.com as a source in a book he had recently published that was a biography of a Reading-born man named Robert “Bobby” Morawczynski, later known under stage name “Robert Morris”. Robert lived a short but interesting life…
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Shillington Theatre
Read more: Shillington TheatreThe Shillington Theatre was located at 29 E Lancaster Ave between Liberty and Brobst St. It opened Sept. 3rd, 1949. It was not until the late 1960’s that the Shillington was able to run movies on Sundays due to the local municipality refusing to repeal and continuing to enforce Pennsylvania’s antiquated “blue laws”. Blue Laws…
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A 100 Year Review of Berks – Happy New Year 2020!
Read more: A 100 Year Review of Berks – Happy New Year 2020!Happy New Year Berks County! Not only is it a new year but also the beginning of a new decade. As we leave behind the 2010s, let’s look back on the beginning of the last 10 decades, and some of the events that we experienced together as a community during them. The past is important…
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Embassy Theatre
Read more: Embassy TheatreBuilt on the site of the Empire Theatre. The Embassy Theatre in Reading, PA opened April 4, 1931, with the movie “Stolen Heaven” starring Nancy Carroll. It was owned by Wilmer and Vincent Corp. The Embassy Theatre was designed by Philadelphia architect William H. Lee with his associates Armand de Cortieux Carroll and Charles E.…
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On this Day – June 19th 1972
Read more: On this Day – June 19th 1972See what was happening in the June 19th 1972 Reading Eagle- Hurricane Agnes hits the Florida coast, 14 people were killed. The hurricane would hit Berks County hard just three days later, wreaking havoc on the area. This morning’s rain delayed until this afternoon the opening of Reading’s playgrounds, but it didn’t dampen things at…
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The Park Theatre – 1016 Penn St
Read more: The Park Theatre – 1016 Penn StThe Park Theater opened November 11, 1926, and it was closed by a fire on May 19, 1978. The theater was demolished the following year. James S. Maurer operated the theater as a X-rated movie and live burlesque house, and in 1964 he was arrested along with two strippers in a raid by the Reading…
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“The Racers” Screening at the Astor -1955
Read more: “The Racers” Screening at the Astor -1955From Rotten Tomatoes; The CinemaScope process gets a rugged workout in Henry Hathaway’s The Racers. Kirk Douglas stars as an Italian bus driver who dreams of entering the Grand Prix as a world-famous race car driver. Being Kirk Douglas, he achieves his goal, racing in all the major events around the globe. Dedicated to the…