The Ritz Theatre
(Framed\Matted 15.5" X 18.5" Image 6" X 9")
This Limited Edition Gicleé is printed on 140 lb arches Cold Press.
Numbered and signed. Certificate of Authenticity Included.
It was the middle of the Great Depression but you would not have known it in Panama City, Florida. The Ritz Theatre was to be opened on the west side of Harrison Avenue near 4th St. next to the Tennessee House, a dining and boarding establishment on the northwest corner of 4th St. and Harrison. The beautiful new movie theater cost $20,000 and sported over 1000 linear feet of neon in its art deco marquee with an openwork neon ball atop the pinnacle of its façade that could be seen miles out to sea. On November 26th of 1936 the Ritz Theatre opened with one of the grandest turnouts Panama City has ever seen. Five thousand people waited in lines to see “Stage Struck” with Joan Blondell and Dick Powell. This is twice the number that the current Marina Civic Center holds. An informal opening with tours of the building had been held on the 23rd and at 3 p.m. on that date an opening ceremony had been held for official guests. Fern Usher, who still resides in Bay County, attended the opening event as a girl of seven. She remembers the opening vividly and commented, “I can still remember the amazing lights of the Ritz Theatre. It was a wonderful, exciting night going to this bright new place with my Grandad. It is one of the special memories of my life.” The first movie of opening day began at 2 p.m. and it was not until a quarter of one in the morning that the last reel ended and the audience went home.
The opening of the Ritz Theatre signaled the dawn of a new era for Panama City with the luxuries of the big city movie palaces now available for the residents’ entertainment pleasures. Built by E.D. and Roy Martin, the theatre truly kept up with all of the modern accoutrements of movie theaters of the time. Besides the great volume of neon lights on the marquee, 65 to 100 points of neon lights were located in the entry way ceiling. The façade was covered in tiled glass of deep red, green and pale yellow in the zigzag style of art deco which was to become the acknowledged universal style of Hollywood. The foyer was covered in a thick pile carpet in colors matching the façade. “Rainbow lights”, pictures of the Three Little Pigs, Mickey Mouse and Betty Boop also adorned the foyer. A “Magic Eye” water cooler and “immaculate” restrooms were additional features of the lobby. Red velvet drapes covered the entryways to the auditorium to prevent light from seeping into the theater. The theater seated 790 in the auditorium with 461 seats in the balcony. These original seats are now located in the Kaleidoscope Theater in Lynn Haven. The auditorium had both a heating and a cooling system and there were special seats for the hard of hearing, equipped with earphones. An RCA sound system similar to one used at Rockefeller Center in New York was installed in the auditorium and the movie screen was 22 feet wide by 19 feet 6 inches high. The stage was fitted with two red curtains, one a heavy velvet curtain with broad gold bands and a red “draw” curtain also trimmed in gold. Both curtains were operated by remote control. The stage was deep enough to accommodate vaudeville shows and had drop curtains and moveable walls. Offices for rent were located on the second floor and a ladies lounge was located at the top of the stairs to the balcony. For further history see the Martin Theater information.
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