On July 17, 1926, a theater opened in Portland, Oregon. Talkies were still a year away and the Great Depression hadn’t yet struck vaudeville, so it played host to variety acts, as well as silent films paired with an 8-piece orchestra and organist. It was called the Hollywood Theatre and its popularity grew so rapidly that soon, the entire district around the theater became known as the Hollywood of Portland. Today it remains the last theater of its era still standing in the City of Roses and showcases both first-run films and a wide range of repertory cinema.
Put on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, the theater has three auditoriums, one of which features a 50-foot screen and 384 seats. In 1997, the theater was made a non-profit, with major renovations taking place between 2011 and 2015 that revitalized the marquee and brought back 70mm screening capabilities. Extending its reach beyond its doors, the Hollywood Theatre also opened a “microcinema” at the Portland Airport that seats 22 and showcases short films created by Pacific Northwest artists or featuring issues related to Oregon or the Pacific Northwest. The theater also helped save local video store Movie Madness by taking ownership in 2017 and protecting its collection of over 90,000 pieces of physical media.
This upcoming week sees the theater celebrating not only its 98th anniversary, but starting on Friday, its six-film Noir City Festival, which features 35mm screenings of the 1949 sleeper hit “The Window” and the Lee J. Cobb crime drama “The Man Who Cheated Himself.” The following week also has a few can’t miss showings with “Jaws” in 35mm on July 25, Elaine May’s “The Heartbreak Kid” on July 26, and “The Flintstones” in 35mm on July 27 and July 28.
Next month, the theater will pay homage to the late, great, and highly influential Roger Corman with a week-long tribute that features 35mm screenings of “The Masque of Red Death,” “The Trip,” “Suburbia,” and “Boxcar Bertha,” along with many others. Also next month, on August 3, Hollywood Theatre will be showcasing both the 1956 and 1978 versions of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” back-to-back with the 1993 update, “Body Snatchers.”
For tickets, showtimes, and more information, visit its website.
