This photo was taken in March of 2008 when the place was known as the Roxy. It has since been purchased as is now known as the “The Blind Dog“. It’s hard to believe it today, but at one time this one one of Downtown’s major movie theatres.
This is how the building looked in 1977, shortly after it was “modernized”. The look that remains to this day. The Vanity was closed by Famous Players in 1987, and at the time of its closure was the largest movie house in Windsor with 695 seats. How’s that for a throw back? Multi purpose buildings. A movie theare in the rear with retail space in the front…
When it opened in 1937, it looked like the photo above. At that time the theatre held 966 seats, that total was reduced over the years to 695 with the closure of the balcony. The building was designed by Windsor architect A.H. McPhail.
The Windsor that used to be…
I remember going to see The Return of the Jedi at the Vanity…among other movies. Besides the Vanity, the farthest back I can remember as far as names go is Bernie’s. What else was there in between?
Imagine that, retail even! Last movie I can remember seeing there was Rocky IV. Now, just another bar…sigh.
I wish we still had buildings with original “retro” looking signs like that…we’re always thinking we have to change the old and make it look new, such a disgrace.
Also congrats on being mentioned in Anne Jarvis’ article in the paper today.
I wonder what happened to the ones in other cities since it seems like movie houses all closed down in the city, except for the new mega-screen giants. I remember how downtown was the place to be for movies when I was younger. The Odeon, Palace and Vanity. People would line up down the street when big movies would be opening. Often going out to dinner after, or catching an afternoon matinee. I really wish this city would create some sort of bylaw against all these bars opening up.
Does anyone remember the theater on Ottawa street?
Was the theater on Ottawa called the Park Theater? I remember going there in the late fifties.
The Park was (I believe) on Ottawa where the parking lot is beside the CIBC bank. There was another smaller theatre also on Ottawa St. called the Kent. It was across the street from Canada Salvage, and I think it was last in use as a Karate School.
I remember my last movie there was Rocky IV as well.
Does any one remember the small theatre on Sandwich St.? The building is still there and most recently was used as a re-sale store (but closed 3-4 years ago).
There was also a Park Theatre on Erie Street which I’ve sent you photos of before. Closed down in the 80s.
those dam VCR’S
I remember going to see the first Star Trek movie at the Vanity on New Year’s Day back in 1980.
For some reason, I seem to recall there being a theatre in the Pilette Village area, on the McDonalds side of the street. Possibly even a grocery store? I just remember walking there with my parents when I was really young…
Mike, I think it was the Centre Theatre.
Great architecture isn’t the only loss to be nostalgic about. I remember seeing the first Star Trek movie at the Vanity in 1979. In those days before the movie started you’d get cartoon shorts and a patriotic montage of Canadiana while Oh Canada played, at which point everyone in the theatre would stand up out of respect. The audience used to sing along but by then nobody could be bothered any more. At the time they were phasing out the national anthem but the Vanity was still playing it. One of our friends, a big guy at about 6ft, looked around and noticed that we were the only ones standing for Oh Canada. This infuriated him. He turned around to the audience and yelled, “What’s the matter with you, stand up! Show some respect! On your feet NOW!” Every single person in that packed crowd was on their feet before his voice stopped rattling our eardrums. Needless to say he became a shop teacher. I doubt any of his students have ever messed with him. To us, even back then, it really seemed like an erosion of something important when we lost those movie-house traditions. And really, in hindsight, that’s exactly what was going on.
The Centre Theatre, by the way, was where McDonalds and the building just east of it now stand. The parking lot was where McDonalds is. The theatre had one of those fantastic outside ticket booths you’d only see in movies anymore. From the 60s on to its sad end it was known as a children’s theatre. It played exclusively child and family friendly movies, and was the only one in the city to do so. When Mary Poppins came out every child got a little freebie. I remember getting a pink plastic “Burt” in a chimney. It had a wind-up feature using a tiny elastic, and Burt would fly out of the chimney (how did we not take out an eye with that thing??). I loved that theatre and have great memories of seeing almost every Disney movie there with our dad, who has now passed. The last movie I saw there was in 1978, called “Beyond and Back”, a documentary about near-death experiences. By then the theatre had lost its focus and, ultimately, its audience.
It isn’t Windsor, theatres everywhere have cloased. Home entertainment is the main reason. There is an entire book on closed theatres in Toronto called “Nabes”:
http://bit.ly/k4JlV
Centre Theatre – yes, all those Disney films. One or two Toronto movie houses still have that outside ticket stand.
If I recall,in ’69 or ’70 when the movie Battle of Britain had its Windsor debut at the Vanity, it was a big deal with a Brit WW2 plane on display(Spitfire?Hurricane?)spotlights, etc.
I’m sure the Star had coverage on this..
my wife and i, remember standing in a line, all the way down to wyandotte st. on a saturday night, second show, to watch the first james bond movie. ed ropac
There are cities where the old theatres are still in use. In Victoria, BC the Fox theatre (1949) is now the Roxy Classic (roxyclassic.com). They also still have an old Odeon theatre (1948), or at least its facade – it opened as a single screen theatre, and now has 7 large theatres. The odeon still has its original sign (http://www.flickr.com/photos/westcoasthistory/544279977/).
Born in 1979, I can remember being taken to both The Vanity and The Capital to see various movies including “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and “Follow that Bird”.
I am pretty sure that they played “oh Canada” before the movie started and we all stood at attention ….
mike the theater you thinking of was called the centre theaterit was located across from the convience store at dawson & wyandotte that pharmcy and doctors office just east of McDonalds on the north side of wyandotte is the exact spot it ocupied i usd to be able to see a movie there for 10 cents way back in the 50’s
The small movie house on Sandwich Street was called the Royal.I saw the last picture show there at the end of July 1953. The double features were: a Cisco Kid feature with Duncan Renaldo and Leo Carillo and my favorite comedy series the Bowery Boys in “No Holds Barred”.
since windsor did not have dolby stereo until the 80’s, were non dolby stereo theatres equipped for 4 channel audio?
i wish time travel was possible.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=SAguW2jnL4UC&dat=19861201&printsec=frontpage&hl=en
As a kid growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, it seemed almost every big movie release came to the Vanity. Long line ups of ticket buyers stretching down to Wyandotte were a common sight on Fridays and Saturdays even in winter, when the latest blockbuster was opening in town. Although nothing fancy inside, i do remember the balcony, and it being closed off around the mid 1980s. I believe the Vanity ended its run as a movie house in early 1987 after a Christmas 1986 run of “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home”. Many happy memories at the Vanity. So sad to see it in its current state.