Blue Mouse Theatre
Encyclopedia
The Blue Mouse Theatre title was used for several historic vaudeville
and movie venues opened by John Hamrick
in the Pacific Northwest
of the United States
. The name may have been inspired by a lounge in Paris
. Hamrick is said to have used the colored rodential title for his first theatre in each city.
in the north end of Tacoma, Washington
. It is Washington's oldest continuously operating theater (a few blocks from the state's oldest bowling center), opened November 23, 1923.
When it was designed in the 1920s was promoted as being one of the finest suburban theaters and was referred to as "Blue Mouse Jr." to distinguish it from the larger downtown Tacoma theater of the same name. The "A spectacular melodrama" The Green Goddess
may have been the first "picture show" shown on the theatre’s "silent screen". The theater was successful and in 1932 was purchased and renamed to the Proctor Theater. In 1972, it was re-purchased again and renamed the Bijou in 1980, but struggled to compete against area multiplexes and was threatened with becoming an office complex.
It was saved in 1993 by 17 activists and preservationists (the Blue Mouse Associates) who bought and restored "the building's original Craftsman-style timbers, stucco, pillars, marble terrazzo and original mahogany doors." The group renamed it back to the Blue Mouse Theatre and it has become a community attraction, showing popular movies on a second run basis. The theater is partially supported by generous community donations. Tacoma glass artist Dale Chihuly
designed neon blue mice "seen scurrying across the marquee" for the 221 seat theater. It is located at 2611 North Proctor Street in Tacoma.
On January 13, 2010, this Blue Mouse Theatre location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
in the United States.
The Blue Mouse in downtown Tacoma opened as the Apollo theater and had 650 seats. In 1922 it reopened as a Blue Mouse Theatre It was the first theater in Tacoma to show "talkies" and was done in by the city's "failed experiment" with moving sidewalks and was demolished in 1960 to make way for a new street escalator. Showings included "The Jazz Singer
" in January, 1928. It was located at 1131-1133 Broadway.
It used a wurlitzer organ shipped from the factory in 1922. Harry Quinn Mills was organist at the Blue Mouse in 1922 and Dubois Cornish was organist in 1927. According to Balcom & Vaughan records, the organ was last used for silent films in March 1928. The theater hosted the first sound picture in Portland in 1926: John Barrymore
's in Don Juan (1926 film)
.
Hamrick-Evergreen Theatres closed the venue sometime around 1936 and it was reopened again in 1940 by Paul Forsythe, who "presented family films and kiddie matinees" and "was rewarded with success and a host of good patrons, young and old who became loyal Blue Mouse fans." The theater faced eviction when the property was sold, and the building was to be torn down.
The Blue Mouse Theatre signage was moved to the Capitol Theatre building downtown in 1958 (which had itself been closed down). The new location at 626 SW 4th St (also listed as Morrison and 4th Avenue, location of the former Capitol Theatre) was in a less upscale neighborhood, but stayed in business until 1977 when the "Blue Mouse Block" was demolished to "make way for a huge parking facility. According to one account, "There was a faint outcry to 'save the Blue Mouse' but even if it had been a mighty roar, it was to no more avail than the 'Save the Fox
' campaign was in San Francisco in 1963."
was built in 1921, and lasted only until 1923. It had a Wurlitzer
organ and was a "tiny gem" of theater. The building is still standing and "looks like a theatre from the outside."
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
and movie venues opened by John Hamrick
John Hamrick
John Hamrick was an American entrepreneur in the theater business. He leased and owned a large number of vaudeville and movie theaters in the Northwest from at least the early 1920s until the late 1940s....
in the Pacific Northwest
Northwestern United States
The Northwestern United States comprise the northwestern states up to the western Great Plains regions of the United States, and consistently include the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, to which part of southeast Alaska is also sometimes included...
of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The name may have been inspired by a lounge in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Hamrick is said to have used the colored rodential title for his first theatre in each city.
Blue Mouse Theatre in Proctor District, Tacoma
The Blue Mouse Theatre (1923) (originally known as Blue Mouse Jr.) is a small second-run movie theater located in the Proctor DistrictProctor District, Tacoma, Washington
The Proctor District is a business district in the north end of Tacoma, Washington. Primarily a center for locals to shop, the District has cultivated a small town "urban village" character.-Businesses:...
in the north end of Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
. It is Washington's oldest continuously operating theater (a few blocks from the state's oldest bowling center), opened November 23, 1923.
When it was designed in the 1920s was promoted as being one of the finest suburban theaters and was referred to as "Blue Mouse Jr." to distinguish it from the larger downtown Tacoma theater of the same name. The "A spectacular melodrama" The Green Goddess
The Green Goddess
The Green Goddess is an American talking motion picture released in 1930 and directed by Alfred E. Green. It was a remake of 1923 silent film, which was in turn based on the play of the same name by William Archer. It was produced by Warner Bros. using their new Vitaphone sound system, and adapted...
may have been the first "picture show" shown on the theatre’s "silent screen". The theater was successful and in 1932 was purchased and renamed to the Proctor Theater. In 1972, it was re-purchased again and renamed the Bijou in 1980, but struggled to compete against area multiplexes and was threatened with becoming an office complex.
It was saved in 1993 by 17 activists and preservationists (the Blue Mouse Associates) who bought and restored "the building's original Craftsman-style timbers, stucco, pillars, marble terrazzo and original mahogany doors." The group renamed it back to the Blue Mouse Theatre and it has become a community attraction, showing popular movies on a second run basis. The theater is partially supported by generous community donations. Tacoma glass artist Dale Chihuly
Dale Chihuly
Dale Chihuly is an American glass sculptor and entrepreneur.-Biography:Chihuly graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Tacoma, Washington. He enrolled at the College of the Puget Sound in 1959...
designed neon blue mice "seen scurrying across the marquee" for the 221 seat theater. It is located at 2611 North Proctor Street in Tacoma.
On January 13, 2010, this Blue Mouse Theatre location was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in the United States.
Blue Mouse Theatre in downtown Tacoma
The Jazz Singer (1927 film)
The Jazz Singer is a 1927 American musical film. The first feature-length motion picture with synchronized dialogue sequences, its release heralded the commercial ascendance of the "talkies" and the decline of the silent film era. Produced by Warner Bros. with its Vitaphone sound-on-disc system,...
" in January, 1928. It was located at 1131-1133 Broadway.
Blue Mouse Theatre Portland
The Blue Mouse Theatre opened in Portland was at 1032 SW Washington Street. The location was originally opened as a Globe Theater in 1912, before being taken over and completely remodeled in 1921 by John HamrickJohn Hamrick
John Hamrick was an American entrepreneur in the theater business. He leased and owned a large number of vaudeville and movie theaters in the Northwest from at least the early 1920s until the late 1940s....
It used a wurlitzer organ shipped from the factory in 1922. Harry Quinn Mills was organist at the Blue Mouse in 1922 and Dubois Cornish was organist in 1927. According to Balcom & Vaughan records, the organ was last used for silent films in March 1928. The theater hosted the first sound picture in Portland in 1926: John Barrymore
John Barrymore
John Sidney Blyth , better known as John Barrymore, was an acclaimed American actor. He first gained fame as a handsome stage actor in light comedy, then high drama and culminating in groundbreaking portrayals in Shakespearean plays Hamlet and Richard III...
's in Don Juan (1926 film)
Don Juan (1926 film)
Don Juan is a Warner Brothers film, directed by Alan Crosland. It was the first feature-length film with synchronized Vitaphone sound effects and musical soundtrack, though it has no spoken dialogue...
.
Hamrick-Evergreen Theatres closed the venue sometime around 1936 and it was reopened again in 1940 by Paul Forsythe, who "presented family films and kiddie matinees" and "was rewarded with success and a host of good patrons, young and old who became loyal Blue Mouse fans." The theater faced eviction when the property was sold, and the building was to be torn down.
The Blue Mouse Theatre signage was moved to the Capitol Theatre building downtown in 1958 (which had itself been closed down). The new location at 626 SW 4th St (also listed as Morrison and 4th Avenue, location of the former Capitol Theatre) was in a less upscale neighborhood, but stayed in business until 1977 when the "Blue Mouse Block" was demolished to "make way for a huge parking facility. According to one account, "There was a faint outcry to 'save the Blue Mouse' but even if it had been a mighty roar, it was to no more avail than the 'Save the Fox
Fox Theatre (San Francisco)
The Fox Theatre was a 4,651 seat movie palace located at 1350 Market Street in San Francisco, California. It was designed by the noted theater architect, Thomas W. Lamb...
' campaign was in San Francisco in 1963."
Blue Mouse Theatre Corvallis
The Blue Mouse Theatre in Corvallis, OregonCorvallis, Oregon
Corvallis is a city located in central western Oregon, United States. It is the county seat of Benton County and the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 54,462....
was built in 1921, and lasted only until 1923. It had a Wurlitzer
Wurlitzer
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, was an American company that produced stringed instruments, woodwinds, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs, orchestrions, electronic organs, electric pianos and jukeboxes....
organ and was a "tiny gem" of theater. The building is still standing and "looks like a theatre from the outside."