On Stage at the Old Beacon Theatre
The recast new Beacon Theatre is once again showing movies, although on a much smaller scale than its predecessor, the original Beacon Theatre of 1934-1968. Back then it was more than just a house to show movies, the Beacon Theatre (especially in the 1930s and 1940s) was once the venue for vaudeville acts, a radio program, a theater guild, a dining and dance hall on the second floor called the Wonder Bar, and stage acts like “Zelda, the Mystic.” Even its mainstay--the showing of first-run movies of the day--were often flavored with special added attractions like “Bank Night” on Wednesdays (first prize--$125), or “Dish Night” when free flatware was passed out to patrons.
Perhaps the most noteworthy stage performance at the old Beacon was when the popular Vox Pop radio program (on WABC) was broadcast live coast-to-coast from its stage on the night of March 24, 1948. The Vox Pop (shortened form of Voice of the People) show at the time was a light mixture of fun interviews, quiz questions, and human interest stories of ordinary folks recorded on location from towns (on this night, Beacon) across the country. The show’s stars were Parks Johnson and Warren Hull, who interviewed Beacon resident Jane Brett, Beacon High principal William Pearse, and for a touch of local color, Beacon mountaineer George “Kim” Barrett. A packed audience paid $2.50 per ticket for this one time only event.
The zaniest stage show ever to appear at the Beacon may have been Zelda the Mystic who was here during the week of February 10, 1936. As a warm up to her act (and to show off her supernatural powers) Zelda drove an automobile up and down Beacon’s Main Street while blindfolded. She topped that by hypnotizing a young Beacon lady to sleep in the show window of Schoonmaker’s department store at 1 pm. At Showtime, the subject was carried to the lobby of the Beacon Theatre and awakened on stage. Zelda then divined the answers to personal questions from the audience:
Q. “Will my son have to go to war if we have one?” —Mrs. L.A.C.
A. “WE will soon be dragged into a conflict worse than the last one. Your son will go but will be fortunate enough to return to you.”
Mystics, vaudeville acts, Hollywood stars in person, a Wonder Bar above, and great movies, too—now that was entertainment!
