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About The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 5, 1926)
ti - - SECTION TWO Pages I to 8 NEW BLIGH BUILDING SECTION CLEAN A NOD VIGOROUS SEVENTYtSIXTH YEAR SALEM. OREGON, TUESDAY MORNING, OCTOBER j 1J26 PRICE FIVE CENTS . - t . , V-.-1 rt':' ' V';T: W;"t'---Wr must I it - -..; g ' " '"m r . -, ,.-- - -jfi . 1 " . r3Lf , ; ' - .I Theatre's Beauty Passes All Salem Expectations Glass Enclosed "Crying Room" and "Smoking Room i Spectacular of Innovations Presented bv 1 Frank Bligh Here October's early dusk and mist tonicrht will eKcomnass ; court house square, dimming the lights alongijhetreets that surround it and even blurring those on the. itae)y oi;nty tiuilding itself; but across State stapij thf"southf incan descent .lamps will produce a glow, revealing throngs of peo ple crowding about that bright spot. ' 1 . ;i For this evening at o'clock the doors of Bligh 's Capi-I LU1 UlCiHIC, DftlClU O licncsb jJldJ' I1UUSC, Will LHi UlXUWIl Opeil, permitting the- eager public to inspect thoroughly and freely the beautiful Interior of this modern but thoroughly artistic sjmusement center. The public will be admitted tonight entirely without charge, for the sole purpose of inspecting the interior of this theatre, a, marve of architecture and comfort for the theatrej goers of city of balem s population. Usheirs especially instructed with a view to explaining each detail of the building, will be on hand to conduct the visitors through it. No entertainment will be given tonight; the theatre will commence its regular program of entertain ment andi wilk be open for regular patronage on Wednesday evening. ! ! t Whs is it that people are drawn so irresistibly to an il luminated sign which carries the message that within, Tom Mix or Harry Carey or Lionel Barrymore reigns upon the silver screen ? It is because what they find there is life; something out side their own experience, but authentic, real, human hap- , penings. . . . h Stage and screen production have, in times past, been looked down upon by men who considered themselves super tor. NToday, life as portrayed by these means is recognized nniversally, a?d the men-and women who devote their lives to portraying St, are acclaimed as true artists. With the fanciful world drawing so much of the public's attention, it: follows naturally that .any contribution which tends to raise the standards of theatrical art is a booh to the community in which its influence is felt. r" nnn m nnin nimnn n iiwn hum; 1 1 1 oiijeiii. if i Lilt: twiii- OtniPtinn of thi flew. Canitol theater, the Droduct of the plan ning and administration of Frank Bligh, who thus follows in the footsteps of his father, pioneer showman of this city, v. Throughout, Salem's newest playhouse is the; latest word fa comfort," convenience and beauty. 4 Harmony of Inie and jc6lfc 'distinisheshjBiintriox wichsf ifiisheirar the lighting duplicated iii only two theaters on the Pacific coast -slthniicrh in creneral use in. Chicago and New York,.hang from the ceiling and serve as decorative features even more thairf- -s a means of illumination. xH , Attention of the; lover of beauty will be drawn to the' proscenium arch Jiad to the ceiling's beautiful polychrome and gilded plaster, effects, as well as to the walls in the foyer, finished in travertine, and the panels in the theater proper, ?which are done In scarf itto. The -decorating was done by Carr Berg, nationally known artist. i V- Seating' capacity has been subordinated to seating com fort, thanks t& the sagacity of those who planned the build ing. The theater will seat l,zuu persons, ine seats are so t (C'otitinoed on page 5.) Borne of Bligh's Capitol V ! B State House Replica Entire Edifice Represents Careful Planning of Frank Bligji - w A - M TA. and Gifted Mother, and liecomes imporiani unu m liusmess I-1 i' ft-- - -- -- ' - " - . A. V i r. Hi! INTERIOR OF BLIGH'S CAPITOL THEATRE, WHICH OPENS TONIGHT r -rs--1 ? -i.-a-,H i n fit i ' i r s if if 4-1 FOYER OF NEW THEATRE com4U4ii ; 1 S Looking eastward along the south side of State street from the corner of High, it has been possible, for several decades, to obtain a , good view of the impressive dome of Oregon's capitolr By day, its pleasing lines and substantial . bulk stand out in relief against the sky ; at night, if conditions are such that the outline cannot be seen-, it is marked by the . cluster of lights which encircles the cupola at the top. Oregonians from otner parts 01 tRe state wno vis.it o lem in the future, getting their first view of the capitol dome from that point, may be startled on seeing-two domes instead of one. From that viewpoint, they appear exactly identical. The new dome covers, instead of the seat of Oregon s government, the entrance to Bligh's Capitol theatre, and is the distinctive feature of the new?Bligh. building, just com pleted on the southeast corner of State and High. t ; ; This new and worthy addition to Salem's business dis trict, which has arisen on, the erstwhile site of one -of the .city's pioneer hotels, extends for 166 feet along State street and 150 on High covering exactly one-fourth of a block. Not only the theatre, but every feature pf the new build ing is the product of the 'careful planning? of Frank Bligh, who with his mother is the owner. Perfect as it is in every detail, the outstanding thing, about the building is the "cap: itol dome" which surmounts the theatre entrance, vt No other theatre or place of amusement in the world, so far as can be ascertained, has an ornament similar to this fajVone, which was the original idea of Mr. Bligh. iSP The metal cupola at the top follows the outline and ap- rutirnnxa ftf tho nno nn the canitol Duiiainz : oui uie mam part of the dome is glass covered,. and at-night-it will beJ illuminated with the commnea raaiance oi xu,uw wiw oi ;. , The theatre occupies the easterly 64 'feet of frontage on State street. The remainder of the building consists of ten full size store rooms, in addition to which there are four smaller ones in the front of the theatre part of the building. -'. A feature of the stores which appeals particularly to merchants, is the fact that each has beneath it a full base- i Ohlhi "sectfflafloor; there aTe 32 -office rooms, all, of J Jhem f'outside'rooms Avith, direct lighting, ana .Btncuy up T BEFORE NEW BUILDING ROSE At top, interior of Bligh's Capitol Theatre, whfch Salem citizens are invited to inspect this evening. Picture, taken from the stage, shows the seating arrangement and gives an idea of the artistic decoration pf the new playhouse. On the right, above, Mrs. T.G. Bligh, who is associated with her son in ownership of the new Bligh building and Bligh's Cap itol theatre. Below, right. Frank G. Bligh, who planned and built the new business block and theatre buildnig, and who will also be managing director of the theatre and premises to provide Salem patrons with the best entertainment available in the northwest. At left, above, a view of the right half of the theatre foyer. Below, the corner of High and State streets before; the advent of the new Bligh building. The structure, in the center is the old Bligh Hotel building, erected as a private residence in the Civil War period. Eighteen gears' Growth Is History of Bligh Here First Bligh Theatre Opened in Vancouver, Wash., in 1908; J Father and Son Have Continued Expanding With Drama Eighteen years of steady growth closely paralleling! that of the popular theatre in America, is the history of the Blight theatre, which .will see its climax in the opening of Bligh's Capitol, this evening. . " .'j . -In 1908, when motion pictures were making their mod-s est preliminary bow 'to American 'audiences, the first Bligh theatre was opened- in Vancouver, Wash. Since that time the theatrical, interests of the late T. G. Bligh and his son Frank Bligh, proprietor of Salem's new theatre, have grown steadily until the name Bligh has become one to be reckoned with in theatrical circles on the Pacific coast. t The same year that the first Bligh theatre opened its doors. in Vancouver, under the name "The Star," theatres of the -same name were opened with the same name,. policy and control in Salem ahd.Woodburn.' The 'Star" in Salem ft. V.. .r.--.- ..... -'vv-i 'W:' " . s. 4 . Sr.,-- - f 3IRS. T. G. BLIGH -j .-. - - . ' i . x ' 5- ss, - ,1 Lin 1 - - . 1 "t " ' H- -' ' W ' . . I ,-'" , : " 'f ' j ' . :-Tv i.'-: 1jr -... h 'v '.".':. v v. ' I - - t N. ? - 1. ., -.r V - - . ix"h . T , N v -"f V,. , ' .v . 1 : 4 -I -I . . U-' - v- -V - :. " - -f - ..-'"r f -t " i t'; i.J iJiJv .f ... ; - "1 'U - - ;:i ? - v,-'- - . ; - .'-V-1 i . - ' ' ' i f. V- . Photo tiy GTmnell Rolib Staain, Valley Residents Invited To Attend Free Reception 'Vaudeville" to Be Watchword of Capitol's Programs, Paii- tages .waKes mow on murstiay, Jtlrst Show " on Wednesday "Vaudeville!" That will be the watchword at Bligh's Capitol theatre, which opens formally tonight and on Wed nesday begins its regular program of entertaining Salem's theatre going public. Pantages vaudeville every Thursday eveningvaude ville which is unquestionably the best offered on the 'Pacific coast, will be seen in Salem for the first.tinte this week,' and every Thursday evening thereafter, at the Capitol theatre. With the formal opening scheduled for tonight, a house warming to which everyone is invited free of charge, regu lar shows at the Capitol will start Wednesday. Pictures only will be shown that evening, with John Emerson and Anita Loos appearmg in a story adapted by Carl Laemmle from the big stage success, "The Whole Town's Talking' a fitting title for the opening show, since surely all Salem will be talking, long before that, about the new Capitol. , Thursday evening comes the first Pantages show; and advance information leaves no room for doubt that it will set a new standard of vaudeville entertainment in Salem. I Lawton, described as "The Man .from Jugglonia," of fers a new and novel juggling act---among tkther feats of skill,' he plays a drum with tennis balls and concludes by juggling three heavy spheres. ' ' . . , " Gaby Du Valle, French t)pera Comique prima donna from Paris, 'formerly with the Boston Grand Opera sym phony orchestra, and also with the Australian symphony, or chestra at one time, known In musicland as the "operatic nightingale", offers a splendid -repertoire of operatic and American melody numbers. Miss Du Valle is assisted by Camille IKiiza, Mexican pianist and composer.: v Hafter and Paul depict the bright, breezy side of life as it is, in their new comedy act, "Just Themselves." They are well known to the "Great White Way" of New York City, having appeared in musical comedy -and revues in America's entertainment metropolis. Baby 'Dodo" Reid, niece, f the late Wallace iReid, who was America's most beloved screen hero, offers a novel and very entertaining program, in 1 which she plays the ukelele, sings, dances and then very intelligently answers questions on all topics, asked by people in the audience. j v Vi With characteristic Italian dialect and gestures, An thony and Rogers Rick take the stage as a pair of 'returned banana merchants. Their songs and music are highly orig inal, while5 their dancing is the latest word in laugh provok ing steps. ! As a climax to this galaxy of excellence, "Jay Kayand Girls," a comedy revue featuring such Broadway favprites. as Dot Rulon, Paula Kane, Alice Marx and dainty German Faire, intersperses song and dance specialties with laugh pro ducing effects and witticisms that prove it one hundred per ) cent entertainment. " The new Capitol theatre orchestra, directed by Viola Vercler Holman, will furnish the music Short film subjects will also be shown. ? But Pantages vaudeville once a week is not all. Thia week, on Friday evening the well known Ackerman & Har ris vaudeville circuit will send a full program to the Capitol, and the Saturday and Sunday bill will include Lunn's East- (Continued on p j 4.) ' ' Finest Pictures Booked p For Early Presentation Genius Which Has Marked History of Bligh Progress-to Be Applied in Bringing Distinctive Films Here : for Showing v . . -.'FRANK Q. ELIGU Laura La Plante heads the imposing array of players that Universal has given "The Midnight Sun," its great SuperJewel for this year. The picture, which will be screened at the Capitol theatre, and which will-appear 'soon, was directed by .Dimitri Buchowetski noted Russian direct or and producer. It presents Miss' La Plante for the first time in her career in the rle of dramatic artist rather 'than in that of comedienne. ', r , ( ' : . The action of thejjicture takes'place in Russia in 1913 before the advent of Bolshevism and disnlavs all the luxur ious fife of that period.' -Miss Xa'PIante impersonates a danc ing girl, who, coveted by two of the most powerful men in the Empire, plays, with them until she reaches the rank of premiere ballerina of 'the imperiaL Russian Ballet. Out of this comes romance and tragedy and - an insight into the eold, cynical mysticism of the Russian character. ; , Pat O'Malley, who has thousands of admirers through out the country, displays hisversatility in a role entirely i different from anything he. has ever before attempted,' that of a Russian Grand Duke, C v ; ; Che-Midnight Sun" is said to have provided O'Malk? with onexf the best roles of his career. As the most power ful military man in Russia Pat b dignified and crafty yet with it all sentimental and gripping in his love affair. The part also gives O'Malley an opportunity to display the 'gor geous -uniforms worn by one of the high rank his character impersonates. ' r . . ';'-: ; : ' V : Tn Raymond Kear.e, the third of the quartet of princi pals, Universal is presenting a young man who is acting in net pnjy his first big part but also his first big picture. , With a fortune staked on. this production, it took : considerable courage to try out an untried player in such an important role,-but Buchowetzki and Universal were convinced that i;v" Keane, who is only 19, they had a realfind.". Keane play.-; the hero and the youthful sweetheart of the dancing girl. He is said to be one of the handsomest young men on the screen.- . . ' ' ' . ' '' The fourth principal is none, other than George Sic;-nAannwhose-acreon viilainy-has -marked 4iis-as one of tL greatest 'heavies", in the profession. Siegmann'impc:. f ' r