Theaters
Theaters
Silent films, often featuring in-house music soundtracks, were incredibly popular among moviegoers in the 1920s. At the time, Morristown boasted three separate movie theaters: The Jersey Theatre (built in 1926), the Lyons’ (Park) Theatre (1915) and the Palace Theatre (1910). By the end of the decade, “talking” films appeared on stage alongside vaudeville and theatrical performances. The low ticket-price meant this form of entertainment was accessible to almost everyone.
Jersey Theatre building on Washington Street near the Green. The theater was built in 1926 by Publix Theaters Corporation and held both motion picture shows and vaudeville acts. Several years later, Dominick Caravaggio, a projectionist who spent his entire career in Morristown Theaters (and was present at the Theatre’s opening day as a teenager) recalled the routines performers would put on: “Boy, I wish the vaudeville days would come back. What shows! The best talent in the world started on the stage. People would pack the place. We couldn’t get them all in. We had to turn them away by the hundreds.”
Each day print advertisements announced the latest movies, as seen here in this Lyons’ Theatre (later known as the Park Theatre) ad. Silent films starring big actors like Charlie Chaplin were especially popular, whose dramatic acting and exaggerated emotional performances held an audience captive throughout the film.
An advertisement from the Jerseyman announced the first “Talkie” to debut in Morristown. Talking movies had been around since 1927, but none had been shown in town until the premiere of “Lucky Boy” at the Jersey Theater on Washington Street two years later. The technology needed to show the film was installed at the cost of $15,000, or $250,000 when adjusted for the cost of inflation. The film’s success justified the theater owner’s investment in the cutting-edge equipment.