Monday, May 26, 2014

Wanted: Capitol Theater Photos and Memories


We need your help for a project on the history of the Capitol Theater in Flint. Here's what we need:

1. Interior photos of the Capitol with actual people in the shots. Photos of an empty theater are plentiful, but we need images of folks actually enjoying a movie or other event from any era. I can help you with scanning or reproducing the photos.

2. Your memories of the theater in as much detail as possible. Tell us about going to the Capitol and what it was like. We need personal stories about about the Capitol.

You can post in the comment section, or email me directly at gyoung(at)flintexpats(dot)com.

2 comments:

  1. "You have just called Flint's finest theatre, The Capitiol." This was the opening sentence of the automated schedule that was presented each time you called to get information about movies and show times.

    Aside from everything plush, what I most remember about The Captiol was their utilization of promotional banners that sometimes advertised what awaited you. They were hung in the central lobby and they were Hollywood eye openers.

    The strongest presentation that got my attention (and now my memory) was the promotional used for Billy Wilder's production of Irma La Duce. Jack Lemon and Shirley Maclain starred in it, and it was a story about a French cop who went wrong and fell in love with a street prostitute.

    The strung banners were pictures of the street girls; each individually posed with her name below her image. The Twins were good enough, but Kiki the Cossack skimpily attired and wearing jack-boots really caught my attention.

    The Capitol; everything first rate and as stunning as that call girl…

    Bernard Rosenberg; Sarasota, Florida

    ReplyDelete
  2. Do punk shows in the basement, frat night in the lobby, and roaming the catacombs count?

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for commenting. I moderate comments, so it may take a while for your comment to appear. You might enjoy my book about Flint called "Teardown: Memoir of a Vanishing City," a Michigan Notable Book for 2014 and a finalist for the 33rd Annual Northern California Book Award for Creative NonFiction. Filmmaker Michael Moore described Teardown as "a brilliant chronicle of the Mad Maxization of a once-great American city." More information about Teardown is available at www.teardownbook.com.