The first time I ever went into the Music Box Theater was in 1986, when I saw the 1980 Bob Hoskins classic "The Long Good Friday." I lived just a few blocks from it, at Ashland and Berteau, and was able to walk there in about ten minutes. I made it a habit to see movies there when I could.
According to their website, the Music Box was opened in August, 1929, just a few months before the stock market crash that triggered the Great Depression. It was reopened 25 years ago by its current management as an art theater. When I was a younger guy and had lots of spare time, one of the things I looked forward to was once a month when the Chicago Reader would have the monthly schedule in it. I've seen countless marvelous movies there: The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai, Down By Law and Casablanca. One time, when I was in line to see Akira Kurasowa's "Ran," film critic Roger Ebert was right behind me in line. When my friend Mark was still alive, he was always dragging me to see the animation festivals or some movie he was interested in. Wish he was still around to do that.
When Kim and her first husband got divorced, she and Mel lived right behind the Music Box. A couple of months ago, I took Mel and Adam to a booksigning by Chicago ghost enthusiast Ursula Bielski, and Mel told Ms. Bielski about hearing ghosts in the theater. Bielski confirmed that others had interacted with the friendly ghost of a long-gone employee of the theater.
When I got out of school in the mid eighties, the neighborhood around the Music Box, Wrigleyville (Wrigley Field is just a few blocks away), was rough. These days, that strip of Southport is filled with tony shops and restaurants. Fortunately, the Music Box has survived gentrification, and continues to show it's quirky mix of art movies and classic. Long may it run.
5 comments:
I love the Music Box! I met Russ Meyer there, years ago, with Roger Ebert at a showing of "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls"
More recently we saw Mary Woronov at a screening of Rock and Roll High School. Our eldest practically lives there.
I am so glad the Music Box is still there! I used to see Lynda Barry there pretty regularly in the days when I lived about 8 blocks away.
Sometimes, the good things stay.
Why aren't you employed by the city of Chicago Johnny Yen? Your writing about the city is always makes me want to visit.
I used to work at "Wish You Were Here," the postcard store a couple of doors down in the building. I spent my Sunday afternoons watching stock car races and eating salad from Leona's (because there was not much in the way of food on the street then, which seems laughable now). The store eventually folded, but I enjoyed working at a neighborhood store. Lulu and I lived just a few blocks away on Marshfield at the time.
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