Detroit Movie Palaces Home Page
My general interest in the Detroit Film Theatre, Michigan Theater and Redford Theatre began ten years ago this month, when I saw the most remarkable film I have ever had the privilege of viewing.
Detroit Movie Palaces Home Page
For the curious-minded, the Michigan Theater can be a treasure chest of intriguing information and fascinating images. Posters for upcoming films are scattered around the ticket booth and concession stand. First-time visitors often stare in wonder at the dramatic vaulted ceiling of the Grand Foyer.
Detroit Movie Palaces Home Page
The Detroit Movie Palaces are all living museums of movie theater history. But to keep their past alive, these theaters must continually look to the future. The Michigan Theater gave a vivid demonstration of that commitment on March 4, 2007.
Detroit Movie Palaces Home Page
For moviegoers, the early months of a new year can be a tough time. Theaters are filled with year-end releases that you’ve already seen, and many new films get only one or two stars from the critics.
Detroit Movie Palaces Home Page
The Michigan Theater is described as “Ann Arbor’s Historic Center for Fine Film & Performing Arts.” On January 28, 2007, visitors to the Michigan enjoyed the best of both worlds in a video broadcast of the Metropolitan Opera’s performance of The First Emperor from January 13, 2007.
Detroit Movie Palaces Home Page
In the fascinating new book Detroit’s Downtown Movie Palaces (2006, Arcadia Publishing), authors Michael Hauser and Marianne Weldon write:
“When reviewing the history of how downtown Detroit’s movie palaces evolved, one word certainly comes to mind, and that is visionary.”
Detroit Movie Palaces Home Page
December has recently been filled with debates about public displays of Christmas symbols and the greetings “Merry Christmas” and “Happy Holidays”. But on December 25, 2006, a non-Christian group enriched Christmas Day with an activity that sidestepped controversy in a very friendly way.
Detroit Movie Palaces Home Page
Two young children, all dressed in red, bounced happily on their feet. They anxiously awaited the arrival of the model train through a snow-covered tunnel in a miniature town set up at the front of the Redford Theatre auditorium.
At the Michigan Theater, gleeful children with Santa Claus caps bounded up the elegant staircase of the Grand Foyer, excited about seeing a movie from the balcony.
Detroit Movie Palaces Home Page
The histories of the Michigan Theater and the Redford Theatre are tightly intertwined with those of Ann Arbor, Detroit, theater design, organ music, and other people, places and things. These theaters also have boosted the careers of many famous movie stars, who in turn helped draw crowds to these film palaces.
Detroit Movie Palaces Home Page
One of the most unique classrooms that a University of Michigan student might visit is the Michigan Theater. Every spring and fall, at least one UM department sponsors a film series at the Michigan. Currently, the syllabus comes with a laugh track for the Comic Masters Series being presented by the UM Department of Screen Arts and Cultures.
