By Bruce Klauber
By all accounts the Atlantic City Boardwalk’s Warner Theatre was a movie palace. As detailed in our recent Shore Local piece on the history of movie theaters in Atlantic City, the Warner, located at 2015 Boardwalk, stood alone as a spectacular piece of architecture.
The Warner’s Embassy Theatre, as it was first called, opened on June 19, 1929. The Philadelphia architecture firm of Hoffman/Henon Company designed the venue in a Spanish/Moorish style in the auditorium, and Venetian style in the beautifully appointed lobby. The theater seated 4,129 and was equipped, as were many movie theaters of the day, with a Wurlitzer organ. It was a jewel.
The Warner attracted first-run movies. In later years, and for more than three decades, many were in Cinerama. In 2023, the Warner was refurbished, restored and rebuilt, with the original ocean-facing façade intact. It’s now home to the Superfrico restaurant, and “The Hook,” a show which consistently draws large audiences.
“The Hook” is not the Warner Theatre’s first live stage presentation. In addition to first-run motion pictures, the Warner, renamed the Warren in June 1958, presented a number of noteworthy and sometimes unique stage shows beginning in the 1940s.
Although the Warner presented a live production with the “All Singing All Dancing” theme on the occasion of its opening on June 29, 1929, the first actual live presentation didn’t take place until Sept. 12 1942. The occasion was the 16th annual Miss America Pageant. The winner was Miss Texas, Jo-Carroll Dennison. Trivia buffs note: Dennison later married comic Phil (Sergeant Bilko) Silvers.
Bob Hope’s radio producers took note of the venue as a good spot for live stage presentations. In late 1945, Hope and the entire cast of his radio show, “The Pepsodent Show,” which included Jerry Colonna and a young, not-yet-famous orchestra leader named Desi Arnaz, appeared live and in person at the Warner.
In 1953, the comic Jan Murray presented a show that benefited the Student’s Assistance Fund. Also on the bill were ventriloquist Senor Wences, the Billy Williams Quartet from television’s “Your Show of Shows,” and popular vocalist Sunny Gale. This was the first of several benefits held at the Warner through the years.
In July 1954, the comedy team of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis were in the midst-of a sold-out, 10-day run at the 500 Club. On July 15, the team took several hours off to appear on stage at the Warner to promote their new film, “Living it Up.” Janet Leigh, one of the film’s co-stars, also appeared on stage with Martin and Lewis. Reserved seats for that special show were sold out long in advance.
The Warner presented a couple of performers new to Atlantic City in 1955. Legendary comic/pianist Victor Borge appeared on July 6, and Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians performed on July 27. No one knows exactly what the box office receipts were for those shows, but I don’t believe that Borge and Waring made a lot of visits to Atlantic City after that.
The Steel Pier’s George Hamid took over ownership of the theater sometime in the mid-1950s. Hamid always had his ear to the ground when it came to trending talent, and he simply couldn’t ignore the fact that rock and roll was on its way. In June of 1955 Hamid presented, with some success, one of rock’s earliest and most popular groups at the Steel Pier: Bill Haley and his Comets.
On April 21 of the following year, Hamid put together what was likely Atlantic City’s first all-star rock show, with Haley as the star and centerpiece. Appearing on the Warner stage, in addition to Haley, were Bo Diddley, The Platters, LaVern Baker, The Drifters, Clyde McPhatter, Big Joe Turner, The Teenagers, The Teen Queens, The Flamingos, The Colts, and a big band conducted by saxophonist Red Prysock.
The entertainment industry has had its share of “can’t miss” bookings over the decades which, for whatever reason, just didn’t work out. Louis Armstrong, Lionel Hampton, and Ella Fitzgerald, booked to perform at the Warner from July 9 to July 15, were undoubtedly the biggest stars in music. The presumption was that everyone, jazz fans and otherwise, loved Satchmo, Hamp, and “The First Lady of Song.” On paper it was a stellar lineup, but for whatever reason the package ended up playing to half-full houses for the whole week.
Halfway through the engagement an escaped mental patient, coincidentally with the last name of Fitzgerald, jumped on stage and attacked her. The incident only lasted a few moments, but Fitzgerald and the cast were shaken up. It was a dismal week.
This 1957 stop was the second time Louis Armstrong appeared in Atlantic City. Notably in 1953 he became the first black entertainer to headline at the Steel Pier. He would not return until the summers of 1965 and 1967, when “Hello Dolly” became a giant hit.
Ella Fitzgerald rarely visited Atlantic City after the incident, although she returned in 1989 to accept a key to the city.
Another three-show rock confab was booked for May 31, 1958, and what a lineup it was. Stars included Sam Cooke, The Everly Brothers, Clyde McPhatter, Frankie Avalon, Jackie Wilson, and The Royal Teens.
In 1958 and 1959, the Warner booking office decided to present something new for the theater and for the Boardwalk: legitimate theater. Among the stars that treaded the boards during those two seasons were Sam Levine, Don Wilson, Tom Ewell, Walter Slezak, Jayne Meadows, Julie Harris, Katharine Cornell, Martha Raye, Menasha Skulnik, Joan Fontaine, Linda Darnell, and Joan Blondell.
One of the final “semi-legitimate” shows, presented on Feb. 22, 1959, starred one-time singing movie queen Jeanette MacDonald, backed by a 32-piece orchestra.
“The King of Swing,” Benny Goodman made a rare Atlantic City appearance at the Warner on May 28, 1960. It was one of Goodman’s stronger lineups as it also featured saxophonist Flip Phillips and vibraphonist Red Norvo.
Two months later, on July 1, 1960, the Warner was home to what was called the “First Atlantic City Jazz Festival,” chronicled in these pages some months ago.
On Nov. 11, 1960, George Hamid made an announcement that took the city by surprise. The Warner would be closed and demolished, and a public auction of all the equipment within the theater was scheduled for Nov. 28. There was some talk about saving the theater, considering its rich history, but the talk was half-hearted. Hamid turned it into a bowling alley, called the Boardwalk Bowl.
There was one, final live show that took place on the site of the Warner. In the summer of 1963, Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello appeared at the Boardwalk Bowl to hype their upcoming film, “Beach Party.”
After that, the party was over.
APOLOGY: A story in last week’s edition headlined, “Grabel’s was the place to go in Atlantic City, all day and all night,” incorrectly reported that Doris Grabel is deceased. We regret and are deeply sorry for the error.
Bruce Klauber is the author of four books, an award-winning music journalist, concert and record producer and publicist, producer of the Warner Brothers and Hudson Music “Jazz Legends” film series, and performs both as a drummer and vocalist.
