Customer Reviews

Silver Screens: A Pictorial History of Milwaukee's Movie Theaters

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If you are at all interested in old movie theaters, especially those in Milwaukee, then you will no doubt love this book. It is informative and very well written. It's actually sort of an update to a similar book the authors wrote back in 1986. However, I do have a gripe with the lack of photograghs for some of the more important theaters. For example, there are no auditorium views of two of the largest and most noteworthy downtown theaters, the Warner/Grand and the Wisconsin. There is also no auditorium photo of Milwaukee's most popular and still thriving neighborhood theater, the Oriental, though other parts of the theater are shown, and it is discussed at length. I was also surprised there were no photos of the Avalon, which is currently undergoing restoration.

I realize that not every photo of every theater could be included, but it seems that the more significant theaters should have had at least one auditorium view. After all, this book is represented as a "pictorial history." In spite of that criticism, I still consider this book well worth purchasing. Most of the photos that are included are excellent, and the text, as noted above, is very well written. And unlike their 1986 release, this book comes with a much-appreciated index.

Having worked as a projectionist in a number of the theaters covered in this work I was impressed with the depth of knowledge of the subject conveyed by Mr. Widen. He knows his subject intimately. If you are interested in the history of Milwaukee's movie theaters this is the book for you.