On June 13, 1924, five usherettes, all with the latest in bobbed hair, posed in their new summer uniforms, blousy top and slacks in combinations of black and orange, in front of the Colonial Theater, 916-18 Broadway. The women were identified by the News Tribune as, left to right, Evelyn Durrin (head usher,) Mary Marko, Isobelle Pallis (assistant head usher,) Mildred Barnes and one unidentified usherette. The marquee advertised "The Last Hour" with Milton Sills, Carmel Myers, Walter Long and Pat O'Malley, which opened June 14, 1924 and ran at the Colonial for one week. "The Last Hour" was issued in 1923 by Mastadon Films. The Colonial Theater was designed by Roland Borhek and built in 1914. In the thirties, it became the Beverly Theater and in the 40's the Telenews Theater. It has since been demolished. Boland B10313, BU 11,145 (TNT 6/19/24, pg. 8)

Colonial Theater (Tacoma); Motion picture theaters--Tacoma--1920-1930; Ushers--Tacoma--1920-1930; Motion picture industry--1920-1930;

The usherettes at the Colonial Theater, 916-18 Broadway, wore gingham dresses for the opening on February 28,1920 of the silent version of "Pollyanna" starring Mary Pickford. A slightly different version of this photograph appeared in the March 3rd News Tribune; the girls are believed to be (l to r) Edna Fitzmaurice, Fern Chantler (the theater cashier), Nellie Mason, Rosa Fair, Lillian Buth, Stella Church, and Ruth Harkness. Mary Pickford was 27 when she played the film's 12 year old title character; the picture grossed one million dollars for United Artists, the film company owned by D.W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and her husband Douglas Fairbanks. The Colonial Theater was designed by Roland Borhek, architect, and opened in 1914. It was demolished in 1988. (TNT 3/3/1920 p.9) TPL-5877, BU-10014, Boland-B2760

Colonial Theater (Tacoma); Motion picture theaters--Tacoma--1920-1930; Ushers--Tacoma--1920-1930; Motion picture industry--1920-1930;

ca. 1926. On July 24, 1926, Reginald Denny's newest comedy "Rolling Home" opened at the Colonial Theater, 916-18 Broadway. A crowd of young people gathered around the theater for the Reginald Denny Day festivities. Mr. Denny (1891-1967) was an actor who made 200 films between 1898 and 1966, but he was also a pioneer in the field of radio-controlled pilotless aviation. At the left foreground of the theater was a couple of barrels covered with cloths that sported a sign for Royal Ice Cream and its slogan "It's the Cream." Royal Ice Cream Co. was located in Tacoma on Pacific Avenue at 25th. It was a wholesale ice cream, milk and cream company. Boland B15392, BU-11146

Colonial Theater (Tacoma); Motion picture theaters--Tacoma--1920-1930; Motion picture industry--1920-1930;

In 1945 the new owners of the theater at 916 Broadway remodeled the building, gave it a new neon marque, and changed its name to the Telenews Theater. The Telenews lasted for about five years showing only newsreels, travel logs, and documentaries. In the late 1960s, the second floor of this building was taken over by the Court C Coffeehouse and Artists' Mall. The building was demolished in 1988.

Motion picture theaters--Tacoma--1940-1950; Telenews Theatre (Tacoma);