In January of 1926, an unidentified uniformed usherette stood at attention beside the ornate ticket booth within the exterior foyer of the Pantages Theater, the movie palace located at 901 Broadway. The silent film "A Lovers Oath" starring Ramon Navarro and Kathleen Key opened at the Pantages on January 16, 1926 and ran for the traditional one week. Loosely based on the "The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam," the film was Navarro's first starring role. It was made in 1922 and, unable to find a distributer, laid in the vault until after the 1925 release of "Ben Hur" with Navarro. Also advertised as "now playing" is the Pantages "Songolog" of Joy featuring Arnold Leverenz at the organ. The organ was used to provide musical accompaniment to the silent films. In the fifties, Leverenz would be a featured performer at Steve's Gay Nineties. In the back is a poster for Lew and Mad Wilson in "Nothing in the Mouth" and an advertisement for Mezzo Photography Studio in the Bernice Building. G65.1-021, BU-11192, TPL-10476

Pantages Theater (Tacoma); Movie theaters--Tacoma--1920-1930;

On the same night as the grand opening of the nearby Broadway Theater (formerly the Tacoma Theater), the Pantages decided to also draw a large crowd with the appearance of a Bell Line Stages' railroad car. The Pantages was currently showing "Dancing Mothers" staring Clara Bow and Alice Joyce but the railroad car was promoting an upcoming dance contest and a free all expense round trip to Hollywood. Adults, small children and even a curious dog surrounded the exhibit.

Pantages Theater (Tacoma); Crowds--Tacoma--1920-1930; Railroad cars--Tacoma--1920-1930; Signs (Notices);

On July 14, 1926, Vaudeville performer "Countess Sonia," at the wheel of her new Hudson Brougham, posed with her fellow thespian Alex Sherer outside of the Pantages Theater, 901 Broadway. Their act entitled "Countess Sonia in the Revue Satiricon with Alex Sherer" was packing them in at the theater through Sunday. They purchased the Hudson in Seattle the previous week and continued the rest of their trip over the vaudeville circuit in it, ending up back in New York City in the fall. The 1926 Hudson sold over 228,000 units and was the first vehicle to introduce the starter button on the instrument panel. By 1929, the company was third in sales, behind General Motors and Ford. The local distributor for the Hudson was the Allen Motor Co. Photograph ordered by Allen Motor Co. (Tacoma Sunday Ledger 7/18/1926, pg. G-4) G67.1-140

Automobiles--1920-1930; Hudson automobile; Sherer, Alex; Pantages Theater (Tacoma);