“That’s when Tooele City grew a lot, because of the Tooele Army Depot.” “During World War II, all of the GIs would come to the movies when they had time off,” Alan remembered.
“The Ritz was the nicest theater in town,” former worker Jim Lawrence said.Īfter the theater was built and opened, it not only became a popular spot for community members to gather, but it also became a hangout for local workers to blow off steam. “John wanted the Ritz to be the town castle - the biggest place for people to meet and to entertain,” Mickie said. John named the theater the “Ritz,” because he wanted it to be known as the classiest establishment in town. One room held around 550 people and the other held around 200 people. The Bradshaws have owned the theater for almost 50 years, but John J. Perhaps it was “Gone with the Wind,” “The Wizard of Oz,” or “Of Mice and Men,” but we will never know. It remains a mystery what the first movie ever played at the theater when it opened in the late 1930s was. Movie,” leaving the public with another fond memory to take with them long after the theater becomes only a memory. The last movie ever to play at the theater was “The Super Mario Bros. After over 83 years of service, owners Alan and Mickie Bradshaw closed the theater’s doors on June 29, as it was time for retirement.
Main Street, is the vibrant, historic “Ritz Theater” which nearly every Tooelian has visited at one point or another. After 83 years, the exit door at the Ritz Theater, was used for the last time on June 29.Īdorning Tooele’s Main Street at 111 N.The Ritz Theater signs were lit up in the evenings inviting the public to come watch the advertised movie that was playing.A sci-fi mural spans across the inside wall of the main theater.Ritz Theater family members sit in the main theater.Old movie ads ran in the Tooele Transcript Bulletin for most of the years that the Ritz Theater was open.The Ritz Theater had a room for crying kids.Tickets were given as you walk in to either theater 1 or 2.Tickets were given as you walk in to either theater 1 or 2. Alan and his sister, Linda Lawrence, stand behind the iconic snack bar at the Ritz Theater.A Platter System allowed multiple movie reels to be spliced together so there was no pause in the movie.Alan gathers film that had piled on the floor.Alan Bradshaw pictured with his dad, Ralph, and mom.Gillette (middle), was the builder and the original owner of the Ritz Theater. The theater has been entertaining Tooele for 83 years. Alan Bradshaw and his sister Linda Lawrence stand in front of the Ritz Theater on Monday, July 11, a week after they played their last movie.
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