Website:http://www.poncantheatre.org
Description:The Poncan Theatre opened on September 20, 1927. Thirty minutes before the opening show, uniformed ushers led the crowd into the lobby. The 1200 seats filled fast. Tickets were $1.10 for the lower floor and loges, while balcony seats were 50 cents. The short subject reel featured "Our Gang," in Harvard vs. Yale, followed by Shanghai Bound, a Paramount film. Added attractions were two vaudeville acts. In addition to movies on opening night, Vera Byerhoff, chief organist for the Poncan, played an organ solo on the new Wurlitzer. The Poncan, designed by the Boller Brothers (of Kansas City) as an "atmospheric theatre," has elaborate ceilings and ornamentation, giving one the feeling of being somewhere exotic. The building cost $280,000 including equipment, plus it had a new $22,500 Wurlitzer pipe organ. Fred Pickrel was the first managing director of the new theatre. The building was owned by the Poncan Theatre Co., comprised of Charles Calkins, George Brett, Eugene Wetzel, and Dr. J.A. Douglass. Calkins founded the C.F. Calkins Department Store; Brett had the George H. Brett Implement Co. next door; Wetzel owned the Germania National Bank and Dr. Douglass was a dentist. (Pat Morris, who served as a board member of the Poncan Theatre, is George Brett’s great granddaughter). The Poncan is one of the few theatres of its age and size that doesn't have pillars to support the balcony. The support comes from a 5-foot thick "I-beam" that spans the entire width of the building. The "I-beam" was brought in on a series of flat cars, with a crane at each end. Part of the vaudeville equipment was an on-stage elevator, which was unheard of in those days. The elevator moved furniture up and down for plays and was also used for magic acts.
Communities:City of Ponca City
