Hi everyone, and welcome to our weekly local history post!
Each week we share vintage newspaper articles from years past, drawn from local publications such as the Corning Blossburg Advocate, Corning Independent, The Corning Journal, The Evening Leader, and other local newspapers. We also feature the complete issue of The Corning Leader published exactly 100 years to the day from each blog post. From time to time, we’ll also include newly taken photographs of local historic places, landmarks, and artifacts.
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Vintage Article/Items of the Week
Here is a sketch of the then to be built Corning Leader building; which was once located on East Pulteney Street in Corning
(from The Corning Leader, January 7, 1954)
And here is a photo of what the building looked like, once built – from the 1955 City of Corning directory
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And on another note, once upon a time, in the era before everyone had a TV; and years before the internet – going to the movies was a big deal. And so when the old Fox Theatre, which was once located on Denison Parkway in Corning, between the Githler Tanner Building and Goodyear Auto, upgraded their equipment to show movies in the new CinemaScope format; and premiered the first film ever released in that format – The Robe, on January 15, 1954, it was a big deal!
Premier attendees included Mayor Joseph Andrews & C. G. W. President Amory Houghton Sr. and their wives; and Mayor Andrews flipped the switch to turn on CinemaScope!
An ad for the upcoming premier, published the Thursday before, shows that the ticket prices were $1.00 for evening showings, $0.74 for matinee showings and $0.50 for kids at any showing.
So our first item is the ad, followed by the article from the Leader, from January 16, 1954 that spotlights the the film premier at the Fox Theatre:
The Robe Advertisement
(from The Corning Leader, Corning, N.Y., January 16, 1954)
Local Officials Attend Premiere Of “The Robe” & Theatre’s Newest Invention CinemaScope Welcomed
(from The Corning Leader, Corning, N.Y., January 16, 1954)
In case you’ve never seen it, The Robe, is a biblical epic that features great performances – Burton was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of the lead character Marcellus Gallio, a Roman tribune who is assigned to oversee the crucifixion of three thieves, one of whom turns out to be Jesus Christ. And Jean Simmons has the role of his love Diana.
To movie does not seem to be available to stream, but the DVD can be checked out of the library, if you’d like to check it out and/or check out how it looks in CinemaScope – here is the trailer:
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And now, back to local history!
A Glimpse of Local Life: A Hundred Years Ago!
Here is an entire issue of The Evening Leader, Corning, N.Y. published on this day in 1926.
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The Evening Leader, Corning, N.Y. | September 25, 1926
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Have a great weekend everyone,
Linda Reimer, SSCL
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Local History Online Library Resources:
Heritage Quest: Heritage Quest is the library’s online genealogy service, and it includes access to census records and other research sources; it can be accessed by going to the Online Resources page, on the library’s website, and scrolling down until you see the link for Heritage Quest:
https://www.ssclibrary.org/research/online-resources/
Once you’ve clicked on the Heritage Quest link, you’ll be prompted to login with your card number and PIN. If you have questions about how to use Heritage Quest, please feel free to let me know – my email address is reimerl@stls.org
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Library Local History/Creation Station Resources:
At the library you can scan your photos and slides to create digital family albums and slideshows; and even use one of the Circut machines, and other Creation Station equipment, to help you create a special paper family history album.
Also of note, we have local papers including the Corning Leader, Corning Evening Leader, Corning Journal and Corning Daily Journal, on microfilm from 1840 to the present — so you can visit the library and research local history and your family tree if you wish!
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Local History & Newspaper blog posts are published on Fridays.
