100 Years in 100 Days: Fairmount Theatre in Shaker Heights

Gary Bakst August 20, 2012 at 04:12 pm

I used to live and Channing moved at the age of 5. I remember my mother sending me up to the theater with my siblings and 50 cents. 25 cents to get in and 25 cents for 5 pieces of candy or a large box of popcorn. I remember a direct entrance from the theater lobby to Campus Drug next door. It also had an old time pay phone where the receiver and the mouth piece were separate . Great memories!!!

Brandon Baker (Editor) August 20, 2012 at 04:37 pm

Thanks for the great memories. I couldn't imagine enjoying treats at such prices!

Afi-Odelia Scruggs August 20, 2012 at 11:58 pm

Gary, thanks for your comment. I don't live far from Fairmount Circle, but I never knew a movie house was located there.

Judy Ringel October 13, 2012 at 10:16 pm

What a wonderful surprise to see a photo of the old Fairmount Theater, literally my home away from home when I was growing up in the 1940s and '50s. The movie theater was one of many in the Cleveland area owned and operated by Community Circuit Theaters, a partnership comprised of the Lefkowich and Greenberger families. (One of the partners was my father, Leo Greenberger.) Straddling the border between Shaker Heights and University Heights, the theater was a favorite destination for area residents, young and old alike, especially in the era before television. Saturday afternoon "kiddie shows" at reduced rates were very popular (I think the cost of a ticket was only 10 cents, but I'm not really sure because I got in free!), and after the movie we could go next door to Campus Drug to buy a comic book and a candy bar. Taking in a movie at the Fairmount was also a great way to escape the summer heat, as the theater was one of the few places in Cleveland back then that had air conditioning. Many thanks for the memories . . .
Judy Greenberger Ringel