History of Peoria: Murder and Mayhem? on the Peoria.com Forums - Page 6

Hello Folks. I recorded the WOAM show I mentioned and it will be on Sarurday at 10:00. I love old movies being as ancient as I am. Every year down at the Apollo theater The "Film Noir Festival" Takes place. This year they are double features..cost $4.00 and the pop corn is free. The people that put this festival on are worried that the response is getting lower. Got any ideas at all I could relay to them why the attendance is so low? Maybe the films are just too old for todays Younger set. I was able to mention Peoria.com twice on the show so lets hope we get a few more people to join us. Can you help the Film Noir people wuth some suggestions.They are nonprofit...it's an 'artsie thing.'

What date is that going on?

Hey Diane, can edit this so "Film Noir" is in a new thread?

Reno:The schedule actually starts in the Peoria Library and then moves to the Apollo Theater...That theater was built in 1923 and now we have the 165 seats of the balcony only. The festival will run into October. I will get the schedule later. I speak during the last week-end..just a brief discussiob before each movie. Seeing those old films with Bogie and Ladd etc on the big screen in a theater that old folks like me grew up with is fun...I guess the younger folks would think it was B O R I N G. norm

Peoriaillinois...I'm too new to know who diane is I can list all of the movies and the dates they are playing..maybe we could talk about them. It will take a few days for me to get that info..I watch Turner Classic and have a fairly big screen
but down at the apollo is much better. I used to sneak into the theaters downtown but was never able to get into the apollo because of the set up at the ticket office..It was the first theater in town to be built specifically for 'moving pictures.' Peoria was a great entertainment town centered around our theater venues. nk

Folks: The peoria.com people were kind enough to include my notice about the WOAM show Saturday..under feature events.
I thank them and i hope some people in peoria will take a listen to the show..and also log on to peoria.com. I will get the schedule and the name of the movies for the Film Noir festival...These things are non profit and define who we are..or were here Peoria. Norm

Norm, by Diane, I meant Diane Vespa who is an administrator at Peoria.com.

If you start a new topic you should put it in as a new post, not a continuation of the same one. Generally it's a good idea to stay on topic with the original posting or start a new one.

Just a little friendly advice.

peoria..thanks have no idea how to start a new topic..I'll try to get kev to educate me...thanks Norm

Kec: Thanks I see that u have the schedule of fil noir..Peoria.com can put it on under events perhaps...I yield to the pros. Norm

Thank you for sharing your knowledge of Peoria and it's history, I have been told that Peoria had booze making plants and that during prohibition the Capone gang took control of them, and they continued to make booze. I was told that all the gambling and whore houses had to kick down to the Capone gang to stay in operation. The saying if it doesn't play in Peoria came from the fact that there were 32 theaters at one time here and the major markets tried their plays here first and if they wern't popular then they never made it to the larger markets, were the theaters here because of Peoria being an open town? My Grampa told me that Peoria was like the Las Vegas of central Illinois. How true is my handed down verbal history?

Big Rog: Sorry I took so long to answer...very interesting ???and the typical kind that I have been answering for 30 years...thanks. First Peoria at any given time had as many as 17 breweries and distilleries and we were known as the Alcohol Capital of the World. WW 1 started in 1917 and the Gvt. forbid the use of 'Food Stuffs' for the making of alcohol. Peoria was hit harder by that than any other city in the USA. However...a lot of the men got jobs working making war products...but the distilleries shut down..they make other food products and vinegar and denatured alcohol however. National prohibition began in 1920 and ended in 1933. NO...Al Capone did not run anything in Peoria, Illinois and of course he certainly could not maintain any control over distilleries that did not make booze. He was never here...had no interests in our tiny market...and No Bernie Shelton was NOT here...( Our local pet gangster until 1940.) Back to the theaters..in downtown Peoria we had: Madison, Palace, Rialto, Apollo, Princess and the Columbia. Other theaters were in local neighborhoods..These were for moving pictures but many had stage shows as well. Prostitution and gambling always flourished here...and I have written many pages about those fun times and our Madams...
Gambling really took hold during prohibition when our tavers closed...they reopened and finally 266 of them thrived under the name and license of "Soft Drink Parlors." Your grand pa was right on and this was the place to be, The gambling ended in 1946 and skipped across the river and out in the county..slots held on but they were nothing compared to our casinos. Rog you can read all about this by going to the library and getting Vol 1 and Vol 2 of "Lost in Yesterday'
s Nws." 30 years of history by yours truly. Norm

Historian, thank you for that information, I will take you up on your advice and read the two books. ..............Rog

I'm wondering what exactly people think about Roberta Mccumber and how I can get the book "Murder in Your Own Backyard". I'm certain you don't know all the information, just what the warped legal system portrayed. She was brutally abused by that man and local authorities did nothing to help her. For everyone who wonders what she is doing now i will let you know she is an upstanding citizen and loving grandmother to my children.

Iam the one who originaly asked Norm about Roberta. Iam glad to hear her life is good now. He said ...get my book: Murder in Your Own Backyard" from our library, so you may want to check the downtown library out or call them to see if it is available.

About 30 years ago, when I was a kid, I remember playing near it & looking in it w/ my dad! When I wanted to run away I used to plan to go there when I was a kid.