At one point in Bloomington's past, there was a location called Theatre Row. This was a portion of Walnut Street in downtown Bloomington where several theatre's were located: The Princess Theatre, Mendelssohn Hall, aka The Opera House, The Indiana Theatre and The Harris Grand Theatre.
The Princess Theatre opened in 1913 with the photoplay "Mlle. Coquette" and has offered up silent films and talkies, some of which Hoagy Carmichael offered piano accompaniment. Vaudeville acts, French girlie shows and tramp comics also plied their trade at the historic theatre.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
This photo is from the Indiana University blog titled "Bloomington's Sister Cinemas" dated June 14, 2018.
On the south side of the square, where Fountain Square Mall now resides, was once Mendelssohn Hall,
Article from the Bloomington Progress, Volume 15, Number 9, dated June 15, 1881.
Just off the square, located on Kirkwood Avenue is the Indiana Theatre, also known as the Buskirk-Chumley or BusChum to the locals. It was opened on December 11, 1922. Built by Harry P. Vonderschmitt, this theatre started out showing silent movies and hosting vaudeville acts. I have only been to the BusChum once and while it is a lovely historic theatre, something about the interior of the building makes me nervous. I am not sure what it is.
The idea behind the Indiana Theatre was to attract the more middle class viewer and offer a wide array of movies. The first movie to play was "The Storm" starring House Peters and Virginia Valli, a World War I movie about two men who fall for the same woman.
Photo from The Buskirk Chumley website.
Today, however we are here to talk about the fourth of the opera houses listed above, the Harris Grand Theatre, known to some as Bloomington's First Real Theatre. The Harris Grand Theatre opened its doors on September 18, 1907 on what is now the corner of Walnut Street and Sixth Street. In its current forms there are apartments on the upper level and one of my favorite Indian restaurants, Amrit India, downstairs. Next door used to be Global Gifts, which is now empty or possibly has an underground music store in it. I can't remember. There is another empty store as well. All of these used to be part of the theatre. But we are not just here to talk about these entertainment halls, but the founder of the Harris Grand and The Princess Theatre, Robert Harper Harris.
Born in 1876 in Meriweather County, Georgia, Robert was one of six boys born to Henry "Hal" Richard Harris, Jr. (1853-1932) and Marian Louise "Lulu" Neal Harper Harris (1854-1917). His brothers were Lucius Lamar "QC" Harris (1879-1931), Benton Neal Harris (1884-1959), Carl Chappell Harris (1889-1912), Henry Richard Harris, Sr (?-1957) and Gerald Raymond Harris (?-?).
Robert's father was born in Meriweather County, Georgia on June 16, 1853 to US Congressman and Civil War Colonel, Henry Richard Harris.. His mother was born in Covington, Newton County, Georgia on January 14, 1854. Her family can be traced back to Derbyshire, England. His mother is buried at Westview Cemetery in Atlanta, Georgia, but his father is listed as burial unknown.
His brother Benton Neal Harris was Vice President of the Coca Cola Company in Atlanta, Georgia. Carl Harris was only 22 or 23 when he died from injuries sustained when the train he was travelling on crashed into the Fountain River in Pueblo, Colorado. Lucius appears to have been named after Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar, a Confederate soldier, professor and statesmen. Gerald and Henry, however, have very little noted about them.
When just a teen, Robert made his way to London, England, where he appeared in theatres as an American actor. He returned to the United States at some point, continuing his actor career for a while before organizing the Harris-Parkinson Stock Company, a travelling theatrical touring company with about sixteen actors that travelled across the country by rail to perform in opera houses and theatres. Also, sometimes in tents.
His show "Daniel Boone on the Trail" was presented at the Bloomington Opera House (known also as the Armory). He must have really liked Bloomington, because he hired a local man, a grocery store clerk named James P. Leffler, to manage his theatrical company. He also fell in love with Leffler's sister, Ida Jewell, whom he married on April 10, 1901 in Brazil, Indiana. After their marriage, he moved his headquarters from Atlanta to Bloomington.
In June 1906, it was reported in a local newspaper that Harris was doing quite a job with his company and that he would soon be building his own theatre. That theatre opened as the Harris Grand in 1907. The theatre boasted over one thousand seats and attracted names such as Fred Matthews, W.N. Showers, Henry Gentry and John Nichols for the opening night showing on "Sunny Side of Broadway", a musical comedy that featured the vaudeville duo of Charlie Murray and Oliver Turnbull. Harris was unable to attend, however, since he was travelling with his troupe.
His Harris Grand Theatre was such a success that in 1913, he build the Princess Theatre. In fact, they were both such successes that he retired from the travelling show business to stay here in Bloomington and manage his theatres.. In 1928, the Harris Grand showed the first "talkie". Another success under his belt, he converted them into movie houses. Only one year later, in 1929, Paramount Pictures purchased a 20 year lease on the Harris Grand and the Princess theatre for $28,000. Later in that same year, with the stock market crash, Harris Grand continued to operate on an irregular schedule.
Robert Harper Harris passed away on October 12, 1931 at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota following a throat operation. His body was brought back to Bloomington and was interred at Rose Hill Cemetery. He was survived by his wife, Ida Jewell Harris, who in 1933, refurbished and reopened the Harris Grand. In 1935, she leased it to Young and Wolfe who showed movies until it a fire damaged it in 1942. It was sold several times after her death in 1955, all to a variety of groups that continued to show movies. In 1981, it was damaged beyond repair by a fire. That was end of its life as an entertainment house.
Robert Harper Harris brushed elbows with movie stars, vaudeville acts and musicians during the heights of the golden age of cinema. He watched as silent movies were replaced by talking pictures and he moved right along with them. I can only imagine what opening night to the first talking picture would have looked like. Would it have been "The Jazz Singer", which came out in 1927? I can only imagine that it would have been. What a time to have been witness to.
Rest in Peace, Robert Harper Harris.
RESOURCES
Indiana Public Media - The facade on the historic Princess Theatre is aging, but is it unsafe?
IU Blog - Bloomington's Sister Cinemas
A Walk Through the Courthouse District Pamphlet
Indiana Public Media - The Indiana Theatre at 100
Discover Indiana - Show Biz and the Princess Theatre
IMDb - The Storm
IMDb - Charlie Murray
The University of Arizona -American Vaudeville
