The Roanoker Nov/Dec 2024 - 11

accentuated by the lighting arrangements, is
especially striking, carrying out in delicate
decorative effects the Spanish theme. "
All of this design was under the watchful
eye of Roanoke's Eubank and Caldwell architectural
firm.
Former Roanoker John R. Brophy was
brought back to manage the theater, having
worked in the film industry for 12 years in New
York and on the West Coast.
As opening night drew closer, the Junior
Woman's Club was in high gear. The opening
for that Saturday night began at 8:15 with a
feature film, " Arrowsmith, " starring Roland
Colman and Helen Hayes. To help promote
the opening, the women organized a parade the
weekend prior with a police escort and headed
by Mayor S. P. Seifert and City Manager W. P.
Hunter. The automobile parade snaked its way
through downtown with banners on every car
announcing ticket sales for the benefit of the
club's school.
The goal was nothing less than a sell-out
of the theater. Thurman and Boone Furniture
Store also made tickets available through their
cashiers. On the day of opening night, ticketbearing
club members stationed themselves in
the lobbies of hotels throughout the city in an
effort to attract those visiting from out of town.
The morning paper of March 26 reported,
" Tests at the theater were completed yesterday
afternoon and everything declared in readiness
for the show tonight. Dancers and musicians
also conducted a rehearsal last night and acclimated
themselves for their performances. "
At 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 26, the
doors to the Grandin Theatre officially opened.
Last-minute ticket-buyers lined up at the box
office window, while Junior Woman's Club
members ushered patrons to their seats. At
8:15, the curtain was pulled back and the gala
commenced. The Roanoke Times covered the
evening in great detail.
" 'Arrowsmith,' starring Ronald Colman and
Helen Hayes, was the initial number on the
program. The story of the picture deals with the
struggle of Martin Arrowsmith, young medical
student from the Middle West, in attaining his
ambition of becoming a research scientist, an
attainment which costs him many of his most
cherished friends and ideals.
" 'Sea Legs,' a musical revue, and
Shown is the advertisement for the
opening of the Grandin Theatre that ran in
local newspapers in late March 1932.
'Shipwrecked,' a 'looney tune' cartoon, offered
dramatic relief and set the stage for the dancing
troupe.
" Beautiful costumes, enhanced by striking
lighting effects produced with the blending
of shades from the footlights, made the dance
numbers unusually attractive. This entire portion
of the program, from opening chorus, soft
shoe dance, syncopated tap dance, to a very
individual number by Miss Martha Turner and
Hubert Smith and the concluding appearance
of the ensemble received continued applause. "
The leaders of the Junior Woman's Club,
namely Miss Essie Dyer, president, and Miss
Clara Black, event chairman, pronounced
the three-hour gala a success. The event was
attended by over 800 persons and helped the
Woman's Club retire a $1,600 debt on their
school for disabled children. More importantly
to Raleigh Court, however, was the opening of
the Grandin Theatre, which is now Roanoke's
only remaining historic theater. I
NELSON HARRIS is a former mayor of Roanoke and author of a dozen books on the region's history. He is the minister at Heights Community Church in Roanoke and a past
president of the Historical Society of Western Virginia.
TheRoanoker.com
november/december 2024 11
COURTESY OF THE GRANDIN THEATRE FOUNDATION

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