The Royal Theater • St. Pete Catalyst

The Royal Theater opened on November 23, 1948, just a few blocks south of the Manhattan Casino, then the epicenter of nightlife in St. Petersburg’s predominantly African-American neighborhood.

A few blocks south and a million miles away.

While the Manhattan Casino stayed open late into the night to dance, itch and jive to the latest sounds from rhythm ‘n’ blues, jazz and swing stars, the Royal was the first for families – and to this day the only one – Cinema in the local area, affectionately known as “The Deuces”.

The staff of the Royal Theater on the opening night, November 23, 1948. Co-owners Bill Boardman and Horace Williams at left. St. Petersburg History Museum.

Bill Boardman, the (white) businessman who co-owned the Royal, also owned the Playhouse Theater on Central Avenue. He boasted that the Royal, a 3,500-square-foot Quonset shack that cost him $ 75,000, was a 700-seat junior Radio City Music Hall, including two extra-wide rows of seats to accommodate a larger clientele.

The new cinema had huge, air-circulating ceiling fans, which gave it a distinct advantage over the Harlem Theater, which had been on 3rd Avenue and 10th Street since 1927.

These were the so-called “black” theaters in these separate times. St. Petersburg’s half-dozen other cinemas, including the Playhouse, were – at least in theory – only intended for white guests.

It should be 1964 before the St. Petersburg Times gave up the separate name “Negro Theaters” in its daily “Theater Time Clock”.

A family affair

“The Royal Theater was one of the most important places where the entire black community could come together and gather and be like family and be entertained together,” said Sevell Brown, a native of St. Petersburg, longtime civil rights activist and national director of the National Christian League of Councils.

The Royal, Brown explains, was “in the neighborhood” for residents of the Jordan Park and Wildwood areas. “The Harlem was on the north side,” he says, “for those who lived in the original Black Methodist Town.” People who lived near 22nd Street rarely ventured into Harlem. For parents, he says, the Royal was within the “comfort zone” of safe places to send the children.

“Everyone will tell you,” Brown continues, “from the point of the I to the point of crossing the T, that what was special about the Royal Theater was that everyone enjoyed watching the film there. It was like a family affair. Where everyone was acting like cousins ​​or whatever it is related to family relationships.

“Everyone was sitting there, and you know what? You talked through the whole film. “

Richard Lawton, who was six feet tall, occupied the front door and also patrolled the hallways throughout the film, shining his flashlight in the faces of potential troublemakers. “Give me the noise,” he said.

“And that’s how everyone knew about Richard and his entire family,” laughs Brown. “Because of the Royal Theater.”

A much needed project

The Sons of the Legion Drum and Bugle Corps, 60 strong, marched down 22nd Street and played on the front steps of the Royal for the opening ceremony.

Entry to the first film, a Rod Cameron Western called Panhandle, was 40 cents for adults and 14 cents for children.

1949.

“This is a much-needed project,” remarked John D. Brown, a Gibbs High School teacher who attended the Royal’s opening ceremony. “We have been looking forward to it for the past 10 years.”

Observed the director of the Jordan Elementary (Mrs.) ML Pierce: “It’s the best theater for colored people I’ve ever seen, and to keep it that way, we’re going to start a class at the school to teach the kids how to be behaves in public places. “

In the 1940s and 50s, the features that were always released for the first time changed two to three times a week; It wasn’t until 1962 that Boardman began running films for a week – or more.

Manhattan Casino entertainers, including Roy Brown, the Ink Spots, and trumpeter Cootie Williams, would sometimes get an extra gig to be performed on the Royal’s stage the next afternoon or early evening. The space was also used for community fashion shows and talent competitions.

“You had so much talent at the talent show on Wednesday night … a place where you were praised and applauded,” recalls Brown. “The talent shows started around 7 or 7:30 am and you had to audition two or three hours early to be on the show.”

Sevell Brown never tried to showcase his own singing talent. “I can’t carry a note,” he confesses.

“But everyone I knew, who I grew up with and who I went to school with, these people sang all the great ballads. They had votes – and the competition was fierce. “

Members of the Manhattan Casino house bands, professional musicians, would support the young hopefuls at the Royal.

Goldie Thompson, who promoted a number of gospel music shows at the Manhattan Casino, was also a popular DJ on WHBO. During his Gaddin ‘With Goldie program, he offered the Royal 10 free tickets during a Name That Tune promotion in 1951: the mystery music was played after every Royal commercial; Since the film that was advertised Go For Broke! was, a war film with Van Johnson, the songs were military marches.

The Young Matrons Non-Pariel Club presented a three-act play, Time For Romance, that same year.

1954.

Boardman distributed free tickets to anyone who accepted the local CeeJays group’s offer for a free x-ray while a portable device was in the area. You could also get in for free with a Royal Crown Cola bottle cap.

Saturdays were always full, especially in the summer months.

Every December, the city of St. Petersburg held employee Christmas parties: white employees and their families celebrated at the Florida Theater on 5th Street North, while black families greeted the holidays at the Royal. Both theaters showed Miracle on 34th Street.

1963.

A famous western movie star, Lash LaRue, is set to appear in a major Hollywood revue at the Royal Theater today. This is the first time that a Hollywood star has appeared in person in a negro theater. Bill Boardman, Royal manager, said the stage show will be accompanied by LaRue’s latest film, Frontier Phantom. The film co-starred Fuzzy Knight.

St. Petersburg Times / Feb. 11, 1954

Changes all around

“We didn’t have air conditioning in the new Jordan Park project and the old Jordan Park project or in the Wildwood area,” recalls Brown. “When everyone walked into the Royal Theater, everyone just relaxed in third heaven because they had these huge fans. They circulated the air so well that you felt like you were in an air-conditioned building.

“You felt like you were down in Webb’s City.”

Ironically, the civil rights movement and the beginning of desegregation spelled the end of the Royal Theater as black citizens began to feel more comfortable outside their long-standing neighborhoods. Mom and Dad suffered; one black business after another was closed.

The Harlem Theater was closed and demolished in 1964; Citing a downturn in business and after a series of minor break-ins, Boardman boarded the Royal in the final months of ’65 and sold it the following year. He continued to run the playhouse when it transitioned to live burlesque and, over time, adult films.

In the meantime, formerly “white” movie houses like Florida and the state began to attract and move more and more black visitors. The arrival of the dual screen plaza on 1st Avenue S. in 1967 added additional competition. In 1972, a six-screen multiplex was added to Tyrone Square Mall.

The old Royal Theater, long an abandoned cinema and recently an eyesore on the neighborhood, is getting a new look. Work has been going on for months on the conversion and renovation of the degreased building. When the renovation is complete, the South Side Boys’ Club will find its home there.

St. Petersburg Times / 9. March 1975

The interior of the Quonset hut today. Image: Google Maps.

The Royal was added to the St. Petersburg Register of Historic Places in 2001. After a major overhaul, the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Suncoast added dance and art studios, classrooms, and a recording studio for $ 225,000 sponsored by local businessman Bill Edwards.

The Royal remains an important part of the Deuces district.

“The Boys & Girls Clubs at Suncoast’s Royal Theater Club are honored to have served our local children and community since 1975 and to offer after-school programs that support children in their growth and development,” said Freddy Williams, president and CEO of the organization.

“Our programs provide access to educational opportunities and provide insights into the arts through our innovative podcast program and recording studio. South St. Pete has been an integral part of our club history and has enabled us to support thousands of notable children and youth over the years. “

Gibbs High School Mural Club with JBM Studios painted the north side of the Royal’s Quonset Hut for the 2019 SHINE Mural Festival. Photo: Edel Mohr.

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