Consolidated Theatres is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year (although it is actually a few years older than that). To toast the company for its longevity, I interviewed theater historian Lowell Angell about a few of the more noteworthy movie houses. Lowell worked at many of them.

He has fascinating stories about the 400 theaters Hawaii has had since the first one opened in 1847.

Four hundred theaters? That’s hard to imagine. Of course they weren’t all open at the same time. But remember, before television became popular in the 1950s and 1960s, movie theaters were the place to go for entertainment and news.

Many communities had several theaters. Kakaako, for instance had three: The Aloha, Bell and Kewalo. Schofield Barracks had five. Waikiki had eight and downtown had over two dozen. Many screened ethnic fare exclusively. And some early ones lasted less than a year.

It was common back then for a theater to show two different movies a night. One was a first-run movie and the other might be older but in a genre management thought would make a good “double bill.”

They would alternate showtimes, but between them would be a newsreel, cartoon and often a short feature that was part of an ongoing series (like “Buck Rogers”).

THE WAIKIKI THEATRE

“I think the most beautiful theater we had in Hawaii was the Waikiki,” Lowell told me. “It opened in 1936 in a tropical modern style. It was designed by famed architect C.W. Dickey. And it was absolutely beautiful.

“When the theater first opened it had two shows a day: afternoon and evening. The seats were reserved, so patrons had a ticket to a specific seat.”

Some people had standing reservations every week. Lowell’s parents, when they got married in 1936, had tickets to go to the Waikiki Theatre every Friday night. “And a lot of times they’d go there not knowing what the movie was. But that was what you did back then,” he said.

Outside the theater, on Kalakaua Avenue, was a box office with a ramp leading up to a courtyard with a beautiful fountain.

“The Waikiki Theatre had charming usherettes who would show you to your seats. Their uniforms were white slacks and blouse with a red sash and red feather lei.

“The chief doorman, a woman, known as the centerspot, wearing a Hawaiian cape and helmet, would greet you as you walked in and say, ‘To your right please,’ ‘To your left please.’

“The usherettes would show you to your seats. They had flashlights at the ready. A group of usherettes who worked there in the 1950s told me that their training included memorizing the alphabet backward. Because you come in from the back of the theater, they had to know the alphabet from Z to A,” Lowell said.

“They had to be able to hold six pairs of tickets between their fingers! And they were strict, too. If you dared to put your feet up on the seat in front of you, the usherette would shine her flashlight on you.”

The movie screen had a rainbow proscenium arching over it, and a ledge on the sides sported artificial papaya and banana trees and other tropical plants. Flanking the screen were full-size coconut palms, with concrete trunks.

“The fronds were probably papier mache because they actually rustled in the air-conditioned breeze. The foliage had green lights shining in it during the film. The overall effect was really beautiful.

“The ceiling was sky blue. They had lights that would dim down and the rainbow would light up and change colors. It was really like sitting outdoors, watching the movie.”

The Waikiki had a pipe organ console at the front. It provided entertainment before the movie began and during intermissions for 60 years.

The longtime local organist was Johnny DeMello, who played there almost 25 years, from 1955 to 1978.

“DeMello wore an aloha-print jacket,” Lowell recalled. “This was his trademark. He said he wore it because the customers only saw his back and he wanted to give them something to look at.

“At the end of his playing, he would stand, turn and wave to the audience, who would applaud.

“The last organist at the Waikiki, who also played for a couple decades, was Bob Alder.”

The Waikiki Theatre hosted several world premieres, particularly films about Hawaii in the 1930s. For instance, Bing Crosby’s “Waikiki Wedding” premiered in 1937 and featured the song “Blue Hawaii” and “Sweet Leilani,” which won an Oscar for best song.

“Sadly, the theater was remodeled over the years and lost much of its unique charm. It finally closed in 2002 due to rising expenses and declining profits, and was demolished in 2005. Property taxes alone in the last year it was open were more than $500,000! The growing popularity of multiplex theaters, showing a dozen different films, was also a big factor in its closing,” according to Lowell.

THE TOYO THEATRE

Two years after the Waikiki opened, the Toyo Gekijyo (Oriental Theatre) was built on College Walk, where Saint Louis College used to be (and across Nuuanu Stream from the current Chinatown Cultural Plaza).

It was also designed by C.W. Dickey, and based on the Toshogu Shrine of Ieyasu Tokugawa in Nikko, Japan.

“Dickey used much the same concept as the Waikiki,” Lowell said. “Walkways on either side surrounded a pond with carp and plants. Every square inch of the theater interior was decorated. It was just incredible.”

Much of the architectural detailing, such as the friezes below the ceiling, were cast in plaster and intricately hand-painted. Each was about 5 feet long. “The amount of craftsmanship involved was amazing. It would never be done today,” he said.

During the war, the Toyo’s name was changed to the Aala Theatre. In 1952, the former name was restored to Toyo.

Except during World War II, the Toyo showed Japanese films exclusively. There was another Japanese theater, the International, next door and a couple more close by. These theaters served the large Japanese population in the decades before television and home video.

“My first summer job, at age 16, was as a vacation relief working at different Consolidated theaters,” Lowell said. “Among them was the Toyo. I was the only Caucasian working there and, much to the amusement of the staff, was known as ‘haole boy.’ But I got along just fine and grew to enjoy the subtitled Japanese films.

“The loss of the Toyo in 1988 was a real shame, as it was an excellent theater with parking and lots of space for expansion. Several local theatrical groups were very interested in using it. After demolition, the property sat vacant for several years before a building was finally erected on the site.”

WHEN I ASKED Lowell about Consolidated celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2017, he said that, according to newspaper accounts, Consolidated was formed in 1912 as a partnership. The 1917 date is when it was incorporated.

In fact, Joel C. Cohen, who founded Consolidated, got into the live theater business as early as 1899, when he rented the Orpheum (which later became the Princess) in downtown Honolulu.

Lowell has told me more stories about the Princess, Varsity, Kuhio and drive-ins that I’ll run in future columns. You can also find his book, “Theatres of Hawai‘i” (Arcadia, $21.99), at Barnes & Noble. Do you have a story about local theaters? If so, send me an email.

Bob Sigall, author of “The Companies We Keep” series of books, looks through his collection of old photos to tell stories of Hawaii people, places and companies. Contact him via email at sigall@yahoo.com.