The Star Theater in the city of Negaunee is shown. (Photo courtesy of the Negaunee Historical Society)

NEGAUNEE — Motion pictures developed slowly in popularity after the turn of the century. What we commonly refer to as “movies” or theatre, it was originally known as the “Bijou.”

In Negaunee, the first attempt at picture shows was made by Clarence Holmberg on the second floor of the MacDonald Opera House and it was known as the Dreamland. It wasn’t much of an improvement over the old slide shows, but it did flicker a lot and the script had to be read orally.

It didn’t last long. The first serious attempt at movies was made by two men named Allen and Rytknonen. Before building the Star Theatre in 1911, Jafet Rytkonen took a trip to California because he had heard about the movie business. He was impressed with what he saw and decided this would be his future. He went into partnership with Allen. These men started the Star Theatre on the corner of Iron Street and Division Street across from the fire hall.

The patrons entered from Iron Street beneath an arch of electric lights and there in the center was a small enclosed glass ticket office. Tickets were collected at the outer door and from there you went to a narrow corridor with an auditorium located at either end. Two aisles led toward the front where there was a small orchestra pit, complete with an upright piano.

There was a curtain that hid the screen with a picture painted on it in pastel colors of a man fishing on a small river. Music was provided by the piano player and one of the earliest piano players was Miss Mae DeShane. When she walked down the aisle, all the kids would set up a bedlam of stomping and whistling. She played music that fit the action, ranging from the melodious to loud and exciting war music. A favorite was music that suggested horses galloping horses ridden by cowboys being chased by a band of Indians. For this, the music was fast and furious. There was also another pianist, Professor Von Aala.

Occasionally, a stage show would be presented with an augmented orchestra. A great favorite was the minstrel show presented by a group of Negaunee men. The cost of going to the movies was cheap and children that were held in the lap were free. There were several who got in free this way until Mr. Rytkonen finally put a stop to it. The Star continued as Negaunee’s main theatre for years and then Mr. Rytknonen opened another theatre, the Liberty, on west Iron Street in the Oddfellows building, which is now the ice cream shop.

In this theatre, Rytkonen introduced the electric organ and it was operated by Leroy Johnson, who also played the piano for the movies. There was another small theatre, the Royal, it was in the Sundberg Block and was owned by John Allison. Kids loved the serials on Saturday afternoons and each episode always ended with “continued next week,” to keep you coming.

During the depression years, the Liberty had matinees and the price to get in was “two cents for all people.” Rytkonen dominated the movie business, also purchasing the Butler and the Ishpeming theatres. He ultimately built the Vista, a grand movie place with an electric pipe organ and Paul Bennett from Ishpeming was the organist. The building on the corner has seen other occupants, including the A&P Store and Merricks.