CELEBRATING
100 YEARS
now, the Sunrise drew part of its audience from counties well beyond
the Treasure Coast — as its founder knew it would.
The opening day featured a solo by Mrs. John Dunn, a concert by
the Fort Pierce Band, a newsreel, and two movies — The Famous Mrs.
Fair with Myrtle Stedman and The Vagabond, starring Charlie Chaplin.
The theater’s seats were filled with generations of eager children
and adults who came to see movies, vaudeville acts and later on just
movies except for occasional celebrities and local dance recitals.
Sally Rand performed her famous fan dance there wearing a fleshcolored
body suit. Other celebrities of the time also wowed crowds
eager to be entertained.
In 1928, movie lovers may have noticed a small sailboat with two
men on board floating around in the Indian River Lagoon with a flag
atop the mast announcing the theater’s latest offering. It was an advertisement
for the theater’s first non-silent film, Street Angel starring Janet
Gaynor and Charles Farrell. It had subtitles so there were no talking
voices, but it did have Movietone sound — music and sound effects.
Later, people walking past the Sunrise would see ads touting
movies with Vitaphone, which was a different sound process involving
separate disks that would have to be synchronized to the film.
It was a process that found the staff sitting in seats for hours while
they tried repeatedly to make the synchronization perfect before the
show opened.
ARTISTIC INFLUENCES
Then, as now, promotion of the theater’s shows was important. In
the 1930s, with the Great Depression underway, creativity was the
critical element. Local artist A.E. “Bean” Backus found himself plenty
to do at the theater in his early days as a painter. He dramatically decorated
the front of the theater with everything from Spanish moss to
Frankenstein’s head as a way to lure moviegoers through the doors.
Backus also painted portraits of celebrities who performed,
delighting them so much that some asked to keep the portraits. He
even painted murals on the interior walls.
Always keeping up with the latest, a concession stand offering
popcorn and candy was installed in the 1940s. And during World War
II, when Fort Pierce was a training center for the Navy’s Underwater
Demolition Teams, the military men found a chance to lose them- >>
52 www.sunrisetheatre.com
KOBLEGARD FAMILY
A billboard on a truck with a loudspeaker mounted atop the cab was an
innovative way to promote events at the theater.
CREDIT
Caption
KOBLEGARD FAMILY
Ever more creative ways were found to entice prospective audiences inside. Local artist A.E. “Bean” Backus made sure people knew Tarzan of the Jungle
was inside, painted a tree for Snow White and made a frightful head for Bride of Frankenstein.
/www.sunrisetheatre.com