Baltimore Skyline

(photo courtesy The Baltimore Sun ) Last night the Senator Theatre closed, and with that the last of the true movie houses in Baltimore City. With $900,000 in unpaid loans, 1st Mariner Bank foreclosed on the 70 year old theatre. What happens now? There are really only a few choices, a.) the trust for the theatre begs 1st Mariners for more time, 2.) get an investor or a few that will be willing to help out (so far no luck), or 3.) successfully turn the Senator into a non profit using money the city has offered to help pay off the loans. All of these are viable options, but unfortunately the Senator is supposed to go to the auction block next week, so there isn't much time! With the Senator closing, the Rotunta Cinematheque, also owned by Tom Kiefaber, might close next week. This leaves Baltimore city with really only the Landmark in Harbor East and the Charles Theatre. The latter of which rarely shows mainstream movies, but is great to see Indie flicks! Anyways, worst-case scenerio...

(*courtesy flickr member fitzy441) There is truly nothing in Baltimore like it; a last remnant of a bygone era. There once was a time when movie going was more in line with seeing live performance. The exteriors were brazen, the advertisements were glitzy and bright, the interiors were fashionable, and the seats were deep and cushy. Men wore hats, and women dress. The term Saturday Matinee didn’t just mean an early showing, but a full afternoon where one could spend a few cents and be lost for hours in Hollywood magic. That is something rarely seen today, but there is still one place in Baltimore where one can get just a small taste of it, but might not too if things go as they may. When the Senator Theatre opened on October 5th 1939 it wasn’t really unique. There were thousands of small movie houses across the country that looked similar. Its Art Deco design was fashionable, its neon signs typical, and its interior glamour expected of a movie theatre. People took the Senator for gr...