[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 149 (Thursday, September 15, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E940]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         IN RECOGNITION OF THE RITZ THEATER'S 115TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MATT CARTWRIGHT

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 15, 2022

  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, today I honor the Ritz Theater on its 
115th anniversary. The occasion was marked with a ribbon cutting, 
birthday cake, and historic tour on September 2, 2022.
  In 1906, Italian immigrant and talented wax modeler S.Z. Poli built 
the Ritz Theater--then called the Poli--for $250,000. The grand theater 
could seat more than 2,000 theatergoers in its orchestra, balcony, and 
second story balcony. On Labor Day 1907, the theater opened its doors 
as Scranton's premier vaudeville theater and attracted some of the 
biggest names in the industry including Harry Houdini, W.C. Fields, and 
Will Rogers. News stories from the time reported a young Buster Keaton 
tended bar across the street in between performances. The reputation of 
the theater and the superstars who performed on its stage sparked the 
popular saying ``if you can play Scranton, you can play anywhere.''
  On October 6, 1930, the theater began screening films and was 
rebranded as the Ritz Theater. In 1937, the theater was remodeled in 
the Art Deco style; the second story balcony was removed; and it was 
again renamed and became the Comerford Theater. By 1941, the theater 
was managed by the legendary Paramount Pictures, Inc. through their 
subsidiary, Frank Walker. The theater was once again remodeled, and on 
May 5, 1950, the theater reopened with a screening of Paid in Full 
which starred Scranton's own Lizabeth Scott.
  Over the next several decades, the theater thrived, drawing crowds of 
moviegoers downtown, but when the theater began to struggle 
financially, the main floor was converted into a mini mall in 1978 with 
the theater operations relocating to the former balcony. As competition 
from two multiplexes continued to mount, the Ritz shifted to showing 
short-run movies, and in July 2000, ``U-571'' was the last film shown 
before the theater closed.
  In the early 2000s, the building was purchased, and the buyer found 
many of the treasures of the theater's heyday still intact. In 2016, 
the Creative and Performing Arts Academy of NEPA, an arts program for 
kids, teens, and adults, took up residence in the Ritz. Today, more 
than 300 students attend classes in music, theater, and dance and 
participate in more than 24 annual productions. The Ritz also houses 
the Ritz Mainstage Players, a semi-professional, audition-based company 
that performs musicals and plays.
  Through triumphs and challenges, the Ritz Theater has been a beacon 
for the arts in downtown Scranton for more than a century, and I admire 
the ingenuity and determination it took to preserve its legacy. I am 
honored to join with everyone at the Ritz Theater to celebrate their 
115th anniversary. May they continue to find great success and welcome 
audiences through their doors for many years to come.

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