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Vogue Theater
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Vogue Theater
Below is a photo of Carl Niesse (looking at the camera) with his crew looking at the plans during the construction of the 800-seat theater. The contractor for the $65,000 job was William E. Mick. Also shown are architect Edwin Kopf's sketches of the facade. The newspaper noted "The striking front is of antique cream and wine terra-cotta, graced with an ultra-type marquee and attractive sign illuminated in power green and amber neon."
Carl Niesse also managed The Ambassador, The Alamo and The Cozy, three other Indianapolis area theaters, under the name Central City Amusements Co. His parents were Mr. & Mrs Charles Niesse and he was born in Madison, Indiana. Carl had many jobs; carnival worker in southern Indiana, ticket taker at Enochs Airdome, usher at the Grand Opera House, auditor for the Skouras Brothers (Circle Theater) and a comedy writer for a number of Vaudeville comics. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge, Scottish Rite and Murat Shrine.
Irene Dunne, Fred Astaire, Gary Cooper, Marjorie Weaver, Dick Powell, Myrna Loy, Don Ameche, John Barrymore, Tyrone Power, Ken Maynard, Ginger Rogers, William Powell, Barbara Stanwyck, George Raft, Bing Crosby, Monte Blue, Joan Blondell, Shirley Temple, Alice Faye, Loretta Young, Bob Burns, Claudette Colbert, Francis Dee, Sonja Henie, Richard Dix and Bobby Breen.
Niesse tried a new idea. He eliminated the double feature and showed a new concept instead, "short subjects".
Up to that time theaters regularly showed double features and one of the films was usually considered "filler".
While many patrons did not like the double feature, surveys showed that women liked two movies for one price because they thought it was a bargain.
The movie studios agreed with the concept of the short subject, allowing them to produce fewer and better full-length movies.
Here is what the newspaper had to say about Carl's idea:
The Vogue was one of the first movie theatres to have air-conditioning.
The projection booth had two arc-lamp projectors and a bench for rewinding films. Note - while the projection booth has since been converted into the general offices for the Vogue Nightclub, the original medicine cabinet on its restroom wall still remains.
On the left is the theater lobby in 1938. The poster sitting on the floor by the lounge door is for "Three Blind Mice" starring Joel McCrea, Lorretta Young and David Niven. On the right, the lovely Vogue ushers in their stylish uniforms.
Another new idea at the Vogue was a large (400 car) parking lot where movie patrons could park for free. Below, left is a picture of the new parking lot taken from Carrollton Avenue and on the right, a give-away to promote the parking lot. Note - in the upper right corner of the parking lot picture you can see two houses still on Broad Ripple Avenue, where Union Federal is now.
The Vogue was remodeled in 1948. You can see the new light-up Vogue letters above a now larger marquee in the picture below. The films listed on the marquee are "Kiss the Blood of my Hands" starring Joan Fontaine and Burt Lancaster and "Miss Tatlock's Millions".
He died in January 1960 at the age of 63. The last movie I remember seeing at the Vogue was "Tora, Tora, Tora". My wife remembers seeing "House of Dark Shadows". Eventually, in the early 1970's the Vogue changed from a premiere first run movie house to a first run X-rated movie theatre, featuring such classics as Deep Throat and Hard Candy In 1977 John Ross and Doug Turnbull purchased the Vogue. To announce the new ownership, the marquee displayed a take-off on the recent film "Born Free"...
John and Doug ran the Vogue until May of 1986, when they sold it to Steve Ross and Dennis Burris, pictured below left to right.
In September 1993 the Vogue received another major remodeling. Steve and Dennis invested $250,000 in changing the club's interior appearance. They reconfigured the front bar area, added a deli, added the center dance floor bar, installed 100,000 watts of lighting and sound systems, quadrupled the size of the dance floor, and painted the entire club.
The Vogue presents all types of entertainment, including full production plays, musicals, talent shows, band contests, benefits for charitable causes, comedians, movies, and hundreds of local, regional, and internationally renowned artists.
A few of the entertainers that have played the Vogue:
The Vogue has won many awards, such as "Best in Indy" from the Indianapolis Monthly Magazine and NUVO Reader Polls and Indianapolis Star critic's picks.
It is part of a family of nightclubs, comprised of the Vogue and the Patio in Indianapolis, and the Bluebird and Axis in Bloomington.
The Vogue remains successful. This sold-out performance and the long line at the box office is a regular sight on College. It has survived longer than any other business in Broad Ripple due to the hard work of its many owners over the years to adapt it to serve the ever-changing customer. It stands as a Broad Ripple landmark and a piece of architectural history. If someone gives directions for a location in Broad Ripple, chances are the Vogue is included in the description.
The familiar painted sign by the stage door (left) and the current owner, Steve Ross, out in front (right).
The story of the autographed star in the sidewalk is still a mystery. It is believed that Niesse took it with him when he sold the theater in 1954. It hung in a local bar for a time. Then in 1994 it was "re-discovered" when a local TV reporter did a story on an eastside woman with a star. Ross and Burris heard about the story, made a bid for the star and were able to reacquire it, partially because they were going to return it to its original home in the sidewalk. They repaired the star and sank it back into the sidewalk under the marquee and celebrated with an unveiling ceremony. The star can still be seen there today and is a reminder of Broad Ripple's connection to the Hollywood of the 1930's.
Vogue Nightclub |
