Pontiac Theatre

Pontiac Theatre, early 1950s. Adirondack Daily Enterprise, February 22, 2003 Art Linkletter, Virginia Mayo, and Tony Anderson at the world premier of the film The Silver Chalice, December 14, 1954. Adirondack Daily Enterprise, December 18, 2004

The Pontiac Theatre had, at one time, the largest screen in central New York. Located on Broadway, just down the hill from the Berkeley Hotel, during Saranac Lake's boom years movies and stage shows played to a full house, nightly. It had a twelve thousand dollar orchestral organ.

Built in 1917, the theatre was designed by Scopes and Feustmann. In 1926, the owners, the theatre sold it to the Schine theatre chain;after the chain was dismantled, the theatre was purchased by the Pontiac Entertainment Corp.

Al Jolson once performed a solo for three hours for a benefit.

The world premiere showing of the 1954 film, The Silver Chalice was held at the theatre; the premier was hosted by television personality Art Linkletter. Saranac Lake won the the movie premiere for having sold the most Christmas seals that year. The premiere itself was hosted by television personality Art Linkletter. It was Paul Newman's film debut. Several of the stars, including Virginia Mayo visited the village and participated in the winter carnival parade.

The theatre's marquee featured a painting of an Indian at the top of a triangle.

It burned to the ground on December 19, 1978. The week that it burned, the movie, "Foul Play" was showing; the next week's film was to have been "Up In Smoke".

Pontiac Theatre Program, 1926" Pontiac Theatre Ad, Adirondack Daily Enterprise, 9/23/1948. Courtesy of the Northern New York Library Network Program for a 1920 benefit concert at the Pontiac Theatre.