Fomer manager remembers his time at Everett Historic Theatre

Published 1:30 am Thursday, December 15, 2022

I read with great interest the article on the iconic Everett Historic Theatre in Sunday’s newspaper (“At 122 years old, this old house could use a little help,” The Herald, Dec. 12).

In the late 1960s I was the manager of the Everett Theatre when it was a motion-picture theatre. Across the street was the Roxy Theatre which closed in 1973. The manager of the Roxy and I became friends in spite of being competitors.

Since moving back to the area in 2008, we have made a few visits to the iconic Everett Historic Theatre for various on-stage events. David Dilgard’s comments about the theatre being the “The grand old dame of Everett” is a statement of fact and hopefully the Shriner brothers will be able to sell it to someone who will continue the theatre beyond the 122-year-old history of the theatre.

When we visited the theatre since our return to the area, the only major difference from the past, was the concession stand upstairs was where my office was and the box office was centered in front of the theatre. The projectionist booth is the same as it was in the late ’60s. A few years ago, I attended the funeral of the best projectionist I have ever worked with and sadly couldn’t find him before he died.

The theatre means a great deal to me and I truly hope it will still be around for years to come.

Gary O’Rielly

Lake Stevens