Gaiety Theater (Manila)

The Gaiety Theater was a stand-alone art deco cinema house located at M.H. del Pilar Street in the Ermita district of the city of Manila. It was designed by Juan Nakpil, National Artist of the Philippines for Architecture, in 1935.[1] The construction of these early theaters in the City of Manila provided the venue for early forms of entertainment like bodabil, a local adaptation of vaudeville, with most eventually converting to movie theaters with the growth and popularity of Philippine cinema in the metropolis.

Gaiety Theater
The Gaiety Theater is located at Del Pilar Street in the Ermita district of the city of Manila. It was designed by Juan Nakpil in 1935 and is now in dilapidated state.
AddressDel Pilar Street
LocationErmita, Manila
Coordinates14.5742°N 120.9819°E / 14.5742; 120.9819
Construction
Opened1935 (1935)
Demolished2016
ArchitectJuan Nakpil

History

The Gaiety Theater was first owned by Harry Brown, the American producer of La vida de Jose Rizal, the first feature film produced in the Philippines.[2] It was known for showing art films patronized by expats and old Spanish families. During the Second World War, its operation was stopped until Karl Nathan obtained permission from the Japanese authorities to reopen it, which at the time was owned by a prominent Filipino family with whom Nathan had struck an agreement, provided he could get the Japanese permit. Tickets to this theater during the Japanese occupation were cheap as compared to other movie houses in downtown Manila.[3][4] The theater was also used as a place of worship by the Jesus is Lord Cosmopolitan Church.[5]

Present

Until it was demolished in 2016 several families acting as caretakers of the old cinema were living inside. According to them, there were efforts to resurrect the Gaiety Theater in the 1990s but it failed. As of 2014, the theater was closed and the building remained in a dilapidated state. The roof of the building collapsed years ago leaving the cinema house open to all weather elements contributing to its fast deterioration.

References
  1. "Malate – Ermita District: Part 1". Manila Nostalgia.
  2. Sotto, Agustin (1992). Pelikula: an essay on the Philippine film, 1897-1960 (PDF). Sentrong Pangkultura ng Pilipinas. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-05-04. Retrieved 2014-05-04.
  3. Frank Ephraim, Escape to Manila: From Nazi Tyranny to Japanese Terror, University of Illinois Press. 2008 p 113 ISBN 0252075269
  4. Dero Pedero: Do you remember Berg's, Banlon and Coco Banana?
  5. Jonathan Patadlas: Heritage Tour and Reunion Part 1 - A Trip Down History Lane. Archived 2014-05-03 at the Wayback Machine Jesus is Lord Cosmopolitan Church, Volume 17, Issue 1 of 24 March 2013, page 3.

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