The Height of the Wonder Theatre Archives - Shea's Performing Arts Center

From 1926 through the 1960's, Shea’s Buffalo Theatre thrived as a cultural landmark, hosting Hollywood premieres and local events as part of the iconic 'Wonder Theatre' era.

The 1920's

Photo Credit: Motion Picture News - June 26, 1926

Photo Credit: Motion Picture News - April 1927

Photo Credit: Motion Picture News - February 1926

Photo Credit: The Buffalo Courier-Express - July 11, 1926

Health Commissioner Francis E. Fronczak wrote a letter to Michael Shea, praising his installation of the refrigeration system used at Shea's Buffalo - such technology was still incredibly new (first invented in Buffalo twenty-five years earlier!) and was advertised to movie-going audiences looking to escape the summer heat. Although we've since upgraded our A/C systems over the past century, the original cooling plant is still in our basement!

Photo Credit: Motion Pictures News - December 25, 1926

"Comparing in gorgeousness of decoration, completeness of equipment, and conveniences for patrons with the finest theatres of the capitals of the world, Shea's Buffalo Theatre has been open to the expectant public which now is singing its praises on all sides..." Shea's Buffalo Theatre is prominently featured in an article on Ultra Modern Theatres built by C. W. & Geo. L. Rapp

Photo Credit: The Buffalo Courier-Express - July 29, 1928

Sound AND air-conditioning? Shea's was the place to be in the summer of 1928!

Photo Credit: The Buffalo Courier-Express - July 8, 1928

When Shea's Buffalo Theatre was built, all films were silent pictures accompanied by a live orchestra but that would change on October 6, 1927 when The Jazz Singer premiered. Less than a year later, Michael Shea announced the upgrades to our theater's at a cost of $35,000.

Jackie Coogan and Father, John Coogan,

September 17 - 23, 1928

October 18, 1928 - Ginger Rogers at Shea's Buffalo

Jack Benny headlines

October 20, 1928

Photo Credit: The Buffalo Courier-Express - November 11, 1928

A rare behind-the-scenes article about the Wurlitzer organ at Shea's Buffalo Theatre with organist Henry B. Murtagh!

Tom Mix and "Tony" make special appearance

February 23, 1929

Bing Crosby appears as one of the "Rhythm Boys" with Paul Whiteman, the "King of Jazz"

October 2 - 8, 1927 / June 2, 1928

Photo Credit: October 2, 1927

Photo Credit: The Buffalo Times - February 7, 1926

Photo Credit: The Buffalo Times - February 7, 1926

Photo Credit: The Buffalo Times - February 7, 1926

Photo Credit: The Buffalo Courier - January 17, 1926

"This usher system was the cause of universal comment at the Friday private opening. All the employees were either in full dress semi-military uniform, or else in formal full dress, and they make an imposing array. Like soldiers they stand at their posts, answering all questions in subdued voice and quickly pointing the way with their silver-topped canes. They are marvels of fast, yet courteous efficiency, and they succeed in impressing their patrons."

The 1930's

Duke Ellington and his Cotton Club Band

May 23, 1931

Ray Bolger "The Eccentric Dancer" (later better known for playing the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz) headlines

July 7, 1930

Baritone George Dewey Washinton headlines

August 5, 1930

Did You Know? Willis Haviland Carrier invented air-conditioning in Buffalo, NY!

Michael Shea opened his first theatre in 1881 - and was still entertaining Buffalo by 1931!

George Burns and Gracie Allen headline

May 20, 1932

Rudy Vallée and his Connecticut Yankees set a house record at the theater, grossing $42,000 in one week.

July 15 - 20, 1932 / February 12 - 18, 1937

The Zany Ritz Brothers Headline

October 29, 1932

Dance team of Buck and Bubbles headline

June 27, 1933

Great Comedy Team of Smith and Dale appearing in "Crazy Quilt"

September 3, 1933

Photo Credit: The Buffalo Evening News - December 14, 1933

The "NRA" referred to in this article stands for the National Recovery Administration, an agency established President Roosevelt in response to the Great Depression. By December 1933, the national unemployment rate was at 24.9% but Mike Shea insisted on keeping his theaters fully staffed during these hard times.

Photo Credit: The Buffalo Times - May 16, 1934

Mike Shea was known to personally hand each performer their weekly paycheck and he kept a sharp eye on all the shows to make sure the audiences were enjoying them or if it was "not so good".. A deserving actor might find an extra $100 slipped into his envelope or another actor down on their luck might find themselves booked and paid top price to perform.

Photo Credit: The Buffalo Times - May 20, 1934

Michael Shea was a friend to performers, both feline and human.

Great "Hoofer" George Raft headlines

May 26, 1934

July 26, 1936

Phil Spitalny's "All-Girl Orchestra"

April 8, 1939

December 15, 1939

Glenn Miller and his Orchestra

October 14, 1939 / July 24, 1942

"Show World Pays Tribute to Shea"

To many in the industry, the city of Buffalo was synonymous with Shea. In honor of his golden jubilee celebrating 50 years of show business, Variety magazine surprised Michael Shea with a feature article, interviews, and well-wishers from many friends and fans. But only a few months later, the news would be filled with posthumous tributes.

Mary's Scrapbook

Mary Shea Giffioniello complied a scrapbook of obituaries for her father, Michael Shea. These were donated to Buffalo State and are now part of their Archives & Special Collections Department (E. H. Butler Library). This scrapbook was digitalized and is available for viewing through the Digital Commons.

Photo Credit: Buffalo State Archives & Special Collections Department, E. H. Butler Library - July 6, 2016

Photo Credit: Variety - January 2, 1934

In January 1934, Variety honored Mike Shea for surpassing his golden jubilee anniversary in show business with a two-page spread and a smattering of accolades from his peers, friends, and stars of the stage and screen.

Photo Credit: Variety - January 2, 1934

An RKO film wouldn't have played at Shea's Buffalo (as a Paramount studio).

Yes, it's <b><i>that</b></i> Mae West - although as far as we know, she never performed at a Shea's theater!

Photo Credit: Variety - January 2, 1934

Yes, it's that Mae West - although as far as we know, she never performed at a Shea's theater!

Photo Credit: Variety - January 2, 1934

May 16, 1934 - Michael Shea Dies

After over fifty years of show business and and giving his name to no less than a dozen theaters across Western New York and Toronto, Michael Shea died on May 16, 1934 at the age of 75. His death was widely covered in newspapers across the country with many stars of stage, screen, and behind the scenes giving him praise.

From Michael Shea's Last Published Interview:

"I've lived through worse times than these and come out on top, and I'm going to again. You can't keep a young Irishman down - at least, not a young Irishman who'll be 75 next All Fools' Day. Know what I'm going to do? I'm going to book more and better shows and forget about what money I've lost. I'm going to get it back."
"There's just one thing I wish you'd do, Mike." vaudevillian Joe Laurie Jr. urged. "I wish you'd let me write your biography."
"Not a chance, you young jackanapes. I don't want any books written about me. And what do you know about show business?"

“Mike Shea was a decent man and a great showman and the best liked and most popular theatrical manager in America. He was my friend for 40 years. He did all his own booking and in an amazing manner. Now here was a man, a simple soul from upstate, no continental sophisticate, and yet he's come down to New York and pick a foreign act at the snap of his fingers - and that act never failed. Why in those days his bills made his house in Buffalo the finest show shop in America. He had an astonishing flair for picking what the public liked.”

- George M. Cohan

Shea's theaters:

• Shea's Music Hall (1892 - 1893)
• Shea's Tivoli (????)
• Shea's Garden Theatre (1898)
• Shea's Teck Theatre (1900 – 1982)
• Shea's Vaudeville House (1905)
• Shea's Elmwood Theatre (1914 - 1965)
• Shea's Hippodrome (1914 - ????)
• Shea's North Park Theatre (1920 - today)
• Shea's Criterion Theatre (1920 - 1924)
• Shea's Riviera (1920 - today)
• Shea's Century Theatre (1921 - 1980s?)
• Shea's Buffalo Theatre (1926 - today)
• Shea's Kensington (1926 - 1979)
• Shea's Roosevelt (1927 - 1962)
• Shea's Bailey (1928 - 1977)
• Shea's Seneca (1929 - 1970)
• Shea's Great Lakes Theatre (???)
• Shea's Niagara (1940 - 1960)
• Shea’s Vaudeville (Toronto, ???)
• Shea’s Hippodrome (Toronto, 1914 - 1957)

Vincent McFaul

As twelve-year-old boy growing up around Vermont Ave, Vincent McFaul already knew he wanted to work in a theater. His neighbor suggested that he try taking a job during his summer vacation at the theater box office - that theater being Shea's Garden Theater and that neighbor being Michael Shea.

Vincent McFaul continued working for Shea's - and when he graduated college, he became the manager of the Shea's Criterion, the Shea's Hippodrome, the Shea's Buffalo, and after Michael Shea's death in 1934, now in charge of the Buffalo Theaters Inc. "It's the only job I've ever had and it's the only business I know anything about."

Photo Credit: The Buffalo Times - May 16, 1926

"You need grit and gumption to get anywhere in the theater business!"

- Vincent McFaul

Photo Credit: The Buffalo News - March 2, 1949

Photo Credit: The Buffalo Times - July 15, 1934

“A properly conducted theater is of the same importance to a community as a school or church. Such a theater contributes to the general welfare of the community, because wholesome recreation is essential to its well being.”

- Vincent McFaul

The 1940's

These pamphlets were handed out during shows in support of Shea's employees who were serving in World War II while those here on the home front worked to raise money and morale. With men drafted to serve, the live orchestra was retired in 1940 and the theater switched to coal heating (which left layers of grime that wouldn't be fully removed until 2014 with the ceiling restoration work). Recruiting booths were set up in the Grand Lobby and newspaper ads for young boys to work after school as ushers. On the screen, news reels and political cartoons were incorporated into movie showings - even the movies themselves were subjected to propaganda served by the United States Office of War Information.

The Andrews Sisters

March 6, 1942

Photo Credit: The Buffalo News - May 21, 1945

Shea's theaters stayed open during World War II, to provide the much-needed entertainment for the home front but also serving as a source of fundraising for the war efforts. Stars like Bob Hope appeared across the country, hosting drives to sell war bonds and support the Red Cross.

Photo Credit: The Buffalo Courier-Express - January 5, 1941

Miss Dorothea Osbourne, chief cashier, was interviewed by the Buffalo Courier-Express about her work here at Shea's Buffalo Theatre. "I always report on reactions to the office. When patrons come out smiling and happy, we know we have a hit."

The Ink Spots, Cootie Williams, and Ella Fitzgerald

June 22, 1945

Frank Sinatra, as the baritone soloist of Tommy Dorsey's Stage Revue

September 20-25, 1941

Theater Organists

Some of the most famous theater organists of the day played the Shea's organ at one time or another including Lloyd Del Castillo who dedicated the instrument when the theater first opened in January of 1926; Harold Ramsay, a well-known Canadian organist; Henry Murtagh who played it for several years; the renowned Jesse Crawford who played it for two weeks during the theater's eleventh anniversary celebration in January 1937 and a host of others. With the outbreak of World War II the organ ceased to be used on a regular basis, the last musician to have played it being Arthur Crosson, a well-known local organist. The last time the organ was played professionally during this time was in July of 1964 when the American Theater Organ Enthusiasts held their annual convention in Buffalo, played by Pearl White, Gaylord Carter, and Lowell Ayars during their convention.

Red Skelton with Harry James and His Orchestra

January 1, 1940

Abbott and Costello

November 1, 1940

Photo Credit: Buffalo Evening News - April 4, 1947

Advertisements for various Shea's theatres playing Easter Weekend

United States vs. Paramount Pictures

When Shea's Buffalo Theatre first opened, Hollywood film studios sold their films to movie houses under a practice called "block booking", where a movie theater was obligated to buy all of the studio's films to show - until 1948, when the Supreme Court ruled in United States vs. Paramount Pictures, a landmark antitrust case that lead to the decline of the Hollywood studio system and forced the ownership of Shea's Buffalo to be eventually sold to Loew's theatre chain. This decision would go on to be known as the "Paramount Decree" until it was finally lifted on August 7, 2020.

The Ink Spots

February 12, 1949

Photo Credit: The Buffalo Courier-Express - February 20, 1949

Following the fallout of United States vs. Paramount Pictures, the Shea's theater chain was divided and sold off, with Shea's Buffalo Theatre acquired by Leon Lawrence Siddell of Loews Inc.

The 1950's

Photo Credit: The Buffalo News - April 7, 1950

This article shows the new blade sign being installed in 1950 after the original Shea's blade sign came down after 24 years of lighting up Main Street. It was a new era for Shea's Buffalo, now known as Loew's Buffalo.

At the time this photo was taken, Laube's Old Spain (the future site of Shea's Smith Theatre) had moved in next door. That mural on the brick wall is still here today!

Photo Credit: The Buffalo News - July 18, 1955

In 1955, Shea's Buffalo suffered another loss: the death of Vincent McFaul, who had headed the Shea's theaters since Michael Shea had passed. Vincent had worked at Shea's Buffalo Theatre as its manager since opening day and had guided it through the end of vaudeville to the birth of the television

The Buffalo Common Council acknowledged Vincent McFaul's passing with great respect.

Main Street at night, 1950's

The Marketing of Ed Meade

Ed Meade (1908 - 1988) was hired in 1928 to work for Shea's (then a chain of 13+ theatres) in its publicity-advertising department as Assistant Advertising Manager. By the late 1940's, after Michael Shea had died and Shea's Buffalo Theatre was managed by Loew's and Paramount Pictures, Ed Meade was now the Advertising and Publicity Manager, and would later by promoted to Supervising Manager (and eventually City Manager) of Shea's Buffalo from 1956 - 1961. Under Meade's guidance, Shea’s navigated both the highs of the golden age of cinema and the shifts in the industry, remaining a thriving hub for entertainment in Buffalo. Thanks to Ed, we have these firsthand historical archives of the advertising efforts being promoted by Shea's Buffalo Theatre throughout the 1950's from his personal scrapbooks, that were donated to Shea's Performing Arts Center by his family.

Ed Meade (left) and Ed Miller, were long-time friends and business associates. This photo was taken in Meade's advertising office in the Wurlitzer Building, looking over autographed photos of Hollywood stars who appeared in Buffalo theatres during their carees.

During the 1950's, Ed Meade embraced Hollywood promotional stunts tailored to the movie’s setting, including themed giveaways, models, and elaborate lobby displays.

Promoting the courtroom drama <i>Trial</i>, Shea's Buffalo used street marketing stunts, like this character in a mock juror's outfit, inviting passersby to experience the suspense as part of the 'public jury.'

Promoting the courtroom drama Trial, Shea's Buffalo used street marketing stunts, like this character in a mock juror's outfit, inviting passersby to experience the suspense as part of the 'public jury.'

Shea's Buffalo Theatre pulled out all the stops to promote <i>Valley of the Kings</i>, bringing camels to Main Street to capture the spirit of ancient Egypt.

Shea's Buffalo Theatre pulled out all the stops to promote Valley of the Kings, bringing camels to Main Street to capture the spirit of ancient Egypt.

Note the ticket price - $0.70 for Adults and only $0.35 for Children!

Marketing for the film Alexander The Great: Ed Meade's notes detail his elaborate publicity - including personal appearances by the actress Ramsey Ames, radio giveaways, study guides from the University of Buffalo given out to public high schools, an exhibition of Grecian wrestling, costume displays, and even a parade of elephants down Main Street!

Behind the scenes filming of an elephant advertising for <i>Alexander The Great</i> at the WGR-TV studios on the Helen Neville show.

Behind the scenes filming of an elephant advertising for Alexander The Great at the WGR-TV studios on the Helen Neville show.

Preparing for the screening of <i>Alexander the Great</i>, Shea's City Manager Ed Meade shares a moment with the actress Miss Ramsey Ames.

Preparing for the screening of Alexander the Great, Shea's City Manager Ed Meade shares a moment with the actress Miss Ramsey Ames.

Photo Credit: The Buffalo News - March 26, 1956

The Fall of the Wonder Theatre

By the late 1960's, the likes of Michael Shea, Vincent McFaul, and Ed Meade were long gone, as were the old vaudeville shows and film studios. Now under the ownership of Loew's Theatres, Shea's Buffalo Theatre was falling into decline and disrepair. It was beginning to seem more and more likely that Shea's Buffalo Theatre would share the fate of the other Shea's theaters and would soon be demolished entirely...

Photo Credit: The Buffalo News - March 19, 1969

The (not-so) Mighty Wurlitzer

During World War II, the organ fell into a state of extensive disrepair...the Loew Corporation had no interest in using the grand organ and the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company of North Tonawanda had ceased production of new Wurlitzer organs by 1942. So the instrument sat in Shea's Buffalo Theatre, unplayed for some thirty years, rotting away. Massive leaks in the theater's roof during the 1960's caused severe water damage to the pipes and for a time there was serious thought of junking the instrument, now literally held together with baling wire and rubber bands while mushrooms had actually begun to grow in the chambers!

Photo Credit: The Buffalo News - August 27, 1969

Before Shea's Performing Arts Center had their Broadway Season, we had the Shea's Buffalo Attractions: in 1969, Loew's tried offering a subscription series for touring shows, including many touring Broadway productions like Fiddler on the Roof, Cabaret, Neil Simon's Plaza Suite, 1776. But Loew's had trouble with booking productions, with shows being cancelled and by July 1972, the Shea's Buffalo Attractions were no longer being offered.