Gayety Theatre
9205 Commercial Ave. / Chicago

The Gayety Theater was constructed in 1907 by Alfred Hamburger and opened in 1908 as a
vaudeville-movie theater. Along with the rest of the country, it began to eliminate live
acts in favor of films-only when silent movies converted to sound and played "middle-class"
favorites, like melodramas, serials, westerns and comedies.
A change in the area's population from middle-class white to Latino caused the Gayety to
change to showing movies eclusively in Spanish during the 1960s. A fire in May of 1982 would
leave the building unrepairable. It was demolished five months later. As an unintended homage
to the original owner (Hamburger), the site would go on to host a McDonalds.

1942 Movie program from this theatre:


(Actual program measures 2 3/4"x 5")