This is the story of a building that was in my hometown of Leask, Saskatchewan. It housed several businesses from the 1920s through the 1960s, so it has a storied history.
Memories of this building cross through generations of owners, employees, and patrons.
In 1912, Pierre Philibert and Leon Robert, two young entrepreneurs, came to Leask to open a general store that they named The Big Store.
In 1919, Pierre went on to open the Leask Motor and Supply Company & Dancehall two blocks over on First Avenue.
Photo credit A Lasting Legacy,
Dances, banquets and socials were held there. In those early years, there weren't strict regulations regarding when a dance ended, liquor sales, food served, smoking, maximum capacity or what businesses could be operated in the same facility. The exception to this was during Prohibition.
After selling the business to Harold Jacobs in 1921, Pierre and his wife, Marie, moved to Marcelin to open a grocery store.
In the 1940s, Richard’s sons, Vern and Gene joined the business and bought Richard and Alfred out in 1950. In 1965, Gene became the sole owner.
The entrance to the theatre was at the top of a set of stairs on the side of the building. Another set of stairs was located at the back. You could also gain access to the upstairs, when the store was open, by stairs inside the building. Kids liked to slide down its banister. There was no concession at the theatre and the seating consisted of padded wooden folding chairs.
Richard was the projectionist, assisted by employee, John Rogerson. Black and white films with sound were initially shown and then colour and technicolour.
A record player was used to entertain moviegoers while the film reels on the projector were changed. Typically, there were 1000 feet of film for one movie. A 90-minute movie required eight-reel changes. The film, reels and canisters, which were shipped by train, weighed about sixty pounds.
In the 1940s, it cost $.15 to see a movie and $.10 for a pop. At Christmas, Marks treated the schoolchildren to a movie and a bag bursting with candy.
The showing of Gone With The Wind in 1940 was a memorable event for many. The Ten Commandments, starring Charleton Heston, was shown in the late 1950s and people recounted seeing the movie Frankenstein in the 1960s and said they couldn’t sleep for a week.
Other movies shown included:
Toast of New Orleans - Katherine Grayson, Mario Lanza, David Niven
Tea for Two - Doris Day, Gordon MacRae
Broken Arrow - James Stewart, Jeff Chandler
Two Weeks With Love - Jane Powell, Ricardo Montalban
The image of light from a movie projector cutting through the dust particles in an old theatre is one we are all familiar with. On Saturday nights, the village swelled with people, and the theatre was busy. A dance at the Legion Hall was often in full swing when the movie let out, and the crowd streamed over there.
In 1915, while only in his mid-thirties, Leon died due to a hunting accident.
Pierre subsequently sold his share of The Big Store to Leon’s brother, Rene.
Leask Motor and Supply Company & Dancehall
Pierre subsequently sold his share of The Big Store to Leon’s brother, Rene.
Leask Motor and Supply Company & Dancehall
1918 - 1921
Photo credit A Lasting Legacy,
Leask and District History Book
In 1919, Pierre went on to open the Leask Motor and Supply Company & Dancehall two blocks over on First Avenue.
Photo credit A Lasting Legacy, Leask and District History Book
It was a large two-story structure, with the living quarters and dance hall on the second floor, and the dealership/garage was on the main level.
Through the years, the building’s amenities were upgraded as power, running water, and the telephone became available.
Dances, banquets and socials were held there. In those early years, there weren't strict regulations regarding when a dance ended, liquor sales, food served, smoking, maximum capacity or what businesses could be operated in the same facility. The exception to this was during Prohibition.
After selling the business to Harold Jacobs in 1921, Pierre and his wife, Marie, moved to Marcelin to open a grocery store.
Photo credit A Lasting Legacy,
Leask and District History Book
Harold gave business life a go, but after a few years, he and his wife, Frances, decided farming was their calling.
Leask Garage & Dance Hall
1925 - 1934
Leask Garage & Dance Hall
1925 - 1934
Photo credit A Lasting Legacy,
Leask and District History Book
Leask and District History Book
In 1925, Harold traded the business to Richard Marks and his brother Alfred in exchange for their homesteads.
Richard and Alfred changed the name to Leask Garage, providing repair services and selling auto and livery accessories. Richard was familiar with the operation as Pierre had employed him as a mechanic.
Photo credit A Lasting Legacy,
Leask and District History Book
Richard and Alfred changed the name to Leask Garage, providing repair services and selling auto and livery accessories. Richard was familiar with the operation as Pierre had employed him as a mechanic.
Photo credit A Lasting Legacy,
Leask and District History Book
There were small living quarters upstairs that owners and employees used, or they were rented out. My maternal grandparents lived there for several years when they were first married. Grandpa also worked for Pierre in Marcelin from 1922 to 1924 as a clerk.
Richard and his wife, Vera, and Alfred and his wife, Julia each had five children.
In 1927, the local Legion branch built a hall across the street from the hardware/theatre. The sound of waltzes and the foxtrot in the 1920s and the swing and the jitterbug in the 1930s spilled out into the night.
Richard and his wife, Vera, and Alfred and his wife, Julia each had five children.
In 1927, the local Legion branch built a hall across the street from the hardware/theatre. The sound of waltzes and the foxtrot in the 1920s and the swing and the jitterbug in the 1930s spilled out into the night.
It cost $.25 to attend a dance at the Legion Hall in the late 1940s, for many youth, that was their entire allowance for the week.
Marks Hardware & Theatre
1934 - 1966
Photo credit A Lasting Legacy,
Leask and District History Book
There wasn’t a need for two dance halls, so in 1934 Richard and Alfred changed the business to the Leask Theatre (upstairs) and Marks Hardware (main level). The brothers also installed gas pumps out front.
In the 1940s, Richard’s sons, Vern and Gene joined the business and bought Richard and Alfred out in 1950. In 1965, Gene became the sole owner.
The entrance to the theatre was at the top of a set of stairs on the side of the building. Another set of stairs was located at the back. You could also gain access to the upstairs, when the store was open, by stairs inside the building. Kids liked to slide down its banister. There was no concession at the theatre and the seating consisted of padded wooden folding chairs.
Photo credit A Lasting Legacy,
Leask and District History Book
A record player was used to entertain moviegoers while the film reels on the projector were changed. Typically, there were 1000 feet of film for one movie. A 90-minute movie required eight-reel changes. The film, reels and canisters, which were shipped by train, weighed about sixty pounds.
In the 1940s, it cost $.15 to see a movie and $.10 for a pop. At Christmas, Marks treated the schoolchildren to a movie and a bag bursting with candy.
The showing of Gone With The Wind in 1940 was a memorable event for many. The Ten Commandments, starring Charleton Heston, was shown in the late 1950s and people recounted seeing the movie Frankenstein in the 1960s and said they couldn’t sleep for a week.
Other movies shown included:
Toast of New Orleans - Katherine Grayson, Mario Lanza, David Niven
Tea for Two - Doris Day, Gordon MacRae
Broken Arrow - James Stewart, Jeff Chandler
Two Weeks With Love - Jane Powell, Ricardo Montalban
The image of light from a movie projector cutting through the dust particles in an old theatre is one we are all familiar with. On Saturday nights, the village swelled with people, and the theatre was busy. A dance at the Legion Hall was often in full swing when the movie let out, and the crowd streamed over there.
In 1966, the Leask Theatre was one of the casualties of the invention of television. People had entertainment at home, and attendance at theatres across the country plummeted.
The hardware store remained in business after the theatre was closed but soon after it closed as well.
Gene and his wife, Irene, and their sons, Gil and Jim, moved to Saskatoon and then to British Columbia.
The building was demolished in the 1970s, and the lot remains vacant. A garage turned hardware store and a dance hall turned movie theatre meant a lot of memories were made under the roof of this building.
The hardware store remained in business after the theatre was closed but soon after it closed as well.
Gene and his wife, Irene, and their sons, Gil and Jim, moved to Saskatoon and then to British Columbia.
The building was demolished in the 1970s, and the lot remains vacant. A garage turned hardware store and a dance hall turned movie theatre meant a lot of memories were made under the roof of this building.
1940s Leask
Photo credit A Lasting Legacy,
Leask and District History Book
Comments