I’ve always had a fascination with old theaters — and I am so fortunate to have Oakland’s Grand Lake Theatre, a 1920s-era movie palace, located just blocks away from where I live. San Francisco boasts several classic theaters that still play movies as well as hosting special events, including The Castro and The Balboa. So when I set out to write the eighth installment (!) of the Haunted Home Renovation series, I couldn’t resist the chance to let Mel Turner, head of Turner Construction, loose in a grand old movie palace. The gold gilt details, the massive stage curtain, the dramatic cupola overhead…what could be better for someone who loves restoring the beautiful details on antique buildings? But of course, when it comes to historic renovations, things are never simple for the likes of Mel Turner, and after all, there’s no such thing as a historic theater without a lingering ghost or two, right?
Back in the day, a ticket to the theater bought not only a pass to the main feature, but also a newsreel and cartoons beforehand. Some theaters also offered sit-down restaurants, live dance music, or even a symphony or ballet performance on the grand stage. It was a night out on the town, all within one ornate, palatial building. Even today, at my local Grand Lake Theatre (this was pre-pandemic, of course) a Mighty Wurlitzer rises slowly from beneath the floor, through a trap door, up to the level of the stage while being played by a very talented musician.
*Sigh*. I enjoy a nice multiplex as much as the next person, but there’s nothing quite like a historic theater, haunted or not.
What’s your favorite part about old theaters? How about the old-fashioned lounges – in which silk-upholstered chaise longues invite a person to sit a spell? The ornate lobbies, the deep balcony, or the massive theater itself? The ceilings painted with clouds and stars? Personally, I love a good old-fashioned concession stand with the distinctive aroma emanating from the popcorn machine. Extra butter, please—and perhaps a box of Junior Mints.
Mel Turner loves it all. But in The Last Curtain Call, before she’s able to get to stripping wallpaper and restoring gold gilt and replacing stage curtains, Mel must work with a group of artists squatting in the Historic Crockett Theatre, as well as a mysterious out-of-town consortium financing the renovation project, and a murky history of theater ownership. When Mel discovers the tragic murder of one of the squatters, she realizes that fixing up the Crockett is not going to be as easy as a night at the movies.
The Last Curtain
A Haunted House Renovation Mystery
By Juliet Blackwell
Berkley
paperback
$7.99
GottaWriteNetwork 