The tour gave a second private show tonight for the Philip Morris employees
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8th December 1955, Thursday
8th December 1955, Thursday
Day number 7640Site Date Map
The tour gave a second private show tonight for the Philip Morris employees
The tour gave a second private show tonight for the Philip Morris employees
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Private Presley
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Re: 8th December 1955, Thursday
December 8, 1955
The Rialto Theater in Louisville, Kentucky was built back in the 1920s at the cost of $1 Million in 1920! This made it one of the finest and certainly the most costly theater in the city. It was modeled after he Capitol Theater in New York City and only the best of materials were used and they were incorporated into designs intended to dazzle. Crystal chandeliers and brass torchères adorned the lobby, where a white marble stairway led to an upper level promenade whose walls were hung with blue silk damask, arabesqued in gold. The walls were made of expensive Rookwood tiles and it boasted a $30,000 pipe organ. The Rialto Theater had an elegant stage, with orchestra pit and music stands. The stage was framed by an ornately tiled proscenium arch, two box seats and the walls included murals. It accommodated an audience of 3,500 in luxury by any standard.
By 1955, Louisville was the third largest tobacco manufacturing center in the United States. As one of the largest employers there, the Richmond, Virginia based company of Philip Morris operated two large facilities in Louisville; a stemmery on Miller's lane where selected quality tobacco are prepared for aging, and a factory at 1930 Maple St. They also maintained warehouses to store tobacco during the slow aging process.
On December 8, 1955 the Philip Morris company held a special show of the Hank Snow All-Star Jamboree for its employees at the Rialto that featured Elvis, Scotty, Bill and DJ. It was just over a week earlier that they had performed a special show for the employees of Philip Morris at the Mosque theater in Richmond.
Since the show was a private event, there were no advertisements for this show in the Louisville papers and ads for the Rialto Theater gave no hint that there would be anything presented that evening.
Luckily, a photograph from the Lin Caufield Collection at the University of Louisville dated December 8, 1955 shows the marquee of the Rialto Theater announcing “Phillip Morris Employee’s Night - Hank Snow All Star jamboree - Elvis Presley - Duke of Paducah - Bill and Scotty and Don." (The final name is undoubtedly a reference to D. J. Fontana whose first name is Dominic, not Don.) Clearly seen in the photograph are huge posters and banners for "Tarantula" and a smaller sandwich board for "Running Wild."
Though there may have been no reviews or ads for the show in the papers at the time, the employee shows were part of the beginnings of Philip Morris' endorsement of country music to help promote its products
The Rialto Theater in Louisville, Kentucky was built back in the 1920s at the cost of $1 Million in 1920! This made it one of the finest and certainly the most costly theater in the city. It was modeled after he Capitol Theater in New York City and only the best of materials were used and they were incorporated into designs intended to dazzle. Crystal chandeliers and brass torchères adorned the lobby, where a white marble stairway led to an upper level promenade whose walls were hung with blue silk damask, arabesqued in gold. The walls were made of expensive Rookwood tiles and it boasted a $30,000 pipe organ. The Rialto Theater had an elegant stage, with orchestra pit and music stands. The stage was framed by an ornately tiled proscenium arch, two box seats and the walls included murals. It accommodated an audience of 3,500 in luxury by any standard.
By 1955, Louisville was the third largest tobacco manufacturing center in the United States. As one of the largest employers there, the Richmond, Virginia based company of Philip Morris operated two large facilities in Louisville; a stemmery on Miller's lane where selected quality tobacco are prepared for aging, and a factory at 1930 Maple St. They also maintained warehouses to store tobacco during the slow aging process.
On December 8, 1955 the Philip Morris company held a special show of the Hank Snow All-Star Jamboree for its employees at the Rialto that featured Elvis, Scotty, Bill and DJ. It was just over a week earlier that they had performed a special show for the employees of Philip Morris at the Mosque theater in Richmond.
Since the show was a private event, there were no advertisements for this show in the Louisville papers and ads for the Rialto Theater gave no hint that there would be anything presented that evening.
Luckily, a photograph from the Lin Caufield Collection at the University of Louisville dated December 8, 1955 shows the marquee of the Rialto Theater announcing “Phillip Morris Employee’s Night - Hank Snow All Star jamboree - Elvis Presley - Duke of Paducah - Bill and Scotty and Don." (The final name is undoubtedly a reference to D. J. Fontana whose first name is Dominic, not Don.) Clearly seen in the photograph are huge posters and banners for "Tarantula" and a smaller sandwich board for "Running Wild."
Though there may have been no reviews or ads for the show in the papers at the time, the employee shows were part of the beginnings of Philip Morris' endorsement of country music to help promote its products
-
Private Presley
- Posts: 1252
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