By David Althouse
Notable film companies such as Paramount Pictures, MGM, Universal, Fox and Warner Brothers once maintained offices in Oklahoma City’s Film Row, a three-square-block area near downtown that once bustled as a sales hub for theater owners needing films, posters and concessions for their venues in Oklahoma and surrounding states. After decades of decline, the district breathes life again, thanks to the efforts of forward-thinking civic pioneers.
Oklahoma has played an integral part in building America’s influential film industry.
From the earliest days of American filmmaking, western movies produced by Oklahoma-based wild west shows presented images of the cowboy that live to this day not only in film, but also in literature and song.
The legendary 101 Wild West Show, based out of Ponca City, filmed some of the very first western movies, employing their own Wild West performers, who became the original western movie stars.
Major Gordon W. Lillie, the great Oklahoma wild west showman known as Pawnee Bill, founder of the famous Pawnee Bill Wild West Show, also contributed to early-day films.
Pawnee Bill helped solidify perceptions of the west with such movies as “In the Days of the Thundering Herd,” a film shot on Pawnee Bill’s ranch near Pawnee and employing authentic American Indians. Until then, filmmakers had made westerns in New York City’s Central Park, casting Anglos with painted faces as Indians.
Oklahoma City’s Film Row, and the Film Exchange area of which it was part, is another – and yet little known – Oklahoma contribution to the movies.
Beginning as far back as 1907, Oklahoma’s first year of statehood, the entrepreneurs of Oklahoma City’s Film Exchange District sold equipment and supplies to theater owners and offered spaces in which films were screened before being shown to the public.
Bradley Wynn, founder of the Oklahoma Film Society, tells the story of Oklahoma City’s Film Exchange District in his new book, Oklahoma City: Film Row.
According to Wynn, the Film Exchange District covered SW Second St. to NW First St. and Colcord, from Walker Ave. to Classen Blvd. – an area of 42 square blocks.
Film Row, a strip of present-day Sheridan Avenue from the thoroughfares of Dewey and Shartel, eventually became the hub of Oklahoma City’s Film Exchange. Businesses along Historic Film Row “offered a variety of concessions, carpeting, seating, lighting, sound, posters, lobby cards and supplies that representatives could acquire for their theater houses,” Wynn writes.
“Film Row became a hub from which the business of film was always at work,” Wynn writes. “Exchange personnel took breakfast and lunch in one of the two Film Coffee Shops. Movies screened daily from one of four screening rooms at the 20th Century Fox in 10 North Lee Ave.; the Paramount Pictures, Griffith Theatres and Video Independent Theatres in 701 West Grand Ave.; the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) at 629 West Grand Ave.; and the Simplex on the Film Exchange Building’s second floor at 701½ West Grand Ave.”
Scores of film industry companies were located along Film Row in its heyday, the more noteworthy of which being Warner Brothers, Republic Pictures, Allied Artists, RKO Radio Pictures and Columbia Pictures.
Advances in technology, transportation and economics changed filmmaking, studio and distribution practices beginning in the 1960s, and film exchange offices in Oklahoma City and around the country began to close, Wynn said.
Oklahoma Theatre Supply Company, operated by J. Eldon and Maxine Peek since 1930, was the last film exchange business to close its doors along Oklahoma City’s Film Row, closing its doors July 2004.
But the bulk of the film exchange businesses had departed the scene many years before, leaving behind an area of downtown that quickly deteriorated.
“When these companies moved out, the economy in Oklahoma had changed dramatically,” Wynn said. “Everything was going to hell in a handbag. This particular area became blighted very quickly. Soon, there was nothing here but bars and prostitution. It was really bad.”
The history of Oklahoma City’s Film Exchange was covered up and forgotten.
“That’s why a lot of people who have lived in Oklahoma City for many years say, ‘I never knew about Oklahoma City’s Film Exchange District or Film Row,’” Wynn said. “In this area’s heyday, it was Film Row, but it became Skid Row.”
Luckily, the buildings along Film Row did not fall victim to the same urban renewal efforts that led to the destruction of many historic downtown buildings.
“Film Row would not exist today if Urban Renewal had had their way,” Wynn said. “That’s because they ran out of money east of Dewey Ave. on Sheridan. There were plans to destroy these buildings, because I saw them.”
The seeds for Film Row’s renewal were planted in 2003 when Wynn founded the Oklahoma Film Society and began looking for an area where the organization could office.
“I looked all over the city and state and accidently stumbled upon Film Row after reading an obscure article about the area,” Wynn said. “Like everyone else, I had driven through here many times. I started delving into the area’s history and was really surprised the more I kept uncovering. Naturally, I wanted to help save this area. I went to the Oklahoma City Economic Planning Department and told them Film Row would make a great new business district.”
Representatives with the planning department were surprised to hear of Film Row’s history and were receptive to Wynn’s vision for the locale. These same individuals introduced Wynn to architect David Wanzer, whose focus was on the Film Exchange Building located at 700 W Sheridan Ave.
“David’s focus was on the Film Exchange Building, and my focus was on all of Film Row,” Wynn said. “We decided to use the Film Exchange Building as the synergy to build out. We got very lucky, and within six months had an angel investor in Chip Fudge, who had done a lot for Automobile Alley. He came in and was very supportive right off the bat. He, too, knew this area of the city needed attention.”
Fudge eventually acquired Film Row properties which had become dilapidated.
For many years, buildings such as the Film Exchange Building sat suspended in time, looking much as they did years ago except for deterioration caused by decades of wind, rain, ice and scorching Oklahoma suns. The only sounds to be heard between its walls were those of mice, the homeless, ladies of the night and ghosts of the past.
Not so these days.
“All of these buildings are now on the National Registry of Historic Places, and that’s why we call the area Historic Film Row,” Wynn said. “They became part of the national registry in 2008, which meant that we saved these buildings from destruction.”
The Film Exchange Building alone now serves as home to such businesses as Critical Mass Productions, Insight Fund Group, The Exchange and Toyscapes, Joey’s Pizzeria, IAO Art Gallery, Computer Data Services and McKenzie & Company T-Shirts.
Sitting in a booth at Joey’s Pizzeria to be interviewed for this story, Wynn beams at the mention of these and other businesses now located in this emerging area of downtown Oklahoma City.
But Critical Mass Productions garners a special mention from Wynn.
“Where there once were distributors of film, there are now makers of film,” Wynn said. “Critical Mass Productions in the Film Exchange Building was an advocate of Film Row from the beginning, and moved into the building as soon as it became viable. This is a full-fledged production company ran by amazing people.”
Thanks to civic pioneers like Wynn, Wanzer and Fudge, Oklahoma City’s Historic Film Row welcomes the business of film and other enterprises back into its Art Deco-style buildings.
Likewise, Oklahoma City welcomes the return of lights, camera and action to a downtown district that historically connects Oklahoma to the motion picture business.
One recollects Humphrey Bogart’s famous last line in Casablanca:
“Louie, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
To learn more about Oklahoma City’s Historic Film Row, visit Bradley Wynn’s monthly newsletter The Row, where past and present developments about Oklahoma City’s Film Exchange District and Historic Film Row are shared. http://www.scriptfolio.net/Film.html
Wynn’s book, Oklahoma City: Film Row, is available at Barnes & Noble booksellers locally and online, and at Amazon.
