Greater West Bloomfield Historical Society - Research Article
A Brief History of the Keego Theater: by Michael J. Steklac
The Keego Theater
opened for business in 1940 to serve the residents of
the resort community of Keego Harbor in West Bloomfield Township. The first
movie was The Grapes of Wrath.
The marquee was replaced in the early 1970s since it was struck on several occasions by passing trucks on the expanded Orchard Lake Road.
On January 2, 1981, the struggling theater was sold to new owners. This started a notable chapter in Keego Harbor history. The new owners announced plans to rename the theater to the "Keego Cinema and Love Boutique" and to show X-rated adult movies. The City of Keego Harbor advised the new owner of the theater that this change violated the City’s Zoning Ordinance.
On January 13, 1981, the theater’s owners filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Keego Harbor, Police Chief William Holloway, and Building Inspector Paul Wilmot. The lawsuit alleged that the City’s enforcement of its Zoning Ordinance violated the theater owner’s first amendment right to free speech and expression under the United States Constitution by prohibiting him from showing adult movies and selling adult products.
The federal court ruled on behalf of the theater owners and found Keego Harbor’s Zoning Ordinance unconstitutional. The case was subsequently appealed to the Court of Appeals. The City lost its case there as well. On August 20, 1981, the Keego Harbor City Council reluctantly voted not to appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court due to a lack of funding to carry the case further.
However, the citizens of Keego Harbor were not ready to be defeated. In an expression of their first amendment right of free speech, the citizens of Keego Harbor lead by Rose Sortor organized a group called Citizens Opposed to Pornography (COP). COP began to picket the theater when it showed its first late night adult movie Midnight Blues at midnight on August 27, 1981.
The theater owner did not expect the pickets to last. He did not count on how much the citizens were willing to fight for their community. They picketed the theater every day while the movies were shown rain or shine and in the cold.
COP’s actions escalated on September 3, 1981, when the group received authorization from nearby business owners to blockade their lots to prevent theater patrons from using their parking lots. Protesters blocked another area by parking their vehicles in disarray. When the theater owner asked for police assistance, he was told that they could take no action unless the parking lot owners complained about the protesters actions. Months later, faced with a severe shortage of parking and constant picketing, the theater owner ultimately agreed that he was beat. He agreed that he would return to showing to general movies only if the citizens of Keego Harbor would support his theater.
In February 1984, in an effort to better compete with other movie theaters, construction was completed that split the theater from one screen to a two-screen theater. The Keego Theater had been showing second run movies at bargain prices for awhile. However, as video movies became more popular, the theater saw a further decrease in its business. More customers were lured away by the attraction of large multi-screen movie complexes showing the latest first run movies. It was the combination of modern multi-screen facilities, the popularity of videos, and cable television, that would spell the end of the Keego Theater.
The theater was
purchased in 1997 by Al Mansour. Mr. Mansour continued to show second run movies
at the theater while he solicited proposals to rehabilitate
or redevelop the theater. In May 1998, it was announced that the Keego Theater
and a vacant fast food restaurant on the adjacent property were to be demolished
and replaced by a pharmacy and retail store.
The theater was closed in late June 1998, after many of the theater’s employees left to find other jobs and the air conditioning system failed. A final showing was organized with the assistance of Mr. Mansour and the The final movies were the musical classic Singin’ in the Rain and the children’s favorite Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Mr. Mansour will donate many artifacts from the theater to the Historical.
Michael J. Steklac, former Keego Harbor City Manager — August 15, 1998.