The Revue Cinema was built in 1911 by the Suburban Amusement Company. Originally it was a one-storey theatre with both a stage and a screen. (The first permanent cinema built in Toronto opened in 1909, and was demolished decades ago.)

The original capacity of the Revue Cinema was about 550. There was no lobby, nor were there washrooms. In 1913 a second storey was added, along with the distinctly Edwardian features of the outside which remain to this day.

The records show two other major renovations for the Revue in its early days. Sound was added in 1929, which involved some modifications to the building. In 1935 the iconic Art Deco marquee was added to the theatre, and the distinctive look of the Revue didn't change for generations after that. As far as we know, the lobby and washrooms were added at about this time, also.

In the early years, the Revue operated as a first-run theatre under several different chains. After World War II the Revue was purchased by a German emigre who, as far as we know, operated the theatre as an independent. Serving the large German population in the Roncesvalles area at the time, the Revue became well-known as a purveyor of German cinema until the early 1970s.

In the 1950s the original seats were replaced with larger and more comfortable seats which were taken out of a long-gone cinema (probably the Casino) at Queen and York in downtown Toronto. The seating capacity dropped from 550 to 385.

In the early 1970s the Revue was sold to Bob Huber and quickly became renowned as one of the best arthouses in North America. It is as an arthouse that many people think of and remember the Revue to this day, even though this period of its life was in some ways its briefest. In the early 1980s, the Revue was purchased by the Festival Cinemas chain, but continued its focus on arthouse, foreign, and classic cinema as best as it could into the 21st century.

In April 2000 the Revue Cinema underwent a substantial renovation. The old seats were sold off for charity. New seats, Hollywood Rockers, were installed, and the capacity one again dropped, from 385 to 244. The old seats are now found on porches and in rec rooms across the west end of Toronto.

In addition to the new seats, a true silver Cinemascope screen, a new heating and air conditioning system, digital sound, and upgraded projectors were installed. The Revue finally got xenon lamphouses. It was one of the only Canadian cinemas still using the venerable carbon arc lamphouses until this upgrade.

The Festival Cinemas chain went out of business in 2006, and the Revue, along with its sister theatres, the Royal, the Kingsway and the Paradise, closed at the end of June 2006. In keeping with its repertory spirit, the last films to screen at the Revue were The Wizard of Oz and Lawrence of Arabia. The Revue was one of the oldest continuously running cinemas known, never having closed its doors in 95 years.

Local outcry at the loss of the Revue was immediate and strong, and very quickly a group of dedicated neighbours and fans of the Revue organized themselves into the Revue Film Society, which worked hard for a year to find a way to revive the Revue.

The Revue remained on the market for many agonizing months. During this time another indignity struck: the well-known marquee of the Revue collapsed in February 2007, the victim of age and a failed support chain.

The Revue Film Society finally did succeed, however, finding local heros Danny and Letty Mullin. The Mullins have purchased the theatre and entered into a lease with the Revue Film Society, who will in turn operate the Revue as a cinema. It is expected that the Revue will begin this latest phase of its life by fall 2007.

By Keith Denning,
Revue Film Society
Many thanks to Paul Moore for his research.