The Battle to Save the Pabst Theater

The Pabst, in danger of being shut down permanently, was saved by a sold-out 1971 concert by Black Sabbath.

by

Milwaukee History

In 1895 brewer Frederick Pabst opened a theater on the site of the Grand opera house which had been destroyed in a fire. The venue became a major center for German residents to enjoy the familiar music, social gatherings, and foods from Europe. Opera, drama, ballet and orchestras were presented on the stage.

Upon opening, the Pabst stage shows were competing with the Davidson on Third Street and the Bijou a block away. The Davidson’s management presented top tier shows from Shakespeare, the Barrymores, George M. Cohan and Al Jolson. Broadway thrillers like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Sherlock Holmes rounded out a schedule of 40 shows a year.

In contrast to the Davidson, the Bijou owned by the flamboyant Jacob Litt, specialized in the sensational blood-and-thunder melodramas that saw the hero rescue his beloved from death by sawblade or on the railroad tracks.

Over time the Bijou went out of business. The Davidson now booked dramas with motion picture stars like Boris Karloff, the Marx brothers, Olivia de Havilland, and Edward G. Robinson. Even with some of the biggest names in entertainment, the theater was often half full. Even the Pabst was on life support despite having guests such as Lunt and Fontanne, Winston Churchill, and Sarah Bernhardt. Somewhere in there were appearances by Amelia Earhart, Katherine Hepburn, and Billie Holiday.

Major Repairs

By 1950, major repairs to the physical plant and restoration of 19th century splendor were imperative and $300,000 was needed. Instead, the Pabst family sold it to a foundation in 1953, and with Mayor Henry Maier’s backing, the city saved the theater from being torn down. The Pabst was dark more than half the year when a group of politicians, attorneys, and accountants were appointed to save the theater. The motley crew of table-pounding adversaries knew nothing about theaters except how to buy a ticket at the box office. Potential investors Ray Mitchell, a local ticker broker, businessman Roger K. Marsh, and the management all submitted proposals to lease the Pabst from the city.

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Ray Mitchell lost his life savings and declared bankruptcy. Marsh lost $250,000 in two years of operation and declined to renew his lease. Meanwhile the Melody Top withdrew their proposal. Four months later, Roger K. Marsh decided he wanted to run the theater and invested more of his family’s money. His bookings were outstanding. Broadway shows with Forrest Tucker (The Music Man), Alan Alda (The Owl and the Pussycat) and Myrna Loy (Barefoot in the Park) should have increased ticket sales, but the Pabst continued to lose money.

The Pabst, in danger of being shut down permanently, was saved by Black Sabbath. In 1971 the management unwittingly booked the British hard rock band, the name leading them to believe it was a play. Thirteen hundred tickets were sold, and the SRO audience was happy to just be in the auditorium. Best of all, the concert goers were well behaved and absolutely no damage was recorded to the building. The following year the Pabst was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It’s ironic that Ozzy and his bandmates finally showed the Pabst owners how to make money after decades of loss.