The Roxy Theater: The Showplace with Style

So, it’s 1935 and you want to see a film in Everett. Lucky for you, there are three main movie houses in town: the Balboa, the Granada, and the Everett. All of these cinemas are owned under one conglomerate called the Everett Theatres Company. But what if you want yet another option for your movie viewing pleasure? Don’t worry, Seattle based film producer B.F Shearer just bought a property across the street from the Everett Theatre and built his own state of the art venue to serve as a little competition!

The Roxy and Everett across the street from each other. 1930s // Courtesy Everett Library

Welcome to Everett the Roxy Theater. At 2920 Colby Avenue, it’s the independent showplace you never knew you needed.

The Roxy opened May 16, 1935. The structure of the building itself was sleek and minimal, with art deco touches and a triple-tiered tower rising high above the street. This stood as a marked contrast to the operatic and ornate carvings of the Everett, which screamed 19th century in a 20th century world.

Giant neon lights across the front of the facade read “ROXY”, a sign larger and brighter than the Everett’s.

The Roxy on opening night // Courtesy Everett Public Library

A new type of theater would need a new type of management, and local Chuck Charles rose to the occasion. Charles managed the Roxy from opening night through his retirement in 1964. Charles was smart, and knew how to differentiate himself and his theater.

Advertisement in the Herald for Citizen Kane // Courtesy of Everett Public Library

Looking through the archives in the Northwest Room at the library, the films shown at both theaters show they were targeting different audiences. If the Everett showed a musical, the Roxy would show a western.

The two would battle it out with competing ads in the Herald, and try whatever promotions they could to win their audience.

A prime example of this was when the Everett Theatres Company produced a full length color documentary of the town, “Life in Everett” in 1946. Not to be outdone, the Roxy scraped together enough to hire a production company out of Hollywood to make their own film “The Everett Story”, which premiered in 1952.

Although the 50’s and 60’s made for good theater business, a changing world meant the end for the Roxy, as well as most all of the other cinemas in Everett. The Roxy closed in 1973, just a few months before the mall opened its first multiplex.

The building was demolished shortly thereafter, and now an office building stands in its place.

Where the Roxy would be today // David Blakeslee

The management teams of all the cinemas in town might have had their own ideas and motives that drove the competitive spirit between them. But this friendly rivalry meant one thing for most Everettites: it was a good time to be a fan of the movies.