Let Them Eat Cake

by Daniel Brook

It might seem that the tradition of going to the movies on Christmas Day is a just a Hollywood marketing trick. And that may be the case. But if it is, it was apparently created at the dawn of the motion picture era.

The now-shuttered Boyd Theater in Center City opened 74 years ago on Christmas Day with the Philadelphia premiere of "Steamboat Willie," Mickey Mouse's debut cartoon. This year, to mark the anniversary and keep spirits up among preservationists who hope to save Philadelphia's last movie palace, Friends of the Boyd, which is trying to rehabilitate the theater and keep the wrecking ball at bay, will be sponsoring a party. Hot chocolate will flow as a massive cake is served in front of the theater at 2 p.m.

Howard Haas, who heads Friends of the Boyd, says the cake will be "very, very lavish." Haas promised there would be "no long-winded speeches [since] that would be by me and I have no intention of making one."

Friends of the Boyd has made an offer to buy the theater from the suburban development firm, the Goldenberg Group. Leslie Smallwood, development director for Goldenberg, says, "We have our own plans and we are pursuing them," though they are committed to keeping it as a theater if feasible. Smallwood would not discuss specifics.

While the company recently filed for an extension of its demolition permit, it has also agreed to co-sponsor the Christmas Day event. "Our contribution will be putting something up on the marquee and probably supplying coffee and hot chocolate," says Smallwood, who insists that the demo permit was "based on recommendation by counsel to just always have as a last resort option."

Haas is pleased to have Goldenberg as a co-sponsor but he's not entirely surprised. "It's good PR. They're claiming they want to save the theater so why wouldn't they want to celebrate the 74th anniversary of the theater?" That being said, Haas continued, "we have no intention of allowing the theater to be demolished."

While Philadelphians remain uncertain how seriously their input will be valued, the first opportunity to give their two cents on the development at Penn's Landing will be at a forum on Thu., Dec. 19. The forum will be held twice at the Independence Seaport Museum at Walnut Street and Columbus Boulevard, at 2 and 6 p.m. Those unable to attend can post their comments online at

www.pennslanding.phila.gov. The mayor's office and Penn's Landing Corporation, which is hosting the forum, emphasizes that a formal request for plans from developers will not be issued until late January, so now is not too late to let the developers hear what the people want.