John Hamrick

Who was John Hamrick?

John Hamrick was an American entrepreneur in the theater business. He leased and owned a large number of vaudeville and movie theaters in the Northwest from at least the early 1920s until the late 1940s.

Hamrick lived in Seattle, Washington and eventually assembled a string of theaters that included the Rex Theatre, the Oriental Theatre in Portland, Oregon, the Beverly, several Blue Mouse Theatres, the Music Box Theatre, the Riviera Theatre, and the Roxy Theatre. Hamrick also owned several theaters in Seattle and is generally credited as being the first Seattle theater owner to show "talking pictures."

The Oriental Theatre in Portland had 2,500 seats and in 1932 tickets cost 25-35 cents. Offerings included horror movies such as White Zombie. The Blue Mouse Theatre in Tacoma had 650 seats and brought in $2,100 during White Zombie's one-week run.