1933: SOUTH BROAD STREET - PALACE THEATOR AND VAN SCIVER

I only went to the Palace theater once during my early years. I do recall that on the day I went there, a little novelty store was nearly next door with all kinds of kid stuff. Exploding cigars, that little thing you put in your hand and when you reached out your hand to handshake your buddy, a spring actuated a little gizmo on your buddy's hand. Ahh the joys of childhood! By the way, the telephone pole is obscuring the view of the PALACE sign.

1911 AND 1914: THE BROAD STREET THEATRE

As can be seen in the articles above, the early version of Trenton's famous "Palace" theater had a very shady past. As I read the articles and the "vulgar" behavior which was part of the programs during the theater's burlesque oriented years, I moved forward nearly 100 years to the present where such behavior would be seen on prime time television for our youngsters to see. Mayor LaBarre shut the old Broad Street Theatre down during that spring of 1914, and it reopened a few weeks later with a change in format to music and musical movies. Back then, societal behavior was by majority rule. Enough citizens complained about the bawdy and sometimes obscene that the Mayor acted.