Ron and Rich Onesti threw a party Aug. 9 that included a nostalgic parade and live performances for those in attendance.
The occasion? It was the 100th birthday of the Des Plaines Theatre. The 1,000-seat building was designed by Park Ridge architect William B. Betts and owned by Barney Winkleman. In its infancy the venue was used for vaudeville acts and feature films. Later in the 1930s it was primarily a movie theater house. But in 1982, a huge fire nearly destroyed the structure, but thanks to the quick response of the local fire department, the venue was salvaged. From 2014-18, the property was shuttered. In 2018, the City of Des Plaines stepped up and purchased the theater with financial help from Rivers Casino. The landmark building was renovated and has been managed by Onesti Entertainment since 2021 where it has become a vibrant part of
downtown Des Plaines, featuring live professional acts. The birthday festivities began in the early afternoon with the screening of the very first silent movie shown at the theater. The 25-cent admission fee was the same as it was in 1925 to see the movie “Are Parents People?”

A parade kicked off later with antique cars leading the way for a Charlie Chaplin look-alike, men on stilts, costumed flappers and a large float with theater employees onboard. Big-name celebrities joined in the fun: Micky Dolenz of the Monkees; Danny
Seraphine — an original member of the band Chicago; Jim Peterik of the Ides of March; and Survivor plus radio personality Mancow Muller. The grand marshal of the parade was actress Priscilla Presley. Outside the theater, high school bands from Maine East and West kept the celebration going where Ron Onesti presented a plaque dedicated to the original owner Barney Winkleman.

Then it was inside the for a night of incredible entertainment. As people were seated, they were greeted with the sentimental sounds of the 1920s and ’30s from the Steve Cooper Orchestra followed by the boogie-woogie music of the Andrew Sisters performed by the Saddle Shoe Trio. Dean Simms emulated Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong with a couple of songs. A brief, but moving, talk was given by the fire chief who was in command during the 1982 fire. This was followed by a full color guard presentation of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” It was now time for the main attractions. A conversation with Priscilla Presley opened the evening by answering questions about her acting career and life with Elvis. We learned that Leslie Nielsen was a lot of fun to work with on the “Police Squad” movies and he gave Priscilla acting advice for some of her scenes. She loved doing the show “Dallas” and enjoyed the cast. She told the humorous story of how nervous the Beatles were (especially John) to meet Elvis. They barely spoke until Elvis broke the tension with a joke. She mentioned that two of Elvis’ favorite recording artists were Tom Jones and the Righteous Brothers. Finally, she revealed that her favorite Elvis song is “If I Can Dream” from The King’s 1968 Comeback Special. Micky Dolenz gleefully talked about his audition for the Monkees and how he was the only one with acting experience. He likened the Monkees television show as the Marx Brothers meets rock and roll. He divulged that the show was inspired by the Beatles’ “A Hard Day’s Night” movie and his favorite Monkees song is “Pleasant Valley Sunday.” In 1968, the Monkees made the movie “Head,” a smash hit. The money the producers made from “Head” helped them finance their next independent movie, the all-time classic “Easy Rider.” His best line of the night came when he was asked what it was like living in the artistic-bohemian-hippie Laurel Canyon area of Los Angeles during the late ’60s. “I was told I had a good time,” he said. Berwyn’s own Jim Peterik and the Ides of March harmonized beautifully with their song “L.A. Goodbye” and rocked out with their hit song “Vehicle.” Peterik, the co-founder of the band Survivor played their chart topping “Eye of the Tiger.” Peterik told the story about how Sylvester Stallone called him to write the song for his movie “Rocky III.” Drummer and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Danny Seraphine and his California Transit Authority (CTA) band closed out the night with songs from the vast Chicago catalog. The audience danced and sang along with every song. CTA began their set with the Chicago classic “Make Me Smile,” followed by an extended jam of the song “Beginnings” that featured a drum solo. Seraphine still has great chops! “Does Anybody Know What Time It Is” was another highlight and “Take Me Back to Chicago” brought back fond memories of Chicago back in the day. The fan favorite “Saturday in the Park” led into a full rock out jam of “25 or 6 to 4.”

It was long day and night of enjoy ment for all involved. The Des Plaines Theatre lives on!

Author: Jim Summaria