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Old Memorial Auditorium

Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 2:39 am
by jane
I remember going to the circus there before they renovated it. I heard that Jeanette MacDonald sang there. (Who? to you younger ones. I also did shows there when it was a community theater. It was a fun place.

Re: Old Memorial Auditorium

Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 10:22 pm
by RAR
In the 1950s and 1960s, before Selland Arena and the Convention Center were built, everything was held at the Memorial Auditorium - because there was no other venue available. I saw Bruce Brown narrate "The Endless Summer" in person -- it was a silent film then! I saw The Beach Boys play there. The Science Fair was there, as was pro wrestling and the Harlem Globetrotters. On weekends, there was a great farmers market in the small parking areas that surrounded the block. My mom has some lovely drawings of it.

Re: Old Memorial Auditorium

Posted: Fri May 20, 2016 9:01 am
by Elizabird
I used to work for Bob Schoettler and the Convention Bureau, which in the 1960's had their office at the Mem. aud. I remember the Roller Derby, the big gospel "sings", the various popular music shows...and I remember the day a kid named Arsen Marsoobian came to work for Bob just before the big move over to the Convention Center. Arsen was thrilled to pieces when he bought the big Zamboni for the ice hockey rink...talk about a happy camper! The maintenance chief at the Auditorium was a cigar-chomping grand guy named Russ...baggy coveralls and a sweet funny nature. Every time he heard the bells ring from the Apostolic Orthodox Church down off Ventura, he'd bow his head, remove his cigar and intone, "There goes another Armenian". We had tons of fun together...Donna the booking secretary, Bev the housing lady for conventions, Betty-Ann the ramrod, Rose the Head Secretary to Bob, and little hippie me the gofer and demon typist. Great team with Bob Schoettler...the nicest man downtown.

Re: Old Memorial Auditorium

Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2016 12:28 am
by RoughRider1961
I remember three things about the Fresno Auditorium.
1) Going there to watch the Cerebral Palsy telethon.
2) Going there to watch a live closed circuit telecast of the Indianapolis 500 race.
3) Going there to see a Ray Charles concert.

Re: Old Memorial Auditorium

Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2017 11:32 am
by Jim Eidson
The Beatles played there.

Re: Old Memorial Auditorium

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2017 3:22 pm
by Lost Fresno
My goodness Jim, really? At the risk of ruining one of your favorite teenage memories, there is no record of the Beatles playing at the Memorial Auditorium or even in Fresno for that matter. Just goes to prove you can't believe everything you read on the internet. Now, the Dave Clark Five at the Memorial Auditorium is a different matter. In the article below, they even reference how the Dave Clark Five beat out the Beatles.

Re: Old Memorial Auditorium

Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2018 12:36 pm
by Rod
The Beatles concert in San Francisco was shown at the Memorial Auditorium via closed-circuit-television. It was a live event in real time. Full to maximum capacity with screaming girls. I was there.