Thanks:
Large parts of the article in front of you are based on Yaakov Davidon's book "Rape of Love", a story of pioneers in the field of building, theater and entertainment in the years 1920-1935, throughout the length and breadth of Israel.
Special thanks to Itamar Roteloi, who, as usual, contributed a lot of information to me, and enlightened my eyes on a number of important points, and to Eli Roman, who solved the riddle of where the "Eden" movie is located.
We will watch "Eden"
"Eden" amusement park, opened between 1920 and 1922 at 51 Jaffa Street. "Eden" had a closed amusement park, next to an open amusement park. In the summer they would move the screen and the equipment to the open part, and in the winter they would return to a closed hall.
"Eden" was a closed hall, but there are hints that it may have started as an open (summer) cinema. The ownership of "Eden" was divided between 4 partners: Tolchinsky and Ben Hanania (the owners of "Coliseum"), Agam-Levan and Paiglin.
Note: In the 1920s, when "Eden" was operating, all the streets between Jaffa Road and Allenby Street, including Sderot Magginim (previously called King George V Street), did not exist yet.
The competition for the audience
In 1926, the year the "Coliseum" closed, "Eden" became the leading attraction in Haifa. "Eden" still had competition from the open air show "Carmel", which was established at about the same time as "Eden" opened, but "Carmel" was, all along, an open air show that only showed during the summer, and lagged behind "Eden" in the competition for the audience.
There was a demand for the movie, but the main problem was the audience and its very limited financial means, so the competition for customers was tough. In Davidon's words (in his book "Love from Rape"): "Everything was fine and dandy in the entertainment world of those days, if it weren't for the audience... it was on a much lower level than the owners of the entertainment... and what could be demanded from the reckless and unpolished pioneers,... real villains who have no bells and whistles In their pockets, if we don't take into account the notes of the Ministry of Public Works (the Delfon father of "Solel Bona" - Y.K.) that don't really have them..."
The open air show "The Happy Garden"
Now a third competitor has appeared in the market (in addition to "Carmel"):
Yaakov Davidon, who was left without a living in the building, established with an Arab partner the open air show "The Happy Garden" (which we will deal with in a separate article), which distinguished itself by selling a movie + a short theater performance in one ticket.
Eden's owners put their brains to work looking for a way to deal with this hungry new competitor, and came up with a brilliant, ahead-of-its-time idea to set themselves apart.
And what is happening in the world?
In that year, 1925, the first steps were taken in Hollywood towards the next thing in the world of movies - the talking movie. Many efforts were made and much money was invested, but no success was recorded.
The first breakthrough was made, almost unconsciously, by technicians at the American "Western Electric" company, which sold radios in its stores. As a publicity stunt, screens were hung in several stores in New York that projected silent films of orchestras playing, while at the same time playing a record that played the filmed segments. To make sure that the music would fit the display, there, with the help of an iron rod, they connected the motor of the projection machine to a turntable mechanism, thus creating for the first time, in a somewhat primitive manner, a synchronization between sound and image.
Combining sound and image - the cinema
Nathan Levinson, the chief engineer of the "Time Warner" company, who went to New York on business, happened to see these advertisements, realized the potential, and was scared to the core - while his people were searching for solutions without success, it seems that someone had preceded him in the development of cinema.
He lost no time, and in a short time an agreement was signed between "Warner Brothers" and "Western Electric", and the company "Vitaphone" was founded for the purpose of developing the complete solution for combining sound and image - the cinema.
An attraction that shocked the world of cinema
The first film that synchronized voice and image was "Don Juan", which was released in 1926. It was not yet a "desert" film, since the synchronization of speech to image required almost absolute precision, and has not been solved yet, but there were filmed opera sections in the film and at the same time the sounds of The music recorded at the time. It was enough to produce an attraction that shook the cinema world of the time, and placed "Warner Brothers" at the top of the industry.
"Wait a minute, you haven't heard anything yet"
Levinson continued to work, with the help of "Vitaphone", for the release of the film "The Jazz Singer" in 1927, which is considered the first talking film, heralding the age of cinema.
It was thanks to the synchronized sentences in the film, the first of which was the one that the star of the film, Al Jolson, was able to say at the end of the song "Blue Sky" ("The Jazz Singer"): "Wait a minute, you haven't heard anything yet."
◄ An excerpt from the movie "The Jazz Singer":
The movie "The Jazz Singer", by the way, was based on a story called "Yom Kippur" and its hero was Jack Rabinovitch, the son of a Jewish cantor who was ostracized from his family due to his desire to become a popular singer. Singer-star Al Jolson, or in his original name Asa Jolson, was himself a member of a Jewish family that came to the US from Lithuania.
"The first sound film"
The owners of the show "Eden", trying to leave their competitors behind, came up with a brilliant idea with the help of which viewers would be attracted to them. They decided that the next film they would show - a film called "The Great Parade" would be - no less and no more - a film with sound.
We saw the movie "Eden" - "the first sound film" in Haifa
Dalal, the famous announcer, was sent with his orders to spread word of the event throughout the city, and the sensational news was proudly announced in the streets of the city: that the movie "Eden" is about to bring a novelty to Haifa, and will screen the "first loud movie" in its premiere.
The year was 1925, and it was a global innovation. The residents were skeptical, but curiosity got the better of them.
"The Great Parade" was a realistic but silent war film about trench warfare in France of the First World War, and the cinema owners planned to add an authentic war soundtrack to it.
Haifa is in tension for what is about to happen
In the days leading up to the premiere, the residents of Haifa were exposed to the most intriguing sights of Arab porters carrying hammers, cornets, irons and tins of all kinds and types to the hall, a huge iron anvil from the "Amal" factory opposite the theater, and other objects from various objects, mainly large metal tools.
For the production of the event, a number of female construction workers were also secretly recruited.
The topic was the talk of the day in the city, and there were many skeptics, but the many features surrounding the event, gave a feeling that something special was indeed about to happen, and that the movie franchises did indeed intend to keep their sensational promise, and present the first loud movie in the world.
The big evening
On the evening of the screening, the "Eden" hall was filled to the brim with excited hifi people dressed in holiday clothes, who came to see the product of the forefront of cinematic technology of the time.
Yaakov Davidon describes what happened there in his picturesque language:
"In the middle of the stage is a long iron beam, and on either side of it Sinca Riji Vishka, who is squinting with his sleeves rolled up, in both hands are huge hammers, ready and ready for the holy work. On either side of them stand the second and third guards in the form of muscular branches with bent irons in their hands over the surface of galvanized tins, and behind the entourage Valduka Molodtz swinging a chisel-hammer over the surface of the solid anvil.
the sound of the bell ringing. Throw it across the hall. All that can be heard is the cracking of the kernels, a sort of opening tune for the next concert after it. The violinist, Mr. Klinger, took the bow these days and winked at the pianist, Mrs. Clapper.
Raised together by Klinger and Clapper, and combined into a wonderful melody at the sight of the film's hero John Gilbert, who came from distant America to fight in the fields of France for justice and peace, and in the meantime he makes love to the disfigured and exposed Renee Adora.
...
"The moment has come! The hero charges at the head of his army against the Germans. Mr. Klinger alludes to Cinca, Halez alludes to Lishka, and he to Volodka... and... the movie affair began!!!
Hit the hammer in the anvil and the iron in the tin. The dig-hold after them Cornes and Keshil. And the thresholds trembled from one end of the hall to the other. The base of the stand shook and the whole hall shook. And there will be all the place for fear of God."
The deafening noise was unbearable, and the frightened crowd fled the hall.
And Davidon concludes:
"Only poor Mrs. Clapper is left, lying passed out by the piano, and next to her Mr. Klinger is dead blind and at a loss...
...
"It is said that that night all the moviegoers could not sleep. They lay awake and awake, cotton balls in their ears and cursing the inventors of the cinema, until dawn."
The first sound film in the world was shown in Haifa
For unclear reasons, history did not recognize this rare achievement of the city of Haifa, but you, the readers, now know the truth: the first sound film in the world was shown at the "Eden" theater in Haifa, in 1925.
Despite the certain disappointment from "the first loud movie", until the opening of the "Ein Dor" cinema, "Eden" continued to be the leading movie theater in Haifa. He had a seniority of several years on the "Happy Garden", and he had the advantage of a closed hall that could show even in the winter months, which "Carmel" did not have.
The shows at the "Eden" cinema
In addition to film screenings, the "Eden" hall also hosted theater performances, balls and various other shows.
Going through the newspapers of the time reveals a great wealth of events in 'Eden'.
The Purim ball of the Hebrew Opera, the performance of 'Hadivok', a concert by Yesha Hefetz, the performance of 'Tovia the Milkman' by the AI Theater, performances by school children, a ballet performance with the prima ballerina of the AI Opera, Mrs. R. Nikova "with the participation of the entire studio that has been expanded and perfected recently", performances of the "Hamatata" theater, and more and more.
In 1927, there was also a protest event against disturbances in Romania, and "vigorous protest resolutions were unanimously adopted against disturbances and against the authorities in Jerusalem, who dispersed the protest procession in connection with this".
'Opera Week in Haifa'
A special event, in which "Eden" Hall took part, was the "Opera Week in Haifa" in 1926.
Following the event, an article was published in the newspaper "The North", in which the writer goes out of his way to marvel at the artistic revival in Haifa, and ends with excitement: "Haifa is being swept into the circle of culture. I feel the breaking dawn..."
And of course there were the Purim parties:
The end of the movie "Eden"
With the introduction of the desert cinema and the appearance of the first cinema ("Ein Dor", 1930), the "Eden" theater lost its ability to compete and closed its doors.
To the readers
We started by reviewing all the theaters/cinemas that operated in Haifa until the 70s. We have searched archives, books and networks, but we still lack materials.
The cinemas for which the documentation (photos from the Zohar period and written material) is most lacking: "Orly", "Glaur", "Domino", "Haifa", "Chen", "Mayon", "Miron", "Maxim/Vard", " Nof", "Ron", "Shavit", "Blue", "Tamar".
Our requests from you, the readers:
- If any of you have materials (photos from a personal album or just stories) about cinemas from the list above (and others), or you know someone like that (families of the owners or photographers, for example) - please let us know.
- Despite long and intensive searches, we still haven't located the exact location of the "Eden" and "Empire" theaters, which were located on Jaffa Street in the 20s and 30s. Those of you who know, or have information about these theaters, are asked to contact us.
- Yaakov Davidon, a cinematographer and a fascinating personality in his own right, deserves a separate article that will review his work. If any of his descendants, or acquaintances, reads these lines, we would appreciate it if he would contact us as soon as possible.
- "Carmel Ganim" cinema - if anyone from the Ovitch family, who founded the cinema, reads these lines, we would appreciate it if they would contact us as soon as possible.
- Regarding the posters and photos we published, if you have any information about the creators of the posters and the photographers of the photos, we would appreciate it if you would share with us what you know, if only so that we can give credit to the creators.
Thanks to Yoram Toda Keva for the research, the flowing text and an abundance of information about the world of cinema at that time and especially about the beginning of the sorcery, and of course, we also found the slandered race.
איציק
[...] Chapter 6 - We will see "Eden" [...]
Did you receive what I sent about the Moriah cinema from Mimi Lerner Huppert. 0526435727
The Jewish immigrants brought to the United States its tremendous technological progress, and created entire industries such as the cinema in inventions and developments. The thanks is as usual in waves of anti-Semitism, blaming us for a host of malicious inventions and lies and distortions. The film industry is full of avowedly anti-Semitic actors who are already accepted with understanding - maybe there is something in their words after all. One leads to another and this is how the next holocaust of North American Jewry is being built. This should be known, the individual cases become small and marginal movements that become central currents in the thoughts of institutional political movements and from there the dam is broken into the hatred of the masses and their love into holocausts and pogroms.
The world has not changed - only the Jewish people have become more divided and less united. That is: we didn't change and we didn't learn anything either. The internal hatred in the face of the many external threats preoccupies us like some anesthetic or escape potion from the grim reality that is emerging in North America. In the name of pluralism and liberalism, it once again turned out that one religion and one nation can be hated, the Jews can be humiliated, sneered at, slandered - and their loser comedians on the screen are still cooperating with this and trying to get a few laughs out of it, such as John Stewart's 'Forgiveness Phone on Yom Kippur', And others, who often make ridiculous and exploitative use of being Jewish (some just say they were born into a Jewish family (of course, in the eyes of the anti-Semites, it makes no difference what they believe or not).
The cinema brought to the world happiness, laughter, tears, knowledge and stupidity. Everything from everything. But now the narrative is changing: progressive circles see cinema as a tool of studios (owned by Jews) to control the masses so that they don't carry out progressive revolutions. .
Thus once again the Jew in North America finds himself blamed from all sides for his success, for the enormous wealth he brought to this foreign country, the progress and entertainment and the moments that have become identified with America's greatness. Again, the Jews are guilty of all evil and are wiped out from all good.