Going to the Rex Theater in 1936, Phoenix, Arizona


If you're interested in Phoenix history, and have never heard of the Rex Theater, it's not surprising. I had never heard of it until yesterday, when one of my Phoenix history friends sent me a photo of Washington between 2nd and 3rd Street in the 1930s.

And it got me to thinking about how much history is just brushed aside, for various reasons. And then ultimately it gets lost forever. And there are people who'd rather not think about what segregated Phoenix was like, and I understand. But it's a part of the history of Phoenix, and I care about it. Let's time-travel to 1936 and go to the Rex Theater.


This ad, by the way, ran in the Arizona Gleam, which was founded in Phoenix, Arizona, in November 1929 by Ayra Hackett, the only African American female newspaper owner in the state. Here's a direct link to the Library of Congress if you'd like to read more: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/az_dyingcowboy_ver02/data/sn95060626/00414216808/1936110601/0383.pdf


If this is all new to you, I suggest that you take a good hard look at what life was like at the time for black people, I suggest that you Google the "Green Book", and find out about more about how black people dealt with segregation. There's a reason that people don't want to talk about it, it was horrible, and degrading. Times have definitely gotten a lot better, with a long way to go, and I'll leave it at that, for better minds than mine to explain.

Right now, let's go to the Rex. We'll be fine there. You're black, and since I have a drop of black blood inside of me, that's all that matters. Hold my hand, it hurts. The Broadway hit "Showboat", which is now a movie, is playing. Note that there's no address on the ad, and there would have been no reason for it. Phoenix was a small town in 1936, and safe places for black people were smaller still.

Thank you for watching "Showboat" at the Rex with me!

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