‘Educate, entertain, enlighten’: 4 The Record learns about Hollywood history near Pittsburgh
Host Lily Coleman visits the historic Warner Cascade Theatre Museum in New Castle, Lawrence County
WELCOME TO. FOR THE RECORD, I’M LILY COLEMAN. THE COUNTDOWN IS ON TO HOLLYWOOD’S BIGGEST NIGHT. THE 98TH ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS AIRS TONIGHT AT SEVEN, RIGHT HERE ON WTAE, CHANNEL FOUR AND TWO OF THE TEN BEST PICTURE CANDIDATES HAIL FROM THE SAME MOVIE STUDIO. WARNER BROTHERS. THEY’RE BEHIND ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER, AND SINNERS, TWO FILMS THAT HAVE BEEN AT THE FRONT OF THE PACK DURING THIS AWARDS SEASON. WARNER BROTHERS HAS ALSO BEEN IN THE HEADLINES RECENTLY. IF YOU’VE BEEN FOLLOWING THE SAGA IN WHICH THE DEAL FOR NETFLIX TO BUY THE STUDIO FELL APART, AND NOW IT APPEARS PARAMOUNT WILL BE ACQUIRING THEM. BUT DID YOU KNOW THERE’S SOME HOLLYWOOD HISTORY JUST OUTSIDE OF PITTSBURGH IN NEW CASTLE, LAWRENCE COUNTY, WHERE THE WARNER BROTHERS OPENED THEIR FIRST THEATER, NEARLY 120 YEARS AGO, I PAID A VISIT TO THE HISTORIC WARNER CASCADE THEATER MUSEUM TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW THEY KEEP THE WARNER BROTHERS LEGACY ALIVE AND PROVIDE BOTH HISTORY AND ENTERTAINMENT TO THE COMMUNITY. LET’S START WITH MY INTERVIEWS WITH THE MUSEUM’S PRESIDENT, JERRY KERN. JERRY, LET’S BEGIN. WHERE ARE WE SITTING? TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE MUSEUM. FIRST AND FOREMOST. WELL, THE MUSEUM IS IN THE ACTUAL SPACE WHERE THE WARNER BROTHERS STARTED THEIR FIRST PERMANENT THEATER. AND THE THEATER THAT WE HAPPEN TO BE SITTING IN IS WHAT WE HAVE REPRESENTED AS THE CASCADE THEATER. THE CASCADE THEATER WAS THE WARNER BROTHERS VERY FIRST THEATER. IT OPENED IN FEBRUARY 2ND, 1907, AND IT WAS A SMALL ROOM, REALLY. THEY HAD SEATING FOR 99 CUSTOMERS, BUT WHEN THEY OPENED HER THEATER, THEY DIDN’T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY FOR CHAIRS. SO IF YOU CAME TO WATCH A WARNER BROTHERS MOVIE, YOU WOULD HAVE TO STAND, OKAY, SHORTLY AFTER THEY MADE ARRANGEMENTS WITH A FUNERAL HOME THAT WAS ONE BLOCK AWAY, AND THEY GOT PERMISSION TO BORROW THEIR CHAIRS WHEN THERE WASN’T A FUNERAL. AND THAT’S ONE OF OUR EXHIBITS THAT WE HAVE HERE IN THE CASCADE THEATER. IS THIS FUNERAL HOME CLOSED IN THE MID 50S, AND THEY REMEMBERED THE STORY ABOUT THEIR CHAIRS. SO THEY DONATED FOUR CHAIRS TO OUR LOCAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY, WHO IN TURN HAS LENT ONE OF THOSE CHAIRS TO OUR MUSEUM. I’M LOOKING AT IT RIGHT NOW. THAT’S FASCINATING. WHY NEW CASTLE, WHEN IT COMES TO THE WARNER BROTHERS, WHAT ATTRACTED THEM TO THIS AREA AND HOW DID THEY END UP PICKING HERE AS THEIR FIRST PERMANENT LOCATION? OKAY, WELL, THE FAMILY IS LIVING IN YOUNGSTOWN, AND ONE MONTH THE LANDLADY CAME TO COLLECT THE RENT, AND SHE MENTIONED THAT HER SON HAD A PORTABLE MOVIE PROJECTOR FOR SALE. WELL, THEY END UP BUYING THAT PROJECTOR AND THEY TOURED WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA AND EASTERN OHIO. AND ANY PLACE THERE WOULD BE A GATHERING OF PEOPLE, ANY KIND OF A FAIR OR FESTIVAL, ANY KIND OF AN OCCASION, THEY WOULD BE THERE WITH THEIR PORTABLE PROJECTOR AND THEY WOULD BE SHOWING THEIR MOVIES. BUT WINTER CAME AND EVERYBODY IS HUNKERED DOWN IN THEIR HOMES, AND THEY WERE OUT OF BUSINESS, AND THEY REALIZED THAT THEY HAD TO HAVE A PERMANENT LOCATION. WELL, OF ALL THE PLACES THEY HAD TRAVELED WITH THEIR PORTABLE PROJECTOR, THEY HAD DONE THEIR BEST IN NEWCASTLE BECAUSE NEWCASTLE WAS ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING CITIES IN THE WHOLE COUNTRY AT THE TIME, YOUNGSTOWN ALREADY HAD SOME SMALL THEATERS. THEY CALLED THEM NICKELODEONS, AND THEY THOUGHT THAT IF THEY OPENED UP THEIR FIRST THEATER IN YOUNGSTOWN, THAT THE ONLY WAY THEY COULD BE SUCCESSFUL IS THEY WOULD HAVE TO TAKE CUSTOMERS AWAY FROM THE CURRENTLY EXISTING NICKELODEONS, AND THEY REMEMBERED HOW WELL THEY HAD DONE IN NEWCASTLE AND HOW FAST NEWCASTLE WAS GROWING. AND THEY THOUGHT, WELL, THERE’S NEW CUSTOMERS COMING INTO NEWCASTLE EVERY DAY, SO LET’S GO TO NEWCASTLE, WE’LL OPEN UP OUR THEATER THERE AND OUR CHANCES OF SURVIVAL WILL BE MUCH GREATER. AND WERE THEY? I MEAN, DID THEY DO WELL? THEY THEY DID. THEY CAME TO NEWCASTLE AND DISLOCATION THAT WE’RE AT BACK IN. YOU KNOW WE’RE TALKING 1907 NOW. THIS LOCATION WAS THE KNOX INN AND IT IT THE PROPERTY ITSELF JUST SITS ON THE EDGE OF THE ENTERTAINMENT SECTION OF NEWCASTLE. IN FACT, THE LOCALS REFER TO THIS AREA AS LITTLE TIMES SQUARE. STREET, THERE WAS A LARGE AUDITORIUM AND THAT’S WHERE THEY THE THE KIND OF THE UPSCALE ENTERTAINMENT COULD BE HAD. IT’S ACTUALLY WERE ON THE BLOCK THAT’S NEXT TO US IS ACTUALLY WHERE BOB HOPE GOT HIS START. AND IN VAUDEVILLE WAS BIG AT THE TIME. AND THAT ALSO HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH WHY THEY CHOSE THIS PARTICULAR LOCATION IN NEWCASTLE, BECAUSE, WELL, THEY’RE GOING TO BE IN THE ENTERTAINMENT FIELD AND THEY SIT RIGHT NEXT TO WHERE ALL THE BIG ENTERTAINMENT OF THE TOWN WAS LOCATED. A LITTLE BIT OF HOLLYWOOD HISTORY RIGHT HERE IN NEWCASTLE. YES. WHICH BRINGS US UP TO YOU GUYS AND THE MUSEUM. HOW DID THAT COME TO BE? WELL, THAT THAT’S A THAT’S A LONG STORY, BUT BUT WHAT HAPPENED? THIS THIS BUILDING THAT WE’RE SITTING IN. OKAY. IT’S IT WAS VACANT. IT WAS BOARDED UP. AND AT THE TIME I WAS DATING A GAL WHO I DID EVENTUALLY MARRY. AND AS A GIFT, SHE GAVE ME THIS BOOK THAT WAS THE LEGENDS OF LAWRENCE COUNTY. AND I’M READING THIS BOOK AND IT SAID THE WARNER BROTHERS HAD THEIR FIRST THEATER IN NEWCASTLE, AND IT GAVE THE LOCATION, WELL, I’M DRIVING ON MILL STREET, WHICH IS A STREET ADJACENT TO THE BUILDING, AND I’M STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT AND IT’S ALL BOARDED UP, COMPLETELY VACANT, AND IT’S LIKE, THERE’S SOMEBODY. IT LOOKED LIKE SOMEBODY HAD GOTTEN A BUCKET OF PAINT AND A BRUSH, AND ON THE SIDE OF THE BUILDING, THEY PAINTED THE WORDS FOR SALE AND A PHONE NUMBER. SO I THOUGHT, THIS IS AMAZING. WARNER BROTHERS FIRST THEATER WAS IN THIS BUILDING AND IT’S FOR SALE. I CALL THE NUMBER OKAY, AND I MAKE ARRANGEMENTS TO BUY THE BUILDING. SO AT THIS TIME I’M WORKING AND ON BREAK I’M READING THE PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE. WE HAD A SUBSCRIPTION, SO THAT’S WHAT WE DID ON BREAK. AND THERE’S AN ARTICLE IN THE PAPER THAT THERE’S THIS NONPROFIT IN PITTSBURGH THAT THEIR MAIN FUNDRAISER EVERY YEAR IS THEY INVITE PEOPLE WHO HAVE JUST PUBLISHED A BOOK AND THEY CAN COME AND THEY CAN GIVE A ABOUT A FIVE MINUTE SPIEL ON THEIR BOOK, BUT THE CONDITIONS ARE THAT WHEN THEY’RE EVERYBODY IS DONE SPEAKING, ALL THE AUTHORS ARE DONE, THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE YOUR BOOK AVAILABLE FOR SALE, AND YOU HAVE TO BE WILLING TO AUTOGRAPH IT. AND AS I’M READING THIS ARTICLE, IT SAYS CASS WARNER, THE GRANDDAUGHTER OF HARRY WARNER, HAS JUST PUBLISHED A BOOK ON THE HISTORY AND LEGACY OF THE WARNER FAMILY. SO IT’S LIKE, I JUST, I HAVE TO DO THIS. SO I GET ON MY PONY AND I GO TO PITTSBURGH AND I SIT THERE AND I LISTEN TO ALL THESE AUTHORS TALK ABOUT THEIR BOOKS, EACH ONE ABOUT, LIKE I SAID, ABOUT A FIVE MINUTE. SO WHEN THEY’RE ALL DONE, I GOT IN LINE TO BUY CASS’S BOOK. AND TO MY SURPRISE, THIS IS A HARDBACK BOOK. IT WAS CALLED HOLLYWOOD BE THY NAME, AND THERE’S A DUST COVER ON THE BOOK, AND THE DUST COVER IS A PICTURE OF THE CASCADE THEATER. AND I OPENED THE BOOK AND I’M LOOKING AT THE CONTENTS, AND THERE’S A WHOLE CHAPTER ON NEWCASTLE. WELL, WHAT I HAD DONE, I HAD TAKEN A PICTURES, I HAD TAKEN SOME PICTURES OF THIS BUILDING WITH ALL THE WINDOWS AND DOORS ALL BOARDED UP. AND YOU COULD SEE THAT IT WAS VACANT, AND I WAS GOING TO SHOW THESE TO CASS. SO WHAT I DID WAS I PUT THESE PICTURES INSIDE THE BOOK, AND I WENT AND STOOD IN LINE TO GET HER AUTOGRAPH. AND WHEN I WORKED MY WAY TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE, YOU KNOW, SHE, SHE GREETED ME AND I HANDED HER THE BOOK AND SHE OPENED THE BOOK AND HER IS THESE PICTURES. BUT SHE LOOKED AT THESE PICTURES AND SAID, WELL, IT’S AN OLD BOARDED UP, VACANT BRICK BUILDING. SHE SAYS, YOU WANTED ME TO SEE THESE PICTURES. OBVIOUSLY YOU PUT THEM HERE, BUT. BUT WHY? AND I DIDN’T SAY ANYTHING. I TOOK THE PICTURES AWAY FROM HER AND I CLOSED THE BOOK, AND I PUT THE PICTURES NEXT TO THE DUST COVER. AND YOU CAN SEE THAT ALL THE BRICKWORK, ALL THE WINDOWS WERE THE SAME AS THE OUTSIDE. THEATER. AND SHE GOES, OH MY GOD. AND I SAYS, YES. I SAYS, I’M FROM NEWCASTLE AND WE’RE GOING TO REOPEN THE CASCADE THEATER. AND I SAYS, AND I’M HERE TO ASK YOU FOR SOMETHING. I’M NOT GOING TO ASK YOU FOR MONEY. I’M ASKING FOR YOUR BLESSING. IF THE WARNER FAMILY BLESSES OUR PROJECT, THIS GIVES US LEGITIMACY. THIS WILL MAKE IT EASY FOR US TO FUNDRAISE, AND WE WILL OPEN A CASCADE THEATER STILL AHEAD ON FOR THE RECORD, WHAT DRIVES US AND REALLY WHAT OUR MISSION IS, IS TO TELL THE STORY OF THE WARNER LEGACY. MORE ON THE MOVIE HISTORY BEING KEPT ALIVE IN NEW CASTLE, LAWRENCE COUNTY. WELCOME BACK TO. FOR THE RECORD, LET’S GO BACK NOW TO MY CONVERSATION WITH JERRY KERN, PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES FOR THE WARNER CASCADE THEATER MUSEUM IN NEW CASTLE. SO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE WORK THAT YOU GUYS DO AS AN ORGANIZATION. WELL, WE HAVE HANGING ON OUR WALLS A LISTING OF WHAT OUR ALL OF OUR WALL EXHIBITS ARE GOING TO BE. AND WE ONLY HAVE ONE COMPLETE EXHIBIT UP NOW. OKAY, BUT, BUT WHAT DRIVES US AND REALLY WHAT OUR MISSION IS, IS TO TELL THE STORY OF THE WARNER LEGACY, WHAT THEY DID AND HOW THAT AFFECTS THE WAY WE LIVE TODAY. OKAY. AS A AS ONE EXAMPLE, THEY CREATED THE MOBSTER MOVIES, OKAY? THEY WERE THE ONES WHO STARTED IT. OKAY. AND WHAT HAPPENED AT THE TIME WHEN THE FIRST MOVIE CAME OUT, THEY WERE ACTUALLY CALLED BY WASHINGTON AND SAID, YOU KNOW, THIS ISN’T GOOD. YOU’RE SHOWING THESE MOBSTERS SHOOTING UPTOWNS AND AND ALL THIS CRIMINAL ACTIVITY GOING AROUND. AND THIS GIVES A BAD LIGHT BECAUSE YOU’RE SO BIG, YOU’RE SHOWING MOVIES OVER IN EUROPE AND AROUND THE WORLD, AND PEOPLE ARE NOT GOING TO WANT TO COME TO THIS COUNTRY IF THEY THINK THAT THERE’S PEOPLE STANDING WITH MACHINE GUNS SHOOTING AT EVERYBODY. AND THEY SAID, WELL, WE’RE NOT MAKING THIS STUFF UP. THIS STUFF IS ALL BASED. THESE MOVIES ARE BASED ON TRUE FACTS. AND YOU KNOW, IF IF YOU’RE NOT WILLING TO CONFRONT A PROBLEM, HOW ARE YOU EVER GOING TO SOLVE IT? OKAY, SO THAT WHAT THAT LED TO WAS A DISCUSSION ABOUT IS WHAT THEY WERE DOING. IS IT REAL? IS IT REALISTIC? ARE THEY DEPICTING THINGS THE WAY THEY TRULY EXIST AND ALL? AND THERE WAS A LOT OF TALK AT THE TIME WHERE CONDITIONS IN PRISON WERE VERY POOR. SO THEY CALLED ONE OF THEIR EMPLOYEES IN AND THEY SAID, WE’RE GIVING YOU A DIFFERENT ASSIGNMENT. WE WANT YOU TO ACTUALLY GO OUT AND RESEARCH THIS AND SEE IF THE PENAL SYSTEM IS AS CRUEL AS PEOPLE ARE SAYING IT IS. AND SO THE PERSON DID THAT. AND WHEN HE WAS DONE, THEY CALLED HIM BACK IN AND THEY SAID, WELL, IS IT REALLY AS BAD AS WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING? OR THEY’RE EXAGGERATING? AND HE SAYS, WELL, IT’S NOT AS BAD AS WHAT IS WHAT THE STORIES ARE. HE SAYS IT’S MUCH WORSE. AND SO THEY MADE SOME MOVIES ON THE CONDITIONS OF THE PENAL SYSTEM AND HOW PEOPLE WERE PRISONERS, WERE PUT IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT AND WHIPPED AND ALL THAT. AND WHEN THAT BECAME PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE, IT LED TO PENAL REFORM NATIONWIDE. AND IT’S TODAY THAT IF YOU DECIDE THAT YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING THAT’S GOING TO GET YOU THROWN IN JAIL, YOU HAVE THE WARNERS TO THANK FOR THAT. YOUR CONDITIONS WILL BE MUCH DIFFERENT THAN THEY WERE BACK IN, IN, LET’S SAY, IN THE 20S, IN THE 30S. OKAY. AND SO MOST PEOPLE AREN’T AWARE OF THAT. MOST PEOPLE ARE. AND THAT’S, THAT’S ONE OF THE STORIES WE WANT TO TELL. BUT IF YOU, IF YOU LOOK AND YOU SEE WHAT ALL OUR WALLET EXHIBITS ARE GOING TO END UP BEING, YOU’RE GOING TO SEE THAT WE HAVE MANY STORIES TO TELL AND PEOPLE DON’T APPRECIATE THE ADVANTAGES AND THE LIFESTYLE THEY HAVE TODAY, AND THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW A LOT OF IT RELATES BACK TO WHAT THE WARNERS DID. THE WARNER FAMILY WAS A VERY STRICT RELIGIOUS FAMILY, AND WHEN THEY STARTED TO MAKE MOVIES, THE OLD MAN CALLED THEM IN AND SAYS, LOOK, GUYS, HE SAYS, YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY. YOU KNOW? YES, MOVIES ARE ENTERTAINMENT, BUT THEY SHOULD ALSO BE MADE TO EDUCATE AND ENLIGHTEN. AND THAT BECAME KIND OF LIKE THEIR MOTTO. AND WE HAVE THAT HANGING IN OUR MUSEUM THAT THAT THAT’S THE PURPOSE OF THE WARNER MOVIE LEGACY. IT WAS TO EDUCATE, TO ENTERTAIN, AND IT WAS TO ENLIGHTEN. A, A CONSTRAINT ON HOW WE OPERATE. YOU KNOW, WE’RE GOING TO, WE’RE GOING TO SHOW YOU BUGS BUNNY, AND WE’RE GOING TO SHOW YOU THE FAMOUS MOVIES AND ALL THAT STUFF, BUT WE’RE DOING IT WITH THE INTENT THAT IT’S TO BE USED FOR HUMANITARIAN CAUSE. ALSO STILL AHEAD, IT’S MORE CHALLENGING NOW FOR NON-PROFITS THAN EVER BEFORE. WHY IS HISTORIC THEATER IN NEWCASTLE NEEDS YOUR HELP TO MAINTAIN ITS MISSION? FOR THE RECORD, AS I CONTINUE TO LEARN ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE WARNER CASCADE THEATER MUSEUM FROM ITS ACTING CURATOR, INCLUDING WHAT THEY NEED TO CONTINUE TO ENTERTAIN PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE REGION, HOW LONG WERE THE PLANS IN PLACE BEFORE ALL OF THIS CAME TO BE? WHAT WE’RE LOOKING AT NOW? WELL, I THINK IT’S FAIR TO SAY THAT WE JUST WE DEVELOPED IT AS WE MOVED ALONG OVER OVER A 12 YEAR PERIOD NOW. AND AS WE MOVED ALONG, WE SAW WHAT NEEDED TO BE DONE. NEXT. WE ADDED THE SCREENS, WE ADDED THE PROJECTORS, JERRY BROUGHT IN HIS COLLECTION OF MAGIC LANTERNS, WHICH YOU SEE UNDER LIT UNDERNEATH ON THE CASES HERE, WHICH ARE THE PRECURSORS, OF COURSE, OF THE MOVING PICTURE. AND WE JUST AS WE MOVE ALONG, WE AND OF COURSE, AS A NONPROFIT, YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS? EVERYTHING HINGES UPON RAISING FUNDS TO DO WHAT WE WANT TO DO. TALK ABOUT THAT. IS THAT CHALLENGING? IT’S MORE CHALLENGING NOW FOR NON-PROFITS THAN EVER BEFORE. I’VE WORKED WITH A LOT OF NON-PROFITS OVER THE YEARS, AND I’VE NEVER SEEN THIS THIS DIFFICULT FOR THE SMALL ONES. WE TRY TO GET A LITTLE MORE SUPPORT OUT OF PITTSBURGH, AND WE’RE WORKING ON THAT CONSTANTLY BECAUSE WE’RE NOW PART OF THE PITTSBURGH TRADING AREA. YOU KNOW, THAT WE’VE BEEN IN THIS COUNTY HAS BEEN INCLUDED NOW. SO THAT’S SOMETHING WE’RE GOING TO FOCUS ON MORE. YOU KNOW, THERE’S A BIG EMPHASIS IN PITTSBURGH RIGHT NOW ON FILM AND MOVIES AND TELEVISION SHOWS BEING MADE THERE. YES. NONE OF THAT ARGUABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE HISTORY HERE IN NEW CASTLE. TALK ME, TALK TO ME ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT WHEN YOU STOP TO THINK. I MEAN, THAT’S THAT’S MONUMENTAL. IT IS. AND WHEN WE GET PEOPLE IN HERE, LIKE FROM PITTSBURGH, WHICH WE DO FREQUENTLY GET FOLKS FROM PITTSBURGH, THEY’RE ALWAYS AMAZED AT WHAT’S HERE AND THAT IT IS HERE AND THAT THEY’RE STANDING WHERE THE WINNER STOOD. AGAIN. YOU’RE SITTING WHERE THE FAMILY STOOD. THEY ARGUED CONSTANTLY AS A FAMILY, THE BROTHERS AND SISTERS, THE KASEY REIGNER TELLS US THAT THE WHOLE FAMILY FOUGHT ALL THE TIME, WHICH I GUESS IS GOOD BECAUSE THEY THEY ACCOMPLISHED A LOT. HOW THEY GOT THERE ISN’T REALLY THAT IMPORTANT. IF YOU HAVE TO FIGHT TO GET SOMEWHERE, THAT’S. THAT’S GOOD. BUT WE DO GET A LOT OF PEOPLE FROM PITTSBURGH. SO WHAT’S YOUR PITCH TO PEOPLE WATCHING THIS? WELL, IT’S IMPORTANT BECAUSE, AS JERRY TOLD YOU PREVIOUSLY, THIS IS WHERE IT ALL STARTED. AND YOU NOTICE ALL THE OTHER STUDIOS, THE NAMES CHANGED, THE FACES CHANGED, THE WONDER BROTHERS NEVER CHANGE BECAUSE EVERYBODY THAT COMES IN TO OWN THE FRANCHISE, WHICH IS NOW WARNER DISCOVERY AND DAVID ZASLAV IS THE IS THE PERSON IN CHARGE OF THAT? THEY ALL CHANGED THE NAME FOR SOME REASON. THE LEGACY DOESN’T MEAN ANYTHING TO THEM, BUT HERE THIS CONTINUES. I MEAN, FOUR BROTHERS, I ALWAYS SAY FOR JEWISH KIDS FROM YOUNGSTOWN STARTED THIS THING. IT’S THAT SIMPLE AND BUILT AN EMPIRE. AND IT STARTED RIGHT HERE. AND THIS WAS THEIR FIRST THEATER. THEY’VE ADMITTED THAT OUR RESEARCH PROVES THAT. AND HERE WE ARE. WHY SHOULD IT EVER NOT BE HERE? BUT PEOPLE WITH MONEY HAVE TO STEP UP. TOO MANY PEOPLE DON’T. I DON’T KNOW IF THEY’RE JUST UP NIGHTS COUNTING IT OR WHAT THEY’RE DOING, BUT THEY NEED TO SUPPORT NONPROFITS, ESPECIALLY IN NONPROFIT LIKE THIS, WHICH DESERVES MORE SUPPORT. IT REALLY DOES. WHAT MAKES THIS SO SPECIAL TO YOU? TO ME, IT’S THE HISTORY OF IT AND ALL THE DIFFICULTIES THAT JERRY AND HIS BOARD HAD TO GO THROUGH TO CONTINUE FROM DAY ONE. TO GET TO THIS POINT. IT WASN’T EASY. THERE WERE A LOT OF HURDLES TO GET THROUGH AND A LOT OF CIRCUMSTANCES VERY DIFFICULT, WHERE THIS MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN HERE. BUT THROUGH HIS EFFORTS AND HIS BOARD BEFORE I CAME ON, IT SURVIVED. IT KEPT GOING. AND IF I COULD ADD SOMETHING TO THAT, THAT’D BE FINE WITH ME. SO WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU GUYS? THE NEXT IS THE LOONEY TUNES COLLECTION NEXT DOOR IN THE ANNEX, AND YOU MAY, IF YOU HAVE TIME, YOU MAY RUN OVER THERE AND LOOK AT THAT BUILDING, AT LEAST FROM THE OUTSIDE. THE START OF THE RENOVATION THE FACADE’S BEEN REPAINTED AND WE’RE BUT THAT’S A CAPITAL CAMPAIGN THAT’S GOING TO TAKE A BIG CHUNK OF MONEY. BUT AGAIN, YOU’LL HAVE THE WARNER BROS. FIRST THEATER HERE, AND YOU’LL HAVE THE LARGEST LOONEY TUNE COLLECTION IN THE NATION. APPROX. ALMOST 3000 ITEMS AND SOME OTHER THINGS. LIKE JERRY SAID, YOU’LL BE ABLE TO SEE HIS COLLECTION OF MOVIE MAGAZINES, HIS COLLECTION OF POSTERS. WE’LL HAVE COMPUTER STATIONS THERE WHERE YOU CAN RESEARCH FILM POSTERS. THE PLAN FOR THAT IS EXTENSIVE. VERY COOL. WHAT AM I MISSING? WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT TO TOUCH ON THAT I DIDN’T ASK YOU. WELL, I THINK YOU PRETTY MUCH COVERED EVERYTHING. AND I DO APPRECIATE THAT BECAUSE A LOT OF INTERVIEWERS DON’T. BUT THE IMPORTANCE THAT I’D LIKE TO CARRY THROUGH AND HOPEFULLY THE SUPPORT IS NEEDED FROM THE PITTSBURGH AREA. PITTSBURGH’S DONE WONDERFUL THINGS FOR THE FILM INDUSTRY. I MEAN, IT MAKES CLEVELAND LOOK LIKE A POOR SISTER BECAUSE I DO THINGS IN CLEVELAND. I WORK WITH RESTAURANTS, PUT RESTAURANTS TOGETHER. I’VE DONE THAT OVER THE DECADES, AND THEY’RE ALWAYS COMPLAINING ABOUT PITTSBURGH BECAUSE PITTSBURGH GETS ALL THE ALL THE SHOWS. SO THEY’RE BANGING AWAY THERE. BUT PITTSBURGH, HEY, WE’RE UP THE ROAD AND WE NEED SOME HELP. SO COME ON, THAT’S MY MESSAGE. AND AS WE WRAP UP THIS EPISODE OF FOR THE RECORD, ONE MORE REMINDER THE 98TH ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS AIRS TONIGHT AT SEVEN RIGHT HERE ON WTAE, CHANNEL FOUR. AS FOR US, WE HOPE YOU HAVE A GOOD WEEK. WE’LL SEE YOU NEXT SUNDAY MORNING AT 11 A.M.
‘Educate, entertain, enlighten’: 4 The Record learns about Hollywood history near Pittsburgh
Host Lily Coleman visits the historic Warner Cascade Theatre Museum in New Castle, Lawrence County
Updated: 11:00 AM EDT Mar 15, 2026
The 98th annual Academy Awards are being held Sunday night and, ahead of the big annual celebration of moviemaking, 4 The Record host Lily Coleman visited the historic Warner Cascade Theatre Museum in New Castle, Lawrence County, the site of the famous Warner Brothers’ first permanent theater, nearly 120 years ago.Coleman spoke with the museum’s board president, Jerry Kern, about how they keep the legacy of the Warner Brothers alive.”The Warner family was a very strict religious family, and when they started to make movies, the old man called them in and says, ‘Look, guys,’ he says, ‘you have a responsibility, you know, yes, movies are entertainment, but they should also be made to educate and enlighten,'” Kern said. “And that became kind of like their motto. And we have that hanging in our museum that that’s the purpose of the Warner movie legacy. It was to educate, to entertain, and it was to enlighten.”Kern added, “You know, we’re going to– we’re going to show you Bugs Bunny, and we’re going to show you the famous movies and all that stuff, but we’re doing it with the intent that it’s to be used for a humanitarian cause also.”Acting curator Bob Vargo added thoughts on how the nonprofit museum works hard to both educate and entertain.”It’s more challenging now for nonprofits than ever before,” Vargo said. “We try to get a little more support out of Pittsburgh and we’re working on that constantly.”WATCH THE FULL EPISODE IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ABOVE
NEW CASTLE, Pa. —
The 98th annual Academy Awards are being held Sunday night and, ahead of the big annual celebration of moviemaking, 4 The Record host Lily Coleman visited the historic Warner Cascade Theatre Museum in New Castle, Lawrence County, the site of the famous Warner Brothers’ first permanent theater, nearly 120 years ago.
Coleman spoke with the museum’s board president, Jerry Kern, about how they keep the legacy of the Warner Brothers alive.
“The Warner family was a very strict religious family, and when they started to make movies, the old man called them in and says, ‘Look, guys,’ he says, ‘you have a responsibility, you know, yes, movies are entertainment, but they should also be made to educate and enlighten,'” Kern said. “And that became kind of like their motto. And we have that hanging in our museum that that’s the purpose of the Warner movie legacy. It was to educate, to entertain, and it was to enlighten.”
Kern added, “You know, we’re going to– we’re going to show you Bugs Bunny, and we’re going to show you the famous movies and all that stuff, but we’re doing it with the intent that it’s to be used for a humanitarian cause also.”
Acting curator Bob Vargo added thoughts on how the nonprofit museum works hard to both educate and entertain.
“It’s more challenging now for nonprofits than ever before,” Vargo said. “We try to get a little more support out of Pittsburgh and we’re working on that constantly.”
WATCH THE FULL EPISODE IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ABOVE