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I am using the address of the building that is on the NW corner of 8 Mile and I-75, as that is pretty much the exact spot the old theater building stood.
Source: Tom Cooley
Located on the northwest corner of 8 mile and Stephenson Hwy/Oakland Ave in Hazel Park, next to Oak gas station on the corner. There was also a dance hall located upstairs next to Dr office next to theater. I would go to Oakdale every weekend, saw all the classic creature features from the fifties there (too many to name). A couple of my cousins, lived on Oakland and Winchester (first block south of 8 mile) used to work there also. Have many many memories of that theater.
Source: Andy Gray
My uncle's list of Johnson Construction Company theater jobs indicates two projects associated with this theater. One job was simply identified as "original" and the second job was completed in 1947. My grandad Al Johnson left behind just one Kodachrome slide with a street view of the theater taken in December 1949.
It's a great time capsule view of suburban Detroit life during that era. The theater features three pairs of classic red "Johnson doors," an ornate marquee and a prominent vertical "Oakdale" sign. To the left of the theater are a "Hall for Rent" and a Five-and-Dime store. Across the side street to the right is a drug store and a gas station. The slide also shows several old cars and trucks.
Source: Andy Gray - July 2022
This B&W image, with “Hazel Park” written on the back in Al Johnson’s handwriting, shows is an earlier image of Oakdale Theatre than the two 1948 Kodachrome slides that I submitted earlier. This photo shows the theater with two films released in 1937: “Heidi” starring Shirley Temple, and “Sophie Lange Goes West.” The vertical Oakdale sign and six art moderne front doors are the same as in the 1948 images, however the marquee is of an older design compared to the streamlined marquee in the 1948 images.
Al Johnson Jr.’s list of Johnson Construction Co. theater and drive-in projects listed two Oakdale Theatre jobs: an “original” and a “1947” project. The release date of the two films in this earlier photo leads me to conclude that the “original” project that Johnson Construction Co. completed was done in or just before 1937.
One more thing: to the left of the theater in the 1937 image is what looks like a sign for an “Oakdale Inn,” which is missing from Al’s later images.
This picture of the theatre brings back a lot of memories. My family moved to this area in 1950, from Arkansas. I would go to the theatre twice a week with my brother every time the movies changed. the tickets cost $.15 for kids, & $.50 ea for adults.