As the years go by, fewer and fewer may remember the past of this theater. It was built in the 1870s, and for long time was the classic burlesque house. I remember my dad and uncles, at family gatherings and out of earshot of women, would tell stories of sneaking out of school when they were teenagers to spend an afternoon at the Troc. The burlesque at the time was relatively tame compared to today's strip club shows, and had a lot of comedy. A famous comedian at the Troc was Billy "Cheese and Crackers" Hagan (1888-1986). I think from the 40s to the 60s it was traditional burlesque, and then it got much seedier. I remember when it was a Chinese movie theater, perhaps that was in the late 80s, which I think was the first attempt to clean it up. It's been a concert hall, mostly for rock, for many years now.
| Publication date | Jun 24, 2018 |
| Neighborhood | Chinatown |
As the years go by, fewer and fewer may remember the past of this theater. It was built in the 1870s, and for long time was the classic burlesque house. I remember my dad and uncles, at family gatherings and out of earshot of women, would tell stories of sneaking out of school when they were teenagers to spend an afternoon at the Troc. The burlesque at the time was relatively tame compared to today's strip club shows, and had a lot of comedy. A famous comedian at the Troc was Billy "Cheese and Crackers" Hagan (1888-1986). I think from the 40s to the 60s it was traditional burlesque, and then it got much seedier. I remember when it was a Chinese movie theater, perhaps that was in the late 80s, which I think was the first attempt to clean it up. It's been a concert hall, mostly for rock, for many years now.
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Chinatown, .
