History :
The restoration work on the Commodore began in June, 1987, after a 12 year period in which the theatre had been closed. Fred Schoenfeld's idea was to restore the theatre back to the way it was in 1945, the year Bunkie Wilder opened this, his flagship theatre. The original design was for over 1,000 seats; however, the capacity had to be reduced down to 190 in the main floor dining area and 318 in the balcony.
The Commodore is dedicated to the memory of the men who trained Fred in this wonderful show business: Norman Powell and Kenneth Andrews. These men both nurtured Fred's dream and worked long and hard with him to make it a reality. Fred and his wife and business partner, Dr. Jean Haskell, thank all of our loyal patrons who have complimented us and been faithful movie goers over the years here at THE COMMODORE.
