Frederick Mercy, Sr.�s dream of a vaudeville theatre that would feature musicians, singers,
comedians, dancers, exotic and domestic animal acts became a reality in downtown Yakima,
Washington in 1919. Envisioning an interior that would display an air of opulence and grandeur,
Mercy hired architect, Marcus Priteca, to create a theatre that resembled an Italian
Renaissance palazzo and would seat 1,500 people. Tony Heinsbergen painted murals depicting
the four muses of comedy, tragedy, music and art on a decorative panel surrounding a
rectangular relighted panel in the dome of the theatre.
In the 1950s, after vaudeville faded, the Capitol Theatre hosted local entertainment
events and became known primarily as a movie theatre. Ozzie Goldstein managed the entertainment
venues and hired three teenagers to become the staff: Mike Hansen, assistant
manager and fix-it genius, Sharon Meyer, concession stand and Rex Marvel, the junior projectionist.
As the teens grew into young adults, they became a theatre family and Oz was
their leader and hippie uncle, who was also known as the wizard of the Capitol Theatre.
In the mid-1960s, a beautiful young woman began attending the Monday 9 p.m. movies.
She entered the theatre after the feature began and was met by a man within minutes
of her sitting in the back seats. She and her escort would then exit the theatre to the alley
where a vintage automobile would be waiting.
One night, during the movie Psycho, her body was found on the floor between the last
rows. She had been garroted and strangled to death. Lt. Paganelli, Yakima Police Department,
entered the unfolding drama to find answers about the mystery woman and her
murderer. Her tragic death manifested her spirit into a ghost whose attention focused on
Rex Marvel, the projectionist. She wanted him to avenge her death by finding the killer.
When he refused to become involved, she exhibited her diabolical power by tearing up the
projection booth and the theatre. Known as Therese, the ghost both terrified and charmed
Rex into a relationship that was beyond the boundaries of the living.
Uncle Oz, the theatre team, Lt. Paganelli and the ghost brought the killers to justice
but it came at a high price. When Therese attempted to bring Rex into her world of lost souls, he spurned her affections and she showed her anger at being scorned, resulting in the theatre fire of 1975.
