This day in history: Universal Pictures acquired Clemmer (Bing Crosby Theater) and spruced it up. Spokane City Hall faced claim after officer shot bystander

From 1975: A Spokane man filed a $50,000 claim against the city after he was accidentally shot by a Spokane police officer.

The 52-year-old was on a downtown street corner when he alerted a meter maid, who then alerted police, about a confrontation between two youths. One youth was threatening another with a tire iron.

The man was watching as a police car roared up. An officer jumped out, drew his revolver and fired it, apparently accidentally.

The bullet did not hit either of the youths. It hit the 52-year-old bystander in the leg.

From 1925: The Clemmer Theater – today’s Bing Crosby Theater – reopened after an extensive remodeling campaign by its new manager.

“The Clemmer was always a beautiful theater,” The Spokesman-Review wrote. “But a theater, like a woman, needs new clothes, and new clothes make a surprising difference. The theater is aglow now in the warmth of the atmosphere that comes from rich carpets, new drapes, newly tinted walls and fixtures that radiate the rich color tones of subdued lights. It has the dignity of a big theater and the comfort and intimacy of a little one – a theater to enjoy and one to boast of.”

The Clemmer had just been acquired by Universal Pictures, and Dr. Howard S. Clemmer (or “famed red head,” as The Spokesman-Review headline called him) was now retiring from the motion pictures business. Clemmer was the son of the founder, John H. Clemmer.

Roy L. Bloomer was brought to Spokane to manage the Clemmer by Universal. He previously managed the Cameo theater in San Francisco.

The first movie shown under Universal management was “Raffles: The Amateur Cracksman.”