Eugene V. Tracy (1893-1958): A Pioneer Theater Owner of Long Beach, California

Eugene Vincent Tracy grew up in Denver, Colorado, the son of a railroad tinner. By the age of 17 he was working as a railroad call boy in the small western town of Helper, Carbon County, Utah. Eugene known by his family and friends as Gene, developed a keen interest in movie theaters and by 1914-15 found work as a theater manager for the Lowell Airdome Theater in Lowell, Conchise County, Arizona later purchasing the theater itself and a year later selling it.Later, he became manager of the Central Theater in nearby Bisbee working for the Progressive Amusement Company. He would meet and later marry a local Bisbee girl by the name of Catherine Oddonetto. The couple would later relocate to Long Beach, Los Angeles County, California and have six children together. Tracy would organize and become the first President of the Long Beach Local 521 of the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employers and Motion Picture Machine Operators of the United States and Canada. He was also President of the Long Beach Theaters Owners and Managers Association. Eugene Tracy owned the Laughlin, Victor and Tracy theaters in Long Beach which provided entertainment for countless individuals for decades. Although these theaters have long vanished they provide a splendid history into Long Beach's past. This then is the narrative of the life and times of Eugene Vincent Tracy, a pioneer theater owner.