The Whiteside Theatre, located on the northeast corner of 4th Street and SW Madison Avenue in Corvallis, Oregon, was opened to the public on November 10, 1922.

[4] The organ was of particular importance in this era of silent film, with a Seattle movie theater owner named Winstock observing to the crowd on opening night that "pictures can not be produced without fitting music" and noting that film companies took great care in providing "suitable music for picture plays.

[4] Construction of the theater on behalf of the Whiteside brothers, Sam and George, who did business as the Corvallis Amusement Company, was said to have cost $120,000.

[4] The pair had been active in the movie business in Corvallis since about 1910 as owners and operators of the Crystal Theatre, the town's first venue for motion pictures.

[7] During a short program which preceded the film, the crowd was entertained by a local resident playing a set of popular tunes on the theatre's new organ.

[8] The Jazz Singer, a 1927 film starring Al Jolson, was slated to debut in Corvallis at the Whiteside on New Year's Day of 1929, with a steady stream of "talkies" booked for subsequent weeks.

[8] In addition to providing a spacious venue for the viewing of films, the stage of the Whiteside Theatre also served as a public auditorium for community events, including a patriotic Memorial Day program in May 1928 under the auspices of the local post of the American Legion.