The Ferndale Classic Theatre was built in 1921 by Fred and Grace Rowley, who screened family-friendly films there. In 1931, traveling theatre producer and manager Thomas J. Ealand continued that tradition as family movies remained central to a growing movie industry. In 1949, Ray Bolger and June Haver appeared on the theatre marquee for the screening of "Look for A Silver Lining." In 1961, Studio North, a chain theatre, shifted the theatre from family-friendly films to adult foreign films and then to pornographic movies, provoking outrage among local residents and city officials; titles such as "Deep Throat" and "Prisoner of Paradise" fueled the public uproar. Despite repeated attempts, the city could not close the theatre. The situation worsened in 1988 when the theatre became the Déjà Vu strip club featuring nude dancers, but in 1989 the city succeeded in eliminating that type of business from Downtown Ferndale and the theatre was shut down. After a one-year closure, Steve Milgrom bought the theatre in 1990, renamed it the Magic Bag Theater, and showed independent films before selling it in 1996 to Jeremy Haberman, a young local entrepreneur. Its rounded roofline and American Movement architecture remain intact, and an updated marquee now reflects the Magic Bag's steady presentation of hard-to-find live acts for music aficionados and funky cover bands, while Brew n' View Movie Night continues as a weekly tradition.