Comments from dallasmovietheaters

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Starlite Drive-In on Aug 7, 2015 at 9:44 am

The Starlite Drive-In was one of two Harrisburg area drive-ins neither within the city limits. The first was the Harrisburg Drive-In in Pankeyville and the second was this entry, the Starlite Drive-In for Turner-Farrar Theatres circuit. On the 17-acre tract was a drive-in accommodating 700 cars on 11 ramps. Landscaped with a 30 by 80 foot flower bed at the huge 68 foot high and 80 foot wide screen tower. The 45 foot a counter was a visual hit at the drive-in.

Because of myriad delays, the Starlite missed its spring and summer 1952 grand opening targets. Once finished, however, the theater decided to embark upon a shortened season opting for a soft launch on October 10, 1952 with “Frontier Gal” and Abbott and Costello’s “The Naughty Nineties.” The latter film featured one of the most famous versions of the comedy team’s “Who’s on First?” routine. Turner-Farrar even advertised in 1952 that the formal grand opening wouldn’t occur until the following spring. The drive-in closed for the season just two months later in December of 1952.

For its grand opening officially on April 3, 1953, the Starlite opened with the films, “Frenchie” and “Red Skies of Montana.” And fondly remembered by locals were the appearances by three ponies for free rides. Their names were Red, Koko and Gus which — along with the playground — made the Starlite family friendly. They were recurring features of the drive-in. Orchids were flown in from Hawaii via St. Louis for the first 1,000 ladies who showed up on opening night. And 1,700 total patrons would get in the first night. For most of years of operation, the Starlite was a May-October operation.

After decades of service, the drive-in was closed and then demolished. A feint outline can be seen in satellite shots at Highway 45 and Lindale halfway between Wasson and Eldorado.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about 121 Outdoor Drive-In on Aug 7, 2015 at 6:47 am

The Outdoor Theatre opened July 28, 1950 originally with 700 spots, the sister o-zoner to the Decatur Drive-In both for the Kerasotes Theater Circuit. Opening features were “The Nevadan” and “Adventure in Baltimore.” In 1955, the theater went to a Mancovision aluminum screen to accommodate widescreen presentations including CinemaScope and to try to get a brighter image. The family-centric location had a train, ferris wheel, merry-go-round and other playground fun for the kids.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Nox Theatre on Aug 7, 2015 at 4:19 am

The Nox Theatre was owned in its early days by A,M. Chamness. He sold the theater on Main Street which was functional from 1925 to 1956. The Nox Theatre building housed Starkey’s Food Market in the 1960s.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Lyric Theatre on Aug 5, 2015 at 4:12 pm

The Lyric was built in 1906 by T.D. Souris. Many sources say the theater was built in the 1930s but it’s hard to imagine that the theater wasn’t the same facade and reimagined in its interior for the sound era as Souris and Nenes did with the Grand / former Liberty just three doors down. Nenes and Souris transformed the Lyric to Teatro Lyric serving the Spanish speaking population of Miami. The theater suffered a fire and then post-closure in the 1960s, a wind storm toppled its marquee/awning.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Grand Theatre on Aug 5, 2015 at 3:51 pm

The Grand Theatre was constructed in the same footprint of its predecessor, the Liberty Theatre, a silent operation which was removed down to the foundation and reconstructed in 1929 built as a $100,000 talkie theater with Movietone and Vitaphone sound systems. It opened in September 1929 for Nenes and Souris who had owned the original and updated Lyric Theater in Miami. A sold out audience was impressed by the Spanish Architecture and the fabulous interior design of Charles Weissenborn who had decorated theaters in Los Angeles, Seattle, Fairbanks, as well as theaters in Montana and Oregon.

The Grand — which hosted union activities — was closed briefly during a strike in summer of 1971. Advertisements run until “Last Tango in Paris” ending January 29, 1975 which may (or may not) be the theater’s closing date. It advertised for decades at 615 Sullivan Street. So not sure the source of the opening dates, closing dates and address above, but feel confident about this info.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Theatre 70 on Aug 5, 2015 at 2:38 pm

The MacArthur/Broadway Shopping Center opened theatreless on September 9, 1965. The M/B had space-port parking, you could take the local astro-bus and head up the space ramp to futuristic wonderment. (Well, as futuristic as a Woolworth’s as the only mall anchor gets.) And a year later, the Theatre 70 luxury theater opened November 22, 1966 with the film “Alfie.” With 70mm presentations in vogue, the theater name made sense.

As the theater faded and showing double features, the refreshed its name to distnace itself from 1970 and 70mm film becoming Cinema 1. Just 11 years later, the theater closed with “Greased Lightning” and “Norman, is that you?” on September 29, 1977. In 2009, the entire M/B was demolished and replaced by Kaiser Permanente.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Terrace Drive-In on Aug 4, 2015 at 12:56 pm

A correction above: The Terrace Drive-In opened July 13, 1949. Opening features were “The Hills of Home” and Jungle Patrol."

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Park Place Cinemas on Aug 4, 2015 at 10:40 am

To clarify something above, Rogers Cinema Circuit of Marshfield, Wisconsin bought the theater (not Marshall Field). Also Skouris Theatre Corporation bought the Jeffris in July of 1968 and operated under the United Artists Theatre Circuit. It started with Saxe Theatres so was Saxe’s Jeffris. Then Saxe was sold to Fox-Wisconsin Theatres becoming the Fox Jeffris. The Fox circuit was broken up as part of the Paramount consent decree and Associated Prudential Theaters Inc. Circuit of New York took on the theater advertising it as Johnny Prudential Theaters until being sold to Skouris.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Patricia Theatre & Little Patricia Theatre on Aug 4, 2015 at 4:22 am

CORRECTION: “Little Patricia” not Little Princess

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Rotunda Cinemas on Aug 4, 2015 at 2:59 am

Permanently closed July 8, 2015. A new theater by Cobb Circuit will take its place adjacent to the former Rotunda.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Texas Drive-In on Jul 31, 2015 at 5:19 pm

The Taylor Drive-In launched June 26, 1950 with the film, “Canyon Passage”. But in 1954, manager W.W. Weidner lived up to his name by doubling the size of the Texas Drive-In screen to 80'x 33' and opening in December with “Three Coins in Fountain” followed by “The Robe” as the test for the CinemaScoped Taylor.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Family Drive-In on Jul 31, 2015 at 4:02 am

Grand opening was November 8, 1952 with “Montana” starring Errol Flynn.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Tower Drive-In on Jul 31, 2015 at 3:48 am

Opened originally as the Friendly Drive-In Theatre on March 1, 1951. For the 1952 season, it changes to the Tower Drive-In Theatre. It competes against the Aiken Drive-In Theatre and, on July 1, 1952, Consolidated Theater’s Fox Drive-In which celebrated its grand opening on Highway 19. Consolidated buys the theater at the end of the season now owning both the Fox Drive-In Theatre and the Tower Drive-In. The Fox would outlast the Tower lasting into the 1970s.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Valley Drive-In on Jul 31, 2015 at 3:25 am

Grand opening was April 1, 1950 just two months after construction began.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Charro Drive-In on Jul 29, 2015 at 2:58 am

Architected by Harvey A. Jordan, the Charro Drive-In launched November 4, 1949 with John Wayne’s “The Sea Spoilers” on its 40x55 foot screen. Closing date above is incorrect as the theatre operated past that date.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Norside Theater on Jul 27, 2015 at 4:45 pm

On June 15, 1937, the Norside Theatre launched with Mickey Mouse’s “Adventures of a Camera Man” and the double feature of “Seventh Heaven” and “When’s Your Birthday.” It was curtains for the Norside Theatre on February 13, 1956 closing with “Three for the Show” and “Looters.” And it was okay to loot as the theater would begin to be demolished just eight days later by Frank J. Rowden & Son. The theater was doing poorly and likely opted for a deal with its long-standing neighboring Tri-City Grocery Store for that business to have an adjacent off-street parking lot.

The former theater’s spot would indeed become the North Alton Parking Lot and serviced the Tri-City grocer. All references to the theater after February 13, 1956 other than “demolished” are in reference to the grocer.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Gem Theatre on Jul 27, 2015 at 3:59 pm

Opened April 9, 1913 as the Outaga Theatre named after the Illinois county in which Alton resides. New operators took on the 250-seat Outaga and changed the name on August 26, 1913 calling it the Gem. The scrappy theater had around ten different owners leading to a wide array of grand openings. The Gem went out of business numerous times including November 16, 1929 for failure to pay $100 in back rent and finally late in 1939.

The theater was put on the market in 1940. It was a tough sell and the building is rented out for church events and Republican party meetings. On October 31, 1942, the Gem gave it one more shot as a theatre with a run lasting until March of 1944. It then becomes a live theater for a local college in the middle of 1944. It then continues as a place for special events and church usage until divided up into “business suits” housing a variety of retail stores in June of 1948. The theater building was razed in 1977.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Warner Theatre on Jul 26, 2015 at 2:07 pm

Peter S. Dawe opened his third and final cinema in Bridgeport as Dawe’s Theatre in 1921. He took over the Bijou in 1910 and built the Palace in 1912 on the city’s east side. But the theatre carrying his name was sold and became the Cameo Theatre in 1924. On September 19, 1925, it became Warners' Cameo as part of the Warner Brothers Circuit. Warner would change the theater to the Warner Theatre. An explosion on April 12, 1963 during “Prince of Peace” closed the theater for a few days but just weeks later it would close for good going out with “"The Last Sunset” on June 2, 1963. Demolition occurred February 1964.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Astor Theatre on Jul 24, 2015 at 10:33 am

Grand opening for the Capitol Theatre was February 22, 1922 with all 1,000 seats filled for the feature, “Molly O.” Also featured was Buster Keaton in “The Play House.” The theatre closed in 1923 for almost a year and was offered for sale reopening in 1924. The Capitol Theater was rebooted as the Astor Theatre launching Dec. 2, 1947. William Riseman, architect from Boston, totally re-imagined the theater stripping out the floor and everything but the walls in creating the post-Capitol Astor.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Pocomoke Drive-In on Jul 24, 2015 at 7:39 am

Opened August 14, 1953 with the film, “Bird of Paradise.” The first 250 cards to the 270-space drive-in lot would receive free Hawaiian leis and free popcorn. The 35' by 25' screen was built to accommodate wide screen presentations as well as traditional films. Stage atop the screening booth allowed for live stage shows prior to showtime. Owner William G. Myers also had a bottle warming service for those bringing babies to screenings. The theater’s lot is still somewhat visible and its entrance is at 872 Ocean Highway / Route 13 two miles south of town. However, the drive-in was demolished though visible in the 1967 Historical Aerial satellite shot and the 1972 Topos.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Ritz Theatre on Jul 22, 2015 at 1:17 pm

The Ritz Theatre at 103 Lake St. was operated by the Schine Theatre Circuit. It was purchased by E. Coston Cordery in 1957 who operated the theater for the Schines from 1942 to 1957. The African American theatre at Lake and Main St. ran into a spate of fires under independent ownership. A fire at a neighboring nightclub caused smoke damage to the Ritz on April 24, 1958; the next fire damaged its marquee and was on April 4, 1960.

On February 16, 1963, a spectacular fire severely damaged destroyed the Blue Moon Nightclub and Sport Restaurant, Polan’s Five and Dime Store and severely damaged the Ritz. The Salisbury fire boat was implemented and looked to have saved the Ritz. According to reports, the fire rekindled in the seating area and the theatre was devastated. The theater was about ready to open and no injuries were reported at the theater. But February 15, 1963 was the Ritz’s final day of operation.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Ulman Theatre on Jul 22, 2015 at 12:22 pm

The Ulman Opera House was on the second floor while Ulman stores operated on the main floor beginning in 1888. But when fire struck in 1941, the Ulman Opera House and store were no more. So the Ulman heirs decided to build the Ulman Theatre with a completely fireproof booth in its second balcony. It opened March 2, 1942 with “Cadet Girl” which originally had 900 seats and was architected by Newell Howard and Raymond Todd.

On December 30 1963, the Ulman Theatre was screening the top half of a double feature with “The Three Stooges Around the World in a Daze” when fire broke out. Due to the flames which destroyed the Ulman Theatre, patrons would not get to see the bottom half of the double bill “The Big Beat”. The theatre became a total loss and after a lengthy eight month delay, the debris was cleared and the site became a vacant lot. Old posters from the Ulman were presented ten years after its burning as part of the county’s historical society exhibition. Five Salisbury theaters were destroyed by fire, the Ulman twice, the New Theatre, the Arcade and the Ritz Theatre.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Hager Drive-In on Jul 21, 2015 at 4:01 am

The original Hager Drive-In opened on June 29, 1949 with spaces for 400 cars. Located on Highway 11 4.5 miles south of Hagerstown in Williamsport, MD. The original Hager was Washington County’s second drive-in theatre along with the Hiway Open Air Drive-In Theatre. It generally was open from March to the end of October closing for the season right around Halloween. The Hager concluded a 15-year lease closing October 25, 1964 with an Elvis triple feature of “Follow the Dream,” “Girls, Girls, Girls,” and “Kid Galahad.” A good way to close out the season and, as it would turn out, the run of the original Hager D-I.

The sale of the land for $75,000 was finalized in late February of 1965 and a new spot was soon identified for Hager Drive-In’s reboot within Hagerstown to the north ostensibly a lot adjoining the contemporary 20145 Leitersburg Pike location.The new Hager launched July 23, 1966 with “Music City U.S.A.” and “Phantom Hill.” It fulfilled a 20-year lease closing in 1986. But movies and limited drive-in activity would continue on the site. That’s because on Thanksgiving Day 1970, the neighboring Cinema I & II would open for business. It would expand its screen capacity over the years and become Leitersburg Cinemas, now a ten-screen facility. The Leitersburg operators would pay tribute to the demolished Hager D-I by having annual inflatable drive-in screen offerings on the lot of the former Hager.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Super 40 Drive-In on Jul 20, 2015 at 4:39 pm

On April 8, 1950 and the Super 40 Drive-In Theatre had its grand opening with “The Trail of the Lonesome Pine.” They had free popcorn while casting moon beams with their continuous lighting. You could watch the movie from the snack bar. The theatre closed on October 29, 1961 with “Gidget Goes Hawaiian” and “The Empress Princess.” It’s final duty was a lot for a Christmas trees in December of 1961 and then would be demolished in March of 1962 for a Miracle Mart, a fledgling national chain of retail stores. And the Allegany County Tax Collector came calling for back taxes later in 1962.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Moorefield Drive-In on Jul 20, 2015 at 3:44 pm

The Moorefield Drive-In Theatre had its grand opening on July 9, 1948 on its 50' by 50' screen tower. It was operated by Harness Bensenhaver and James Miley and the venerable ozone closed in 1994.