I attended a seminar on Mathews Theaters at the Historical Society the other night. The leader told us that the children of Donks were kicked out of the Be Jo Theater and barred for life for misbehaving. Mr. Dunton (Donk) had a verbal altercation with the Be Jo owner and told him he would build his kid his own theater and did right next door to his BBQ Stand just down the road from the Courthouse area. That is how Donk’s Theater came to life.
The Scott opened at this location on Aug 25, 1919 and closed on March 12, 1932.
The Langley opened on April 18, 1932 and closed on Aug 19, 1967.
The Scott and the Langley looked very differently. A local old timer told me that the Scott front was remodeled but most of the building retained when it became the Langley.
The first theater at this location was The Olympic, it operated from Oct 17, 1910 to Nov. 10, 1932
The James opened on Dec 11, 1932 and closed on Aug 3, 1967
On Aug 4, 1967, the Theater opened as the Downtown. It closed for good on Aug 6, 1980. The Downtown opened as a part of the Gordon chain but at some time, it was sold and became a XXX movie theater.
The Wythe Statement of Policy as noted in the Oct 4, 1939 ad
The Wythe is operated by the owners of the Palace Theatre….100% local. The same high-calibre pictures the Palace brought to the Peninsula will be shown here. First-run for the first time on the lower Peninsula. We bid you welcome. Leonard & Julian Gordon
Complete air conditioning – lots of Parking space – Ultra-Comfortable Seats
According to local City Directories and historical books:
The Academy of Music operated from 1900 to 1930. It was demolished and rebuilt as the Paramount in 1931 and operated until 1979 when it closed due to a lack of business. A story about the opening of the Paramount in the Oct. 3, 1931 Daily Press states the seating as 1350.
The Paramount opened briefly for a short period but again business caused it to close it doors again. It operated from 1982 to 1984.
It was demolished in 1988. Elvis performed here in the 50’s.
see new photo for location of Pix
I attended a seminar on Mathews Theaters at the Historical Society the other night. The leader told us that the children of Donks were kicked out of the Be Jo Theater and barred for life for misbehaving. Mr. Dunton (Donk) had a verbal altercation with the Be Jo owner and told him he would build his kid his own theater and did right next door to his BBQ Stand just down the road from the Courthouse area. That is how Donk’s Theater came to life.
Per a lecture on this theater by the Mathews Historical Society:
The original theater was the Westville located on Main Street in Mathews. It operated from 1930 to 1936.
In 1936, it was sold and was renamed the Be-Jo after the new owner’s daughters. It operated from 1936 – 1949 when it closed.
It has since been remodeled into office building.
Got this note from a friend that lives close to the Newport:
The end of an era. The Newport Theater in Norfolk is now an empty lot.
The Scott opened at this location on Aug 25, 1919 and closed on March 12, 1932.
The Langley opened on April 18, 1932 and closed on Aug 19, 1967.
The Scott and the Langley looked very differently. A local old timer told me that the Scott front was remodeled but most of the building retained when it became the Langley.
The building has since been demolished.
The first theater at this site was the Apollo. It opened on Aug 15, 1915 and it closed on June 8, 1932.
The Rex opened at the same location on Feb. 2, 1940 and operated until March 2, 1951 showing mostly B-western movies.
After closing this building served as a site for the Peninsula Youth for Christ and later as the Hampton City Arts Center.
It is now demolished and a bank sits on this property.
The first theater at this location was The Olympic, it operated from Oct 17, 1910 to Nov. 10, 1932
The James opened on Dec 11, 1932 and closed on Aug 3, 1967
On Aug 4, 1967, the Theater opened as the Downtown. It closed for good on Aug 6, 1980. The Downtown opened as a part of the Gordon chain but at some time, it was sold and became a XXX movie theater.
The Pix Theater opened on 11/11/1942
The Pix Theater closed on 6-1/1947. The announced that they were closing for the summer.
On 9/28/1947, The theater was renamed and opened as The Capital
The Capital closed for good on 5/9/1948
Nov 6, 1942
The only theater in Colonial Williamsburg is the Kimball that use to be the Williamsburg Theater. There is no Imperial presently in Williamsburg.
The caption on this photo states 1945 – 1954
The Capital Theater opened on September 29, 1947. It previously was known as the Pix Theater
The Wythe Statement of Policy as noted in the Oct 4, 1939 ad
The Wythe is operated by the owners of the Palace Theatre….100% local. The same high-calibre pictures the Palace brought to the Peninsula will be shown here. First-run for the first time on the lower Peninsula. We bid you welcome. Leonard & Julian Gordon
Complete air conditioning – lots of Parking space – Ultra-Comfortable Seats
The Peninsula’s Smartest, Most Modern Theater
When the Wythe opened, prices were as follows:
Afternoons: .25
Evenings: .35
Children – any time: .10
According to local City Directories and historical books:
The Academy of Music operated from 1900 to 1930. It was demolished and rebuilt as the Paramount in 1931 and operated until 1979 when it closed due to a lack of business. A story about the opening of the Paramount in the Oct. 3, 1931 Daily Press states the seating as 1350.
The Paramount opened briefly for a short period but again business caused it to close it doors again. It operated from 1982 to 1984.
It was demolished in 1988. Elvis performed here in the 50’s.
Wow!! John Wayne not billed here
1968
It was operating as early as 1911
The last movie to play at the Langley was The Alamo
Operated as a single screen, double screen and finally triple screen from 1965 to 1997
According to the City Directory, the theater operated from 1946 to 1959
According to the City Directory, this theater opened in 2003. Still thriving – good prices for us seniors
I saw an ad in a Norfolk newspaper for the Regal that said it was previously the Palace.
Great shot of the Palace here. Caption says demolished but as we know it is now a Church.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/39581010@N00/227414878/sizes/l/in/photostream/
There is an ad for the Owl on the far right with the Crescent at the top left. Two different theaters, I think.