Mr. and Mrs. Harold Hackett launched the first Hickory Theatre on April 26, 1946 with “Son of Lassie.” The 180-seat theatre was named after the Hermtiage’s county of Hickory. The Hickory was destroyed on November 8, 1949 when a fire destroyed virtually the entire West Side of the Hermitage square. Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Troxel rebuilt the venue from the ground up, re-launching April 28, 1950 with Red Skelton in “Neptune’s Daughter.” The theatre closed on September 1, 1959 with “Born Reckless.”
The Hickory was used for free kids and farm implement related screenings until 1961. On August 19, 1961, the venue reopened as a country music venue with The Ozark Mountain Boys headlining. That operation ceased on October 21, 1961. The building was converted in February of 1963 becoming the Payne Recreation Hall.
This building was home to the second location of the Empress Theatre which opened November 7, 1919 with Ruth Roland in “The Tiger’s Trail.” The Empress fulfilled a ten-year leasing period and went dark when operator Sam Fringer decided to let the lease lapse and move to the new Masonic Temple Building. The Empress Theatre closed on June 15, 1929 with “The Air Circus” with the equipment moving to the new Temple. The Temple Theatre opened along with the well-placed Temple Soda Shoppe next door on July 1, 1929. The theatre was hurt by a ban placed on Sunday movies by the town in 1929 which was partially released to allow Sunday matinees in 1930.
But Griffith Amusements decided to purchase the venue in October of 1937 and equip it with sound. It became the Greer Theatre named after the county and opening November 11, 1937 with Joan Blondell in “Stand-In.” The Greer went independent and closed in the 1950s due to the impact of television. However, Video Independent Theatres Circuit equipped the Greer with widescreen and a Grand Re-Opening on September 25, 1955 with “Naked Spur” and “Ride Vaquero.” But patronage even with widescreen and Technicolor was poor and the theatre closed January 20, 1957 as it approached its 20-year lease expiration.
The Temple Theatre was launched July 1, 1929 by Sam Fringer. Fringer had discontinued operation of the Empress Theatre on June 15, 1929 moving the equipment to the Temple. The theatre opened along with the well-placed Temple Soda Shoppe next door.
This theatre opened as a 70mm suburban theatre designed to present roadshow pictures - which it did with “Oliver.” It was opened by the Broumas Theatre Circuit which retained it until its bankruptcy in 1967. But the Westwood may be best known for the place where “Slap Shot” opened in 1977. Many of the films best hockey scenes were shot in Johnstown. Some fifty years after its launch, the Westwood Plaza Theatre was still going under the Fleegle Cinemas banner.
Opened December 20, 1963 with “Fun in Acapulco” staring Elvis Presley, this was another of the fledgling Broumas Theatre Circuit’s suburban strip shopping center new build locations. Unfortunately questionable business practices led to a 1967 Broumas exit from the industry in bankruptcy.
This was a typical Broumas Theatre which specialized in 700-800 suburban shopping center single-screen theatres with 70mm projection and stereo sound. It launched in the decade-old Boardman Plaza Shopping Center and stayed as a Broumas Circuit location until the chain went bankrupt in 1967.
The North Point Plaza Shopping Center opened theatre-less late in 1963. However, a year later, a theatre was announced by the fledgling John G. Broumas Theatre Circuit. Broumas specialized in 700-800 seat single-screen theatres boasting road show capability, 70mm projection and stereo sound. Broumas opened the North Point Plaza Theatre with Dean Jones in “That Darn Cat” on March 16, 1966. Months later, Broumas' circuit was under investigation and in early 1967 it was defunct.
The North Point carried on without him / them and doggedly as a single-screen venue all the way into 1984. But after closing for renovations in Setpember of 1984 for J-F Theatres, the theatre was quadplexed with a an extension reopening with free open house screenings on November 29, 1984 with “Risky Business,” “Greystoke,” “Superman” and “Never Say Never Again.” Two years later, the theatre was downgraded to a sub-run discount house with all seats $1. In 1988, Loews took over the discount operation and gave it a big refresh in Jun 29, 1990 Grand Reopening as a $1.50 venue with all new projection.
A 22-year survivor, Sony Theatres closed up shop as a sub-run discount house at $1.75 a seat on June 28, 1998 with “Black Dog,” “The Wedding Singer,” “Good Will Hunting,” and “The Big Hit.”
The 1962 redo was for the Broumas Theatre Circuit which operated this until that theatre chain came under investigation and then declared bankruptcy in 1967.
Broumas Theatre Circuit headed by John G. Broumas took over the State from the Edward C. Prinsen estate in 1963 less than a year after Prinsen’s death. The State had already transformed to a 1,250-seat road show house playing 70mm films.
The Liberty Court Shopping Center launched October 11, 1963 theatre-less by Food Fair Properties whose grocery store anchored the strip center here. It was Food Fair’s eighth shopping center. F.H. Durkee Circuit opened the Liberty Court Theatre in the strip on October 31, 1964. The $350,000 house seated 900 and was be followed by the Eastern Theatre project as suburban destination theaters were trending. The Liberty would shortly get competition across the street from the Randallstown-Plaza Threatre by the fledgling Broumas Cicrcuit that had opened less than year later in 1965. Meanwhile, the Eastpoint project was downgraded to the Eastern Center Hall that became an event center.
The Liberty Court was a success and, in 1968, Durkee designed a second theatre to compliment the original house now operating under the name of the Liberty Theatre. However, those plans did not transpire. The venue was eventually twinned becoming the Liberty Twin Theatre I & II on August 25, 1971. The theatre closed as the Liberty Twin at the end of a 20-year lease on March 26, 1987.
In June of 1989, it was announced that the theatre would reopen with the twin screens twinned. The resulting quadplex was a sub-run discount house known as the Liberty $1 Cinemas. J-F Theatres’ Jack Fruchtman, who had operated the Randallstown Plaza until selling his theatre Circuit in 1984, teamed with former Loew’s Theatre employee Tom Herman for the relaunch. It was renamed as Liberty Cinemas as prices moved from a buck to $1.50 then onward to $2.50.
On March 1, 1996, Premier took over the operation and restored order by lowering the price to $1.49 per show with free popcorn on Wednesday if you brought your own bag. (Refills were not permitted if the employees felt that the bag brought in was too large.) The “premier(e)” didn’t have to do with first-run movies but the circuit’s name and claim that the Liberty was Baltimore’s only four-star discount movie venue. (Pre-Yelp, it was a bit challenging to find out who rated it as a four-star establishment.)
Going under the name of Liberty’s Premier Discount Cinemas, the quadplex’s last showings advertised were on May 28, 1998 which would likely coincide with the end of a 10-year leasing agreement. If so, it closed with “The Wedding Singer,” “Hush,” “Mercury Rising” splitting with “Scream 2,” and “U.S. Marshalls” splitting with “Species 2.” If not, hope that people brought in clean bags for the free ‘corn
The Glen Burnie Mall was announced in 1962 opening in February of 1963 with 33 stores anchored by a Montgomery Ward store. Movie fans had to go across the street to the Governor Ritchie Drive-In Theatre to enjoy movies. The mall was an Edward DeBartolo project and would add an indoor theatre a year later with the Glen Burnie Mall Theatre. It opened on a 20-year lease on January 15, 1964 with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in “The V.I.P.s”. It was billed as the only “All Climate Theatre” in Baltimore. It was associated with the John Broumas Theatre Circuit. The theatre appears to have closed at the end of its leasing period.
This theatre’s genesis is found in January of 1965 when the Broumas Theatre Circuit was building new shopping center theaters throughout Ohio, Maryland and Virginia. This was to be #47 for Broumas which was part of a $750,000 expansion of the Page Manor shopping complex that included the $250,000 Page Manor Theatre. However, by late 1966, Broumas was in severe financial distress followed by its 1967 bankruptcy. The project was taken over - as was another failed Broumas project in Phoenix, the Thomas Mall Cinema - by Century Theatres which opened both in May of 1967.
The Broumas Theatre Circuit announced this project in January of 1965 designed originally as a 70mm roadshow venue. However, Broumas ran into financial difficulty and - like the Page Manor Theatre project in Ohio - was taken over by Century Theatres and opened by them in 1967.
The Hudson Plaza Shopping Center was announced in 1962. The Hudson Plaza Theatre selected August 7th, 1963 for its grand opening with “Irma la Douce.” It was originally a 900-seat single-screen theatre with Norelco 70mm projectors and Altec Lansing sound. The theatre was built by John G. Broumas Theatre Circuit. Broumas went bankrupt in 1967.
The Hudson Valley was twinned in 1979 by CATE Enterprises Circuit whbich subsequently closed it on December 17, 1981 with “Superman II” and “Galaxy of Terror.” Cramer’s Half-Size Clothing took over the spot in 1986 and the former theater space has been divided.
The genesis of this project dates back to 1965 when John Broumas Theatre Circuit signed an agreement to lease what was to be a road show, 70mm and Cinerama capable theatre at Duck Creek Plaza to open May 1, 1965. It would be opposite Younker’s Department Store which had opened five years earlier when the Duck Creek Plaza launched August 18, 1960. The theater plans were put on hold and then Broumas declared bankruptcy before the theatre could be constructed.
In 1971, a $1 million addition to Duck Creek Plaza was announced rekindling the theatre concept now as a twin-screener. General Cinema Corp. signed on to operate a 1,450-seat twin screen operation there and was in the process of building another twin-screener in nearby Davenport’s new Northpark Mall. William Riseman Associates provided the architectural plans for the venue. Then theatre-less Bettendorf also was receiving a twin-screener at the Cumberland Square Shopping Center as automated theatres promised lower costs to potential operators.
The theatre launched with more spacious seating rows with a total count of 1,094 Griggs push-backed cushioned seats Cinema I had 606 seats and Cinema II had 488. Bathed in white formica with seat backs in white and seat cushions and carpeting in red, the General Cinema launched on December 27th, 1972 with “Up the Sand Box” and “Deliverance.” Kurt J. Noack, commenter above, was its original manager. Like many GCC Theatres, this one had an art gallery featuring local artists. The Duck Creek vanquished its in-town competitor, the Spruce Hills Cinema, that ended its run October 5, 1977 and the theatre was auctioned off April 5, 1978.
From October 1978 to 1985, the Duck Creek Cinema featured midnight showings of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” almost all under manager Bill Curtis’s tenure of 12 years there. In 1983, National Cinema / Showcase Cinema attempted to buy the two GCC Quad City locations but was forbidden by the Justice Department. But Bettendorf couldn’t support its local theatre with GCC migrating away from the Duck Creek on July 31, 1987 about five years short of fulfilling its 20-year lease. The cinema shuttered with “The Untouchables,” and splitting with “Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs” and “Predator.”
GCC stressed that it couldn’t compete with National Cinema’s 11-screen theatre in nearby Milan, Illinois, and National’s plans for an additional Showcase multiplex in Davenport. It was a portent of things to come for General Cinema which wasn’t able to compete in the megaplex world that was to follow in the 1990s and early 2000s. The Duck Creek Cinema posted “The Last Picture Show” on its post-closure attractor while its spot was leased to Shoe Carnival and later became office space. The town never had another movie theater.
This theatre’s genesis is found in January of 1965 when the Broumas Theatre Circuit was building new shopping center theaters throughout Ohio, Maryland and Virginia. This was to be #47 for Broumas which was part of a $750,000 expansion of the Page Manor shopping complex that included the $250,000 Page Manor Theatre. However, by late 1966, Broumas was in severe financial distress followed by its 1967 bankruptcy. The project was taken over by Century Theatres which opened in May of 1967.
Mr. and Mrs. Harold Hackett launched the first Hickory Theatre on April 26, 1946 with “Son of Lassie.” The 180-seat theatre was named after the Hermtiage’s county of Hickory. The Hickory was destroyed on November 8, 1949 when a fire destroyed virtually the entire West Side of the Hermitage square. Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Troxel rebuilt the venue from the ground up, re-launching April 28, 1950 with Red Skelton in “Neptune’s Daughter.” The theatre closed on September 1, 1959 with “Born Reckless.”
The Hickory was used for free kids and farm implement related screenings until 1961. On August 19, 1961, the venue reopened as a country music venue with The Ozark Mountain Boys headlining. That operation ceased on October 21, 1961. The building was converted in February of 1963 becoming the Payne Recreation Hall.
This building was home to the second location of the Empress Theatre which opened November 7, 1919 with Ruth Roland in “The Tiger’s Trail.” The Empress fulfilled a ten-year leasing period and went dark when operator Sam Fringer decided to let the lease lapse and move to the new Masonic Temple Building. The Empress Theatre closed on June 15, 1929 with “The Air Circus” with the equipment moving to the new Temple. The Temple Theatre opened along with the well-placed Temple Soda Shoppe next door on July 1, 1929. The theatre was hurt by a ban placed on Sunday movies by the town in 1929 which was partially released to allow Sunday matinees in 1930.
But Griffith Amusements decided to purchase the venue in October of 1937 and equip it with sound. It became the Greer Theatre named after the county and opening November 11, 1937 with Joan Blondell in “Stand-In.” The Greer went independent and closed in the 1950s due to the impact of television. However, Video Independent Theatres Circuit equipped the Greer with widescreen and a Grand Re-Opening on September 25, 1955 with “Naked Spur” and “Ride Vaquero.” But patronage even with widescreen and Technicolor was poor and the theatre closed January 20, 1957 as it approached its 20-year lease expiration.
The Temple Theatre was launched July 1, 1929 by Sam Fringer. Fringer had discontinued operation of the Empress Theatre on June 15, 1929 moving the equipment to the Temple. The theatre opened along with the well-placed Temple Soda Shoppe next door.
Opened by Broumas Theatre Circuit which held on to the theatre until its bankruptcy in 1967
In the 1960s was part of the Broumas Theatre Circuit until its demise in 1967.
This theatre opened as a 70mm suburban theatre designed to present roadshow pictures - which it did with “Oliver.” It was opened by the Broumas Theatre Circuit which retained it until its bankruptcy in 1967. But the Westwood may be best known for the place where “Slap Shot” opened in 1977. Many of the films best hockey scenes were shot in Johnstown. Some fifty years after its launch, the Westwood Plaza Theatre was still going under the Fleegle Cinemas banner.
Opened December 20, 1963 with “Fun in Acapulco” staring Elvis Presley, this was another of the fledgling Broumas Theatre Circuit’s suburban strip shopping center new build locations. Unfortunately questionable business practices led to a 1967 Broumas exit from the industry in bankruptcy.
This was a typical Broumas Theatre which specialized in 700-800 suburban shopping center single-screen theatres with 70mm projection and stereo sound. It launched in the decade-old Boardman Plaza Shopping Center and stayed as a Broumas Circuit location until the chain went bankrupt in 1967.
Once operated as part of the John G. Broumas Circuit until it went bust in 1967.
The North Point Plaza Shopping Center opened theatre-less late in 1963. However, a year later, a theatre was announced by the fledgling John G. Broumas Theatre Circuit. Broumas specialized in 700-800 seat single-screen theatres boasting road show capability, 70mm projection and stereo sound. Broumas opened the North Point Plaza Theatre with Dean Jones in “That Darn Cat” on March 16, 1966. Months later, Broumas' circuit was under investigation and in early 1967 it was defunct.
The North Point carried on without him / them and doggedly as a single-screen venue all the way into 1984. But after closing for renovations in Setpember of 1984 for J-F Theatres, the theatre was quadplexed with a an extension reopening with free open house screenings on November 29, 1984 with “Risky Business,” “Greystoke,” “Superman” and “Never Say Never Again.” Two years later, the theatre was downgraded to a sub-run discount house with all seats $1. In 1988, Loews took over the discount operation and gave it a big refresh in Jun 29, 1990 Grand Reopening as a $1.50 venue with all new projection.
A 22-year survivor, Sony Theatres closed up shop as a sub-run discount house at $1.75 a seat on June 28, 1998 with “Black Dog,” “The Wedding Singer,” “Good Will Hunting,” and “The Big Hit.”
The 1962 redo was for the Broumas Theatre Circuit which operated this until that theatre chain came under investigation and then declared bankruptcy in 1967.
In 1965-1967, was part of the Broumas Theatre Circuit.
Opened as part of the Broumas Theatre Circuit on May 19, 1965, the circuit was in bankruptcy just about a year later.
The genesis of this theatre was in 1963 as a project by the Broumas Theatre Circuit
Broumas Theatre Circuit headed by John G. Broumas took over the State from the Edward C. Prinsen estate in 1963 less than a year after Prinsen’s death. The State had already transformed to a 1,250-seat road show house playing 70mm films.
From 1965 to 1967 was part of the Broumas Theatre Circuit
Became part of the Broumas Theatre Circuit when John G. Broumas bought the theatre on February 29, 1960.
robboehm: It’s the Randallstown Twin Cinema (aka Plaza and Randallstown-Plaza) and it went live today. Thanks for posting the photo!
The Liberty Court Shopping Center launched October 11, 1963 theatre-less by Food Fair Properties whose grocery store anchored the strip center here. It was Food Fair’s eighth shopping center. F.H. Durkee Circuit opened the Liberty Court Theatre in the strip on October 31, 1964. The $350,000 house seated 900 and was be followed by the Eastern Theatre project as suburban destination theaters were trending. The Liberty would shortly get competition across the street from the Randallstown-Plaza Threatre by the fledgling Broumas Cicrcuit that had opened less than year later in 1965. Meanwhile, the Eastpoint project was downgraded to the Eastern Center Hall that became an event center.
The Liberty Court was a success and, in 1968, Durkee designed a second theatre to compliment the original house now operating under the name of the Liberty Theatre. However, those plans did not transpire. The venue was eventually twinned becoming the Liberty Twin Theatre I & II on August 25, 1971. The theatre closed as the Liberty Twin at the end of a 20-year lease on March 26, 1987.
In June of 1989, it was announced that the theatre would reopen with the twin screens twinned. The resulting quadplex was a sub-run discount house known as the Liberty $1 Cinemas. J-F Theatres’ Jack Fruchtman, who had operated the Randallstown Plaza until selling his theatre Circuit in 1984, teamed with former Loew’s Theatre employee Tom Herman for the relaunch. It was renamed as Liberty Cinemas as prices moved from a buck to $1.50 then onward to $2.50.
On March 1, 1996, Premier took over the operation and restored order by lowering the price to $1.49 per show with free popcorn on Wednesday if you brought your own bag. (Refills were not permitted if the employees felt that the bag brought in was too large.) The “premier(e)” didn’t have to do with first-run movies but the circuit’s name and claim that the Liberty was Baltimore’s only four-star discount movie venue. (Pre-Yelp, it was a bit challenging to find out who rated it as a four-star establishment.)
Going under the name of Liberty’s Premier Discount Cinemas, the quadplex’s last showings advertised were on May 28, 1998 which would likely coincide with the end of a 10-year leasing agreement. If so, it closed with “The Wedding Singer,” “Hush,” “Mercury Rising” splitting with “Scream 2,” and “U.S. Marshalls” splitting with “Species 2.” If not, hope that people brought in clean bags for the free ‘corn
The Glen Burnie Mall was announced in 1962 opening in February of 1963 with 33 stores anchored by a Montgomery Ward store. Movie fans had to go across the street to the Governor Ritchie Drive-In Theatre to enjoy movies. The mall was an Edward DeBartolo project and would add an indoor theatre a year later with the Glen Burnie Mall Theatre. It opened on a 20-year lease on January 15, 1964 with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in “The V.I.P.s”. It was billed as the only “All Climate Theatre” in Baltimore. It was associated with the John Broumas Theatre Circuit. The theatre appears to have closed at the end of its leasing period.
This theatre’s genesis is found in January of 1965 when the Broumas Theatre Circuit was building new shopping center theaters throughout Ohio, Maryland and Virginia. This was to be #47 for Broumas which was part of a $750,000 expansion of the Page Manor shopping complex that included the $250,000 Page Manor Theatre. However, by late 1966, Broumas was in severe financial distress followed by its 1967 bankruptcy. The project was taken over - as was another failed Broumas project in Phoenix, the Thomas Mall Cinema - by Century Theatres which opened both in May of 1967.
The Broumas Theatre Circuit announced this project in January of 1965 designed originally as a 70mm roadshow venue. However, Broumas ran into financial difficulty and - like the Page Manor Theatre project in Ohio - was taken over by Century Theatres and opened by them in 1967.
The Hudson Plaza Shopping Center was announced in 1962. The Hudson Plaza Theatre selected August 7th, 1963 for its grand opening with “Irma la Douce.” It was originally a 900-seat single-screen theatre with Norelco 70mm projectors and Altec Lansing sound. The theatre was built by John G. Broumas Theatre Circuit. Broumas went bankrupt in 1967.
The Hudson Valley was twinned in 1979 by CATE Enterprises Circuit whbich subsequently closed it on December 17, 1981 with “Superman II” and “Galaxy of Terror.” Cramer’s Half-Size Clothing took over the spot in 1986 and the former theater space has been divided.
The genesis of this project dates back to 1965 when John Broumas Theatre Circuit signed an agreement to lease what was to be a road show, 70mm and Cinerama capable theatre at Duck Creek Plaza to open May 1, 1965. It would be opposite Younker’s Department Store which had opened five years earlier when the Duck Creek Plaza launched August 18, 1960. The theater plans were put on hold and then Broumas declared bankruptcy before the theatre could be constructed.
In 1971, a $1 million addition to Duck Creek Plaza was announced rekindling the theatre concept now as a twin-screener. General Cinema Corp. signed on to operate a 1,450-seat twin screen operation there and was in the process of building another twin-screener in nearby Davenport’s new Northpark Mall. William Riseman Associates provided the architectural plans for the venue. Then theatre-less Bettendorf also was receiving a twin-screener at the Cumberland Square Shopping Center as automated theatres promised lower costs to potential operators.
The theatre launched with more spacious seating rows with a total count of 1,094 Griggs push-backed cushioned seats Cinema I had 606 seats and Cinema II had 488. Bathed in white formica with seat backs in white and seat cushions and carpeting in red, the General Cinema launched on December 27th, 1972 with “Up the Sand Box” and “Deliverance.” Kurt J. Noack, commenter above, was its original manager. Like many GCC Theatres, this one had an art gallery featuring local artists. The Duck Creek vanquished its in-town competitor, the Spruce Hills Cinema, that ended its run October 5, 1977 and the theatre was auctioned off April 5, 1978.
From October 1978 to 1985, the Duck Creek Cinema featured midnight showings of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” almost all under manager Bill Curtis’s tenure of 12 years there. In 1983, National Cinema / Showcase Cinema attempted to buy the two GCC Quad City locations but was forbidden by the Justice Department. But Bettendorf couldn’t support its local theatre with GCC migrating away from the Duck Creek on July 31, 1987 about five years short of fulfilling its 20-year lease. The cinema shuttered with “The Untouchables,” and splitting with “Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs” and “Predator.”
GCC stressed that it couldn’t compete with National Cinema’s 11-screen theatre in nearby Milan, Illinois, and National’s plans for an additional Showcase multiplex in Davenport. It was a portent of things to come for General Cinema which wasn’t able to compete in the megaplex world that was to follow in the 1990s and early 2000s. The Duck Creek Cinema posted “The Last Picture Show” on its post-closure attractor while its spot was leased to Shoe Carnival and later became office space. The town never had another movie theater.
This theatre’s genesis is found in January of 1965 when the Broumas Theatre Circuit was building new shopping center theaters throughout Ohio, Maryland and Virginia. This was to be #47 for Broumas which was part of a $750,000 expansion of the Page Manor shopping complex that included the $250,000 Page Manor Theatre. However, by late 1966, Broumas was in severe financial distress followed by its 1967 bankruptcy. The project was taken over by Century Theatres which opened in May of 1967.