Newmarket Cinemas 1-4

In lieu of posting photos on Cinema Treasures, here's a blog entry with pictures I took in 2000:

http://uberkayness.blogspot.com/2007/07/time-capsule-at-newmarket-theatre.html

Um, also my info is hardly complete or error-proof. Please submit anything you know about the Newmarket Cinemas (the one behind the old Newmarket Shopping Center, not the cineplex in the Newmarket North Mall).

Also, more subjective, "I saw this movie here" stories are welcome.

To start the ball rolling:

If I recall correctly, it was here that I saw The Man Who Would Be King (starring Sean Connery and Micheal Caine) on my 13th birthday.

Glitch alert: for some reason the address for the Newmarket Cinemas is not what I entered.

The correct street address is 688 79th St. Newport News VA for the older Cinemas 1 & 2 building.

The Cinemas 3 & 4 address is 682 79th St. Newport News VA.

Possibly these freestanding cinemas behind the Newmarket Square shopping center have been confused with the mall cineplex that used to exist inside what was Newmarket North Mall.

This Sickmalls blog entry has a picture of the Cinemas 3 & 4 concession stand:

http://sickmalls.wordpress.com/2005/11/02/them-two-round-buildings/

Some interesting stuff about the Newmarket Theatres more than just the time capsule:

The original big theatre was called the Rockingchair theatre, Virginia's first rockingchair theatre
The theatre had 738 seats and a wall-to-wall screen, not sure of the exact dimesions, I would say atleast 40 feet long.
Theatre had a rotating sign on the roof, when I worked there the breaker that controlled it was taped off so not to turn it on bu mistake. We tried it one night in 1982 I believe, screeched very loudly like a rusted old wheel on a bike but much louder.

more things : The time capsule idea was big in that time period. Managed a theatre that is actually still open in Charlotte(Park Terrace-is on ct) that has time capsule opening in 6 years.

Newmarket Twin Theatres opened in 74, were called ultravision theatres, with the two round houses with round lobby. Not very good sound, only mono in each house, the Rockingchair had the great sound and picture.

Rockingchair's last picture to play before it was fatefully twinned in 1984-Footloose.

The original Rockingchair Theatre was opened by manager R.D. Stallings, former manager of the Paramount Theatre in downtown Newport News, I belive he later opened "the twin" in 74 before retiring.
Worked there between 81and 85, managed the Rockingchair twin in 84-85. Have tons of wonderful memories there, not just working, but going there as a kid. I run a beautiful stadium seated complex in Gettysburg Pa, but the Rockingchair will always be my favorite.