Forty Fort Theater
924 Wyoming Avenue,
Forty-Fort,
PA
18704
924 Wyoming Avenue,
Forty-Fort,
PA
18704
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The Forty Fort Theater was located at the corner of Dilley Street and Wyoming Avenue in the town of Forty Fort, PA and opened for the first time on January 28, 1938 with Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney in “Thoroughbreds Don’t Cry”. It was built by Thomas P. Alexander & Louis Marinos, in conjunction with Comerford Theatres. By 1943, it was operated by Paramount Pictures Inc. through their subsidiary Frank Walker.
This neighborhood theater featured Art-Deco style lighting, terrazzo floored lobby, spacious auditorium, dark red drapes, and an ornately hand-detailed golden proscenium arch that surrounded the screen.
It had 892 seats in its one floor auditorium and was known for mostly showing foreign and art type films during the latter years of its life. It operated until 1988 when the building was converted to professional offices.
Any additional information on this theater is welcome.
Contributed by
Bobs
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Recent comments (view all 13 comments)
Here is a small image of the Forty-Fort Theater, unsure the year this photo was taken.
Here is another photo I took showing what the former Forty-Fort Theater looks like in August 2005.
This theater was a small “second run” theater. It showed movies after they finished their run in the larger Wilkes-Barre theaters—-the Comerford and the Paramount…I spent many Saturdays at the Forty Fort Theater in the late 50’s and 60’s. Kids' matinees were 15 cents on Saturday, and most items at the concession stand were 5 cents. If you bought a box of candy, when you finished, the box was used as a noisemaker….if you bought one of those flat boxes of pretzels, the box became a projectile. Of course, this silliness was not tolerated in the evening! I saw so many movies there….Bambi, BenHur, and The Birds. The owners were brothers, ..very nice men….they were always there and knew just about everyone by name. As time went by, kiddie matinees were forsaken for first dates as we entered our teens. I am sorry that the building was changed. Those were the days.
To Bobs…..The old photo of the Forty Forty Theater shows “Diamond Jubilee” on the marquee. That event was celebrated in 1962.
Official Forty Fort Theatre site:
View link
In the 1980s this theater was showing first-run pictures, the artsy ones that wouldn’t play at the mall. I saw Brazil, Under the Volcano, and Out of Africa here. Sometimes they had second-run, like Return of the Jedi, after it had played at the mall a few months.
1979 photo of the Forty Fort Theatre.
View link
Several posters mentioned photos but when I click on Photos there are none. Also the street view is for the wrong address completely, how can that be changed?
Don’t know why the google photo was locked in, but I moved the curser until I reached Dilley and the theatre showed up. It has an all new front on it with letters on the front that says Forty Fort Theatre Building.
I remember going to the Forty Fort theater back in the mid 80s, I think. I was with my new girlfriend Nancy Dolan, who was from Forty Fort. I believe that we saw Terms Of Endearment. Although I could be wrong. The only thing I do remember was Nancy. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. Wonderful time. Still can’t get her out of my mind.