Kaweah Theater
149 South E Street,
Exeter,
CA
93221
149 South E Street,
Exeter,
CA
93221
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Contributed by
Ken McIntyre
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Recent comments (view all 3 comments)
There is a former theatre building in the charming old downtown of Exeter, which I would guess is the Kaweah. It has been converted to office use, but its Streamline Moderne facade, minus marquee and signage, still remains intact. Poster cases exist in the entryway.
Using Google Street View I can’t find a building matching the description Gary Parks gives in his comment above. I wonder if the building has been altered or demolished since he last saw it?
There is supposed to have been another theater in Exeter, called the Exeter Theatre. It was mentioned in the November 2, 1946, issue of Boxoffice Magazine, and again in the October 23, 1954, issue when it reopened after being equipped for CinemaScope. Both items name Charles Pease as the operator, and the 1954 item says that Pease also operated a nearby theater (name not given) and a drive-in.
The August 21, 1948, issue of Boxoffice says that C.E. Pease was building a theater on East Pine Street in Exeter, and refers to it as the Exeter Theatre. As an Exeter Theatre already existed in 1946, I wonder if perhaps the Kaweah was called the Exeter before the new house opened? That there was an Exeter Theatre operating after 1948 is confirmed by a July 28, 1951, issue of Boxoffice which says that R.A. Pritchard had been named as the new manager of the Exeter Theatre. I can’t find any mention of a Kaweah Theatre in Boxoffice.
Charles Pease was the brother-in-law of Rotus, Rodda, and Julian Harvey who owned/operated/built theaters, including Laurel, Manor, Stockton Motor Movies, Angels, Victory Remodel in San Jose, the art deco Stockton theater (name?), a couple in Winnemucca, Oakdale, Westwood, and others..Havery Amusement was the largest “Little theater” chain in the 1950s.