Frances Theatre
114 E. Court Street,
Dyersburg,
TN
38024
114 E. Court Street,
Dyersburg,
TN
38024
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Contributed by
Jack Coursey
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Recent comments (view all 5 comments)
The address is 114 East Court Street. The building still exists as the DeLoach Shoe Store. When my family lived in Dyersburg from 74 – 83, it had already been closed for a few years. The Martin Twin went up in the early 70s, and resulted in the Frances being closed.
I’ve only found Dyersburg mentioned only a few times in Boxoffice, and none of them mention the Frances Theatre. A Ritz Theatre was mentioned in the issue of May 15, 1954. The manager was named R.E. Gillett. Could Ritz be an aka for the Frances, or was it a different theater?
The January 4, 1971, issue of Boxoffice mentioned a theater called the Martin in Dyersburg. As the Martin Twin opened in 1972, it must have been some other theater. That’s the only time it’s mentioned.
Dyersburg once had a theater called the Georgia Opera House, listed in the 1898 edition of Julius Chan’s Theatrical Guide. It was a second-floor house seating 1,050. It was also mentioned in “Richardson’s Standard Southern Guide,” published in 1905, though that book gave the seating capacity as 1,500. I’ve been unable to discover what became of it.
In 1940, only the Francis Theatre is operating in Dyersburg. By 1943, the Francis Theatre has been joined by the Capitol Theatre and Ritz Theatre. In the 1950 edition of Film Daily Yearbook, the Francis Theatre is one of four movie theatre operating in Dyersburg, the other three are the 550-seat Capitol Theatre, S. Main Street, the 400-seat Ritz Theatre (no address given) and the 195-seat Savoy Theatre, 715 Cedar Street.
Thanks, Ken. I see that the Savoy is listed at CinemaTour, but with no details other than the address, and the Ritz is listed with no address.
Although the 1971 Boxoffice article listed the Martin as a conventional theater, I now think it might have actually been a drive-in. A 1961 article said that the former Funland Drive-In in Dyersburg had been renamed the Martin and was being renovated.
My father ran the Francis Theatre from December 1961 to the fall of 1962, I was 4-½ yo. His name is Leonard L. Cook,Sr. He also ran the drive in theatre. He was with Martin theaters for four years. He transferred from Greenville, AL where he ran the theatre which was owned by the Cresent Amusement Company which sold to the Martin Theatre Co. I remember the Francis as a wonderful place. My father has stories I love to hear about the other theatres he ran. BAck to the Francis……it had such character. I remember the stage, oh the stage. To a 4-½ yo child it was huge. I remember he had a large picture of Shirley Temple hanging in his office; the debut of Blue Hawaii; the balcony. I love the Francis; it represents a time for me of wonder……….I have pictures of the Francis. Memories………….