Cameo Theatre
527 Market Street,
Chattanooga,
TN
37402
527 Market Street,
Chattanooga,
TN
37402
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The Cameo showed many of the B Westerns, mainly I recall the “Red Ryder” series from Republic Pictures with both Rocky Lane and Wild Bill Elliott. I attended the Cameo many times in the late 40’s/early 50’s.
It had a small concession stand located on the right side of the small lobby. Inside was not that large from what I recall, so the 527 seat capacity surprised me.
Later on, the Cameo showed a lot of the exploitation films for “adults only” and it wasn’t long afterwards that they closed down.
It was located directly across from the Capitol Theater on Market Street.
The organ was Wurlitzer’s opus 372 which had been built for the Capitol Theatre in Macon Georgia (q.v.) in 1920. It was relocated to the York in December 1925. It was a model 135a, which is 4 ranks of pipes (Trumpet, Salicional, Flute, Vox Humana), tuned percussions, traps, sound effects and piano.
Seems Chattanooga had 4 Wurlitzers: the York/Cameo, the State, the Tivoli and St Elmo’s Methodist, an original Wurlitzer church installation.
The Cameo opened as the York around 1925 and was equipped with a Wurlitzer pipe organ.
In 1933, the “Picture Snatcher” with James Cagney was playing at the Cameo theater in Chattanooga so this theater was operating at that time.