Cameo Trio Theatre

I worked for Mr. Florence for about eight years back in the 1970’s. The Cameo was still a single screen when I started. The Rocket Drive In was still running. Shortly after I moved away the Cameo was piggy backed and the Rocket demolished. I recently Googled my parent’s house in Magnolia and then followed the street out to the site of the Rocket where I saw that the ramps are still visible. I returned several times to work for Mr. Florence for a night or two at a time as I still retained my knowledge of the projection booth. I still remember most of the history of movie theatres in Magnolia if anyone is interestered.
The Cameo was opened in 1949 as the luxeury house that the Florence family had been asking their partner, Rob Rowley for for years

move them until he was sure that the theatre was going to be successful. He commuted 6 days a week (closed Sunday) about 25 miles over dirt roads. If I remember correctly, the family moved to Magnolia by the end of 1927. The only concession item sold was popcorn, and it was a nickel a bag. The Maaco was the first building in town to use neon lights. Mr. Florence told me that there was a single neon tube, red of course, around the attraction panel on the marque. The wires were not well insulated and he was shocked many times while changing the letters.
In the late 20’s or early 30’s WP, Sr open another theatre in neighboring Haynesville, La. He had two small trailers built and three times a week he and the manager of thr Pelican would meet at about the half way point and swap prints, advertising, and WP Sr would get the business receipts from the Pelican. I guess that you could call that operation a very small circuit. In the mid 30’s oil was discovered in nearby Smackover, AR and oil exploration spread toward Magnolia. In response to the influx of workers WP Sr put in a shotgun house about 6 doors down from the Maaco. The Odeon was the 425 seat theatre mentioned in that Boxoffice of Jan ‘38. It burned in about 1946 when a welder’s spark started a fire as they were adding refergration the Odeon. Mr. Florence told me that the fire (ironicaly directly across from Magnolia’s only fire station) may well have burned the entire northwest side of the square had not oil field water tankers been pressed into service to carry water to the fire. The property was not rebuilt as a theatre.
There was a black only theatre built by a local businessman whose name I can’t remember. The Ritz lasted a few years, killed by TV. TV killed the Maaco, too. I remember burning old boxoffice reports when the building was being remodeled into retail space. I glanced at some of them. $27.00 a day didn’t go very far, even in 1957. Today, a fading mural of famous movie scenes adorns the outside southern wall of the Maaco. The mural is divided into 5 or 6 panels, each panel dedicated to a decade of movies. On the wall above the entrance to the “colored balcony” is a list of theatres that operatered in the county. Maaco, Odeon, Ritz, Wa-Ke,Joy, Sunset Drive-In, Rocket Drive-In, and the Cameo.
I pestered Mr. Florence for a job and in the summer of 1971 was hired as a doorman/usher at the Cameo. It was still a single screen and he needed extra help for a two week run of “Love Story”. He usually had 2 changes a week (Sun-Wed and Thur-Sat) so running a picture for 2 weeks was special. That’s what he had to do to get the pictue, though. It was not a huge success, so when he had to book “Jaws” for 2 weeks he passed. He never play “Jaws” at the Cameo, although I do think that it was the A picture at the Rocket later on. About a year into my employ I became interestered in operating the projectors. Since I was only 17 I had to be off work by 10:00, so I had to wait to operate. Nothing could stop me from learning on my onw time, though and I became a relief operator shortly after turning 18. Soon I was the main operator at the Rocket Drive-In. It ran all year long, full time in summer and weekends during the school term.
Back to the list of theatres I mentioned earlier:
The Joy and Rocket were a partnership between Mr. Joy N. Houck (Joy and Strand Theatres, among others in Shreveport and other Northwest Louisiana and Northeast Texas towns) and a Magnolia businessman whose name escapes me at the moment. The Joy was directly across the square from the Maaco. The Joy was a much more luxurious theatre. Mr. Florence and his mother had been asking Rob Rowley, their 50-50 partner for a luxuery house and the opening of the Joy was what got them their luxuery theatre, The Cameo. The story was told me that when plans were announced for the Cameo that the local owner of the Joy was told to “give it up. You can’t win against the Florences”. He must have believed them because he soon sold them his operation. Mr. Florence ran out their bookings and shuttered the Joy. About the same time he shuttered his drive in, The Sunset and starteded operating Joy’s Drive in as The Rocket. It ran until Memorial Day of 1979 when it was closed and demolished. I was there earlier this year and the moon pole still stands. I find this ironic because Mr. Florence could not find anyone to climb the pole to change burned out light bulbs at it’s top. The pole was used when he had it installed and none of the local electric lineman would climb it. The Rocket was a dinasour: Strong Futura II lamps throwing a beam through Century C projectors, changing over every 20 minutes. How well I remember striking the arc between the cues if I was trying to burn a stub as close as I could. I did it successfully more times than not.
By the time I started to operate the Cameo had replaced the Peerless Magnarc lamps with Christie Xenon lamphouses. No conversions at the Cameo, just first class equipment. We still ran 2000’ reels, but big changes were coming! The Cameo was also the first small theatre on the Rowley United circuit that I know of that started to use Christie Platters. We has an AutoWind I, serial # 123. Due to the problems we had with it we think that they started with # 101. Does anyone know for sure?
I’ve enjoyed these memories, but it’s time to get back to the present. I’ll post more as time permits. Cinema Treasures Rocks!

I saw many a movie at this theater growing up. My last visit was in 1991. That night the a/c was out and they were showing Hudson Hawk. I was miserable.

CLOSED: http://www.magnoliareporter.com/news_and_business/local_business/article_b7540f4e-e401-11e1-aa7c-0019bb2963f4.html

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