Penn Theater

kencmcintyre on February 23, 2009 at 8:39 pm

Here is an article from the Titusville Herald dated 4/7/95:

For trivia fans, the death this week of actress Priscilla Lane has a local connection. Lane, 76, was the last surviving star of the movie “Dust Be My Destiny,” the picture which opened the Penn
Theater in Titusville. Other stars of the movie, set in Depression-era America, were John Garfield, Alan Hale Sr. (his son played the “Skipper” on “Gilligan’s Island”) and Frank McHugh.

When the Penn Theater was razed to make room for the Burger King Restaurant, the franchise owners, movie buffs all, wanted to locate Miss Lane and bring her to Titusville for the opening. Through the movie buffs at The Herald, Miss Lane was found at her home in Massachusetts.

When contacted, she was gracious, but indicated that presiding at Burger King openings was not her thing. Asked about “Dust Be My Destiny,” her comment was, “Yes, that was some picture.” The Burger King people sent Miss Lane a commemorative bottle of wine and some red roses.

Chuck1231 on April 17, 2009 at 8:06 pm

1983 photo of the Front Entrance of the Penn Theatre.
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kencmcintyre on July 13, 2009 at 12:10 am

This is from the Titusville Herald in May 1984:

What if they had a sale and no one came to it? That, was the case Friday morning when Titusville’s venerable Penn Theater went up for sheriff’s sale in the Crawford County Courthouse. No bids were offered to buy the financially beleaguered movie house, which has stood dark for nearly two years.

Friday’s absence of interest in the Penn means that a sheriff’s deed will be prepared and sent to the Hollidaysburg Trust Company in Hollidaysburg, the leading bank in a series of six financial institutions which have a share in the theater chain of Richard Neff of Altoona. Neff owned six theaters: the Penn in Titusville, the Auto Drive-In in Cherrytree Township, a theater in Brookville, Playhouse One and Two in Altoona and the 220 Drive-In on Route 220 near Altoona.

The Hollidaysburg Trust Company is the lead bank in a participation loan arrangement with five other banks. The Hollidaysburg bank wrote the original mortgage for the chain, then other banks in the areas where the theaters are located also provided a percentage of the money. Pennbank was involved locally with the Penn Theater. Friday morning, Milton McCracken of Pennbank was present in Meadville for the sale that never was.

Representing the interests of the Hollidaysburg Trust Company was Peter Blystone, a Meadville attorney. One of the reasons bidders may have been discouraged, according to McCracken, is the fact that the buyer must also satisfy all prior liens against the property. Now, the filing of the sheriff’s deed returns the Penn’s ownership to the Hollidaysburg bank. When the bank finds a buyer for the theater, the deed will be transferred to that purchaser. A check with the Venango County Sheriff’s Office Friday revealed that no date has been set for a sale of the Auto Drive-In.

SiliconSam on December 23, 2009 at 11:52 pm

On the map, go East to Franklin St, then go South maybe 1 block. The BK is right there, maybe 1 block from the old theater. Take the alleyway where the theater used to be and it puts you at BK’s back parking lot.

The old theater is to the West of the YMCA building on the map.

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