Virginia Cinema

miamiguy on July 6, 2007 at 5:25 am

My aunt used to be the “ticket girl” at the Virginia Theater in Somerset. I don’t know what year she started working there (probably way before I was born), but from about 1955-59 my cousins and I saw every Randolph Scott movie that was ever made in this theater. I also remember seeing the Big E’s “Jailhouse Rock” when it first came out.

On Saturday’s the local radio station used to do a live “Man on the Street” broadcast from in front of the Virginia Theater.

This theater also had a small stage and I remember seeing at least one live show that came on between movies. Only happened once, though —it wasn’t a standard thing.

I remember my aunt saying that this theater was owned by a prominent local family, but I can’t recall the name.

There was another theater about three blocks away that I believe was called the “Kentucky Theater.” It had a black front facade that I now assume was Vitrolite.

And I also remember my uncle telling me that there was one more VERY old theater that was already gone (fire?) by the middle 1950’s that was behind the Kentucky Theater.

Chuck1231 on March 30, 2010 at 10:54 am

Was open in 1930 and closed in the early 1990’s.