Valley Theatres I & II

Thanks raysson.

I didn’t realize there were 70MM prints of THE COLOR PURPLE.

ABOUT CRABTREE VALLEY MALL IN RALEIGH……

1. The Convenience Center opened in 1971 with the opening of several stores…The first was anchored by a Big Star/Colonial Stores Grocer
   and the specialty stores were added including a Singer Sewing Store,
   Pier One Imports, Catherine’s Womens Store,a branch United States Post Office,Crabtree Valley Barber Shop and Salon,and a Hardees Restaurant. The Valley Theatres was on the opposite end of the Plaza
   facing Blue Ridge Road and right next to a Good Year Tire and Auto Center that was across the street from the convenience center.

2. The shopping mall itself,CRABTREE VALLEY MALL,didn’t officially opened to the public until August 8, 1972. It was the Triangle area’s first-ever megaplex shopping center and the largest shopping mall in the state and in the all of Eastern North Carolina. CRABTREE
   was Raleigh’s second indoor shopping center after the huge success of North Hills which opened in 1966.

The mall was anchored by three major department stores:
HUDSON BELK-which was the largest Belk’s in the Carolinas
THALHIMERS
SEARS ROEBUCK AND COMPANY
The supporting stores were:
MILLER AND RHOADES
G.C. MURPHY COMPANY
and more than 200 stores and services.

“Beyond the Valley of the Dolls” a Russ Myer movie that actually played in first run movie theatres and not some slut X-rated theatre.I think it was released by Fox. I had forgotten all about “Little Murderers” I think i have that one-sheet.

Raysson love seeing those coming features coming to the VAllEY anytime you find them please list them. I played OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT at my theatre as an R rated flick. But it was re-released with a PG rating I am 99% sure,never could see what they cut unless it was the F word. Barbra had a dirty mouth in that comedy. And wasn’t George Segal a big 70’s star,now only to be seen on TV. Strange.

Actually,the movie theatre opened before the shopping mall did…..
The Valley Theatres 1 & 2 opened officially on February 10, 1971 and it was Raleigh’s first-ever twin theatres that was owned and operated under Schneider-Merl Theatres Corporation. The cinema was located in the convenience center of Crabtree Valley Mall between Highway 70 and the Raleigh Beltline.

Screen One had a seating capacity of 700. Screen Two had a seating capacity of 650. The Valley,at the time of its grand opening had great rocking lounge chairs; Full Surround Sound in Both Auditoriums;
Plenty of or Acres of Free Parking.
During it’s official grand opening on February 10, 1971,special promotion offers were given to the first 500 customers on opening night…..FREE CIGARS to the first 500 Men…FREE ORCHIDS to the first 500 women……

THE OPENING ATTRACTIONS THAT PLAYED AT THE VALLEY THEATRES 1 & 2
Screen One: Barbra Streisand and George Segal in “The Owl And The Pussycat”

Screen Two: John Wayne and Richard Boone in the Howard Hawks western
“Rio Lobo”

During its opening,the Valley also had late shows on Friday and Saturday nights which was rare of a new theatre that just opened on the opposite side of Raleigh near the Beltline.
Source: February 9, 1971 edition of the Raleigh News and Observer.

The plaza area of Crabtree Valley Mall has really changed. The Pier One is still there along with the Old Navy store and Best Buy. The Circuit City Store was never in the plaza location of Crabtree Valley Mall. In that plaza area still stands Barnes and Noble Bookstores and the U.S. Post Office(which has been at the same located since Crabtree Valley Mall opened its doors to the public in 1972).

The Circuit City was located at the intersection of Glenwood Avenue at Creedmoor Road—across the street from the mall.
The Circuit City went out of business in December of 2008.

I missed the convenience of the theatre being there as it was just a city bus ride away. Pier One is now a Circuit City and Old Navy Store.

The Valley Theatres were on the opposite end of the strip mall across from a Good Year Tire Shop(which was on the left side of Crabtree Valley Mall facing Blue Ridge Road). The Big Star/Colonial Stores was in the front of the shopping center(next to a Singer Sewing Machine Shop and Pier One Imports facing Glenwood Avenue and Highway 70)while the Post Office and the nearby Hardees Restaurant was to the right side of the shopping center facing Hudson-Belk.
Pier One is still there as well as the Post Office,but the Big Star grocery store,the Singer shop,the Valley Theatre,are gone due to expansion and extension of the Crabtree Valley Mall. Where Big Star was is now a Toys-R-Us(which has gone to make way for a Best Buy),and where Hardees used to be is now Barnes and Noble. The Valley Theatres closed in 1990.

Both auditoriums seating over 1200 people since they were extremely big in size.