Carolina Theatre
108 E. Franklin Street,
Chapel Hill,
NC
27514
108 E. Franklin Street,
Chapel Hill,
NC
27514
2 people
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The only STAR WARS film that ever played at the Carolina was THE RETURN OF THE JEDI that opened to capacity crowds on May 25, 1983.
As far as the STAR TREK movies went,only the Carolina had “STAR TREK:THE MOTION PICTURE”, “STAR TREK II:THE WRATH OF KHAN”,“STAR TREK III:THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK”. These were the only STAR TREK films that ever played here at the Carolina Theatre in Chapel Hill.
I remember seeing “E.T.” on the Blue Side,and on the White Side showed “Star Trek II:The Wrath of Khan” on June 11, 1982 when the Carolina was a twin cinema with its original lobby entrance.
thanks Pat.
Please do look at the link above for the history of the theatre. In The Charlotte Observer, August 18, 1961, page 1, Section B: Headline: Theatre Will Admit UNC Negro Pupils; “Carolina Theater here adopted a policy of limited desegregation Thursday. The policy applied only to Negro students at the University of North Carolina…Theatre officials said they believe it to be the first in the South to adopt a policy of integration.” But the docsouth link above will reveal that this ‘limited desegregation’ wasn’t the real thing and therefore the theatre was still picketed.
History of this Carolina Theatre and a photo at this link.
View link
The 1941 edition of Film Daily Yearbook has the original Carolina Theatre listed with a seating capacity of 850. Operated by Paramount Pictures Inc., through their subsidiary H.F. Kincey.
The old theatre is still listed in the 1943 edition of FDY, even though the new Carolina Theatre had opened. The new Carolina Theatre is not listed.
Apparently, this is not the Carolina Theatre that opened in 1927. Boxoffice Magazine of October 17, 1942, has this item, datelined Chapel Hill: “The new Carolina, seatng 1,145, was opened here October 15 by the Wilby-Kincey circuit, which also operates the Pick and Village locally. The latter was known as the Carolina before the new unit opened.”
1981 photo of the Carolina Theatre.
View link
A Walgreens Drug Store will be built on East Franklin Street where the once Gap Store was and formerly The Carolina Theatre.
Where it was formerly “The Gap” and was at one time a local bank at that intersection of East Franklin Street and Columbia Street.
Who remembers at one time there was a Texaco Gas Station at the corner next door to the theatre?
Apparently, they’re building a Walgreens in the theater now and extending the balcony into a true second story.
You can read more here.
From 1927 until 1971,The Carolina Theatre was at one time a single screen theatre with over 1,145 seats. In mid-1971,the once gorgeous auditorium was split in two,making it a twin cinema(which was called The Carolina Blue and White Theatre since one auditorium was labeled “blue”,and the other side “white”)until somewhere in the late 1980’s or early 1990’s when the Carolina closed its doors and reopened in 1993 as an arthouse cinema(showing first-run features,foreign films,and independent and documentary films) in competition with the neighboring Varsity Theatre Downtown and The Chelsea over in North Chapel Hill. It remained that way until its closing forever in July of 2005.
Ever since the Carolina Theatre and the Ram Triple Theatres had closed,the only moviehouse that is still in operational along East Franklin Street and the only moviehouse still in Downtown Chapel Hill is the classic Varsity Theatre(which shows first-run features and foreign films along with documentaries of special interest).
From September of 1927 until its closing in July of 2005,the Carolina Theatre showcased some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters and was Chapel Hill’s premiere venue theatre. However,the Carolina was part at one time owned and operated by ABC Southeastern Theatres,
Plitt Theatres,and Cineplex Odeon before later on by Ambassador Entertainment. The last picture show to play at the Carolina in Chapel Hill in 2005 was a documentary…March of the Penguins.
The function should be retail. Here is a photo:
http://tinyurl.com/2ffaxb
A Robert-Morton theater organ was installed in the Carolina Theater in 1927.
The Carolina Theatre opened in September 1927.
The Carolina Theatre seated 1145 people.