Varsity Theatre
123 E. Franklin Street,
Chapel Hill,
NC
27514
123 E. Franklin Street,
Chapel Hill,
NC
27514
7 people
favorited this theater
Opened as the Carolina Theatre in 1927, it had a seating capacity for 703, and a Robert-Morton theatre organ was installed. In later years it was operated by Paramount Picures Inc. through their subsidiary H.F. Kincey. Wilby-Kincey built a New Carolina Theatre in 1942, and this theatre was renamed Village Theatre. In the early-1950’s it became the Varsity Theatre.
Tammy Conner writes:
“Extremely short in the front but when you get in you are lead down an illuminated hallway to a very dark theater. Mind you she is looking rather dated in styling and decor, she more than compensates for running rare indie films and well just for being a classic old theater.
Amazingly enough she is located on the next block and quarter mile down from the Carolina Theatre in Chapel Hill. Very cool indeed."
Sadly, the Varsity Theatre was set to close on May 29, 2009, which was postponed to June 4, 2009. However, it was reopened in November 2009.
Contributed by
Tammy Conner
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Recent comments (view all 40 comments)
Theater is re-opening with new and classic movies with $3 admission!
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Theater will reopen as a single screen theatre.
George Lucas' STAR WARS played here at the Varsity on July 1, 1977 for six weeks. When the Varsity was a single screen theatre.
The Varsity has a website here.
From the previous comment:
Theater is re-opening with new and classic movies at discount prices!
All Seats for All Shows Are Just $3.00!!!!
They recently had some very good flicks that played at the Varsity.
James Cameron’s Avatar is REALLY pulling in some big business too as the main attraction!!! Forget going to see this in IMAX!!!! “Avatar” has been selling-out shows every night and the crowds are snaked around the cinema all the way down Franklin Street at discount prices! The website is www.varsityonfranklin.com
The classic films ranged from “Gone With The Wind”, “Mary Poppins”,
“Old Yeller”,to “Back To The Future”,“Raiders of the Lost Ark”,
“Monty Python and the Holy Grail”,“Fast Times At Ridgemont High”,
“Casablanca”,“A Clockwork Orange”,“Young Frankenstein”,and “Ben-Hur”.
Coming Soon: The Frankie Avalon-Annette Funicello beach film festival
the varsity is showing the rear window, the goonies and goldfinger over the next 3 or 4 weeks. i went back to the varsity for the first time since it changed ownership earlier this year to see the rear window. it was neat to watch a classic hitchcock film on the big screen. the theater is extreamly clean and they new owners have done an excellent job in keeping the classic feel of the old varsity. i love how prior to a films screening the show photos of what the theater used to look like and the crowds that attended viewings of classic films even prior to wwII. i definitely plan on going back considering i’m a student at unc. here are some photos below
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The Varsity’s official web site says that this theater opened in 1927 as the Carolina Theatre, and was later called the Village Theatre before finally becoming the Varsity Theatre in the 1950s.
The new Carolina Theatre opened on October 15, 1942, and this house was renamed the Village just prior to that event. Cinema Treasures currently has a page for the Village Theatre which is, of course, a duplication. Its introduction is accurate as far as it goes, and could be moved to this page, adding that the house was renamed the Varsity by 1952. As noted in my comment of May 27, 2009, above, this house was called the Varsity in a Boxoffice item from December 6, 1952, when Wil-Kin Theatre Supply was installing a new cycloramic screen.
Comments by Lost Memory on the Carolina Theatre page and on the redundant Village Theatre page say that the original Carolina Theater had a Robert-Morton organ installed in 1927.
This weblog post includes a nice photo of the Varsity Theatre. The year of construction, 1927, is carved into the building’s facade.
Today’s edition of the Chapel Hill News:
The Varsity Theatre celebrates its first year after reopening one of Chapel Hill’s greatest landmarks.
More on this story:
www.chapelhillnews.com/2010/12/01/61049/now-showing.html
Thanks raysson.Great story.You always seem to find the right articles to submit.
I was involved with the installation of the projection & sound equipment in 1982 when the theatre was disected. The twinning was accomplished in a front/rear layout. The rear auditorium was accessed by a lighted tunnel that used “Tivoli” style lighting which was becoming popular at that time. The effect was to immulate a time tunnel which was sometimes disconcerting to some patrons. The theatre was operated by the Janus Theatres of Burlington N.C. at that time.