Graham Cinema

…….“one of the last old-style theaters in North Carolina that hasn’t been chopped into smaller theaters.” This is music to my ears! There is a book entitled Our Vanishing Americana by Mike Lassiter of Davidson NC that features many things such as single screen theatres, drug stores with soda fountains, hot dog stands and general stores.

The February 1, 1941, issue of Boxoffice said that upon completion of the remodeling of their Alco Theatre in Graham, Mr. and Mrs. A.B. Thompson would close their Graham Theatre for a complete renovation. The same issue mentions the Graham among a number of theaters that were to be reseated. The September 13 issue of Boxoffice reported that the Graham would be reopened on the 15th.

Given the date of renovation and reseating, I think this theater might have been around before 1935, perhaps under a different name. I can’t find any Boxoffice items about theaters in Graham from before 1941, though.

Boxoffice of October 7, 1963, said that Stewart & Everett Theatres had taken over the Graham Theatre from Mr. and Mrs. A.B. Thompson, who had operated the house for 36 years.

On the Graham Cinema web site there is a t-shirt there for sale that says “Home of Tim Bob’s joke line, since 1928.” http://www.grahamcinema.net/GC_Merch.htm

I used ot listen to this guy when I managed movie theaters years ago. A lady I was dating at the time was my manager and she gave me his phone number and we would call it late at night and laugh our noses off.

Here is my picture from December 2010.

Great art deco exterior facade…may have to check it out this winter.