The building next to the old Village Theater is still there. In place of the Village Theater is a rehabilitation clinic for those with hand and shoulder issues. The actual theater has been demolished.
Got a bit of information from a friend whose family used to live in the town of Santa Rita, New Mexico.
According to her, the theater was like many of the times and included an usher. In this case, this theater, which held 317 people, was segregated, with the “brown” people sitting on the left. The area was known for its copper, which brought people to town to work at the mine. One source says the theater was demolished in 1961 and essentially Santa Rita becamee a ghost town. That area is now known as the Chino mine so there’s no remnants of a theater or town.
Another theater may have been in Santa Rita called the Orpheum, but am not sure if it is an actual second theater or if it was the same as the El Cobre but under another name.
A great 10 minute video about the theater, posted on Friday at the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000003259816/the-last-cinema-in-paradise.html
No photos yet of the Star Theater, but did discover through newspaper scans that “Dangerous Palace” played there in 1930, and a reissue of John Wayne’s “Reap The Wild Wind” in 1954 for only 70 cents admission.
As for Elaine George, in a newspaper article from 1972, it states she was a “motion picture theater operator by inheritance” and that she was “elected to city hall with first term starting January 1, 1965”, with no reference to the theater after this point. She died in May 1981 at the age of 74.
That’s what I said too when it happened last week. Initial reports had said that police noticed the back entrance was opened, but also didn’t say if that door had been opened beforehand. It was a few days away from getting a public inspection that would’ve made it possible for the new owners to open their mini-mall in there. However, a new article posted at the Tri-City Herald states that the fire may have been due to electrical issues. I’m not sure if that is true, although if the owner was that close from an inspection, this obviously meant that he failed. Here’s the article in question. http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2013/08/20/2531701/liberty-theater-building-blaze.html
It seems that drive-in owner Kieth Kiehl died from cancer-related causes on December 19, 2012, as the website for the theater is his obituary.
Two Facebook pages for the drive-in, one fan-based and the other with now-former employees, all confirm that the 2012 season was their last. Plans for “re-development” of the property are underway. http://www.auburn-reporter.com/news/174681231.html
The marquee, mentioning Kiehl’s passing: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151142288466990&set=o.43760443478&type=1&theater
A blog entry featuring a 1912 newspaper clipping for the silent film, “Martin Chuzzlewit”, showing at the Empire: http://100yearoldmovies.wordpress.com/2012/12/19/martin-chuzzlewit-edison/
An archived Geocities page, featuring photos of the area after the demolition of the drive-in: http://www.reocities.com/Hollywood/Pavillion/2216/MotorVu.html
A Geocities archived page showing photos of the remains of what was the Renfro, from 2000: http://www.oocities.org/hollywood/Pavillion/2216/Renfro.html
March 5, 2017 will be the last day the Kam Swap Meet will be held. After today, the entire drive in will be eliminated and turned into apartments.
The building next to the old Village Theater is still there. In place of the Village Theater is a rehabilitation clinic for those with hand and shoulder issues. The actual theater has been demolished.
Got a bit of information from a friend whose family used to live in the town of Santa Rita, New Mexico.
According to her, the theater was like many of the times and included an usher. In this case, this theater, which held 317 people, was segregated, with the “brown” people sitting on the left. The area was known for its copper, which brought people to town to work at the mine. One source says the theater was demolished in 1961 and essentially Santa Rita becamee a ghost town. That area is now known as the Chino mine so there’s no remnants of a theater or town.
Another theater may have been in Santa Rita called the Orpheum, but am not sure if it is an actual second theater or if it was the same as the El Cobre but under another name.
Plan to restore historic Queen Theater set in motion. Nothing is happening yet but it’s the biggest news the Queen has had in 30 years.
http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/blog/morning_call/2015/03/plan-to-restore-historic-queen-theater-in-honolulu.html
A great 10 minute video about the theater, posted on Friday at the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000003259816/the-last-cinema-in-paradise.html
No photos yet of the Star Theater, but did discover through newspaper scans that “Dangerous Palace” played there in 1930, and a reissue of John Wayne’s “Reap The Wild Wind” in 1954 for only 70 cents admission.
As for Elaine George, in a newspaper article from 1972, it states she was a “motion picture theater operator by inheritance” and that she was “elected to city hall with first term starting January 1, 1965”, with no reference to the theater after this point. She died in May 1981 at the age of 74.
That’s what I said too when it happened last week. Initial reports had said that police noticed the back entrance was opened, but also didn’t say if that door had been opened beforehand. It was a few days away from getting a public inspection that would’ve made it possible for the new owners to open their mini-mall in there. However, a new article posted at the Tri-City Herald states that the fire may have been due to electrical issues. I’m not sure if that is true, although if the owner was that close from an inspection, this obviously meant that he failed. Here’s the article in question. http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2013/08/20/2531701/liberty-theater-building-blaze.html
The theater is on the corner of 3rd St & Bronstad St.
A photo of the Viking, 2010: http://www.flickr.com/photos/old-curmudgeon/5264156902/
and two more photos, from a blog entry (they are photos #4 and #5 from the top): http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=400211&showall=1
It seems that drive-in owner Kieth Kiehl died from cancer-related causes on December 19, 2012, as the website for the theater is his obituary.
Two Facebook pages for the drive-in, one fan-based and the other with now-former employees, all confirm that the 2012 season was their last. Plans for “re-development” of the property are underway. http://www.auburn-reporter.com/news/174681231.html
The marquee, mentioning Kiehl’s passing: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151142288466990&set=o.43760443478&type=1&theater
Opened in May 1935, closed in 1973
A scan of a newspaper clipping for “The Romance Of Tarzan”, presented in Hawaiian: http://nupepa-hawaii.com/2012/07/22/tarzan-ad-1919/
Update: it is now a tattoo shop.
A photo I found of the Bijou: http://i48.tinypic.com/29x8yt3.jpg
The Liberty/Ye Liberty was where the parking lot is today, across from the old Empress. The Google Map image highlights the Empress.
I went to the Liberty in 1979 or 1980 when it was close to falling apart, but I had seen a kung fu movie there.
Apparently this was the Oahu Theater as well (one of two different theaters called the Oahu), and ended up becoming the Rex.
A blog entry featuring a 1912 newspaper clipping for the silent film, “Martin Chuzzlewit”, showing at the Empire: http://100yearoldmovies.wordpress.com/2012/12/19/martin-chuzzlewit-edison/
A photo of the Palace from the Aloha-Hawaii blog: http://www.aloha-hawaii.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/honolulu-on-stage.jpg
Kiionioni Place and Loop are named after the Hawaiian phrase for “moving picture”, in honor of the Wai'alae Drive-In that was there.
Another photo of the theater, taken in 2007: http://www.flickr.com/photos/iadl/3161722215/
Great photo, with Puowaina (or Punchbowl) in the background
Before Fox, this place was known as the Cameo Theatre.
Capacity for this drive-in was 425.
Capacity for the Renfro was 500, according to the Motion Picture and Television Almanac.
An archived Geocities page, featuring photos of the area after the demolition of the drive-in: http://www.reocities.com/Hollywood/Pavillion/2216/MotorVu.html
A Geocities archived page showing photos of the remains of what was the Renfro, from 2000: http://www.oocities.org/hollywood/Pavillion/2216/Renfro.html