Comments from dallasmovietheaters

Showing 226 - 250 of 5,916 comments

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Chickasaw Theater on May 26, 2026 at 3:17 pm

Paramount-Richards ran this venue for the Gulf Shipbuilding Company which supported the cost of building this movie house. Architects were Knight, Barrow, and Lentz

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Pix Theater on May 26, 2026 at 2:12 pm

Architects (1938 remodel as Pix) Knight, Barrow & Lentz.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Broadmoor Theater on May 26, 2026 at 1:19 pm

Architect Samuel G. Wiener created the post-War Broadmoor suburban shopping concept with its streamline moderne theaters and matching six streamline retail stores. It opened with Deanna Durbin in “I’ll Be Yours” on May 28th, 1947. The venue switched to widescreen to present CinemaScope titles in 1954.

Gulf States “temporarily” closed the venue following the November 30, 1975 of “Johnny Firecloud.” When asked in 1976 the date of reopening, the circuit said cryptically, “Nevermoor.” After a short period of time as a church and longer as vacant, the venue was demolished in 2001.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Nola Theatre on May 25, 2026 at 10:31 pm

Architectural firm: Diboll-Kessels & Associates

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Joy Theater on May 25, 2026 at 10:27 pm

Architect: Max J. Heinberg

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Apex Theatre on May 25, 2026 at 12:49 pm

Lumberton’s Apex Theatre #2 was a new-build, $40,000 facility to replace the original location. The post-War structure was austere and designed by Hearon and McCleskey Architects. It opened January 23, 1951 by L.J. Brun. 350 seats were on the main floor with a 120-seat balcony for African American patrons. A cry room was furnished. It was in the M.A. Pigford Building - a familiar name as one of the town’s first commercial buildings was the W.W. Pigford Building.

The theatre had two major refreshes: the first brought a new screen in December of 1963 which is assumed to be a widescreen transition for presenting CinemaScope titles. It closed briefly twice - the second time for a major refresh that it re-emerged with on October 16, 1982 with its new look that it carried to closure.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Broadmoor Theatre on May 25, 2026 at 5:14 am

Designed by Bodman, Murrell and Webb Architects of Baton Rouge

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Joy's Pitt Cinema 4 on May 24, 2026 at 9:03 pm

George J. Riehl exterior architectural sketch

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Joy's Pitt Cinema 4 on May 24, 2026 at 8:47 pm

Architect: George J. Riehl.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Circle Theater on May 24, 2026 at 8:37 pm

Eugene J. Gilbert architectural sketch in photos.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Madison Theatre on May 24, 2026 at 7:54 am

The Madison Theatre launched for Irvin Stein on September 19, 1941 with Mayor M.L. Hoffman delivering the dedication. Sid Fuhrmann took over the theatre not long thereafter.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Parkview Theatre on May 24, 2026 at 7:39 am

274 names had poured in in 1913 and Charles Sidney August Fuhrmann and his three person committee were ready to have an opening night to announce the winning name when the theatre chairs were delayed. However, the Illinois Central Railroad came through with those seats allowing for a slightly delayed May 3, 1913 and Mrs. Edmund B. Stern got a free ticket for submitting the winning name of “Parkview.” Fuhrman’s opening speech was published in the newspaper and states, “We also wish to assure the public that smoking in the audiences and spitting on the floors will positively be prohibited - that is, to the best of our ability.”

The Parkview was closed May 5, 1925 with the employees offered new positions at the Majestic Theatre that opened the next day. The building was sold for $2,750 one month later. In 1928, that same building was the subject of a forced sheriff’s sale

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Roxy Theatre (#2) on May 23, 2026 at 11:27 pm

Able Demolition demolished the venue in 1959.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Poplar Theatre on May 23, 2026 at 11:19 pm

Landry & Jacobs launched here April 8, 1917. It likely complete three 20-year leasing terms closing permanently on September 4, 1967 with “Divorce American Style.” It wasted as an art gallery into 1968 and then boarded up.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Oxford Theatre on May 23, 2026 at 8:12 pm

The Oxford Theatre opened on September 28, 1912 by James and Noble at 2036 Onatario Street. It was short-lived as a twin screen, single auditorium concept running on a continuous show, grind policy. You could get an hour and a half of original programming just by moving a section to your right (or left). America’s first - if not only double-grindhouse theater. James and Noble failed quickly.

The space was offered for lease in January of 1913. The Public Clothes retail store moved into the former theater spot completing a 10-year leasing agreement. However, their final ads said that they were being forced out by the Union Terminal project. The building was indeed demolished in 1925 taking the double-grindhouse’s former location with it.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Ace Theatre on May 23, 2026 at 1:46 pm

The Ace Theatre dated back to the silent era of film exhibition as the Othello turned Charleston. The 323 South Rampart location housed a post-Civil War era Livery and Blacksmith in the Central Business District. Shortly after the War, those services weren’t a big need and Frank Rousca - an auctioneer of horses and mules - was trying to figure out how to deal with the livery at Rampart. Liveries were commonly transitioned to theatres and that appears to have happened at 323 Rampart.

In 1920 and 1921, Rousca rebuilt the structure as a theatre likely using the frame of the livery and opened the Othello Theatre on October 23, 1921. This didn’t work out as the first lien was reported within a month. The next item was Mrs. Frank Rousca suing Mr. Rousca followed by an auction of his theatre and his, then current, livery elsewhere in NOLA. So new operators took on the venue (reportedly $6,500 for everything). Under its new operators, it would be one of the original theaters of E.L. Cummings new circuit for African American vaudeville formed in 1922, the fledgling Managers and Owners Co-Operative or M&P Circuit. (In 1921, Cummings’ Southern Consolidated Theater Circuit had fused together with the Theatre Owner Booking Association - TOBA - but Cummings decided competition was a good thing.)

The M&P Othello became the TOBA-booked venue when the two companies came together. The Othello got new operators and was changed to the Charleston Theatre on Valentine’s Day 1926. It reopened with Buffalo Bill Jr. in “On the Go” supported by the Jack White comedy short, “Wide Awake.” The building was sold five months later and would be renamed as the Savoy Theatre & Ballroom. The South Rampart Street African American business and entertainment district in downtown New Orleans was vibrant and adjacent to the city’s historic Tremé neighborhood.

New sublessees Iberville Amusement Circuit created a more traditional sound era for At a modest price point, it became a streamline moderne movie house complete with new neon signage now called the Ace Theatre - “where the ocean breeze blows (likely air conditioned).” The Bijou Entertainment Circuit took on the venue operated though showtimes of April 5, 1939 when fire gutted the building.

The repair bill was $8,000 and included a new interior by architects Weiss, Dreyfus and Seiferth at its relaunch on July 4, 1939 with Bing Crosby in “Sing, you Sinners.” Othello Corporation acquired the building and created on last 15-year subleasing agreement for the theater’s operation. The Ace was discarded on September 1, 1956 with Kent Taylor in ”Secret Venture” and Bill Hickok as the “Two Gun Teacher.” The lease expired in 1957 and Othello Theatre Corporation sold off the property to Parking Services for $40,0000 cash. They demolished the livery turned theatre for a parking lot.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Gilson Cafe & Cinema on May 22, 2026 at 7:00 pm

The $125,000 Strand Theatre wapparance as announced in March of 1925 by John E. Panora and was built in the rear of the deposed Winsted Opera House. It reportedly opened August 11,1926. It received sound to remain viable and widescreen to present CinemaScope titles. Danny Kaye made a live appearance in support of “The Man from the Diners Club” in 1963.

It initially cosed under independent ownership as the Strand Cinema on April 30, 1967. It reopened again onJanuary 3, 1968 as the Strand Cinema closing late in 1973.

It reopened under new operators and closed in 1972. It opened a year later on Christmas Day 1973 by Cannavo Enterprises as the Strand Theatre. It operated as the Gilson Cafe & Cinema from 1986 to 2026. It closed on May 24, 2026. As the Winsted Opera House had opened on the lot next door on April 2, 1873, the general Main Street address provided more than 150 years of entertainment. Not bad!

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Parkway Drive-In on May 22, 2026 at 9:32 am

Otho Long opened the Parkway Drive-in on August 1, 1950 with Abbott and Costello in “Lost in Alaska.” It was still cruising toward its 40th Anniversary in 1989.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Princess Theatre on May 22, 2026 at 9:26 am

This and its neighboring building were commercial structures built in 1909 . Braswell & Keaton created the Victoria Theatre here operating as a silent house in 1919. They sold out in 1925 by F.C. “Buck” Buchanan until October of 1928. A New Victoria was under construction which was changed to the Joy Theatre at its launch. This, the former Victoria location, became Buck’s Theatre beginning on October 16, 1928 with “Virgin Lips” with Olive Borden.

Buck’s stopped running films in 1930 when he closed the venue and Fox Film Corp. sued Buchanan for $2,500 for breach of contract. (Fox lost that lawsuit.) The former theatre became a church. But Harry O'Neal took on the venue on a 20-year leasing agreement. He wired the theater with RCA Photophone sound becoming the New Winn Theatre on June 15, 1933 with “So This is Africa.” In 1936, “New” was dropped with the venue simply the Winn Theater. Southern Theatres Circuit took over his lease in 1941. The Winn closed at the end of that lease with Lon McAllen in “Big Cat” supported by the Universal musical short, “Don Carnell Sings (three songs)” on April 30, 1953.

Purportedly, the venue reopened in early 1954 possibly - if not likely - as an African American theater (that would be its only possible run as an African American house) and was shut down by the fire Marshall leading to a lawsuit with building owner Hasson Morris. On November 2, 1955, the venue was brought up to code and relaunched by W. Otho Long as the Princess Theatre. On the widescreen that day, you could see “The Last Command.” The Princess closed with “The Last of the Vikings” deciding to begin and end programming with films with “last” in their titles. That occurred on July 19, 1963. The building stayed in its theater form until the 1970s when it was converted for other retail purposes.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Venus Theater on May 22, 2026 at 6:10 am

The Venus leaves the constellation of Winnfield “temporarily” on September 29, 1970 with “Kelly’s Heroes.” It is sited as The County Store - a thrift store - in 1973 leaving customers and astronomers, alike, baffled. The Court Street venue was later demolished.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Palace Theatre on May 21, 2026 at 7:55 pm

Henry Greenwall was the last of the great theatrical owner-managers in the City of New Orleans. The long-time manager of the Grand Opera House on Canal Street had the Stone Brothers Architects draw up a house that he could be proud to put his name on in 1903. It would open on October 20, 1904 with the play, “The Wife.” Greenwall made it through 1908 with live fare and sublet the place in 1909.

On a subleasing agreement, it was downgraded (somewhat) to a vaudeville house known as the American Music Hall in February of 1909. But it was good vaudeville programmed by none other than the William A. Morris Company as they broke into the NOLA market. Lew Rose also did some of the bookings. For some live events - sports - it was referred to as the Greenwall Theatre. The vaudeville ended after two years February 16, 1911.

With Morris and vaudeville off of its sublease, Greenwall rechristened the venue as the Greenwall Theatre in 1911. But it would slip a peg or two doing a combination of vaudeville and movies. with Arthur Leopold programming. Prices were cheap at a dime and top end pricing at 15 cents down from the quarter and half dollar pricing just days earlier. It was the only “popular price” vaudeville house in the city as motion pictures were the far more profitable play. Greenwall would die in his apartment over the Greenwall Theatre on November 27, 1913. The Greenwall name would play on until the vaudeville ended in January of 1916.

In 1916, Ernest Boehringer, noted NOLA film exhibitor, took the venue on on a one-year leasing agreement as the Triangle Theatre (sometimes the Greenwall Triangle Theatre perhaps due to existing signage) on January 14, 1916. The Triangle played feature films from the Triangle film studio. Boehringber began the Triangle with Normal Talmage in “The Missing Links” supported by “The Submarine Pirates” and “Because He Loved Her.” On June 2, 1917, he purchased the Greenwall Theatre for $100,000 and deemed it “the most extraordinary photoplay theatre in the entire South.” Wow! But on July 15, 1917, Boeringer Amusement would move to larger and newer digs with the new-build Liberty Theatre. In turn, he would sell here to the Eastern Vaudeville Circuit which would reprogram and rename here.

As the Palace Theatre, the vaudeville returned on September 2, 1917 - again with popular price vaudeville. That lasted until 1920 when the Palace returned almost primarily with motion pictures. The theatre was not poised to become a major sound theatre and tried mixing in more live programming by decade’s end before being sold for $311k. The movies were back in the 1930s as the Palace operated as a third-run grindhouse and welcoming of African American audiences. It was converted to widescreen. The Palace made it to its 1962 Twist dance contests and an April 10, 1962 showing of “The Premature Burial” with “The Long Rope.”

A theatre salvage sale took place in April of 1962 hours after the last showing as the venue would be demolished in favor of the Central Parking Garage Lot and that started on April 17, 1962. A block away, the Dauphine Theatre also staged a surplus sale and would also be demolished for a multi-floor parking structure - a plan that was put on hold until 1970.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Broadway Twin Theatre on May 21, 2026 at 1:30 pm

Demolished January of 2026.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Stage Door Cinema on May 21, 2026 at 10:05 am

The theatre closed on March 9, 1980 with the film, “The Last Married Couple in America.” The contents of it, the Milgram and Fox were all auctioned off on April 1, 1980. The three venues were demolished thereafter.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about State Theatre on May 21, 2026 at 7:04 am

The State Theatre opened on May 1, 1930 with Olive Borden in “Hello Sister.“ Harlon O. Jones architectural drawings show a Spanish Renaissance architectural style that was matched by the interior furnishings selected by Fischer & Jiroch of Cleveland.

The State closed permanently at the expiry of its 20 year leasing agreement with Maureen O'Hara in “A Woman’s Secret” on July 6, 1949. All of the employees were moved to the Galion Theatre which opened the next night.

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dallasmovietheaters commented about Royal Theatre on May 21, 2026 at 6:57 am

Adam J. “AJ” Paul opened the Royal Theatre on August 14, 1911 with live music and one reel films between including D.W. Griffith’s “As a Man Soweth” and the Powers Picture Play, “The Haunted Island.”

Paul announced in the Summer of 1928 that he had ordered both Vitaphone and Western Electric sound for the Royal. Paul - likely sensing the sound conversion complexity - announced the closure of the Royal following the August 27, 1928 with Billie Dove in “Adoration” supported by the Jack White comedy short, “Studio Pests” and the cartoon KoKo, the Clown’s “KoKo’s Crib” and a Fox newsreel. A steam shovel was brought in on September 7, 1929 to remove the Royal.

The new State Theatre launched on May 1, 1930 with Western Electric sound and the film, “Hello Sister.”