MK Murphy, who operated a few theaters since 1905 across both Virginias, Virginia and West Virginia, had the opportunity to be the first manager of the Appalachia Theatre (formerly a Mineral Motor dealership). The Appalachia Theatre opened its doors on February 23, 1935 with Joe E. Brown in “Six Day Bike Rider” with no selected short subjects.
Murphy himself formerly operated the nearby Cumberland Theatre in Appalachia and the New Coeburn Theatre in Coeburn along with others in Welch, West Virginia. Blake Whiteneck of Keystone, West Virginia, who learned under Murphy and is an expert on operating the Western Electric equipment, is the main operator of the theater. Speaking of Western Electric, Western Electric’s wide-range system is the sound system the Appalachia Theatre used in their booth. Murphy’s wife and daughters handled the ticket office and the inside of the theater. J. F. Dusman, a specialist, traveled almost 500 miles from his office at 213 North Calvert Street in Baltimore, Maryland to Appalachia, Virginia to install many supplies and furnishes to the installed DaLite’s silver screen, and the projection equipment such as the theater’s “Strong Reflection” lamps, 2 Simplex projectors, high class lenses, large magazines, aluminum film reels, and a 12-section safety film cabinet. The Central Supply Company of Virginia Incorporated of Andover, Virginia furnished the building material used in its construction. The inside measurements from the insider were 48x100 feet together with an attractive lobby and the spacious stage. The capacity is a total of 800. An all-glass ticket booth is installed at the entrance. There are restrooms and smoking rooms as well. The lobby’s size is 12x32 feet and the floors were tile with tile wainscoting that were 3½ feet tall. The entire building has been lined with soundproof Celotex which catches all echoes and sound rings. This ensures a reception of the machinery’s sound. The stage which is a size of 408 inches tall (34 foot) will accommodate a total of 50 people. There are 2 dressing rooms located on the stage and four down in the basement. The stage was originally purchased in New York. The lobby and the stage were heated by hot water while the main auditorium will be heated in the winter and cooled in the summer by a separate unit located in the basement below. J. C. Gibson of Appalachia became a superintendent during the construction.
When the theater was destroyed by a fire on January 15, 1950, the Fire happened during the morning at 3:00 AM, which on that day was originally scheduled to show Cary Grant in “I Was A Male War Bride” along with a Tom And Jerry Cartoon “The Cat and the Mermouse”, a Newsreel, and This Is America’s “Spotlight on Mexico”. The last show the theater showed before the Fire is a triple-feature: Mickey Rooney in “The Big Wheel”, Charles Starrett in “The Blazing Trail” along with an unknown #3 attraction, and Chapter 2 of the Adventures of Sir Galahad. I think because on the triple-feature, I think that might’ve possibly be why the reason the theater caught itself on fire because of the projection. I don’t know yet, I might check later.
MK Murphy himself then later became the owner of the Powell Valley Drive-In when it opened on April 3, 1952.
NOTE: When The Lyric Opened Its Doors With “Raffles”, The Lyric Did Open With Selected Short Subjects. These Subjects Include A Newsreel, Cartoon, And “An Adventures Of A Newsreel Cameraman” Short.
Opened On June 30, 1950 With Donald O’ Connor in “Curtain Call At Cactus Creek” Along With A Cartoon And A Musical Short. The Traverse Drive-In Is Constructed By The Red Mill Lumber Company Of 115 North Hall Street In Acme, And Was Owned By The West Michigan Theatre Corporation.
On March 26, 1953, A. E. Madman of Columbia Falls and Walter Thompson of Whitefish (who later became the owner of the Midway) Constructed The Midway Drive-In. Smithson & Sasse of Columbia Falls constructed the original screen while the screen being erected by the Timber Structures Inc. of Portland, Oregon. A total of 120 tons will be poured. The screen is 52x33 picture with 60x52 in size. The building includes a projection booth, storeroom, concessions, and restrooms (40x25 in size). Only 225 speakers were installed but with a capacity by being almost 300. It expected to be opened by May 1, 1953, but rescheduled the following week.
The Midway Drive-In opened its gates on May 8, 1953 with Alan Ladd in “Red Mountains” along with “Olympic Elk” and a Disney cartoon.
Actually, according to the paper, the State Theatre opened its doors on New Year’s Day 1935 with Francis Lederer in “The Pursuit Of Happiness” along with a Hearst Metrotone Newsreel and a Laurel and Hardy short “Going Bye-Bye!”.
On October 20, 1979, Sen. Strom Thurmond (D-SC) Was Instrumental In The Showings Of “Monty Python’s Life Of Brian” Was Cancelled At The Columbia Mall Cinema Due To Its Nature. Rev. Bill Soloman, A Preacher At The Minister In Irmo Gave Credit To Him. Mrs. Thurmond Received A Call From Soloman And Later Called The Operators, General Cinema, Distributors Of The Film, And Asked That The Film Will Be Banned, Or No Longer Be Seen In South Carolina As It Was Replied By The Minister. 150 Protestors Then Demonstrated Outside The Columbia Mall Cinema To Protest The Cancellation Of The Film. Many Of Them Were Carrying Placards To Voice Their Concern On Censorship.
Warner Brothers Notified That 2 Days Later They Were Accepting Bids For The Film.
Actually The Theater Became The Roxy Theatre On September 15, 1934. It Reopened With James Cagney In The Hit-Smash “Here Comes The Navy” Along With Pathe News, A Cartoon: Betty Boop’s Only Color Appearance In The Fleischer Era In “Poor Cinderella”, And A Performance By Vincent Lopez And His Orchestra.
Actually, The Opening Year Is Wrong. The St. Albans Drive-In Began Constructing In 1948. The Correct Grand Opening Day Came A Year Ahead, As The Theater Opened Its Gates For The First Time On July 8, 1949 With A Double Feature, Errol Flynn In “Silver River” And Leo Gorcey In “Angels Alley”, Along With A Few Other Selected Short Subjects.
The Champlain Theatre Opened On September 1, 1917 With Fatty Arbuckle In “The Butcher Boy” Along With 2 Matinees And 2 Evening Performances.
The Capacity Of The Theater During It’s Early Days Is Over 1,000. The Decorating Was Done By H. L. And H. J. Chadwick Of St. Albans. It Was Rebuilt From Bullard’s Hall And The Left Side Of The Lobby Contains A Roomy Office With A Main Ticket Window. The Projectors Were Both Simplex Machines With Individual Electric Motors. There Are Stairways On Either Side Leading Up To The Balcony And The Lighting Fixtures Were Hanged From Steel Ceiling And From Side Walls. The Ventilating System Were Used For Electric Suction Fans. The Front Contains A Big White Entrance Doors Of Glass With Facade Is Cement With Red Bricking Above. Entering The Lobby Contains A Red Cement Floor With 2 Ticket Windows. One In The Left And The Other In The Right. Mirrored Doors Leading Into The Auditorium And Color Designing. The Floor Slopes Gradually To The Orchestra Pit. The Walls Are Shades Of Brown And Gold With Attractive Border Designs In Dark, Harmonizing Colors. The Woodwork Was Done In Dead Finish Mahogany Stain And White Enamel Making A Desirable Contrast. The White Screen Is Framed With A Foliage Scene And Woodwork Of The Proscenium Arch In White With Panels Of Green. In Case Of An Emergency, Each Side Contains An Exit.
Swantonians (E. T. Bradley, Dr. F. N. Hard, Capt. H. M. Bell) And One St. Albanian (Charles E. Schoff) Have Furnished And Made The Theater. Owned By The City’s Amusement Company, under the President Schoff, Vice Presidents Haff, And Clerk And Treasurer Bradley. The Contractor Of The Theater Is C. K. Prouty.
Sound Was Installed In Early 1930, And CinemaScope Was Installed In 1954.
This Theater Was Notable For Running A Civil Defense Film On March 2, 1964 Sponsoring By A Nearby Church.
I Believe The Mickey Mouse Cartoon’s Title Was Supposed To Be “Brave Little Tailor” Because It Has The Same Plot.
The Park Opened On July 13, 1949 With Glen Ford In “Lust For Gold” Along With Selected Short Subjects, All Were Unknown.
Opened In 1909.
Opened On May 10, 1935.
Opened On April 16, 1949 With Dennis O’Keefe In “T. Men”.
MK Murphy, who operated a few theaters since 1905 across both Virginias, Virginia and West Virginia, had the opportunity to be the first manager of the Appalachia Theatre (formerly a Mineral Motor dealership). The Appalachia Theatre opened its doors on February 23, 1935 with Joe E. Brown in “Six Day Bike Rider” with no selected short subjects.
Murphy himself formerly operated the nearby Cumberland Theatre in Appalachia and the New Coeburn Theatre in Coeburn along with others in Welch, West Virginia. Blake Whiteneck of Keystone, West Virginia, who learned under Murphy and is an expert on operating the Western Electric equipment, is the main operator of the theater. Speaking of Western Electric, Western Electric’s wide-range system is the sound system the Appalachia Theatre used in their booth. Murphy’s wife and daughters handled the ticket office and the inside of the theater. J. F. Dusman, a specialist, traveled almost 500 miles from his office at 213 North Calvert Street in Baltimore, Maryland to Appalachia, Virginia to install many supplies and furnishes to the installed DaLite’s silver screen, and the projection equipment such as the theater’s “Strong Reflection” lamps, 2 Simplex projectors, high class lenses, large magazines, aluminum film reels, and a 12-section safety film cabinet. The Central Supply Company of Virginia Incorporated of Andover, Virginia furnished the building material used in its construction. The inside measurements from the insider were 48x100 feet together with an attractive lobby and the spacious stage. The capacity is a total of 800. An all-glass ticket booth is installed at the entrance. There are restrooms and smoking rooms as well. The lobby’s size is 12x32 feet and the floors were tile with tile wainscoting that were 3½ feet tall. The entire building has been lined with soundproof Celotex which catches all echoes and sound rings. This ensures a reception of the machinery’s sound. The stage which is a size of 408 inches tall (34 foot) will accommodate a total of 50 people. There are 2 dressing rooms located on the stage and four down in the basement. The stage was originally purchased in New York. The lobby and the stage were heated by hot water while the main auditorium will be heated in the winter and cooled in the summer by a separate unit located in the basement below. J. C. Gibson of Appalachia became a superintendent during the construction.
When the theater was destroyed by a fire on January 15, 1950, the Fire happened during the morning at 3:00 AM, which on that day was originally scheduled to show Cary Grant in “I Was A Male War Bride” along with a Tom And Jerry Cartoon “The Cat and the Mermouse”, a Newsreel, and This Is America’s “Spotlight on Mexico”. The last show the theater showed before the Fire is a triple-feature: Mickey Rooney in “The Big Wheel”, Charles Starrett in “The Blazing Trail” along with an unknown #3 attraction, and Chapter 2 of the Adventures of Sir Galahad. I think because on the triple-feature, I think that might’ve possibly be why the reason the theater caught itself on fire because of the projection. I don’t know yet, I might check later.
MK Murphy himself then later became the owner of the Powell Valley Drive-In when it opened on April 3, 1952.
NOTE: When The Lyric Opened Its Doors With “Raffles”, The Lyric Did Open With Selected Short Subjects. These Subjects Include A Newsreel, Cartoon, And “An Adventures Of A Newsreel Cameraman” Short.
Opened On June 30, 1950 With Donald O’ Connor in “Curtain Call At Cactus Creek” Along With A Cartoon And A Musical Short. The Traverse Drive-In Is Constructed By The Red Mill Lumber Company Of 115 North Hall Street In Acme, And Was Owned By The West Michigan Theatre Corporation.
First Known As “Empire 4 Cinemas”.
Taken Over By Stanley-Warner On June 19, 1963.
On March 26, 1953, A. E. Madman of Columbia Falls and Walter Thompson of Whitefish (who later became the owner of the Midway) Constructed The Midway Drive-In. Smithson & Sasse of Columbia Falls constructed the original screen while the screen being erected by the Timber Structures Inc. of Portland, Oregon. A total of 120 tons will be poured. The screen is 52x33 picture with 60x52 in size. The building includes a projection booth, storeroom, concessions, and restrooms (40x25 in size). Only 225 speakers were installed but with a capacity by being almost 300. It expected to be opened by May 1, 1953, but rescheduled the following week.
The Midway Drive-In opened its gates on May 8, 1953 with Alan Ladd in “Red Mountains” along with “Olympic Elk” and a Disney cartoon.
Actually, according to the paper, the State Theatre opened its doors on New Year’s Day 1935 with Francis Lederer in “The Pursuit Of Happiness” along with a Hearst Metrotone Newsreel and a Laurel and Hardy short “Going Bye-Bye!”.
On October 20, 1979, Sen. Strom Thurmond (D-SC) Was Instrumental In The Showings Of “Monty Python’s Life Of Brian” Was Cancelled At The Columbia Mall Cinema Due To Its Nature. Rev. Bill Soloman, A Preacher At The Minister In Irmo Gave Credit To Him. Mrs. Thurmond Received A Call From Soloman And Later Called The Operators, General Cinema, Distributors Of The Film, And Asked That The Film Will Be Banned, Or No Longer Be Seen In South Carolina As It Was Replied By The Minister. 150 Protestors Then Demonstrated Outside The Columbia Mall Cinema To Protest The Cancellation Of The Film. Many Of Them Were Carrying Placards To Voice Their Concern On Censorship.
Warner Brothers Notified That 2 Days Later They Were Accepting Bids For The Film.
Actually, The Gem Theatre Opened On January 18, 1916 With A Keystone (5-Reel) Comic Production.
Actually The Theater Became The Roxy Theatre On September 15, 1934. It Reopened With James Cagney In The Hit-Smash “Here Comes The Navy” Along With Pathe News, A Cartoon: Betty Boop’s Only Color Appearance In The Fleischer Era In “Poor Cinderella”, And A Performance By Vincent Lopez And His Orchestra.
The Minnehaha stopped showing films in 1979 and became a flea market, demolished in 1986 to make way for a 3M building.
Because Of The Blaze, The Theater Reopened On December 20, 1962.
Actually, The Opening Year Is Wrong. The St. Albans Drive-In Began Constructing In 1948. The Correct Grand Opening Day Came A Year Ahead, As The Theater Opened Its Gates For The First Time On July 8, 1949 With A Double Feature, Errol Flynn In “Silver River” And Leo Gorcey In “Angels Alley”, Along With A Few Other Selected Short Subjects.
The Champlain Theatre Opened On September 1, 1917 With Fatty Arbuckle In “The Butcher Boy” Along With 2 Matinees And 2 Evening Performances.
The Capacity Of The Theater During It’s Early Days Is Over 1,000. The Decorating Was Done By H. L. And H. J. Chadwick Of St. Albans. It Was Rebuilt From Bullard’s Hall And The Left Side Of The Lobby Contains A Roomy Office With A Main Ticket Window. The Projectors Were Both Simplex Machines With Individual Electric Motors. There Are Stairways On Either Side Leading Up To The Balcony And The Lighting Fixtures Were Hanged From Steel Ceiling And From Side Walls. The Ventilating System Were Used For Electric Suction Fans. The Front Contains A Big White Entrance Doors Of Glass With Facade Is Cement With Red Bricking Above. Entering The Lobby Contains A Red Cement Floor With 2 Ticket Windows. One In The Left And The Other In The Right. Mirrored Doors Leading Into The Auditorium And Color Designing. The Floor Slopes Gradually To The Orchestra Pit. The Walls Are Shades Of Brown And Gold With Attractive Border Designs In Dark, Harmonizing Colors. The Woodwork Was Done In Dead Finish Mahogany Stain And White Enamel Making A Desirable Contrast. The White Screen Is Framed With A Foliage Scene And Woodwork Of The Proscenium Arch In White With Panels Of Green. In Case Of An Emergency, Each Side Contains An Exit. Swantonians (E. T. Bradley, Dr. F. N. Hard, Capt. H. M. Bell) And One St. Albanian (Charles E. Schoff) Have Furnished And Made The Theater. Owned By The City’s Amusement Company, under the President Schoff, Vice Presidents Haff, And Clerk And Treasurer Bradley. The Contractor Of The Theater Is C. K. Prouty.
Sound Was Installed In Early 1930, And CinemaScope Was Installed In 1954.
This Theater Was Notable For Running A Civil Defense Film On March 2, 1964 Sponsoring By A Nearby Church.
It Actually Opened In 1929 As Earliest.
First Opened As The Hamly Theatre In Early 1920, Later Became The Royal Theatre On November 16, 1928.
Once Damaged By A Fire Caused By The Projection Booth On September 5, 1936.
Opened On March 29, 1956 With William Holden In “Love Is A Many Splendored Thing”.
The Nearby Franklin Theatre Closed Its Doors Exactly Days Before The Lyric Opened It’s Doors, Which Will Have It’s Page Soon.
The Rite-Aid Only Lasted For Like A Decade At Somehow, Maybe A Decade And A Half. So The Best Guess Here Is That It Closed By Or In The Early 1990’s.