This operated as a Jerry Lewis Cinema from October of 1972 to April 8, 1973. Franchisee Di-Mar Cinema Corp. parted ways with the imploding circuit, Di-Mar’s chief Nicholas Marchione said, “For $15,000 (franchise fee), I got a letterhead, a rubber stamp and no help at all.”
Di-Mar changed the JLC to the Miami Gardens Cinema. In December of 1975, new operators transformed it to the Teatro Nacional with Spanish-language family-oriented films and Hollywood films with subtitles through November 11, 1976. It was offered for sale and all seats were sold for 50 cents each getting a refresh.
It relaunched as a XXX house in December of 1976 as the Miami Gardens 183d Street Cinema. On March 11, 1977, it became a sub-run discount house. It continued as a sub-run house until new operators took it on in 1981. It showed first-run “exploitation” / independent films. The cinema switched to sub-run status later that year through March of 1982. It closed after returning for its last eight months as an adult XXX theatre at the end of a 15 year leasing agreement on October 28, 1982.
BTW: The address used in all ads is 4548 N.W. 183rd Street.
This opened as the Pembroke Pines Cinema 4 in University Mall on December 13, 1978. In July of 1980, Loews Circuit took on the cinema becoming Loews Pembroke Pines Cinema 4. In March of 1994 Loews dropped the theatre. Sun Vista picked it up calling it Sun Vista Cinema 4. It closed as the Sun Vista Cinema 4 on February 19, 1995. (There is no chance that the name was “Pembrook” anything and there are no references to it ever being referred to as the Pembrook or Pembroke Pines Quad, either.)
According to the local paper, this venue was built and briefly launched as a Jerry Lewis Cinema promising family films. A change of ownership as the Gala Twin and controversy with the showing of “Deep Throat” drove traffic to the Gala for years. As the neighborhood’s population shifted, the cinema became Teatros Cuba for a brief period in 1981/2. It then was rebranded as Teatro Miami Twin (advertised as the Miami Twin Cinema 1982-1984 in English-speaking newspapers) from 1982 until end of lease August 30, 1989. The space was retrofitted as a gym.
This theater opened as the Jerry Lewis Cinema on October 29, 1971 with “Big Jake” and was franchised by the creator of the Marchwood Shopping Center, Bernard Hankin. The theatre got new ownership and changed names to the Marchwood Cinema in May of 1974. The last shows advertised as the Marchwood Cinema were on December 12, 1985 with “Shauna” and “Pleasures of Innocence.”
This venue opened as Jerry Lewis Cinema with “Scrooge” on December 31st, 1970. Under new operators, Lewis was gone and the venue was renamed the Cinema 19 on August 4, 1972.
Launched July 3, 1972 with “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory,“ this Jerry Lewis Theatre had pledged to show family-oriented films but strayed in 1972 by showing the X-rated Deep Throat.” On March 15, 1973, it became the Cinema Theatre dropping the Lewis moniker.
Fred-Mark Associates was another of the odd theater owners who took an existing, old movie house in a town and converted it to a franchised and automated Jerry Lewis Cinema. This one may have made a bit more sense than the stand-alone in Monahans, Texas which was that owners only theater. Fred-Mark also established location in Seneca and two in Greenville. It relaunched as a JLC with Elvis Presley in “Clambake” on March 24, 1972.
The March 15, 1972 Jerry Lewis Twin grand opening that never was. This Mid-State Mall location was designed, constructed and completed with signage as a Jerry Lewis Cinema. But perhaps due to a misunderstanding, seats and projection never arrived. Two lawsuits later and the project was in turnaround despite the building being completed. It stood empty until new operators took on the location launching about year and a half after the original announced date on August 9, 1973.
In March of 1972, Automated Theatres' co-owners Gordon and Ruth Zuck along with H.L. “Tooty” Taylor announced Alabama’s first Jerry Lewis Cinema in the state. The Jerry Lewis Twin Cinema was adjacent to Taylor’s Pizza Pronto and opened with “Cabaret” on one screen and “Snoopy Come Home” on the other on December 21, 1972. As the automated, family-friendly theatre approached its first anniversary, the situation had turned grim for both the circuit and its franchisees, the Zucks.
In December of 1973 just shy of the Selma’s Jerry Lewis Twin’s first birthday, Jerry Lewis Cinemas and its parent, Network Cinema Corporation, had dissolved in bankruptcy. Furthermore, Automated Theatres' employees had a discussion in the theater’s lobby about the failing Selma Jerry Lewis Twin. They decided Gordon Zuck needed to be killed for the insurance money to keep the operation afloat and improve conditions, generally. And that’s just what happened with Zuck’s murder. But when one of the theater’s employees admitted to the plan and the details of using a tire iron to kill Mr. Zuck, things sort of fell apart for the operation and the defendants to be.
The theater owners were locked out after failing to pay rent in 1974. Tooty Taylor took over the business – which had changed names to the Selma Twin Cinemas on May 8, 1974 – in July of 1974 under the caveat that neither the former living owner or her family could enter the premises. Taylor changed the name on July 11, 1974 to the Taylor Twin Cinema. Taylor closed on January 15, 1975 with an announcement that Cobb Theatres Circuit would take on the location.
On January 31, 1975 Cobb took on the operation changing its name to the Cahaba Twin Theatres on a 15-year leasing agreement. As the lease got close to expiring in 1997, Cobb transferred the venue to Regal Cinemas Circuit which operated it under the moniker of the Cobb Cahaba Theatre 2 for a year before shortening it to the Cahaba Cinemas 2 in 1998 and then the Cahaba Twin in 1999. Regal closed the Cahaba Twin at the end of its lease on January 31, 2000 with “Star Wars Episode 1” and “Trippin'.”
The venue launched as the Cahaba Twin Theater on March 3, 2000 under local, independent operation of Maureen Greene through October 21, 2004. The theater closed again but reopened November 12, 2004 with William “Billy” Dinkins taking over the operation. But on March 2, 2005, Dinkins unfortunately became the second operator of this theater to be murdered. The theatre closed on March 1, 2005 with “Because of Winn-Dixie” and a split of “Hitch” and “Hotel Rwanda.”
The Praise Ministry of Ministry Tabernacle moved into the location in 2009. And while convictions were brought in the murder of owner Gordon Zuck, sadly the William Dinkins murder was still listed as a cold case into the 2020s.
The Jerry Lewis Twin Cinema launched September 21, 1972. The neighboring Saccucci Lincoln-Mercury auto dealer was among those welcoming the new automated, franchised theater. And Saccucci Lincoln-Mercury dealer was the franchisee of this location. But things went south for Jerry Lewis Cinema and its parent company, Network Cinema Corp. The Lewis signage was removed and the theater assumed the name, the Esquire Cinema I & II on February 12, 1973. In December of 1975, the theatre became the Starcase Twin Cinema. In 1976, the Starcase Twin announced an expansion. On April 20, 1977 the theatre became the Starcase Cinema I,II & III. The Starcase closed in January of 2001.
The history above does not match my research. There are bookings at the Walnut Theatre for every day in 1921 and not one news note about so much as a remodeling. It also seems a bit hard to believe that a large building housing a major new theater would be torn down just seven years later (barring a fire – which the location did not have). Yet, the facts are quite challenging due to puffery on the showmen of the day, I’d say this could be the timeline for the Walnut:
In 1891, John H. Havlin purchased the Walnut Street Hotel to build his new Walnut Street Theatre. There was likely some elements of the original structure used in the construction as the venue’s look and usage have many similarities in 1890 and 1892 renderings. Further, the entire process was short for that period taking less than nine months. Also, both 1890 and 1892 buildings were multi-story structures housing hotels and other businesses. But no questioning that in 1892, the address was now home to Havlin’s Walnut Street Theater. And it was home to the new (or renamed), Stratford Hotel – fitting for the Shakespearean offerings at the neighboring theater. The theater’s Romanesque architecture was said to have been inspired by architect Henry Hobson Richardson – though certainly not designed by him.
The Walnut Street Theater launched on September 26, 1892 with a live performance of “Hamlet.” In April of 1903, M.C. Anderson and Henry M. Ziegler of the Columbia Theater bought the building for $250,000 as their Columbia burlesque house had reached end of lease. Like Havlin, they would boast of an all-new theater and hotel construction. While there was a major interior refresh, the emergent Walnut Theater (dropping Street) certainly used liberally from the existing structure.
In 1908, the theater was under new operators, the American Vaudeville Company, who switched from burly house to refined vaudeville. This operator, too, suggested that their version of the venue was “all new.” While it had a new facade and entry, the structure borrowed liberally from the previous management’s burlesque house. This operator did return the venue to its former name of the Walnut Street Theater. Also, the hotel changed names away from the Shakespearian-centric Stratford – the theater long moving past offerings by the Bard – and to the Walnut Hotel.
As movies began to overtake vaudeville’s success in Cincy, new operator William Sullivan converted the venue to full-time photoplay house. This was its programming format until its closure. As the leasing agreement neared its expiration date in May of 1928, the Walnut was faced with three prospects: 1) movies were moving to sound which meant a costly upgrade was needed; 2) Cincinnati was getting a new breed of movie palaces designed to play motion pictures; and 3) the property values in downtown were exploding. Not built or designed for movies, the Walnut Theater’s days were numbered.
The Walnut Theater closed on May 10, 1928 with Norma Shearer in “The Latest from Paris.” It never converted to sound. Just two weeks later, the Walnut Theater and Walnut Hotel Building was purchased for an astonishing $630,000. Soon thereafter, the Cleveland Wrecking Company came in to raze the building, In August of 1928, their ad offered everything in the theater for sale including the doors and ventilation system. The theater did make the headlines one last time when the wrecking crew toppled a wall of the theater onto a nearby car lot crushing multiple cars.
And if the address of the former Walnut Street Theater seems familiar, it’s because the days of entertainment at this address returned in spectacular fashion. That’s because in October of 1995, the new-build Aronoff Center for the Arts – a live performance venue – returned live shows in the same spot as the former Walnut Street Theater. John H. Havlin would undoubtedly approve.
Casey – though I don’t know the status of this particular location, a lot of fringe movie houses – small and “discount” houses – that are reaching end of leasing agreement during this pandemic are indeed going to be a long shot to reopen. The fallout could be steep.
The Eastgate Shopping Center was a $6 million project announced in the Fall of 1958. It would open theatre-less anchored by JC Penney and W. T. Grant’s Expansion in 1972 led to the creation of the latest Jerry Lewis Twin Cinema by shopping center developer Clarence Decker. Construction began October 5, 1972 and as the theatre was set to make its launch as the Jerry Lewis Twin Cinema at Eastgate, the Lewis Chain and its parent, Network Cinema Corp., had disbanded.
The Jerry Lewis signage was not installed and the name was changed using a different Lewis in its moniker. The Lewis & Clark Eastgate Cinema I and II launched on June 20, 1973. It was the first area hard-top theater to launch since the nearby Roxana Theater’s opening in 1941. It launched with “The World’s Greatest Athlete” and a double-feature of “Slither' and “Wicked Wicked.”
The projection area featured living room styled seating for a VIP experience. Cinema I was bathed in blue and white known as the “Blue Cinema” and the Cinema II was decked in red and white and nicknamed “Red Cinema.” Kerasotes Circuit took on the location and in 1978, the Cinema began marketing as just the Eastgate Cinema I and II. In January of 1989, Kerasotes unveiled a plan to expand the operation from two to four screens. But it changed that to expansion six screens in 1990.
In 2010, Kerasotes was bought by AMC and the venue became the AMC Eastgate Cinema 6. In 2016, AMC bought Carmike and it rebranded its portfolio with two classes of theaters: AMC and AMC Classic. This location, although never having any association with Carmike, became rebranded as the AMC Classic Eastgate 6 Cinema.
This venue launched as the Jerry Lewis Triple Cinema. It was announced in August of 1972 and would be a triplex with two auditoriums of the common 350-seat configuration and one smaller 240-seater. The franchisee upheld the family-oriented fare rule of the circuit. It delivered at launch on March 15, 1973 with “The Great Dictator,” “Bedknobs and Broomsticks” and “The Other” on a double-feature with “When the Legends Die.”
The Lewis and its parent, Network Cinema Corp., declared bankruptcy as the theater was opening. Less than two months after its opening, the Lewis signage was removed and the theater renamed as the Biscayne III Cinema effective May 1, 1973. But the Cinema began to screen X-rated fare beyond the usual suspects like “Last Tango in Paris” and “Heavy Traffic.” At the Mall were, “Bizarre Devices,” “Danish Pastries,” “Afternoon Tease” and “The Whistle Blowers.” It was probably not what the Mall operator had in mind when it allows the cinema to open.
But in November of 1976, new owners took on the reviled operation. On December 4, 1976, the Dickinson Theatre took on the fledgling mall cinema eradicating X-rated policy and returning it to a family-friendly environment. The theatre was ostensibly replaced by Dickinson with a new-build multiplex in 1992 with the Biscayne III Cinemas downgraded to sub-run discount status. It closed in 1998 at the end of a 25-year leasing agreement.
The Mills Edisonia opened at this location on October 12, 1903. Later as a movie house, the Star Theatre did not convert to sound in 192 7 but continued as a live burlesque house and received a refresh in 1933. The Star Theater’s manager was murdered there on June 13, 1934 which appears to be the day they decided to close up shop. The theatre was sold soon in July of 1934 and demolished.
The Queen Anne Amusement Company opened this theater on August 30, 1913. At the helm was Joseph G. Shakespeare whose wife ran the concession stand. Movies were a nickel as was the popcorn. The Shakespeares went on to Waldorf Amusements to operate the National and the Freeman theaters. After they left during World War I, it was run by an ambitious 19-year old, Laurence Bueche, Jr.
Beuchele added the Queen Anne Airdome in the property adjoining the theater seating 732. The Queen Anne opened and closed as a 750-seat house. It was offered for sale after closing in 1956. The facility became a sheet metal factory.
The Belvedere Theatre launched by Herman Heinrich and Bernadina Schumacher on September 20, 1913 as a 317-seat silent movie house. The theatre didn’t convert to sound and was offered for sale. The theatre catered to a neighborhood which had a Germanic clientele. The theater remained in operation to the end of the 1920s as a silent house but didn’t make the conversion to sound.
The theatre modernized in 1942 by operator George Buquo and his wife with a refresh and new sound system. Caroline K. Niedenthal , who operated the Evanston Theater, purchased the Belvedere continuing its operation into the TV age when the theatre was used for other purposes.
In 1971, Pat Montgomery took on the location and announced he would convert it into the Mt. Adams Cinema with 208 seats. It launched July 31, 1973 with repertory films, cult films and art films.
The venue became known for its regular weekend midnight screenings of “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” That film had played an unsuccessful two-week run at the Alpha Fine Arts in December of 1976. As the film gained cult status around the world, the Mt. Adams rebooked the film on its single-screen for the week of May 25, 1977 with three daily shows. The film found a cult audience and the Mt. Adams carried the show for five months. “Rocky Horror” would go on to runs at the Bijou, 20th Century and – perhaps most famously in Cincinnati – the Skywalk Cinema which carried the film from October 6, 1978 to January 5, 1991.
Parallax Theaters took on the Mt. Adams in the late 1970s closing it in March of 1979 citing lack of parking as the primary issue. The theater reopened in August of 1979 under new operators but appears to have closed in 1981 and offered for sale. It was said to have been vacant for most of the 1980s before being purchased in 1989 for $70,000 and used for other purposes.
This operated as a Jerry Lewis Cinema from October of 1972 to April 8, 1973. Franchisee Di-Mar Cinema Corp. parted ways with the imploding circuit, Di-Mar’s chief Nicholas Marchione said, “For $15,000 (franchise fee), I got a letterhead, a rubber stamp and no help at all.”
Di-Mar changed the JLC to the Miami Gardens Cinema. In December of 1975, new operators transformed it to the Teatro Nacional with Spanish-language family-oriented films and Hollywood films with subtitles through November 11, 1976. It was offered for sale and all seats were sold for 50 cents each getting a refresh.
It relaunched as a XXX house in December of 1976 as the Miami Gardens 183d Street Cinema. On March 11, 1977, it became a sub-run discount house. It continued as a sub-run house until new operators took it on in 1981. It showed first-run “exploitation” / independent films. The cinema switched to sub-run status later that year through March of 1982. It closed after returning for its last eight months as an adult XXX theatre at the end of a 15 year leasing agreement on October 28, 1982.
BTW: The address used in all ads is 4548 N.W. 183rd Street.
This opened as the Pembroke Pines Cinema 4 in University Mall on December 13, 1978. In July of 1980, Loews Circuit took on the cinema becoming Loews Pembroke Pines Cinema 4. In March of 1994 Loews dropped the theatre. Sun Vista picked it up calling it Sun Vista Cinema 4. It closed as the Sun Vista Cinema 4 on February 19, 1995. (There is no chance that the name was “Pembrook” anything and there are no references to it ever being referred to as the Pembrook or Pembroke Pines Quad, either.)
According to the local paper, this venue was built and briefly launched as a Jerry Lewis Cinema promising family films. A change of ownership as the Gala Twin and controversy with the showing of “Deep Throat” drove traffic to the Gala for years. As the neighborhood’s population shifted, the cinema became Teatros Cuba for a brief period in 1981/2. It then was rebranded as Teatro Miami Twin (advertised as the Miami Twin Cinema 1982-1984 in English-speaking newspapers) from 1982 until end of lease August 30, 1989. The space was retrofitted as a gym.
Opened March 24, 1972.
The Jerry Lewis Cinema was opened June 4, 1971 with the Aristocats.
This theater opened as the Jerry Lewis Cinema on October 29, 1971 with “Big Jake” and was franchised by the creator of the Marchwood Shopping Center, Bernard Hankin. The theatre got new ownership and changed names to the Marchwood Cinema in May of 1974. The last shows advertised as the Marchwood Cinema were on December 12, 1985 with “Shauna” and “Pleasures of Innocence.”
Launched with “The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes” on February 18, 1970
This venue opened as Jerry Lewis Cinema with “Scrooge” on December 31st, 1970. Under new operators, Lewis was gone and the venue was renamed the Cinema 19 on August 4, 1972.
Launched July 3, 1972 with “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory,“ this Jerry Lewis Theatre had pledged to show family-oriented films but strayed in 1972 by showing the X-rated Deep Throat.” On March 15, 1973, it became the Cinema Theatre dropping the Lewis moniker.
Fred-Mark Associates was another of the odd theater owners who took an existing, old movie house in a town and converted it to a franchised and automated Jerry Lewis Cinema. This one may have made a bit more sense than the stand-alone in Monahans, Texas which was that owners only theater. Fred-Mark also established location in Seneca and two in Greenville. It relaunched as a JLC with Elvis Presley in “Clambake” on March 24, 1972.
Opened in 1973 as a Jerry Lewis Theatre as the Circuit was in bankruptcy and in the process of dissolving.
The March 15, 1972 Jerry Lewis Twin grand opening that never was. This Mid-State Mall location was designed, constructed and completed with signage as a Jerry Lewis Cinema. But perhaps due to a misunderstanding, seats and projection never arrived. Two lawsuits later and the project was in turnaround despite the building being completed. It stood empty until new operators took on the location launching about year and a half after the original announced date on August 9, 1973.
Launched May 27, 1970 with the film, “Anne of the Thousand Days.”
The theatre launched January 12, 1972 with “Lawrence of Arabia.”
In March of 1972, Automated Theatres' co-owners Gordon and Ruth Zuck along with H.L. “Tooty” Taylor announced Alabama’s first Jerry Lewis Cinema in the state. The Jerry Lewis Twin Cinema was adjacent to Taylor’s Pizza Pronto and opened with “Cabaret” on one screen and “Snoopy Come Home” on the other on December 21, 1972. As the automated, family-friendly theatre approached its first anniversary, the situation had turned grim for both the circuit and its franchisees, the Zucks.
In December of 1973 just shy of the Selma’s Jerry Lewis Twin’s first birthday, Jerry Lewis Cinemas and its parent, Network Cinema Corporation, had dissolved in bankruptcy. Furthermore, Automated Theatres' employees had a discussion in the theater’s lobby about the failing Selma Jerry Lewis Twin. They decided Gordon Zuck needed to be killed for the insurance money to keep the operation afloat and improve conditions, generally. And that’s just what happened with Zuck’s murder. But when one of the theater’s employees admitted to the plan and the details of using a tire iron to kill Mr. Zuck, things sort of fell apart for the operation and the defendants to be.
The theater owners were locked out after failing to pay rent in 1974. Tooty Taylor took over the business – which had changed names to the Selma Twin Cinemas on May 8, 1974 – in July of 1974 under the caveat that neither the former living owner or her family could enter the premises. Taylor changed the name on July 11, 1974 to the Taylor Twin Cinema. Taylor closed on January 15, 1975 with an announcement that Cobb Theatres Circuit would take on the location.
On January 31, 1975 Cobb took on the operation changing its name to the Cahaba Twin Theatres on a 15-year leasing agreement. As the lease got close to expiring in 1997, Cobb transferred the venue to Regal Cinemas Circuit which operated it under the moniker of the Cobb Cahaba Theatre 2 for a year before shortening it to the Cahaba Cinemas 2 in 1998 and then the Cahaba Twin in 1999. Regal closed the Cahaba Twin at the end of its lease on January 31, 2000 with “Star Wars Episode 1” and “Trippin'.”
The venue launched as the Cahaba Twin Theater on March 3, 2000 under local, independent operation of Maureen Greene through October 21, 2004. The theater closed again but reopened November 12, 2004 with William “Billy” Dinkins taking over the operation. But on March 2, 2005, Dinkins unfortunately became the second operator of this theater to be murdered. The theatre closed on March 1, 2005 with “Because of Winn-Dixie” and a split of “Hitch” and “Hotel Rwanda.”
The Praise Ministry of Ministry Tabernacle moved into the location in 2009. And while convictions were brought in the murder of owner Gordon Zuck, sadly the William Dinkins murder was still listed as a cold case into the 2020s.
The Jerry Lewis Twin Cinema launched September 21, 1972 with “Frenzy” and “What’s Up, Doc?”
The Jerry Lewis Twin Cinema launched September 21, 1972. The neighboring Saccucci Lincoln-Mercury auto dealer was among those welcoming the new automated, franchised theater. And Saccucci Lincoln-Mercury dealer was the franchisee of this location. But things went south for Jerry Lewis Cinema and its parent company, Network Cinema Corp. The Lewis signage was removed and the theater assumed the name, the Esquire Cinema I & II on February 12, 1973. In December of 1975, the theatre became the Starcase Twin Cinema. In 1976, the Starcase Twin announced an expansion. On April 20, 1977 the theatre became the Starcase Cinema I,II & III. The Starcase closed in January of 2001.
The history above does not match my research. There are bookings at the Walnut Theatre for every day in 1921 and not one news note about so much as a remodeling. It also seems a bit hard to believe that a large building housing a major new theater would be torn down just seven years later (barring a fire – which the location did not have). Yet, the facts are quite challenging due to puffery on the showmen of the day, I’d say this could be the timeline for the Walnut:
In 1891, John H. Havlin purchased the Walnut Street Hotel to build his new Walnut Street Theatre. There was likely some elements of the original structure used in the construction as the venue’s look and usage have many similarities in 1890 and 1892 renderings. Further, the entire process was short for that period taking less than nine months. Also, both 1890 and 1892 buildings were multi-story structures housing hotels and other businesses. But no questioning that in 1892, the address was now home to Havlin’s Walnut Street Theater. And it was home to the new (or renamed), Stratford Hotel – fitting for the Shakespearean offerings at the neighboring theater. The theater’s Romanesque architecture was said to have been inspired by architect Henry Hobson Richardson – though certainly not designed by him.
The Walnut Street Theater launched on September 26, 1892 with a live performance of “Hamlet.” In April of 1903, M.C. Anderson and Henry M. Ziegler of the Columbia Theater bought the building for $250,000 as their Columbia burlesque house had reached end of lease. Like Havlin, they would boast of an all-new theater and hotel construction. While there was a major interior refresh, the emergent Walnut Theater (dropping Street) certainly used liberally from the existing structure.
In 1908, the theater was under new operators, the American Vaudeville Company, who switched from burly house to refined vaudeville. This operator, too, suggested that their version of the venue was “all new.” While it had a new facade and entry, the structure borrowed liberally from the previous management’s burlesque house. This operator did return the venue to its former name of the Walnut Street Theater. Also, the hotel changed names away from the Shakespearian-centric Stratford – the theater long moving past offerings by the Bard – and to the Walnut Hotel.
As movies began to overtake vaudeville’s success in Cincy, new operator William Sullivan converted the venue to full-time photoplay house. This was its programming format until its closure. As the leasing agreement neared its expiration date in May of 1928, the Walnut was faced with three prospects: 1) movies were moving to sound which meant a costly upgrade was needed; 2) Cincinnati was getting a new breed of movie palaces designed to play motion pictures; and 3) the property values in downtown were exploding. Not built or designed for movies, the Walnut Theater’s days were numbered.
The Walnut Theater closed on May 10, 1928 with Norma Shearer in “The Latest from Paris.” It never converted to sound. Just two weeks later, the Walnut Theater and Walnut Hotel Building was purchased for an astonishing $630,000. Soon thereafter, the Cleveland Wrecking Company came in to raze the building, In August of 1928, their ad offered everything in the theater for sale including the doors and ventilation system. The theater did make the headlines one last time when the wrecking crew toppled a wall of the theater onto a nearby car lot crushing multiple cars.
And if the address of the former Walnut Street Theater seems familiar, it’s because the days of entertainment at this address returned in spectacular fashion. That’s because in October of 1995, the new-build Aronoff Center for the Arts – a live performance venue – returned live shows in the same spot as the former Walnut Street Theater. John H. Havlin would undoubtedly approve.
Casey – though I don’t know the status of this particular location, a lot of fringe movie houses – small and “discount” houses – that are reaching end of leasing agreement during this pandemic are indeed going to be a long shot to reopen. The fallout could be steep.
The Roxana Theatre originally opened on September 1, 1941 with “The Road to Singapore,” “Shooting High,” a cartoon and various short subjects.
The Eastgate Shopping Center was a $6 million project announced in the Fall of 1958. It would open theatre-less anchored by JC Penney and W. T. Grant’s Expansion in 1972 led to the creation of the latest Jerry Lewis Twin Cinema by shopping center developer Clarence Decker. Construction began October 5, 1972 and as the theatre was set to make its launch as the Jerry Lewis Twin Cinema at Eastgate, the Lewis Chain and its parent, Network Cinema Corp., had disbanded.
The Jerry Lewis signage was not installed and the name was changed using a different Lewis in its moniker. The Lewis & Clark Eastgate Cinema I and II launched on June 20, 1973. It was the first area hard-top theater to launch since the nearby Roxana Theater’s opening in 1941. It launched with “The World’s Greatest Athlete” and a double-feature of “Slither' and “Wicked Wicked.”
The projection area featured living room styled seating for a VIP experience. Cinema I was bathed in blue and white known as the “Blue Cinema” and the Cinema II was decked in red and white and nicknamed “Red Cinema.” Kerasotes Circuit took on the location and in 1978, the Cinema began marketing as just the Eastgate Cinema I and II. In January of 1989, Kerasotes unveiled a plan to expand the operation from two to four screens. But it changed that to expansion six screens in 1990.
In 2010, Kerasotes was bought by AMC and the venue became the AMC Eastgate Cinema 6. In 2016, AMC bought Carmike and it rebranded its portfolio with two classes of theaters: AMC and AMC Classic. This location, although never having any association with Carmike, became rebranded as the AMC Classic Eastgate 6 Cinema.
This venue launched as the Jerry Lewis Triple Cinema. It was announced in August of 1972 and would be a triplex with two auditoriums of the common 350-seat configuration and one smaller 240-seater. The franchisee upheld the family-oriented fare rule of the circuit. It delivered at launch on March 15, 1973 with “The Great Dictator,” “Bedknobs and Broomsticks” and “The Other” on a double-feature with “When the Legends Die.”
The Lewis and its parent, Network Cinema Corp., declared bankruptcy as the theater was opening. Less than two months after its opening, the Lewis signage was removed and the theater renamed as the Biscayne III Cinema effective May 1, 1973. But the Cinema began to screen X-rated fare beyond the usual suspects like “Last Tango in Paris” and “Heavy Traffic.” At the Mall were, “Bizarre Devices,” “Danish Pastries,” “Afternoon Tease” and “The Whistle Blowers.” It was probably not what the Mall operator had in mind when it allows the cinema to open.
But in November of 1976, new owners took on the reviled operation. On December 4, 1976, the Dickinson Theatre took on the fledgling mall cinema eradicating X-rated policy and returning it to a family-friendly environment. The theatre was ostensibly replaced by Dickinson with a new-build multiplex in 1992 with the Biscayne III Cinemas downgraded to sub-run discount status. It closed in 1998 at the end of a 25-year leasing agreement.
The Mills Edisonia opened at this location on October 12, 1903. Later as a movie house, the Star Theatre did not convert to sound in 192 7 but continued as a live burlesque house and received a refresh in 1933. The Star Theater’s manager was murdered there on June 13, 1934 which appears to be the day they decided to close up shop. The theatre was sold soon in July of 1934 and demolished.
The Queen Anne Amusement Company opened this theater on August 30, 1913. At the helm was Joseph G. Shakespeare whose wife ran the concession stand. Movies were a nickel as was the popcorn. The Shakespeares went on to Waldorf Amusements to operate the National and the Freeman theaters. After they left during World War I, it was run by an ambitious 19-year old, Laurence Bueche, Jr.
Beuchele added the Queen Anne Airdome in the property adjoining the theater seating 732. The Queen Anne opened and closed as a 750-seat house. It was offered for sale after closing in 1956. The facility became a sheet metal factory.
The Belvedere Theatre launched by Herman Heinrich and Bernadina Schumacher on September 20, 1913 as a 317-seat silent movie house. The theatre didn’t convert to sound and was offered for sale. The theatre catered to a neighborhood which had a Germanic clientele. The theater remained in operation to the end of the 1920s as a silent house but didn’t make the conversion to sound.
The theatre modernized in 1942 by operator George Buquo and his wife with a refresh and new sound system. Caroline K. Niedenthal , who operated the Evanston Theater, purchased the Belvedere continuing its operation into the TV age when the theatre was used for other purposes.
In 1971, Pat Montgomery took on the location and announced he would convert it into the Mt. Adams Cinema with 208 seats. It launched July 31, 1973 with repertory films, cult films and art films.
The venue became known for its regular weekend midnight screenings of “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” That film had played an unsuccessful two-week run at the Alpha Fine Arts in December of 1976. As the film gained cult status around the world, the Mt. Adams rebooked the film on its single-screen for the week of May 25, 1977 with three daily shows. The film found a cult audience and the Mt. Adams carried the show for five months. “Rocky Horror” would go on to runs at the Bijou, 20th Century and – perhaps most famously in Cincinnati – the Skywalk Cinema which carried the film from October 6, 1978 to January 5, 1991.
Parallax Theaters took on the Mt. Adams in the late 1970s closing it in March of 1979 citing lack of parking as the primary issue. The theater reopened in August of 1979 under new operators but appears to have closed in 1981 and offered for sale. It was said to have been vacant for most of the 1980s before being purchased in 1989 for $70,000 and used for other purposes.