Eagle eyes will see the Coming Soon: A New United General Theatre in the background as the franchisees were building their new automated theater in the Town Lake Shopping Center at 1930 E. Riverdale. And the theatre opened pretty much on time in the summer of 1973. United General franchisees were purportedly behind two similar Aquarius quads in Austin and Dallas.
With ten more Austin screens and 44 more in Texas scheduled by year’s end and 3,500 screens by the end of 1975, United General called itself the “fastest growing cinema circuit” in the United States. Unfortunately, few of the locations actually opened as United General as the chain’s projections didn’t match reality. That was something that became apparent when two of its founders pleaded guilty to fraud charges.
Veteran showman Theo Miller launched the Gem Theatre on May 18, 1939 with the film, “Pirates of the Sky.” He closed the theatre on December 31, 1959 ending the theater’s continuous run after 20 years. The theatre would have a final run in 1963/4 under new operators.
The newly relocated Texas Theatre would reopen June 14, 1962 with the film “Big Red.” The previous Texas Theatre was gutted by fire on January 8, 1962 and a decision was made to move the theatre which was twice gutted by fire.
The new Texas Theatre launches in downtown Ballinger on June 26, 1936 with Wheeler and Woolsey in “Silly Billies.“ The theatre suffered a fire originating in the neighboring Texas Grill on January 30, 1939 that gutted the interior and decimated the Cactus Drug Store. The Texas was restored and reequipped as the new, new Texas Theatre relaunching on May 5, 1939 with Bob Burns in “I’m From Missouri.” And more good news was that the Texas Grill was also reopened!
Unfortunately, on January 8, 1962, another fire at the Texas Grill occurred and again gutted the theater and decimated the neighboring business, a beauty parlor. The Texas Theatre would reopen June 14, 1962 in a new location and – fortunately – the Texas Grill did not relocated next door. The new Texas Theatre would continue into the 2020s.
This Cinemark discount cinema opened on December 16, 1989. It closed after ten years of operation, it became the Covenant Church in 2000 before a period of inactivity.
The Movies 8 neighborhood and its neighboring shopping centers once home to two General Cinema 6-plexes became Korean-centric as Carrollton became a top 15 medium market population center for Korean Americans with 1.3% population as Korean. So a new group took on the former Cinemark theater. It relaunched splitting the operation of the building to part theatrical and Korean activity center under the name of the Oasis Cinema. The Oasis played contemporary Asian films with Korean and Chinese language films in two auditoriums. The Oasis also played major Hollywood releases with Korean subtitles. The Oasis closed briefly and relaunched In the Fall of 2017 changing names / operators to the Bluebonnet Cinema still showing contemporary Korean films. It closed on January 5, 2019 with a hopeful reopening soon that never came.
H & H Theatres was a Texas-based motion picture circuit dating back in the silent era and Homer T. Hodge was a founder with another member of the Hodge family. Hodge built an airdrome in 1912 in Abilene and opened the Gem Theatre there – his first hardtop – in 1913 involving his family. They became H & H Theatres Circuit and the Gem was the first of twenty H & H Thatres in Texas. H & H had five theaters in Odessa, four theaters in Midland with four more in Ballinger, three each in Winters, Merkel, and Stamford. But H.T.’s wife died in 1948 and he retired in 1949 as this ozoner was in the latter stages of development. It was named in honor of his company. The H & H tagline was “Always Friendly” as they believed in family friendly venues and content.
Hodge’s departure from the industry in 1949 led to H & H’s placement of the circuit dividing the portfolio into six of his seven children’s hands. The “always friendly” moniker was not carried over to the operation post-Hodge. Acrimony led to a public lawsuit in 1952. H & H actually disbanded prior to H.T. Hodge’s death in September of 1954 but reformed under the same H & H Theatres banner operating until at least 1987. If that’s when it ended, H & H had a nice 75-year legacy. As for the Stamford H & H drive-in location, the long-running operation got new ownership and spent a short period of time as the renamed S & S Drive-In.
Likely more information than anyone really needed.
Veteran showman Theo Miller had been in the film exhibition business nearly 25 years with three other area theaters in the silent era and sound era. One of his earliest was the Pastime Theater in downtown Quitman which would be converted to a hardware store. Miller then launched the Gem Theatre also in downtown Quitman on May 18, 1939 with the film, “Pirates of the Sky.” He closed the theatre on December 31, 1959 ending the theater’s continuous run after 20 years.
But the Gem would get one more shot relaunching November 22, 1963 with “Blue Hawaii.” It closed for the final time (apparently) on September 26, 1964 with a two shorts and a feature with “Zoo Who” and “Jamaica Jive” supporting “The Incredible Journey.”
This was announced in 1972 as an automated franchise of the United General Circuit. Two identical 185-screen / 370 total seat auditoriums.The booth had 16mm projection but was changed to 35mm projection.
William Maples of Phoenix was the newest franchisee of a United General automated theater location. This one was a 4,000 spot in the Casa Grande Mall and was hoped to have a July 1972 opening. A naming contest was held in November of 1972 – a common PR stunt in the United General playbook – and Louise Hudspeth came up with the unique and winning name: Mall Cinema. Those who had hoped for Mall Theater were disappointed. Perhaps a better contest would have been a pool to predict the theater’s opening date.It
Grand opening ads appeared in print November, December, January, February, March, and throughout April. It finally opened April 27, 1973 with “Lady and the Tramp” and “Million Dollar Duck” using the 16mm automated projection equipment and delivering on the promise to schedule family-friendly films.
The theatre was built as a United General franchised location. The Showcase celebrated its Grand Opening on July 25, 1973 with a double feature of “Billy Jack” and “Bless the Beasts.”
Elaine and Roger Moore aka E & R Concepts were the proud new United General franchisees of this theatre which held its name the theater contest in 1971. Ken and Keith Sherwood won the contest (ages 4 and 5) taking home 25 tickets for two. And then they waited for the theater located in the White Rock Shopping Center to open. And waited some more. Several opening dates came and went. But, finally, the theater opened on December 27, 1972 – an automated 16mm projection booth and family fare – with “Run to the High Country.” The Los Alamos Film Society held screenings there.
The theatre got new owners who switched the booth to 35mm but stayed true to the family friendly films. The final owners, Blue Pearl Corp. run by Jonathan and Carl Kahn, made it to the half-way point of its 30 year lease, closing just shy of its 15th Anniversary with “Back to the Beach” on September 30, 1987 citing financial reasons. The tiny theater was repurposed for other retail uses.
Stanley Warner Theatres 174th theater was the $500,000 Telephone Road Twin Drive-In north of Pearland. A champagne opening night benefit for the Boys Harbor of Houston featured Miss Texas Beauty Judi Lackey and music from Uni labels' The Fever Tree (who had a top 100 charted hit the next year) and Billy Gibbon’s The Moving Sidewalks who had the hit “99th Floor” before Gibbons moved on to form ZZ Top.
Opening shows were a triple feature of “For a Few Dollars More,” “The Russians are Coming! The Russians are Coming” and “The Fortune Cookie” on Screen One and “The War Wagon,” “Texas Across the River,” and “Shenahoah” on Screen Two.
The H & H Drive-In Theatre launched September 29, 1949 with Henry Fonda in “Trail of the Lonesome Pine.” AKA the S & S Drive-In Theatre. It closed during the 1984 season with an adult double-feature. The theatre showed mainstream films on the weekend and adult films Tuesday-Thursday.
Stanley Warner Theatres 174th theater was the $500,000 Telephone Road Twin Drive-In north of Pearland. A champagne opening night benefit for the Boys Harbor of Houston featured Miss Texas Beauty Judi Lackey and music from Uni labels' The Fever Tree (who had a top 100 charted hit the next year) and Billy Gibbon’s The Moving Sidewalks who had the hit “99th Floor” before Gibbons moved on to form ZZ Top.
Opening shows were a triple feature of “For a Few Dollars More,” “The Russians are Coming! The Russians are Coming” and “The Fortune Cookie” on Screen One and “The War Wagon,” “Texas Across the River,” and “Shenahoah” on Screen Two.
This was purportedly Debbie Reynolds' own United General automated theatre. Reynolds, Glenn Ford, and Agnes Moorehead were the primary actors who lent their names to the fledgling franchised theater gambit in the early 1970s. This theater launched on February 16, 1972 with “Tora, Tora, Tora.” But then the theatre had its Grand Opening celebration two weeks later on March 4th with “The RA Expeditions” and said to be under the operation of franchisee, Bill Webb. It helped kept costs low by using 16mm film projectors.
The theater was the sixth for the circuit and the first of 20 in the Valley for United General which actually appears to have opened just three of the locations before disgruntled investors filed lawsuits finally helping end the operation. Reports said that they had 200 franchisees signed on. The Central Plaza Shopping Centre housed theatre appears to have gone out of business in February 20, 1973. It looks to have been used by the Camarillo Community Campus of Moorpark College for educational purposes soon thereafter.
This mini-theatre was built in the 1970s for Alan Bryant as a franchisee of United General automated theatres circuit in the 1958/9-built North Hills Shopping Center. It opened November 15, 1972 with “Gone With the Wind.” Debbie Reynolds, Glenn Ford and Agnes Moorehead were the primary actors who lent their names to the fledgling franchised theater gambit in the early 1970s. It was the second of 20 United General locations planned to open in the Valley. But things went south quickly for the theater circuit on is way to bankruptcy. The Bryant Theatre and another United General franchisee launched the Northridge Peppertree 3 location in 1973. But neither United General’s moniker nor logo made either of these or the Camarillo locations. This was likely because United General was sinking rapidly and never hit its projections on openings.
The little cinema closed in January of 1974. It re-emerged as the Cinema of North Hills in May of 1974 and under the same operation of the United General-franchised Peppertree 3 Cinemas. Both locations outlasted their original and defunct cinema circuit. This theatre closed on September 6, 1979 with “Hooper” and “Sunburn.”
The Peppertree 3 Cinema was built for Herb Finkelstein and Fred Kane as an automated mini-theatre franchised with United General Theatres Circuit. United General was a fledgling competitor to the Jerry Lewis Cinema Circuit and others which promised one-button automagic theater operation to operators who may have had no knowledge of running a theater or any other business. It was backed in name by Glenn Ford, Agnes Moorehead and Debbie Reynolds. This was the first of twenty supposedly being built in the Valley and opened July 3, 1973. However, there is little evidence that there were more than five such properties under consideration. The entire chain was gone by 1975.
Opened on December 27, 1974 as the Marco Island Cinema 1 & 2 with the ribbon cut by Frank Mackle, Jr. of the family that developed Marco Island, Florida, with assistance from Miss Marco Island. The films were “The Longest Yard” and “Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N.”
When the Valley Circle Cinema became the Valley Circle 1 & 2 Cinema on March 29, 1974, the operators called Dr. Bombay. Ribbon cutting prior to the first shows were performed “In Person! (by) Bernard Fox, Dr. Bombay of "Bewitched.”
Eagle eyes will see the Coming Soon: A New United General Theatre in the background as the franchisees were building their new automated theater in the Town Lake Shopping Center at 1930 E. Riverdale. And the theatre opened pretty much on time in the summer of 1973. United General franchisees were purportedly behind two similar Aquarius quads in Austin and Dallas.
With ten more Austin screens and 44 more in Texas scheduled by year’s end and 3,500 screens by the end of 1975, United General called itself the “fastest growing cinema circuit” in the United States. Unfortunately, few of the locations actually opened as United General as the chain’s projections didn’t match reality. That was something that became apparent when two of its founders pleaded guilty to fraud charges.
Veteran showman Theo Miller launched the Gem Theatre on May 18, 1939 with the film, “Pirates of the Sky.” He closed the theatre on December 31, 1959 ending the theater’s continuous run after 20 years. The theatre would have a final run in 1963/4 under new operators.
Tommy Hall’s Horseshoe Drive-In opened March 16, 1950 with “My Wild Irish Rose.” It closed May 30, 1966 with “The Cincinnati Kid.”
The newly relocated Texas Theatre would reopen June 14, 1962 with the film “Big Red.” The previous Texas Theatre was gutted by fire on January 8, 1962 and a decision was made to move the theatre which was twice gutted by fire.
The new Texas Theatre launches in downtown Ballinger on June 26, 1936 with Wheeler and Woolsey in “Silly Billies.“ The theatre suffered a fire originating in the neighboring Texas Grill on January 30, 1939 that gutted the interior and decimated the Cactus Drug Store. The Texas was restored and reequipped as the new, new Texas Theatre relaunching on May 5, 1939 with Bob Burns in “I’m From Missouri.” And more good news was that the Texas Grill was also reopened!
Unfortunately, on January 8, 1962, another fire at the Texas Grill occurred and again gutted the theater and decimated the neighboring business, a beauty parlor. The Texas Theatre would reopen June 14, 1962 in a new location and – fortunately – the Texas Grill did not relocated next door. The new Texas Theatre would continue into the 2020s.
This Cinemark discount cinema opened on December 16, 1989. It closed after ten years of operation, it became the Covenant Church in 2000 before a period of inactivity.
The Movies 8 neighborhood and its neighboring shopping centers once home to two General Cinema 6-plexes became Korean-centric as Carrollton became a top 15 medium market population center for Korean Americans with 1.3% population as Korean. So a new group took on the former Cinemark theater. It relaunched splitting the operation of the building to part theatrical and Korean activity center under the name of the Oasis Cinema. The Oasis played contemporary Asian films with Korean and Chinese language films in two auditoriums. The Oasis also played major Hollywood releases with Korean subtitles. The Oasis closed briefly and relaunched In the Fall of 2017 changing names / operators to the Bluebonnet Cinema still showing contemporary Korean films. It closed on January 5, 2019 with a hopeful reopening soon that never came.
Only open theaters in North Texas
The new Texas Theatre launches in downtown Ballinger on June 26, 1936 with Wheeler and Woolsey in “Silly Billies”
H & H Theatres was a Texas-based motion picture circuit dating back in the silent era and Homer T. Hodge was a founder with another member of the Hodge family. Hodge built an airdrome in 1912 in Abilene and opened the Gem Theatre there – his first hardtop – in 1913 involving his family. They became H & H Theatres Circuit and the Gem was the first of twenty H & H Thatres in Texas. H & H had five theaters in Odessa, four theaters in Midland with four more in Ballinger, three each in Winters, Merkel, and Stamford. But H.T.’s wife died in 1948 and he retired in 1949 as this ozoner was in the latter stages of development. It was named in honor of his company. The H & H tagline was “Always Friendly” as they believed in family friendly venues and content.
Hodge’s departure from the industry in 1949 led to H & H’s placement of the circuit dividing the portfolio into six of his seven children’s hands. The “always friendly” moniker was not carried over to the operation post-Hodge. Acrimony led to a public lawsuit in 1952. H & H actually disbanded prior to H.T. Hodge’s death in September of 1954 but reformed under the same H & H Theatres banner operating until at least 1987. If that’s when it ended, H & H had a nice 75-year legacy. As for the Stamford H & H drive-in location, the long-running operation got new ownership and spent a short period of time as the renamed S & S Drive-In.
Likely more information than anyone really needed.
Veteran showman Theo Miller had been in the film exhibition business nearly 25 years with three other area theaters in the silent era and sound era. One of his earliest was the Pastime Theater in downtown Quitman which would be converted to a hardware store. Miller then launched the Gem Theatre also in downtown Quitman on May 18, 1939 with the film, “Pirates of the Sky.” He closed the theatre on December 31, 1959 ending the theater’s continuous run after 20 years.
But the Gem would get one more shot relaunching November 22, 1963 with “Blue Hawaii.” It closed for the final time (apparently) on September 26, 1964 with a two shorts and a feature with “Zoo Who” and “Jamaica Jive” supporting “The Incredible Journey.”
This was announced in 1972 as an automated franchise of the United General Circuit. Two identical 185-screen / 370 total seat auditoriums.The booth had 16mm projection but was changed to 35mm projection.
William Maples of Phoenix was the newest franchisee of a United General automated theater location. This one was a 4,000 spot in the Casa Grande Mall and was hoped to have a July 1972 opening. A naming contest was held in November of 1972 – a common PR stunt in the United General playbook – and Louise Hudspeth came up with the unique and winning name: Mall Cinema. Those who had hoped for Mall Theater were disappointed. Perhaps a better contest would have been a pool to predict the theater’s opening date.It
Grand opening ads appeared in print November, December, January, February, March, and throughout April. It finally opened April 27, 1973 with “Lady and the Tramp” and “Million Dollar Duck” using the 16mm automated projection equipment and delivering on the promise to schedule family-friendly films.
The theatre was built as a United General franchised location. The Showcase celebrated its Grand Opening on July 25, 1973 with a double feature of “Billy Jack” and “Bless the Beasts.”
Elaine and Roger Moore aka E & R Concepts were the proud new United General franchisees of this theatre which held its name the theater contest in 1971. Ken and Keith Sherwood won the contest (ages 4 and 5) taking home 25 tickets for two. And then they waited for the theater located in the White Rock Shopping Center to open. And waited some more. Several opening dates came and went. But, finally, the theater opened on December 27, 1972 – an automated 16mm projection booth and family fare – with “Run to the High Country.” The Los Alamos Film Society held screenings there.
The theatre got new owners who switched the booth to 35mm but stayed true to the family friendly films. The final owners, Blue Pearl Corp. run by Jonathan and Carl Kahn, made it to the half-way point of its 30 year lease, closing just shy of its 15th Anniversary with “Back to the Beach” on September 30, 1987 citing financial reasons. The tiny theater was repurposed for other retail uses.
Stanley Warner Theatres 174th theater was the $500,000 Telephone Road Twin Drive-In north of Pearland. A champagne opening night benefit for the Boys Harbor of Houston featured Miss Texas Beauty Judi Lackey and music from Uni labels' The Fever Tree (who had a top 100 charted hit the next year) and Billy Gibbon’s The Moving Sidewalks who had the hit “99th Floor” before Gibbons moved on to form ZZ Top.
Opening shows were a triple feature of “For a Few Dollars More,” “The Russians are Coming! The Russians are Coming” and “The Fortune Cookie” on Screen One and “The War Wagon,” “Texas Across the River,” and “Shenahoah” on Screen Two.
The H & H Drive-In Theatre launched September 29, 1949 with Henry Fonda in “Trail of the Lonesome Pine.” AKA the S & S Drive-In Theatre. It closed during the 1984 season with an adult double-feature. The theatre showed mainstream films on the weekend and adult films Tuesday-Thursday.
The Gateway Theatre closed January 3, 1971 with “Ben Hur” at the end of a 30-year leasing cycle.
Stanley Warner Theatres 174th theater was the $500,000 Telephone Road Twin Drive-In north of Pearland. A champagne opening night benefit for the Boys Harbor of Houston featured Miss Texas Beauty Judi Lackey and music from Uni labels' The Fever Tree (who had a top 100 charted hit the next year) and Billy Gibbon’s The Moving Sidewalks who had the hit “99th Floor” before Gibbons moved on to form ZZ Top.
Opening shows were a triple feature of “For a Few Dollars More,” “The Russians are Coming! The Russians are Coming” and “The Fortune Cookie” on Screen One and “The War Wagon,” “Texas Across the River,” and “Shenahoah” on Screen Two.
This was purportedly Debbie Reynolds' own United General automated theatre. Reynolds, Glenn Ford, and Agnes Moorehead were the primary actors who lent their names to the fledgling franchised theater gambit in the early 1970s. This theater launched on February 16, 1972 with “Tora, Tora, Tora.” But then the theatre had its Grand Opening celebration two weeks later on March 4th with “The RA Expeditions” and said to be under the operation of franchisee, Bill Webb. It helped kept costs low by using 16mm film projectors.
The theater was the sixth for the circuit and the first of 20 in the Valley for United General which actually appears to have opened just three of the locations before disgruntled investors filed lawsuits finally helping end the operation. Reports said that they had 200 franchisees signed on. The Central Plaza Shopping Centre housed theatre appears to have gone out of business in February 20, 1973. It looks to have been used by the Camarillo Community Campus of Moorpark College for educational purposes soon thereafter.
This mini-theatre was built in the 1970s for Alan Bryant as a franchisee of United General automated theatres circuit in the 1958/9-built North Hills Shopping Center. It opened November 15, 1972 with “Gone With the Wind.” Debbie Reynolds, Glenn Ford and Agnes Moorehead were the primary actors who lent their names to the fledgling franchised theater gambit in the early 1970s. It was the second of 20 United General locations planned to open in the Valley. But things went south quickly for the theater circuit on is way to bankruptcy. The Bryant Theatre and another United General franchisee launched the Northridge Peppertree 3 location in 1973. But neither United General’s moniker nor logo made either of these or the Camarillo locations. This was likely because United General was sinking rapidly and never hit its projections on openings.
The little cinema closed in January of 1974. It re-emerged as the Cinema of North Hills in May of 1974 and under the same operation of the United General-franchised Peppertree 3 Cinemas. Both locations outlasted their original and defunct cinema circuit. This theatre closed on September 6, 1979 with “Hooper” and “Sunburn.”
The Peppertree 3 Cinema was built for Herb Finkelstein and Fred Kane as an automated mini-theatre franchised with United General Theatres Circuit. United General was a fledgling competitor to the Jerry Lewis Cinema Circuit and others which promised one-button automagic theater operation to operators who may have had no knowledge of running a theater or any other business. It was backed in name by Glenn Ford, Agnes Moorehead and Debbie Reynolds. This was the first of twenty supposedly being built in the Valley and opened July 3, 1973. However, there is little evidence that there were more than five such properties under consideration. The entire chain was gone by 1975.
The Vitagraph version of “Black Beauty” produced by Albert E. Smith and starring his wife, Jean Paige, launched the Plaza Theatre on August 1, 1921.
The Newton Cinema launched June 7, 1974 with “Papillion.” It appears to have closed late in 1989.
Opened on December 27, 1974 as the Marco Island Cinema 1 & 2 with the ribbon cut by Frank Mackle, Jr. of the family that developed Marco Island, Florida, with assistance from Miss Marco Island. The films were “The Longest Yard” and “Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N.”
When the Valley Circle Cinema became the Valley Circle 1 & 2 Cinema on March 29, 1974, the operators called Dr. Bombay. Ribbon cutting prior to the first shows were performed “In Person! (by) Bernard Fox, Dr. Bombay of "Bewitched.”