The original Grand Theatre burned in December 1924 and the re-opening is usually seen as an entirely new structure though in the same spot with the same owner launching in 1925. The theatre went with a Spanish exterior with Power’s projectors. It was said to be a 1,000 seat theatre at opening with 600 downstairs and 400 int he balcony. C.L. Hackworth operated the original and “new” Grand, the Jefferson which specialized in westerns and the, then, lightly used and older Elk’s Opera House in Hunstville. Jack A. Marshall was the manager of the new Grand and Lee Erwin was an early organist.
The $450,000 Great Neck Playhouse was launched by Irving Lesser in 1925 with organist Billy Lent at the Wurlitzer. In just its first year, the playhouse tried out 29 different out of town runs. Ring Lardner and Charlie Chaplin had inaugural season tickets. For the tryout world premier of “The Play’s The Thing” by Franz Molnar on October 21, 1926. guests at the Playhouse included George Cohan, Eddie Cantor, the Marx Brothers, and Irving Berlin. Other supporters included W.C. Fields and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
In 1927, Katherine Hepburn would be fired from her first live stage leading role while at the Playhouse, an event she long recounted. Other stars on the stage in its formative days were James Cagney, Claudette Colbert, Melvyn Douglas, Clark Gable, Ruth Gordon, Helen Hayes, Katharine Hepburn, Leslie Howard and Barbara Stanwyck. Though films were mixed into the Great neck Playhouse menu, United Artists took on the theatre in the 1930s to change the business model to film-centric purposes.
Grant Smith built the Vine Theatre in 1915 and it was the first theater in the city to be built for motion pictures competing then against the Grand Theatre. In 1916, it was sold to Fred J. Harris. William T. Buxton next purchased the theater in 1917. It had a grand re-opening to announce Paramount movie contracts among others in October of 1917.
The Avalon architect was F & Y Building Service and opened 1940 costing just $27,000 to build. It closed in 1970 following what is very likely the end of a 30-year lease. Indian Red was the color of choice with the newly-created 1.5-width love seats throughout the auditorium by International Seats, primary color of the patterned carpeting, wall treatments with squares in Indian Red and Gold, and draperies all in Indian Red. First film was the box office dud, “The Blue Bird” with Shirley Temple on the Brenkert projectors. But patrons were always cool as true air conditioning existed from opening day to closing.
Before this was the Dallas, it was the Amuse-U. And it was likely the Lyric prior to the Amuse-U. But for sure on July 11, 1939, Mrs. Mark Attwood sold the Amuse-U Theatre to Lee Williams Theatres Corp. Circuit of Oklahoma City. R. B. Hardy took over with an extensive remodeling and renaming of the theatre relaunching in October of 1939 as the Dallas Theatre. A picture of the Dallas and its reboot are in photos.
Architected by F & Y Building Services, the Keyser’s Grand Opening was September 25, 1939 with the film, “In Name Only.“ Following the April 11, 1977 advertisement and showing of “The Shaggy D.A.” no more ads appear for the Keyser likely spelling the end of the line.
Pictured is “Uncle” George Hayob who opened the theater with J. Leo Hayob. George was called “Uncle George” by the first generations of patrons at the Mary Lou.
William Meeker established the Lyric Theatre at 1307 Port Neches Avenue in Port Neches in 1922, transitioned it from silent to sound operation and after his death operated by his wife. In 1936, she sold it to Jefferson Amusement which modernized the theater giving it a new look. Operating it for decades, Jefferson was bought out by Gulf States Theatre circuit which absorbed the theater in the 1960s changing its name to the Neches Theatre with a new sign tower. It closed around 1970. The theater had a bit more life for some live theatrical events and was abandoned around 1971. On March 20, 1973, it was all over the Neches as fire gutted the abandoned theater.
Opened in 1940 and architected by Ben Schlanger was the Academy Theatre for the Cohen & Kutisker circuit. Seating capacity of the 50' by 112' theatre was 650 at opening and cost just $30,000 to build.
Architected by Roy Benjamin, J.M. Davis opened the theatre while still running the Iris Theatre. Two 6B Powers projectors were in the booth.
Atmospheric Spanish architecture with Robert Morgan organ were all part of La Jolla’s “theatre beautiful,” the Granada’s marketing tag-line.
The original Grand Theatre burned in December 1924 and the re-opening is usually seen as an entirely new structure though in the same spot with the same owner launching in 1925. The theatre went with a Spanish exterior with Power’s projectors. It was said to be a 1,000 seat theatre at opening with 600 downstairs and 400 int he balcony. C.L. Hackworth operated the original and “new” Grand, the Jefferson which specialized in westerns and the, then, lightly used and older Elk’s Opera House in Hunstville. Jack A. Marshall was the manager of the new Grand and Lee Erwin was an early organist.
The $450,000 Great Neck Playhouse was launched by Irving Lesser in 1925 with organist Billy Lent at the Wurlitzer. In just its first year, the playhouse tried out 29 different out of town runs. Ring Lardner and Charlie Chaplin had inaugural season tickets. For the tryout world premier of “The Play’s The Thing” by Franz Molnar on October 21, 1926. guests at the Playhouse included George Cohan, Eddie Cantor, the Marx Brothers, and Irving Berlin. Other supporters included W.C. Fields and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
In 1927, Katherine Hepburn would be fired from her first live stage leading role while at the Playhouse, an event she long recounted. Other stars on the stage in its formative days were James Cagney, Claudette Colbert, Melvyn Douglas, Clark Gable, Ruth Gordon, Helen Hayes, Katharine Hepburn, Leslie Howard and Barbara Stanwyck. Though films were mixed into the Great neck Playhouse menu, United Artists took on the theatre in the 1930s to change the business model to film-centric purposes.
Grant Smith built the Vine Theatre in 1915 and it was the first theater in the city to be built for motion pictures competing then against the Grand Theatre. In 1916, it was sold to Fred J. Harris. William T. Buxton next purchased the theater in 1917. It had a grand re-opening to announce Paramount movie contracts among others in October of 1917.
Closed in a mercy killing as the mall teetered on complete grey zone dead mall.
Picture taken in June of 1927
Architected by Douglas Hall with Landish Studios of Rutherford, NJ providing draperies, stage furnishing, rigging, and scenary to the Cove.
Architected by C. Howard Crane for the James Amusement Circuit.
Spanish Platueresque style of the exterior of the original seen in photos.
And in a mercy killing has closed again in 2015…
Opened by the Squire-Queens Circuit in 1940 in a 20,000 square foot plot, the 600-seat theatre had a fantastic 75-year run.
The Avalon architect was F & Y Building Service and opened 1940 costing just $27,000 to build. It closed in 1970 following what is very likely the end of a 30-year lease. Indian Red was the color of choice with the newly-created 1.5-width love seats throughout the auditorium by International Seats, primary color of the patterned carpeting, wall treatments with squares in Indian Red and Gold, and draperies all in Indian Red. First film was the box office dud, “The Blue Bird” with Shirley Temple on the Brenkert projectors. But patrons were always cool as true air conditioning existed from opening day to closing.
And that’s asbestos-backed linoleum which was being promoted as a new must have innovation for projection rooms.
Before this was the Dallas, it was the Amuse-U. And it was likely the Lyric prior to the Amuse-U. But for sure on July 11, 1939, Mrs. Mark Attwood sold the Amuse-U Theatre to Lee Williams Theatres Corp. Circuit of Oklahoma City. R. B. Hardy took over with an extensive remodeling and renaming of the theatre relaunching in October of 1939 as the Dallas Theatre. A picture of the Dallas and its reboot are in photos.
Architected by F & Y Building Services, the Keyser’s Grand Opening was September 25, 1939 with the film, “In Name Only.“ Following the April 11, 1977 advertisement and showing of “The Shaggy D.A.” no more ads appear for the Keyser likely spelling the end of the line.
Pettigrew and Worley architectural sketch of the 1939 redesign and deco-themes in photos.
Conceptualized as the Broward Theatre (architectural sketching by Roy A. Benjamin in photos), the theatre launched August 1, 1939.
E.R. Mead
Pictured is “Uncle” George Hayob who opened the theater with J. Leo Hayob. George was called “Uncle George” by the first generations of patrons at the Mary Lou.
William Meeker established the Lyric Theatre at 1307 Port Neches Avenue in Port Neches in 1922, transitioned it from silent to sound operation and after his death operated by his wife. In 1936, she sold it to Jefferson Amusement which modernized the theater giving it a new look. Operating it for decades, Jefferson was bought out by Gulf States Theatre circuit which absorbed the theater in the 1960s changing its name to the Neches Theatre with a new sign tower. It closed around 1970. The theater had a bit more life for some live theatrical events and was abandoned around 1971. On March 20, 1973, it was all over the Neches as fire gutted the abandoned theater.
Opened in 1940 and architected by Ben Schlanger was the Academy Theatre for the Cohen & Kutisker circuit. Seating capacity of the 50' by 112' theatre was 650 at opening and cost just $30,000 to build.
Architected by Bruggeman, Swaim and Allen.
Architected by John B. Peterkin as the Airlines Newsreel Theatre – sketch in photos.
For the 1940 reboot of the theater in 1940 they’ll have “The Boys from Syracuse”