September 21, 1918 grand opening ad in photos. The Rialto showed X-rated films in its final years but was forced to close unable to get a new license to operate from the Racine City Council. The last week was an adult film festival with the final showing on September 2, 1974 with Marilyn Chambers in “Behind the Green Door.”
In January of 1978, the theatre was demolished by Sam Azarian Wrecking along with the Venetian for the Racine Motor Inn expansion project that didn’t utilize the properties.
The New Belle Opera House launched on February 11, 1890 with “The Pirates of Penzance.” It replaced the previous Belle Opera House which had ceased existing in 1883. On August 16, 1906, it became the Racine Theatre with legit live plays. It became the Rex Theatre on May 14, 1914 launching with live vaudeville prior to moving to films full-time.
In 1930, the theatre went dark on the delinquent tax list. It appears to reopen late in the 1930s with listings for the Rex are discontinued in 1939 with the property still on the tax list. In March of 1942, Dave Luby bought the property to convert it to the ten-lane Luby’s Bowling Lanes which – possibly due to war shortages – appears to have not opened until April of 1946. J&W Lanes took over from there in 1971 before moving to the Castle Lanes facility elsewhere in January of 1978. The former New Belle/Rex property was demolished in December of 1978.
The $750,000 General Cinema Regency Mall Cinema I•II•III•IV•V•VI was announced in 1981. It launched with free screenings of “Star Trek the Motion Picture” and a Three Stooges retrospective on January 30, 1983. Its official grand opening was on February 4, 1983 with “The Verdict” (2 screens) “Six Weeks,” “Das Boot,” “Videodrome” and “An Officer and a Gentleman.” Seating was 1,600 with 278 seat count at the two largest auditoriums.
March 12, 1927 grand opening ad for the Crown Theatre in photos with the opening film of “The Ace of Cards.‘” The theatre appears to have closed after the July 19, 1953 showing of “Flat Top” and “The Blazing Forest” along with six bonus cartoons.
The Grand Theatre opened on November 10, 1910. Ads are discontinued after the March 18, 1928 showing of “Torrent.” The Grand appears to have opened and closed as a silent movie house.
Opened as the Chief Drive-In on April 29, 1953 with “All Ashore.” Mrs. Cle Barton sold the theatre following the 1975 season with new operators Mr. and Mrs. Davy Picolet relaunching on May 7, 1976 as the Ritz Drive-In Theatre with “Hearts of the West” and “Westworld”. It closed on September 25, 1983 as the Ritz Drive-In Theatre at the end of a thirty year lease and didn’t reopen the following season. 82 mph winds destroyed the vacant theatre in 1986.
Opened as the Stella Opera House in 1916. Changed from the Stella Opera House to the Stella Theatre inn 1918 when motion pictures became the most prevalent type of entertainment there. It became the Ritz Theatre on September 21, 1936. It remained the Ritz Theatre to closing in 1999 for films and 2000 for events.
Grand opening ad from April 22, 1942 with “Blues in the Nite” in photos. The Holly Theatre was housed in the former American Legion building. R.J. Jones bought the hall, converting it to the Holly Theatre and ran it from 1942 to November of 1995. Jones had hoped to find a new operator quickly but that didn’t happen.
This location opened as the Carlisle Opera House in 1898. Movies were first shown there in 1908 and became so popular that the interior was redesigned to better project films. In February of 1925, it rebranded as the remodeled Strand Theatre which operated until 1959. In 1961, the auditorium of the theatre was demolished. The rest of the building was transformed into the Strand Theatre Building apartments which was lost to arson, as noted above, on August 29, 1972. The building’s remains were razed soon thereafter.
Mayor Eddie Henderson opened the Hilltop Drive-In Theatre in Marysville on August 22, 1950 with a soft launch and the film, “The Homestretch.” The official opening was August 25, 1950 with the film, “Albuquerque.” The theatre closed in September 27, 1981. In 1982, the screen was demolished.
The only references to this location are very consistent references as the East Davenport Turner Hall from 1890s each year to 2001 when its refurbished and becomes the Village Hall briefly and then the Village Theatre. There’s no reference to its movie theatre days as the Rex or E. Davenport Theatre.
The grand opening of the Uptown Theatre on May 13, 1930 with “The Love Parade”.
Moline architect Tevis C. Freeman was the architect who helped the Coronet Theatre’s remodel under James Stopulous that occurred between the Beatles' “Help” in 1965 and the theater’s historic run of “Sound of Music.” The Quad Cities longest-running film was “Sound of Music” running 73 weeks from November 10, 1965 to April 11, 1967. When “Dr. Zhivago” replaced “Sound of Music,” it played 25 weeks.
The final day of operation for the Coronet was June 26, 1984 as the city began a crack down on porn. The final show was “Too Much Too Soon” with Nikki Noel appearing live on stage. The theatre was razed for a mini-mall that was never developed.
The Casino Theatre launched December 31, 1913 as an A.H. Blank Theatre pre-Paramount days. On December 20, 1921, fire gutted the building ending its run as a theatre. The building was retrofitted for a Smith Cafeteria which opened in April of 1922.
The 250-seat Crystal Theatre launched in September of 1911 in a converted retail building. The theatre has 2 Powers projectors and a 9x12 Mirrored curtain. Thea theatre appears to have fulfilled a 10-year lease closing in August of 1921. The theatre’s contents were sold in December of 1921 with the floor leveled and retrofitted as a tire sales shop.
The Davenport Theatre opened in 1912 and almost went down in a fire in its first month of operation. Fire at a nearby barn led to panic in the theatre which was undamaged. The Davenport would add sound to transition into the sound era but ran out of gas in 1934. It would became a Bingo hall known as Line-O in October of 1934. When the Bingo Hall closed, the floor was leveled and the building was used for other purposes.
The Garden Theatre launched September 22, 1915 as a new build theatre playing “Helene of the North.” Clausen & Kruse were the architects and the Mandel Brothers of Chicago handled the interior decoration. The theatre would add sound followed by a refurbishing in 1930.
The Garden Theatre closed for the summer on March 31, 1953 with plans to come back exclusively as a 3D theatre in the Fall. That never transpired. In July of 1954, the theater seats were removed and the floor leveled to become two different retail locations, one of which was a Posner’s retail store.
The Princess Theatre opened here by J.A. Hughes on September 11, 1911. On March 29, 1913, the theatre added a $5,000 pipe organ and became the Lyric Theatre. In 1918, the theatre was expanded and modernized becoming the Liberty Theatre on December 5, 1918. The Monroe Circuit added the theatre and changed to the Rialto Theatre.
Under new ownership, the Rialto returned to its Liberty Theatre nameplate beginning on December 5, 1924. In 1931, the theatre became a live burlesque house showing exploitation films and second-run films. The theatre closed in November of 1943. The floor was leveled at that time and the building became a cleaner and carpet center. On March 17, 1956, the building was gutted by a major fire.
Grand opening ad for the Mirror Theatre on April 15, 1911 is photos. The theatre appears to have closed May 12, 1934 with subsequent articles discussing tax delinquency with the operators. In February of 1936, the floor is leveled and the building is gutted for future retail purposes.
Grand opening on November 14, 1931 with the feature, “Girls About Town.”
Grand opening ad for the Paramount Theatre in Fremont on November 14, 1931 with the feature, “Girls About Town.”
September 21, 1918 grand opening ad in photos. The Rialto showed X-rated films in its final years but was forced to close unable to get a new license to operate from the Racine City Council. The last week was an adult film festival with the final showing on September 2, 1974 with Marilyn Chambers in “Behind the Green Door.”
In January of 1978, the theatre was demolished by Sam Azarian Wrecking along with the Venetian for the Racine Motor Inn expansion project that didn’t utilize the properties.
The New Belle Opera House launched on February 11, 1890 with “The Pirates of Penzance.” It replaced the previous Belle Opera House which had ceased existing in 1883. On August 16, 1906, it became the Racine Theatre with legit live plays. It became the Rex Theatre on May 14, 1914 launching with live vaudeville prior to moving to films full-time.
In 1930, the theatre went dark on the delinquent tax list. It appears to reopen late in the 1930s with listings for the Rex are discontinued in 1939 with the property still on the tax list. In March of 1942, Dave Luby bought the property to convert it to the ten-lane Luby’s Bowling Lanes which – possibly due to war shortages – appears to have not opened until April of 1946. J&W Lanes took over from there in 1971 before moving to the Castle Lanes facility elsewhere in January of 1978. The former New Belle/Rex property was demolished in December of 1978.
September 24, 2006 last day of operation with Hollywoodland, Wicker Man, Little Miss Sunshine and The Covenant.
The $750,000 General Cinema Regency Mall Cinema I•II•III•IV•V•VI was announced in 1981. It launched with free screenings of “Star Trek the Motion Picture” and a Three Stooges retrospective on January 30, 1983. Its official grand opening was on February 4, 1983 with “The Verdict” (2 screens) “Six Weeks,” “Das Boot,” “Videodrome” and “An Officer and a Gentleman.” Seating was 1,600 with 278 seat count at the two largest auditoriums.
Grand re-opening ad as the Crystal Theatre from November 10, 1913 in photos.
Grand opening was January 30, 1926. William J. Redden was the architect. Grand opening ad in photos.
General Cinema opened Cinema I & II with “Yours, Mine and Ours” and “A Stranger in Town” on Mary 29, 1968. Ad in photos.
March 12, 1927 grand opening ad for the Crown Theatre in photos with the opening film of “The Ace of Cards.‘” The theatre appears to have closed after the July 19, 1953 showing of “Flat Top” and “The Blazing Forest” along with six bonus cartoons.
The Grand Theatre opened on November 10, 1910. Ads are discontinued after the March 18, 1928 showing of “Torrent.” The Grand appears to have opened and closed as a silent movie house.
Opened as the Chief Drive-In on April 29, 1953 with “All Ashore.” Mrs. Cle Barton sold the theatre following the 1975 season with new operators Mr. and Mrs. Davy Picolet relaunching on May 7, 1976 as the Ritz Drive-In Theatre with “Hearts of the West” and “Westworld”. It closed on September 25, 1983 as the Ritz Drive-In Theatre at the end of a thirty year lease and didn’t reopen the following season. 82 mph winds destroyed the vacant theatre in 1986.
Opened as the Stella Opera House in 1916. Changed from the Stella Opera House to the Stella Theatre inn 1918 when motion pictures became the most prevalent type of entertainment there. It became the Ritz Theatre on September 21, 1936. It remained the Ritz Theatre to closing in 1999 for films and 2000 for events.
Grand opening ad from April 22, 1942 with “Blues in the Nite” in photos. The Holly Theatre was housed in the former American Legion building. R.J. Jones bought the hall, converting it to the Holly Theatre and ran it from 1942 to November of 1995. Jones had hoped to find a new operator quickly but that didn’t happen.
June 15, 1949 grand opening ad showing “Northwest Stampede”
This location opened as the Carlisle Opera House in 1898. Movies were first shown there in 1908 and became so popular that the interior was redesigned to better project films. In February of 1925, it rebranded as the remodeled Strand Theatre which operated until 1959. In 1961, the auditorium of the theatre was demolished. The rest of the building was transformed into the Strand Theatre Building apartments which was lost to arson, as noted above, on August 29, 1972. The building’s remains were razed soon thereafter.
Mayor Eddie Henderson opened the Hilltop Drive-In Theatre in Marysville on August 22, 1950 with a soft launch and the film, “The Homestretch.” The official opening was August 25, 1950 with the film, “Albuquerque.” The theatre closed in September 27, 1981. In 1982, the screen was demolished.
The only references to this location are very consistent references as the East Davenport Turner Hall from 1890s each year to 2001 when its refurbished and becomes the Village Hall briefly and then the Village Theatre. There’s no reference to its movie theatre days as the Rex or E. Davenport Theatre.
The grand opening of the Uptown Theatre on May 13, 1930 with “The Love Parade”.
Moline architect Tevis C. Freeman was the architect who helped the Coronet Theatre’s remodel under James Stopulous that occurred between the Beatles' “Help” in 1965 and the theater’s historic run of “Sound of Music.” The Quad Cities longest-running film was “Sound of Music” running 73 weeks from November 10, 1965 to April 11, 1967. When “Dr. Zhivago” replaced “Sound of Music,” it played 25 weeks.
The final day of operation for the Coronet was June 26, 1984 as the city began a crack down on porn. The final show was “Too Much Too Soon” with Nikki Noel appearing live on stage. The theatre was razed for a mini-mall that was never developed.
The Casino Theatre launched December 31, 1913 as an A.H. Blank Theatre pre-Paramount days. On December 20, 1921, fire gutted the building ending its run as a theatre. The building was retrofitted for a Smith Cafeteria which opened in April of 1922.
The 250-seat Crystal Theatre launched in September of 1911 in a converted retail building. The theatre has 2 Powers projectors and a 9x12 Mirrored curtain. Thea theatre appears to have fulfilled a 10-year lease closing in August of 1921. The theatre’s contents were sold in December of 1921 with the floor leveled and retrofitted as a tire sales shop.
The Davenport Theatre opened in 1912 and almost went down in a fire in its first month of operation. Fire at a nearby barn led to panic in the theatre which was undamaged. The Davenport would add sound to transition into the sound era but ran out of gas in 1934. It would became a Bingo hall known as Line-O in October of 1934. When the Bingo Hall closed, the floor was leveled and the building was used for other purposes.
The Garden Theatre launched September 22, 1915 as a new build theatre playing “Helene of the North.” Clausen & Kruse were the architects and the Mandel Brothers of Chicago handled the interior decoration. The theatre would add sound followed by a refurbishing in 1930.
The Garden Theatre closed for the summer on March 31, 1953 with plans to come back exclusively as a 3D theatre in the Fall. That never transpired. In July of 1954, the theater seats were removed and the floor leveled to become two different retail locations, one of which was a Posner’s retail store.
The Princess Theatre opened here by J.A. Hughes on September 11, 1911. On March 29, 1913, the theatre added a $5,000 pipe organ and became the Lyric Theatre. In 1918, the theatre was expanded and modernized becoming the Liberty Theatre on December 5, 1918. The Monroe Circuit added the theatre and changed to the Rialto Theatre.
Under new ownership, the Rialto returned to its Liberty Theatre nameplate beginning on December 5, 1924. In 1931, the theatre became a live burlesque house showing exploitation films and second-run films. The theatre closed in November of 1943. The floor was leveled at that time and the building became a cleaner and carpet center. On March 17, 1956, the building was gutted by a major fire.
Grand opening ad for the Mirror Theatre on April 15, 1911 is photos. The theatre appears to have closed May 12, 1934 with subsequent articles discussing tax delinquency with the operators. In February of 1936, the floor is leveled and the building is gutted for future retail purposes.