The Franklin Cinema 10 was one of many planned Rand Theatres Circuit for Tennessee as the Arkansas-based circuit tried to quickly expand from 100 screens largely in Arkansas to Texas, New Mexico and Florida. Like many locations, it was tucked away behind a shopping center, the Watson Glen, which obscured the location and had nondescript architecture by Rand’s in-house staff. It launched in June of 1989 for Rand.
The Franklin Cinema 10 (or 2 if one really wanted to push truth in advertising) represented the Rand’s last gasp and possibly first of many lawsuits and assorted legal problems for the Rand family. The Gordon family had opened the sub-run discount Franklin Cinema in October of 1987 in Franklin. When Rand Theatres announced its new 10-plex in 1988, its proposed name was the Rand Franklin Cinema 10 leading to an injunction. But this was a small-time problem for the Rands whose creative movie business practices would get national attention in the Wall Street Journal and lead to imprisonment for the family.
That said, the Rands do have to take credit for getting the doors unlocked on the Franklin Cinema 10. The Franklin wasn’t actually completed but the Rands needed cash flow and needed it fast. So with two auditoriums completed, the 10-plex opened in June of 1989 anyway leading to the Gordon’s suit. The Rands didn’t want the publicity and quickly changed the name to the Rand Cinema 10 Theatres to end the lawsuit and despite still just having two screens functional. Blaming construction delays, Rand negotiated to operate rent free into October until all screens were operational.
For the Rands, that day would never come as the State of Tennessee padlocked the doors of the two-screen ten-plex on October 25, 1989 due to lack of paying state taxes. The only other open Rand in Tennessee in Clarksville was similarly padlocked. Unfortunately, it took two additional months for the feds to close out the Texas and Arkansas locations. But by 1990, the Rand Circuit was out of business with assets auctioned off with all other Rand locations under construction halted.
The Louisiana-based O'Neill Circuit would finish out the Rand Cinema 10 opening as a first-run theatre on June 1, 1990 renaming it the Watson Glen Cinema 10. The main problem was that the theatre was a dog as were the other Rand locations so O'Neill demoted the theatre to sub-run discount status in January of 1993. It fared poorly and the theatre was mercifully closed about a third of the way into its leasing period in 1997.
Austin’s Bridge Creek 8 Theater represented the Rand Theatre Circuit of Little Rock as well as any other location in its crash-and-burn portfolio. Rand used his 100-plus dubiously-located theatre screen portfolio to convince investors that multiplexes were the place to be.
Like many of the locations, the Bridge Creek 8 was in a less than ideal location with poor visibility making the start-up more cost effective. The nondescript 8-plex began raising eyebrows not long after it opened. Creative bookkeeping, rent-free negotiations for the launch months, questionable THX claims, newspaper ads perhaps not paid for, overages on seating charges were just the start of the troubles.
Riding the box office receipts and associated concessions with hits such as “Batman” might get the Rand through their creative bookkeeping such as at the Bridge Creek. That is until the studios questioned Rand’s box office figures and slow pay. They stopped the flow of hits to the Bridge Creek and any momentum was lost. Bookings became curious from independent studios no longer in existence.
The scheme was finally brought to light at the Rand’s San Antonio location. It didn’t take long for the feds to make an ill-fated raid on the Austin location and others in Texas. The entire Rand operation was auctioned off in 1990. This location became a non-profit church to help reduce the significant taxing burdens it and other locations faced as contemporary buildings in otherwise challenging retail zoned areas.
The Gateway Mall Cinema opened April 29, 1970 with the film, “MAS*H” and was big news because the previous grand opening for a theatre in Richmond was nearly thirty years earlier when the State Theatre launched on May 10, 1941. The architect of the 210-seat theatre was Mel Glatz of Denver. Part of the Danbarry Cinema Circtuit, it was acquired by Kerasotes Circuit in 1996 which decided to shutter the Mall Cinema November 14, 1996.
This theatre began as the Majestic Amusement Parlor playing motion pictures at its opening on April 14, 1906 and claiming to be the first full-time motion picture theatre in Allentown. It was under the Joseph Kuntz Circuit which had similar locations in Brooklyn, Philadelphia and Reading. It likely had a one-year lease. The location had been in operation since around the Civil War as an ice cream parlor and Freddie Allen’s Saloon and Palace Cafe.
A year later, the theatre got a new owner in Dave Cohen who renamed it the Nickelet Theatre relaunching on May 4, 1907. The Victor opened at 634 Hamilton on May 2, 1910. The operator of the Victor bought the Nickelet in November of 1911. The original Victor closed on May 30, 1911 with that location razed. The Victor would move into the Nickelet’s spot in 1912. It’s a bit hard to tell exactly when the the Victor closed with listings into 1937 but bookings ending prior to that. Either way, it closed and the building was razed in 1938.
Appears to have closed for good on October 12, 1938 after a damaging fire and sat boarded up with a sign reading, “Closed for alterations; look for reopening soon” for five years according to the local newspaper. The operators of the Earle had bought the Hamilton in 1938 and while I don’t doubt that architect William H. Lee drew up plans to revive the Hamilton, there don’t appear to be any bookings there. There are ads mentioning the Hamilton but telling patrons to visit the Earle. Finally, in 1945, the theatre was targeted for new usage (an auto repair facility). The building would eventually be razed.
The new Strand Theatre was built for $175,000 in 1915 on the lot occupied by the original Isis Theatre and the original Strand Theatre likley on a ten-year lease. It launched on September 4, 1915. During its run, it would be known as the Fox Strand as William Fox played his top films there.
It was closed briefly at the end of its first lease for remodeling and reopened on September 18, 1925 as the “new” State Theatre with “Hell’s Highroad”. The theatre lasted into the TV age by not to widescreen closing in 1952. The Colorado National Bank acquired the building at demolished it for a bank in 1952.
September 29, 1909 grand opening ad in photos. In the store show era, this nickelodeon was in a row with the Theatorium and La Pictoral. It closed twice with two relaunches in 1910.
The Ballinger Company architectural sketch circa 1926 as its conceptual name, the Leverington Theatre (the crossroad street with Ridge though replaced with the Roxy during construction) in photos.
The original Dania Theatre opened January 28, 1926 with architectural plans by John M. Peterman and constructed by Tubbs & Austin for the Wallerstein Theatre Circuit . The $50,000 theater was destroyed by a hurricane in September that same year and featured in newsreel footage.
The original Dania Theatre was rebuilt on the same spot by the same folks and reopened in 1927 on a new five-year lease. The theatre closed in 1932 at the end of its lease and not renewed due to economic conditions. The Dania was reopened in 1935 on a lease from April 1935 to December of 1939 by Darnia Amusement Co. headed by Lee Carrow closing soon thereafter. It reopened in 1936 on a three-day a week operating schedule by E.J. Sparks Circuit. Sparks closed the theater at the end of 1937. Darnia Amusement came back in 1938 to rekindle the theater and Sparks sued as the lessee later reopening the theater to the end of its lease on December 31, 1939.
Sparks decided to build a new Darnia Theatre (this entry) which is the one at 56 North Federal Highway architected by Roy A. Benjamin. It opened January 14, 1940. In 1946, the theatre was altered to add retail spaces and the back of the theatre seating area became storage reducing seat count. On April 10, 1956, a storm destroyed the front entrance of the building the same day that the Darnia Drive-In Theatre blew down. The front end was rebuilt still connecting to the auditorium. It became a long-running antique store into the 21st Century. The auditorium at last report was still intact with original elements.
Address listed as 834 North Sixth Street though advertised at North Sixth & Locust Street. Closed July 9, 1955 with “Abbott & Costello Meet the Keystone Cops” with the equipment removed and floor leveled in 1958.
Cinemark announced the closure of the property ending a 20-year lease as of March 30, 2017 with the last features playing: Beauty & the Beast, Kong: Skull Island, Logan, The Belko Experiment, Lego: Batman, and what they will say at the last show, “Get Out.” Two problems in continuing operations were that 1) when the Six Flags Mall was being torn down around it, two separate fire incidents didn’t exactly inspire confidence and 2) when the final plans were revealed for the former mall location, it was as industrial complex which isn’t a good match for a theater. The theatre encouraged guests to travel to their theaters south-ward in Grand Prairie or northward in Hurst.
Launched as the Crystal Theatre in 1907, the theatre closed briefly in October of 1918 for a refurbishing. It reopened as the Rialto Theatre on November 4, 1918 with “Crashing Through.” Ads conclude December 9, 1926 with Buck Jones' “Buckaroo Kid.”
Loew’s didn’t close the Crescent Theater. It was part of the Martin Theatre Circuit from 1981 until Martin closed it on August 26, 1982 as a sub-run discount double-feature house with the awesome “Kung Fu Zombie” playing with “Chinese Connection.” It remained vacant until demolished in 1994 and was demo’d. Also, for what it’s worth, the Princess didn’t move in 1949. It closed on January 2, 1950 in it its old location. It reopened the Princess with its grand opening on March 22, 1951 with “When You’re Smiling” and “Snow Dog. (Of course, the guessy dates and incorrect info is probably fine, too, if it makes for a better story.)
The Franklin Cinema 10 was one of many planned Rand Theatres Circuit for Tennessee as the Arkansas-based circuit tried to quickly expand from 100 screens largely in Arkansas to Texas, New Mexico and Florida. Like many locations, it was tucked away behind a shopping center, the Watson Glen, which obscured the location and had nondescript architecture by Rand’s in-house staff. It launched in June of 1989 for Rand.
The Franklin Cinema 10 (or 2 if one really wanted to push truth in advertising) represented the Rand’s last gasp and possibly first of many lawsuits and assorted legal problems for the Rand family. The Gordon family had opened the sub-run discount Franklin Cinema in October of 1987 in Franklin. When Rand Theatres announced its new 10-plex in 1988, its proposed name was the Rand Franklin Cinema 10 leading to an injunction. But this was a small-time problem for the Rands whose creative movie business practices would get national attention in the Wall Street Journal and lead to imprisonment for the family.
That said, the Rands do have to take credit for getting the doors unlocked on the Franklin Cinema 10. The Franklin wasn’t actually completed but the Rands needed cash flow and needed it fast. So with two auditoriums completed, the 10-plex opened in June of 1989 anyway leading to the Gordon’s suit. The Rands didn’t want the publicity and quickly changed the name to the Rand Cinema 10 Theatres to end the lawsuit and despite still just having two screens functional. Blaming construction delays, Rand negotiated to operate rent free into October until all screens were operational.
For the Rands, that day would never come as the State of Tennessee padlocked the doors of the two-screen ten-plex on October 25, 1989 due to lack of paying state taxes. The only other open Rand in Tennessee in Clarksville was similarly padlocked. Unfortunately, it took two additional months for the feds to close out the Texas and Arkansas locations. But by 1990, the Rand Circuit was out of business with assets auctioned off with all other Rand locations under construction halted.
The Louisiana-based O'Neill Circuit would finish out the Rand Cinema 10 opening as a first-run theatre on June 1, 1990 renaming it the Watson Glen Cinema 10. The main problem was that the theatre was a dog as were the other Rand locations so O'Neill demoted the theatre to sub-run discount status in January of 1993. It fared poorly and the theatre was mercifully closed about a third of the way into its leasing period in 1997.
Austin’s Bridge Creek 8 Theater represented the Rand Theatre Circuit of Little Rock as well as any other location in its crash-and-burn portfolio. Rand used his 100-plus dubiously-located theatre screen portfolio to convince investors that multiplexes were the place to be.
Like many of the locations, the Bridge Creek 8 was in a less than ideal location with poor visibility making the start-up more cost effective. The nondescript 8-plex began raising eyebrows not long after it opened. Creative bookkeeping, rent-free negotiations for the launch months, questionable THX claims, newspaper ads perhaps not paid for, overages on seating charges were just the start of the troubles.
Riding the box office receipts and associated concessions with hits such as “Batman” might get the Rand through their creative bookkeeping such as at the Bridge Creek. That is until the studios questioned Rand’s box office figures and slow pay. They stopped the flow of hits to the Bridge Creek and any momentum was lost. Bookings became curious from independent studios no longer in existence.
The scheme was finally brought to light at the Rand’s San Antonio location. It didn’t take long for the feds to make an ill-fated raid on the Austin location and others in Texas. The entire Rand operation was auctioned off in 1990. This location became a non-profit church to help reduce the significant taxing burdens it and other locations faced as contemporary buildings in otherwise challenging retail zoned areas.
Had a brief run post General Cinema as a Rand Theatres location.
Formerly operated by Rand Theatres as Behind the Mall Cinema until that circuit shuttered in 1989 and found new operators.
November 9, 1946 grand opening ads for The Spot Theatre.
1949 grand opening ad of the 78 Drive-In.
The Gateway Mall Cinema opened April 29, 1970 with the film, “MAS*H” and was big news because the previous grand opening for a theatre in Richmond was nearly thirty years earlier when the State Theatre launched on May 10, 1941. The architect of the 210-seat theatre was Mel Glatz of Denver. Part of the Danbarry Cinema Circtuit, it was acquired by Kerasotes Circuit in 1996 which decided to shutter the Mall Cinema November 14, 1996.
This theatre began as the Majestic Amusement Parlor playing motion pictures at its opening on April 14, 1906 and claiming to be the first full-time motion picture theatre in Allentown. It was under the Joseph Kuntz Circuit which had similar locations in Brooklyn, Philadelphia and Reading. It likely had a one-year lease. The location had been in operation since around the Civil War as an ice cream parlor and Freddie Allen’s Saloon and Palace Cafe.
A year later, the theatre got a new owner in Dave Cohen who renamed it the Nickelet Theatre relaunching on May 4, 1907. The Victor opened at 634 Hamilton on May 2, 1910. The operator of the Victor bought the Nickelet in November of 1911. The original Victor closed on May 30, 1911 with that location razed. The Victor would move into the Nickelet’s spot in 1912. It’s a bit hard to tell exactly when the the Victor closed with listings into 1937 but bookings ending prior to that. Either way, it closed and the building was razed in 1938.
Appears to have closed for good on October 12, 1938 after a damaging fire and sat boarded up with a sign reading, “Closed for alterations; look for reopening soon” for five years according to the local newspaper. The operators of the Earle had bought the Hamilton in 1938 and while I don’t doubt that architect William H. Lee drew up plans to revive the Hamilton, there don’t appear to be any bookings there. There are ads mentioning the Hamilton but telling patrons to visit the Earle. Finally, in 1945, the theatre was targeted for new usage (an auto repair facility). The building would eventually be razed.
September 18, 1915 grand opening ad for the Hamilton Theatre.
The new Strand Theatre was built for $175,000 in 1915 on the lot occupied by the original Isis Theatre and the original Strand Theatre likley on a ten-year lease. It launched on September 4, 1915. During its run, it would be known as the Fox Strand as William Fox played his top films there.
It was closed briefly at the end of its first lease for remodeling and reopened on September 18, 1925 as the “new” State Theatre with “Hell’s Highroad”. The theatre lasted into the TV age by not to widescreen closing in 1952. The Colorado National Bank acquired the building at demolished it for a bank in 1952.
Art Adamson and Associates opened the Parkrose as a 635-seat theater in 1946. It was remodeled down to a 500-seat house turning art cinema in 1955.
Closed on March 31, 2017
September 29, 1909 grand opening ad in photos. In the store show era, this nickelodeon was in a row with the Theatorium and La Pictoral. It closed twice with two relaunches in 1910.
The Ballinger Company architectural sketch circa 1926 as its conceptual name, the Leverington Theatre (the crossroad street with Ridge though replaced with the Roxy during construction) in photos.
The original Dania Theatre opened January 28, 1926 with architectural plans by John M. Peterman and constructed by Tubbs & Austin for the Wallerstein Theatre Circuit . The $50,000 theater was destroyed by a hurricane in September that same year and featured in newsreel footage.
The original Dania Theatre was rebuilt on the same spot by the same folks and reopened in 1927 on a new five-year lease. The theatre closed in 1932 at the end of its lease and not renewed due to economic conditions. The Dania was reopened in 1935 on a lease from April 1935 to December of 1939 by Darnia Amusement Co. headed by Lee Carrow closing soon thereafter. It reopened in 1936 on a three-day a week operating schedule by E.J. Sparks Circuit. Sparks closed the theater at the end of 1937. Darnia Amusement came back in 1938 to rekindle the theater and Sparks sued as the lessee later reopening the theater to the end of its lease on December 31, 1939.
Sparks decided to build a new Darnia Theatre (this entry) which is the one at 56 North Federal Highway architected by Roy A. Benjamin. It opened January 14, 1940. In 1946, the theatre was altered to add retail spaces and the back of the theatre seating area became storage reducing seat count. On April 10, 1956, a storm destroyed the front entrance of the building the same day that the Darnia Drive-In Theatre blew down. The front end was rebuilt still connecting to the auditorium. It became a long-running antique store into the 21st Century. The auditorium at last report was still intact with original elements.
Bad day for the Princess Theatre and S.S. Kresge dime store as fire strikes on February 25, 1925. “Playthings of Desire” was the feature.
Signed architectural plans of C.C. and E.A. Weber of Canton, Ohio in photos.
Address listed as 834 North Sixth Street though advertised at North Sixth & Locust Street. Closed July 9, 1955 with “Abbott & Costello Meet the Keystone Cops” with the equipment removed and floor leveled in 1958.
Cinemark announced the closure of the property ending a 20-year lease as of March 30, 2017 with the last features playing: Beauty & the Beast, Kong: Skull Island, Logan, The Belko Experiment, Lego: Batman, and what they will say at the last show, “Get Out.” Two problems in continuing operations were that 1) when the Six Flags Mall was being torn down around it, two separate fire incidents didn’t exactly inspire confidence and 2) when the final plans were revealed for the former mall location, it was as industrial complex which isn’t a good match for a theater. The theatre encouraged guests to travel to their theaters south-ward in Grand Prairie or northward in Hurst.
Grand opening shots of the Fitzpatrick & McElroy Circuit’s Harvey Theatre on June 19, 1924 are in photos. The architect was Paul T. Haagen.
James Yeaman was the architect of this silent-era African American theater. It opened in February of 1912. Cedar Street became Charlotte Street.
Launched as the Crystal Theatre in 1907, the theatre closed briefly in October of 1918 for a refurbishing. It reopened as the Rialto Theatre on November 4, 1918 with “Crashing Through.” Ads conclude December 9, 1926 with Buck Jones' “Buckaroo Kid.”
Loew’s didn’t close the Crescent Theater. It was part of the Martin Theatre Circuit from 1981 until Martin closed it on August 26, 1982 as a sub-run discount double-feature house with the awesome “Kung Fu Zombie” playing with “Chinese Connection.” It remained vacant until demolished in 1994 and was demo’d. Also, for what it’s worth, the Princess didn’t move in 1949. It closed on January 2, 1950 in it its old location. It reopened the Princess with its grand opening on March 22, 1951 with “When You’re Smiling” and “Snow Dog. (Of course, the guessy dates and incorrect info is probably fine, too, if it makes for a better story.)
Lucille Ball appeared live on the stage of the Liberty Theatre in “Wet and Dry” and entertained further singing between acts.