Opened with David Bruce in “Young Daniel Boone” and the Bowery Boys in “Lucky Losers” (unknown if extras added), featuring an original 42x61ft screen, Motiograph projection, and Western Electric Mirrophonic sound.
I cannot find the exact opening date to the Fairfield Cinema II, but it opened between the final week of June and the first week of July 1974. Judging from my researches, it appears that it opened around July 1, 1974 with “S.P.Y.S” and “M.A.S.H”.
The Burns Theatre opened its doors on September 16, 1925 with Jack Holt in “The Thundering Herd” along with Pathe News, a Lyman H. Howe Hodge Podge reel, and musical performances by the Burroughs Orchestra.
Information about the Burns Theatre as of 1925 goes as follows: The theater is entered from a 12ft vestibule which were used for advertising purposes through four French styled doors into a lobby which measures 90x14ft. Four double action full plate glass doors open into the foyer which joins the lobby with the main theater. The original decorations featured panels of So. American Walnut finish in dark red birch extending over halfway from floor to ceiling with light cream plastered walls above and a steel ceiling of a lighter cream tilt. Heavy gray battleship linoleum with a 10in black border covers the floor through the lobby foyer and promenade to the extreme end of the theater. Seven electric fixtures in total extend through the entire length each with five light clusters of wrought iron, bronze trimmed with candle lights to match on the walls. At the extension left just beyond the entrance is the ticket office with a row of orange tinted lights above the window attracting attention to it. Beyond this is a stairway connects with the offices above, and there is a rented wall booth. At the left in the foyer is where a broad stairway ascends to the balcony. A booth is also placed where refreshments were sold and beyond this is the bathrooms. Farther along the hall is the manager’s office with the auditorium doors just beyond Handsome mirrors the woodwork of which matches the wall panels adorn the right-hand wall. A promenade 9ft in width extends 45ft along the back of the auditorium. A stairway from the extreme end of it descends to a smoking room and bathrooms. Both were protected by solid rail, standing 4ft2in in height finished in dark fir extends the back of the seats dividing the seat sections with the two aisles in the nearby Premier Theatre which closed a day before the Burns Theatre opened.
The seating space measures 14ft longer than the Premier and its original capacity of the Burns sit at 672 seats (with 526 in the orchestra pit and 146 in the balcony). The walls of the auditorium are in an old ivory finish with a bronze wainscoting, green tinted, and green rail bronze tinted. The ceiling is a light cream elaborated decorated in gold as well as electric light fixtures above are Florentine gold with Trojan glassware as well as six pendant lights with glass beaded shades and orange tinted bulbs shine from the walls. Two furnaces provide the necessary heat and the lobby was also being heated with vapor steam and the main theater with hot air. The building has a ventilating booth on the roof with a 36 inch motor driven exhaust which keeps the air continually changing. It is fully protected against any fire by self closing fire doors from auditorium to foyer, a brick wall between the theater and the connecting block, a fire escape from the extreme end of the balcony promenade and exit doors from either side of the lower theatre red lighted. And lastly, the ticket booth, manager’s office, foyer, and projection booth are all connected by a private telephone service.
The Burns Theatre was still open in the late-1970s.
Opened on March 14, 1914, minorly damaged by a projection booth fire in mid-June 1914, closed on September 15, 1925 when the Burns Theatre opened the following day.
The theater’s last owner, Leonard Miles, took over the theater in November 1995 after the theater went abandoned for 18 months straight. Throughout the remainder of 1995 and into the first half of 1996, the theater received very poor business.
Miles immediately gave up on his business afterward and he closed the theater for the final time on August 28, 1996 for many reasons. The theater closed due to massive projection issues, lack of a projectionist after its original projectionist left the theater before reopening, lack of money being given to employees, and the lack of older-aged employees.
The Butler Drive-In originally scheduled to open on May 29, 1953 but was rescheduled to June 3, 1953 due to rain. It was first owned by Chet Borg of Fort Scott, Kansas.
That’s an error, which happens a lot on Film Daily Yearbooks. I officially realized that this is the Rowe Theatre, because an article from May 1956 say that the Rowe is the only movie house in St. James.
The Rowe Theatre, which opened on June 29, 1949 by Carney himself with an original capacity of 600 seats, replaced the older 384-seat Lyric Theatre nearby which closed the previous day. This came a few days before Carney officially planned to build a drive-in theater in Rolla with a very expensive cost. The Rowe Theatre suffered fire destruction with an estimate $40,000 loss in May 1956, leaving St. James without a movie theater for 11 months until officially reopening after a long remodel on April 26, 1957. It was renamed the St. James Cinema in the late-1970s.
Although I cannot find its opening date, the Skyvue opened in 1949 by Robert Lowery. It originally housed 350 cars but appears that it may’ve nearly doubled the capacity sometime in the 1960s. It appears that it closed in the early-1980s, as a 1985 aerial view shows the screen but the traces were completely cleared off.
The Juno Theatre opened on January 25, 1948 with Wayne Morris in “Deep Valley” along with a newsreel and a cartoon, and was first owned by Carl F. Neitzel.
The Liberty Theatre opened in 1919, and was renamed multiple times over the years. It was renamed the Palms Theatre on May 6, 1934, and the El Rancho Theatre in June 1940. On August 20, 1946, the theater was severely damaged from a backstage fire that started next to the screen causing an estimate $20,000 in damage. The theater reopened on November 12, 1946 after remodeling. It was renamed the Lakeside Cinema in the mid-1980s and finally the Uptown Cinema in the 2000s.
This started life as the New Theatre for only a single month, opening its doors on November 22, 1934 with Eddie Cantor in “Roman Scandals” along with Walt Disney’s Silly Symphony smash “Three Little Pigs”. The following month in December 1934, a theater naming contest was held with a local woman winning $25 for the name Melba, and the theater was renamed the Melba Theatre.
The actual opening date is July 15, 1949 with James Stewart in “The Stratton Story” and MGM’s documentary “Some Of The Best” along with two newsreels (one of which is “Magazine Of The Screen”).
The Vallejo Auto Movies opened its gates on June 9, 1950 with June Haver in “The Daughter Of Rosie O'Grady” and Dennis O'Keefe in “The Great Dan Patch” along with two Looney Tunes cartoons (Tweety in “I Taw a Putty Tat” and an unnamed Bugs Bunny one), and a Magazine Of The Screen newsreel. Some of the original installations include RCA speakers, a rain fluid, and a 70x60ft screen.
The Crescent Drive-In opened its gates on July 13, 1948 with Walt Disney’s “Bambi” and Pat O'Brien in “Riff-Raff” (unknown if extras added). The original screen measures 90ft, and was first operated by M.C. Mayo.
The actual opening date is November 22, 1928 with Richard Dix in “Moran Of The Marines” (unknown if extras added) alongside a performance from the theater’s Reproducto organ, and was first operated by E.H. Brechler.
Opened with David Bruce in “Young Daniel Boone” and the Bowery Boys in “Lucky Losers” (unknown if extras added), featuring an original 42x61ft screen, Motiograph projection, and Western Electric Mirrophonic sound.
I cannot find the exact opening date to the Fairfield Cinema II, but it opened between the final week of June and the first week of July 1974. Judging from my researches, it appears that it opened around July 1, 1974 with “S.P.Y.S” and “M.A.S.H”.
Renamed Fairfield Cinema I in late-June 1974 following the opening of the Fairfield Cinema II a few days later.
The Burns Theatre opened its doors on September 16, 1925 with Jack Holt in “The Thundering Herd” along with Pathe News, a Lyman H. Howe Hodge Podge reel, and musical performances by the Burroughs Orchestra.
Information about the Burns Theatre as of 1925 goes as follows: The theater is entered from a 12ft vestibule which were used for advertising purposes through four French styled doors into a lobby which measures 90x14ft. Four double action full plate glass doors open into the foyer which joins the lobby with the main theater. The original decorations featured panels of So. American Walnut finish in dark red birch extending over halfway from floor to ceiling with light cream plastered walls above and a steel ceiling of a lighter cream tilt. Heavy gray battleship linoleum with a 10in black border covers the floor through the lobby foyer and promenade to the extreme end of the theater. Seven electric fixtures in total extend through the entire length each with five light clusters of wrought iron, bronze trimmed with candle lights to match on the walls. At the extension left just beyond the entrance is the ticket office with a row of orange tinted lights above the window attracting attention to it. Beyond this is a stairway connects with the offices above, and there is a rented wall booth. At the left in the foyer is where a broad stairway ascends to the balcony. A booth is also placed where refreshments were sold and beyond this is the bathrooms. Farther along the hall is the manager’s office with the auditorium doors just beyond Handsome mirrors the woodwork of which matches the wall panels adorn the right-hand wall. A promenade 9ft in width extends 45ft along the back of the auditorium. A stairway from the extreme end of it descends to a smoking room and bathrooms. Both were protected by solid rail, standing 4ft2in in height finished in dark fir extends the back of the seats dividing the seat sections with the two aisles in the nearby Premier Theatre which closed a day before the Burns Theatre opened.
The seating space measures 14ft longer than the Premier and its original capacity of the Burns sit at 672 seats (with 526 in the orchestra pit and 146 in the balcony). The walls of the auditorium are in an old ivory finish with a bronze wainscoting, green tinted, and green rail bronze tinted. The ceiling is a light cream elaborated decorated in gold as well as electric light fixtures above are Florentine gold with Trojan glassware as well as six pendant lights with glass beaded shades and orange tinted bulbs shine from the walls. Two furnaces provide the necessary heat and the lobby was also being heated with vapor steam and the main theater with hot air. The building has a ventilating booth on the roof with a 36 inch motor driven exhaust which keeps the air continually changing. It is fully protected against any fire by self closing fire doors from auditorium to foyer, a brick wall between the theater and the connecting block, a fire escape from the extreme end of the balcony promenade and exit doors from either side of the lower theatre red lighted. And lastly, the ticket booth, manager’s office, foyer, and projection booth are all connected by a private telephone service.
The Burns Theatre was still open in the late-1970s.
Opened on March 14, 1914, minorly damaged by a projection booth fire in mid-June 1914, closed on September 15, 1925 when the Burns Theatre opened the following day.
The theater’s last owner, Leonard Miles, took over the theater in November 1995 after the theater went abandoned for 18 months straight. Throughout the remainder of 1995 and into the first half of 1996, the theater received very poor business.
Miles immediately gave up on his business afterward and he closed the theater for the final time on August 28, 1996 for many reasons. The theater closed due to massive projection issues, lack of a projectionist after its original projectionist left the theater before reopening, lack of money being given to employees, and the lack of older-aged employees.
Opened with Leo Carillo in “Captain Caution” along with a few unnamed shorts.
The Butler Drive-In originally scheduled to open on May 29, 1953 but was rescheduled to June 3, 1953 due to rain. It was first owned by Chet Borg of Fort Scott, Kansas.
Right after closure, the screen tower remained standing for over a decade, but was completely removed by 2010.
Later operated by Cineplex Odeon, and finally Carmike until closing on June 21, 1995.
Closed on August 29, 2024.
Closed on April 27, 1986 with “Murphy’s Law” and “Critters”.
That’s an error, which happens a lot on Film Daily Yearbooks. I officially realized that this is the Rowe Theatre, because an article from May 1956 say that the Rowe is the only movie house in St. James.
The Rowe Theatre, which opened on June 29, 1949 by Carney himself with an original capacity of 600 seats, replaced the older 384-seat Lyric Theatre nearby which closed the previous day. This came a few days before Carney officially planned to build a drive-in theater in Rolla with a very expensive cost. The Rowe Theatre suffered fire destruction with an estimate $40,000 loss in May 1956, leaving St. James without a movie theater for 11 months until officially reopening after a long remodel on April 26, 1957. It was renamed the St. James Cinema in the late-1970s.
Although I cannot find its opening date, the Skyvue opened in 1949 by Robert Lowery. It originally housed 350 cars but appears that it may’ve nearly doubled the capacity sometime in the 1960s. It appears that it closed in the early-1980s, as a 1985 aerial view shows the screen but the traces were completely cleared off.
Its alright! Mistakes happen!
The Juno Theatre opened on January 25, 1948 with Wayne Morris in “Deep Valley” along with a newsreel and a cartoon, and was first owned by Carl F. Neitzel.
The Liberty Theatre opened in 1919, and was renamed multiple times over the years. It was renamed the Palms Theatre on May 6, 1934, and the El Rancho Theatre in June 1940. On August 20, 1946, the theater was severely damaged from a backstage fire that started next to the screen causing an estimate $20,000 in damage. The theater reopened on November 12, 1946 after remodeling. It was renamed the Lakeside Cinema in the mid-1980s and finally the Uptown Cinema in the 2000s.
This started life as the New Theatre for only a single month, opening its doors on November 22, 1934 with Eddie Cantor in “Roman Scandals” along with Walt Disney’s Silly Symphony smash “Three Little Pigs”. The following month in December 1934, a theater naming contest was held with a local woman winning $25 for the name Melba, and the theater was renamed the Melba Theatre.
The Village Twin Cinema opened its doors on March 4, 1974 with “Executive Action” in Screen 1 and “Electra Glide In Blue” in Screen 2.
It appears that it closed on October 27, 1994 with “Speed” in Screen 1 and “Forrest Gump” in Screen 2.
The actual opening date is July 15, 1949 with James Stewart in “The Stratton Story” and MGM’s documentary “Some Of The Best” along with two newsreels (one of which is “Magazine Of The Screen”).
The Vallejo Auto Movies opened its gates on June 9, 1950 with June Haver in “The Daughter Of Rosie O'Grady” and Dennis O'Keefe in “The Great Dan Patch” along with two Looney Tunes cartoons (Tweety in “I Taw a Putty Tat” and an unnamed Bugs Bunny one), and a Magazine Of The Screen newsreel. Some of the original installations include RCA speakers, a rain fluid, and a 70x60ft screen.
The Crescent Drive-In opened its gates on July 13, 1948 with Walt Disney’s “Bambi” and Pat O'Brien in “Riff-Raff” (unknown if extras added). The original screen measures 90ft, and was first operated by M.C. Mayo.
The Post-Commack Theatre actually opened on February 11, 1922 with an original capacity of 500 seats.
The actual opening date is November 22, 1928 with Richard Dix in “Moran Of The Marines” (unknown if extras added) alongside a performance from the theater’s Reproducto organ, and was first operated by E.H. Brechler.
The actual opening date is February 23, 1924 with a live presentation of “The Cat And The Canary”.