Now listed by AMC as the AMC Grapevine Mills 24 as “Dine-In” service has left the building and apparently six auditorium will be rested or will be sublet.
The new-build Liberty Theatre, a $25,000 structure, opened as another World War I Liberty location on August 14, 1917 with movies and live vaudeville in downtown Durant. Robb & Rowley sold the venue to the Howard Hughes' led Hughes-Franklin Circuit in February of 1931. They would soon close the Liberty for a major refresh.
The venue relaunched on March 4, 1932 as the State Theatre with the film, “The Big Shot.” Miller Davidge took on the venue operating the Ritz and State. But on September 13, 1933, Davidge bought the competing Metro and consolidate the State and Metro operations into a single movie theater in the Metro location. The State booked boxing events in 1934 and was erased by a fire on October 31, 1934 - a fire in which the insurance likely paid for a new theater, the Plaza, on the same site.
Appears to have ceased advertising following the November 28, 1964 showtime for “The New Interns.” That would time out with a 15-year opt out of a potential leasing agreement that may have ended the Sky-Vu’s run.
Opening film for the new Savage Theatre on March 24, 1939 was “Hollywood Roundup.” The Savage was ultimately tamed on March 31, 1957 closing with Dane Clark in “Massacre.”
The Briarwood Shopping Center opened in the 1970s theatre-lessly. It added the Durant Twin Cinema on July 1, 1994 with “The Flintstones” and “Maverick.” It was then made into a quad-plex in the 2000s. It closed in 2011 and was replaced by a Rue21 retail clothing store location.
Address: 206 West Main Street. Demolished. The Bungalow’s opening films in August of 1914 were Lois Weber in “Suspense,” Jane Fearnley in “His Mother’s Birthday” and the Independent Moving Pictures (IMP) short, “A Rose at 16… A Cactus at 45.” The Bungalow appears to have closed with vaudeville on January 31, 1921 with a live stage show
The Peoples Theatre launched in February of 1909 on Third Avenue. In 1914, it was re named for Mabel Bea Vert and was technically the Bea Vert Theatre. She retired from the operation and on September 5, 1914, it became the Wilro Theatre purportedly named after Zigomar Wilro. However, it’s also a fusion of the owners Catherin Williams and Mr. Rose or Willro which likely is how the name was conceptualized. The theater’s monikers of “Bea Vert” and “Wilro” are the only such entries carrying those nameplates in the Cinema Treasures database.
Brown and Greene took over the location months later renaming it as the more routine Grand Theatre beginning with the December 15, 1914 show. Four reels of motion pictures or fewer cost five cents and five or more reels cost ten cents. And you got to hear the Wurlitzer piano no matter how long the films were. The Grand departed following the September 4, 1915 showing of “The Three of Us.” It would become home to a fraternal organization, the Modern Woodmen.
The Durant Theater opened on September 29, 1909 at 128 West Main. The operator of the Iris Airdome took over the space and renamed it as the Iris Theatre for year-round programming which included both vaudeville and movies. The neighboring Iris Confectionery served as the de facto concession stand. The Iris closed permanently in 1911 and was converted for retail purposes. The building still stands in the 2020s.
The Queen Theatre was crowned with public favor opening January 24, 1920 with Dorothy Phillips in “Paid in Advance.” She suffered a minor fire following the January 14, 1928 showings of Art Acord in “Hard Fists” and Julia Faye in “Turkish Delight” but appears to have closed thereafter without converting to sound.
But the venue was overhauled and relit as the Ritz Theatre, playing Western Electric talkies beginning on December 18, 1931 with Loretta Young in “I Like Your Nerve.” It last advertised on March 26, 1957 with “Naked Gun” and, though the venue hosted events in its lobby, its cinematic days had passed. In August of 1961, the venue was remodeled for Babcock Brothers Aut
Opening film April 15, 1931 was Reginald Denny in “Stepping Out.” Dropped in 1936, it reopened on March 16, 1939 as the New Metro Theatre with “12 Crowded Hours.” It dropped “new” and the Metro Theatre appears to have closed May 1, 1954 with Mickey Rooney in “My Outlaw Brother.”
The Colonial opened here on August 26, 1915 with “The Goose Girl.” It closed three years later and was replaced by the Severance Hardware retail store in 1919.
The Studio 1 Theatre opened with Peter Ford in “Wilbur & the Baby Factory” and Antoinette Maynard in “Weekend Lovers” on December 15, 1970. The Studio 1 closed December 11, 1980 as a discount, third-run adult cinema at the expiry of a 10-year lease with its last advertised shows of Sue Longhurst in “Keep It Up, Jack” and producer Leonard Kirtman’s “Pay the Babysitter.” All seats were just a dollar. The venue reopened as the Midtown Cinema in a new location the next day.
he Tulsa Theatre opened on February 19, 1941 with William Powell in “I Love You Again” & John Hubbard in “Who Killed Aunt Maggie”. It closed at the expiry of a 25-years lease on September 25, 1966 with “Chamber of Horrors” and “Murietta.”
The Cove Theatre in the Red Fork neighborhood launched for operator Joe Noble on August 18, 1946 with Maureen O'Hara in “Do You Love Me?” Cove Confections next door served as the venue’s de facto concession stand. The theater ended up on the tax roster in 1948 though secured new operators in John and Opal Gray that same year. Its final ad was on March 25, 1956 with “T?he Last Frontier” and “The Finger Man” likely ending the Cove’s run. Demolished.
The Cameo Theate r was announced in November of 1926 in a remodeling of an existing West Tulsa retail building. Julius Jacobson opened the venue on January 1, 1926 with “Mantrap” with Clara Bow. It converted too sound to remain viable. The final operators of the Cameo were Vernon Hoster and E.J. Blais. Blais closed the Gem on March 9, 1953 with “Francis, the Talking Mule” and “The Old Texas Trail.” Mrs. Julius Jacobson offered the building for sale in 1959. Demolished.
The U-See / Usee Theatre launched on August 13, 1910 as a nickelodeon in Tulsa. E.B. Tenney opened the venue with short subject films, Lillia Schreck at the piano, L. Cleveland Davis as singer, Charles Miche as projectionist and Mabelle White in the ticket booth. Targeting female and family audiences, the opening films were Vitagraph’s “Between Love and Honor” and William Shea and John Bunny as “Davy Jones and Captain Bragg” supported by “Glimpses of Bird Life” and an illustrated song.
The U-See closed following the March 7, 1911 showings of “A Broken Symphony,” “The Affair of an Egg” and “The Conspiracy of Pontiac.” Cyclone Furniture purchased the seating selling them for a “bargain” in late March of 1911.
The Gayety Theatre launched on February 5, 1927 with vaudeville and silent films. The theater was bombed at least five times for using non-union workers in the early 1930s. It was sold twice thereafter.
In January of 1935, the venue was renamed as the Roxy with exploitation films. On September 1, 1935 the venue became the Capitol Theatre with “The Eagle and the Hawk.” The Capitol switched to vaudeville with film for its one-year sublease. The venue returned to the Roxy nameplate in September 1936 playing exploitation films and fourth-run double features. A.M. Cauble took over the theater likely on another one-year sublease at the Roxy hiring union workers in September of 1937. Police showed up and stopped what it termed a strip tease show there in one of its first days of operation.The Roxy booked four wall films including “Marihuana” and “Narcotics.”
The venue closed for a period in the late 1930s and Katherine Brink reopened it as a third-tier double feature house.It failed and was sold at a sheriff’s auction for a meager $2,500. New operator E. “Bud” Claybrook took on the venue reopening it as a 310-seat movie theater on February 15, 1942 called the Uptown Theatre with James Cagney in “The Oklahoma Kid” and Ann Sheridan in “Naughty But Nice” supported by the Disney cartoon, “Donald Duck’s Golf Game.” The Uptown discontinued films not long after a 1958 minor fire. It became a house of worship called Life Temple Church until 1964.
The theatre returned to movie exhibition on October 9, 1964 as the Patria Theatre for Mr. and Mrs. Jose Antonio Ramirez who came to Tulsa from Cuba. They decided to show Spanish language films at the venerable theater. Opening films were Enrique Rambu in “Aventuras de Joselito y Pulgarcito” and Tin-Tan and Lon Chaney in “La Casa del Terror.” That lasted a year closing in 1965.
It was renamed as the Paris Art Theater relaunching on May 13, 1965. Mr. Ramirez was arrested at least twice for indecent exhibition of films. The theater’s last day was August 17, 1967 when the theatre was finally bombed for the last time. The blast destroyed the box office and caused extensive interior damage. The building has since been razed.
The Village Theatre was announced for the Wagon Wheel Shopping Center at Garnett Road and Admiral Place in 1966 during the luxury suburban theater era of movie exhibition . Alex Blue and J.B. Robb, Jr. had the venue built to the plans of Murray, Jones, Murray Architects of Tulsa. Blue sold the Admiral Twin Drive-In to General Cinema Corp. that year. The original plan for the Village showed a one-screen, 780-seat theater that could be twinned later if the need arose. Apparently it did. The projection booth was equipped for 35mm and 70mm at opening. Wagon Wheel was anchored by a Safeway grocery store and a TGY variety store.
The Village opened with “To Sir with Love” on October 20, 1967. Blue and Robb would sell the Village to General Cinema on April 15, 1970. GCC would change the name of the venue to the Village Cinema. It would then close the venue on September 11, 1972 to twin the complex. It re-emerged as the Village Cinema I & II. In 1979, GCC downgraded the venue to a sub-run, discount house with all seats $1.25 and ending in the 1980s at $1 a seat. The GCC Village closed on August 2, 1987 at the end of a 20-year leasing period with “Platoon” and “Crocodile Dundee.”
The Village Cinema’s contents were auctioned off on January 4, 1990 including its Creators poppers and all 713 theater seats.
The Lyric Theatre, an early Tulsa nickelodeon-era movie theaters, opened in 1907 and spawned a sequel here at Third and Main called Lyric Theatre No. 2. It appears to have launched in May of 1910 playing triple features of photoplay. The Lyric No. 2 likely caused confusion and became the Majestic Theatre on August 20, 1910 still with motion pictures. The theater was closed for a refresh and relaunched as the Cozy Theatre has a Grand Opening on February 23, 1911. The Cozy had a 50-year run as a movie theater - a great run. Blamed on transients trying to stay warm, the building was destroyed by a December 1978 fire. Demolition occurred in January of 1979 taking the neighboring Terry’s Books and Brady Hotel with it.
The venue became the short-lived Appollo Delman live events center that presented live rock and country concerts beginning in 1979. It closed in debt a year later in 1980. Hank Williams Jr., who played there in 1980, said that the acoustics were so great that he had considered recording an album there. The venue remained vacant until demolition in 1989.
The Westhill Theatre launched September 1, 1967 with John Wayne and Kirk Douglas in “The War Wagon.”
Now listed by AMC as the AMC Grapevine Mills 24 as “Dine-In” service has left the building and apparently six auditorium will be rested or will be sublet.
The new-build Liberty Theatre, a $25,000 structure, opened as another World War I Liberty location on August 14, 1917 with movies and live vaudeville in downtown Durant. Robb & Rowley sold the venue to the Howard Hughes' led Hughes-Franklin Circuit in February of 1931. They would soon close the Liberty for a major refresh.
The venue relaunched on March 4, 1932 as the State Theatre with the film, “The Big Shot.” Miller Davidge took on the venue operating the Ritz and State. But on September 13, 1933, Davidge bought the competing Metro and consolidate the State and Metro operations into a single movie theater in the Metro location. The State booked boxing events in 1934 and was erased by a fire on October 31, 1934 - a fire in which the insurance likely paid for a new theater, the Plaza, on the same site.
Appears to have ceased advertising following the November 28, 1964 showtime for “The New Interns.” That would time out with a 15-year opt out of a potential leasing agreement that may have ended the Sky-Vu’s run.
Opening film for the new Savage Theatre on March 24, 1939 was “Hollywood Roundup.” The Savage was ultimately tamed on March 31, 1957 closing with Dane Clark in “Massacre.”
The Briarwood Shopping Center opened in the 1970s theatre-lessly. It added the Durant Twin Cinema on July 1, 1994 with “The Flintstones” and “Maverick.” It was then made into a quad-plex in the 2000s. It closed in 2011 and was replaced by a Rue21 retail clothing store location.
Address: 206 West Main Street. Demolished. The Bungalow’s opening films in August of 1914 were Lois Weber in “Suspense,” Jane Fearnley in “His Mother’s Birthday” and the Independent Moving Pictures (IMP) short, “A Rose at 16… A Cactus at 45.” The Bungalow appears to have closed with vaudeville on January 31, 1921 with a live stage show
The Peoples Theatre launched in February of 1909 on Third Avenue. In 1914, it was re named for Mabel Bea Vert and was technically the Bea Vert Theatre. She retired from the operation and on September 5, 1914, it became the Wilro Theatre purportedly named after Zigomar Wilro. However, it’s also a fusion of the owners Catherin Williams and Mr. Rose or Willro which likely is how the name was conceptualized. The theater’s monikers of “Bea Vert” and “Wilro” are the only such entries carrying those nameplates in the Cinema Treasures database.
Brown and Greene took over the location months later renaming it as the more routine Grand Theatre beginning with the December 15, 1914 show. Four reels of motion pictures or fewer cost five cents and five or more reels cost ten cents. And you got to hear the Wurlitzer piano no matter how long the films were. The Grand departed following the September 4, 1915 showing of “The Three of Us.” It would become home to a fraternal organization, the Modern Woodmen.
The Durant Theater opened on September 29, 1909 at 128 West Main. The operator of the Iris Airdome took over the space and renamed it as the Iris Theatre for year-round programming which included both vaudeville and movies. The neighboring Iris Confectionery served as the de facto concession stand. The Iris closed permanently in 1911 and was converted for retail purposes. The building still stands in the 2020s.
The Queen Theatre was crowned with public favor opening January 24, 1920 with Dorothy Phillips in “Paid in Advance.” She suffered a minor fire following the January 14, 1928 showings of Art Acord in “Hard Fists” and Julia Faye in “Turkish Delight” but appears to have closed thereafter without converting to sound.
But the venue was overhauled and relit as the Ritz Theatre, playing Western Electric talkies beginning on December 18, 1931 with Loretta Young in “I Like Your Nerve.” It last advertised on March 26, 1957 with “Naked Gun” and, though the venue hosted events in its lobby, its cinematic days had passed. In August of 1961, the venue was remodeled for Babcock Brothers Aut
Opening film April 15, 1931 was Reginald Denny in “Stepping Out.” Dropped in 1936, it reopened on March 16, 1939 as the New Metro Theatre with “12 Crowded Hours.” It dropped “new” and the Metro Theatre appears to have closed May 1, 1954 with Mickey Rooney in “My Outlaw Brother.”
The Colonial opened here on August 26, 1915 with “The Goose Girl.” It closed three years later and was replaced by the Severance Hardware retail store in 1919.
Sorry - March 7, 1952 was the launch date
The Studio 1 Theatre opened with Peter Ford in “Wilbur & the Baby Factory” and Antoinette Maynard in “Weekend Lovers” on December 15, 1970. The Studio 1 closed December 11, 1980 as a discount, third-run adult cinema at the expiry of a 10-year lease with its last advertised shows of Sue Longhurst in “Keep It Up, Jack” and producer Leonard Kirtman’s “Pay the Babysitter.” All seats were just a dollar. The venue reopened as the Midtown Cinema in a new location the next day.
he Tulsa Theatre opened on February 19, 1941 with William Powell in “I Love You Again” & John Hubbard in “Who Killed Aunt Maggie”. It closed at the expiry of a 25-years lease on September 25, 1966 with “Chamber of Horrors” and “Murietta.”
The Liberty Theatre was built in 1917 and appears to have launched December 15, 1917 with a benefit screening. The equipment wa sold off in 1924.
The Cove Theatre in the Red Fork neighborhood launched for operator Joe Noble on August 18, 1946 with Maureen O'Hara in “Do You Love Me?” Cove Confections next door served as the venue’s de facto concession stand. The theater ended up on the tax roster in 1948 though secured new operators in John and Opal Gray that same year. Its final ad was on March 25, 1956 with “T?he Last Frontier” and “The Finger Man” likely ending the Cove’s run. Demolished.
The Cameo Theate r was announced in November of 1926 in a remodeling of an existing West Tulsa retail building. Julius Jacobson opened the venue on January 1, 1926 with “Mantrap” with Clara Bow. It converted too sound to remain viable. The final operators of the Cameo were Vernon Hoster and E.J. Blais. Blais closed the Gem on March 9, 1953 with “Francis, the Talking Mule” and “The Old Texas Trail.” Mrs. Julius Jacobson offered the building for sale in 1959. Demolished.
The theater’s last ad appeared February 4, 1911 likely spelling the end of the line for the Idle Hour.
The U-See / Usee Theatre launched on August 13, 1910 as a nickelodeon in Tulsa. E.B. Tenney opened the venue with short subject films, Lillia Schreck at the piano, L. Cleveland Davis as singer, Charles Miche as projectionist and Mabelle White in the ticket booth. Targeting female and family audiences, the opening films were Vitagraph’s “Between Love and Honor” and William Shea and John Bunny as “Davy Jones and Captain Bragg” supported by “Glimpses of Bird Life” and an illustrated song.
The U-See closed following the March 7, 1911 showings of “A Broken Symphony,” “The Affair of an Egg” and “The Conspiracy of Pontiac.” Cyclone Furniture purchased the seating selling them for a “bargain” in late March of 1911.
The Gayety Theatre launched on February 5, 1927 with vaudeville and silent films. The theater was bombed at least five times for using non-union workers in the early 1930s. It was sold twice thereafter.
In January of 1935, the venue was renamed as the Roxy with exploitation films. On September 1, 1935 the venue became the Capitol Theatre with “The Eagle and the Hawk.” The Capitol switched to vaudeville with film for its one-year sublease. The venue returned to the Roxy nameplate in September 1936 playing exploitation films and fourth-run double features. A.M. Cauble took over the theater likely on another one-year sublease at the Roxy hiring union workers in September of 1937. Police showed up and stopped what it termed a strip tease show there in one of its first days of operation.The Roxy booked four wall films including “Marihuana” and “Narcotics.”
The venue closed for a period in the late 1930s and Katherine Brink reopened it as a third-tier double feature house.It failed and was sold at a sheriff’s auction for a meager $2,500. New operator E. “Bud” Claybrook took on the venue reopening it as a 310-seat movie theater on February 15, 1942 called the Uptown Theatre with James Cagney in “The Oklahoma Kid” and Ann Sheridan in “Naughty But Nice” supported by the Disney cartoon, “Donald Duck’s Golf Game.” The Uptown discontinued films not long after a 1958 minor fire. It became a house of worship called Life Temple Church until 1964.
The theatre returned to movie exhibition on October 9, 1964 as the Patria Theatre for Mr. and Mrs. Jose Antonio Ramirez who came to Tulsa from Cuba. They decided to show Spanish language films at the venerable theater. Opening films were Enrique Rambu in “Aventuras de Joselito y Pulgarcito” and Tin-Tan and Lon Chaney in “La Casa del Terror.” That lasted a year closing in 1965.
It was renamed as the Paris Art Theater relaunching on May 13, 1965. Mr. Ramirez was arrested at least twice for indecent exhibition of films. The theater’s last day was August 17, 1967 when the theatre was finally bombed for the last time. The blast destroyed the box office and caused extensive interior damage. The building has since been razed.
The Village Theatre was announced for the Wagon Wheel Shopping Center at Garnett Road and Admiral Place in 1966 during the luxury suburban theater era of movie exhibition . Alex Blue and J.B. Robb, Jr. had the venue built to the plans of Murray, Jones, Murray Architects of Tulsa. Blue sold the Admiral Twin Drive-In to General Cinema Corp. that year. The original plan for the Village showed a one-screen, 780-seat theater that could be twinned later if the need arose. Apparently it did. The projection booth was equipped for 35mm and 70mm at opening. Wagon Wheel was anchored by a Safeway grocery store and a TGY variety store.
The Village opened with “To Sir with Love” on October 20, 1967. Blue and Robb would sell the Village to General Cinema on April 15, 1970. GCC would change the name of the venue to the Village Cinema. It would then close the venue on September 11, 1972 to twin the complex. It re-emerged as the Village Cinema I & II. In 1979, GCC downgraded the venue to a sub-run, discount house with all seats $1.25 and ending in the 1980s at $1 a seat. The GCC Village closed on August 2, 1987 at the end of a 20-year leasing period with “Platoon” and “Crocodile Dundee.”
The Village Cinema’s contents were auctioned off on January 4, 1990 including its Creators poppers and all 713 theater seats.
J.E. Gregg launched the Gregg Theater on July 26, 1916 with movies.
The Lyric Theatre, an early Tulsa nickelodeon-era movie theaters, opened in 1907 and spawned a sequel here at Third and Main called Lyric Theatre No. 2. It appears to have launched in May of 1910 playing triple features of photoplay. The Lyric No. 2 likely caused confusion and became the Majestic Theatre on August 20, 1910 still with motion pictures. The theater was closed for a refresh and relaunched as the Cozy Theatre has a Grand Opening on February 23, 1911. The Cozy had a 50-year run as a movie theater - a great run. Blamed on transients trying to stay warm, the building was destroyed by a December 1978 fire. Demolition occurred in January of 1979 taking the neighboring Terry’s Books and Brady Hotel with it.
The venue became the short-lived Appollo Delman live events center that presented live rock and country concerts beginning in 1979. It closed in debt a year later in 1980. Hank Williams Jr., who played there in 1980, said that the acoustics were so great that he had considered recording an album there. The venue remained vacant until demolition in 1989.