The Criterion, Empress and the Royal theaters operated simultaneously. The El Reno Opera House turned El Reno Theatre was destroyed by fire on December 26, 1918 and rebuilt. It relaunched here in its new building on May 12, 1919 with Harold Lockwood in “Shadows of Suspicion.“ Its final booking is Emory Johnson’s “The Mail Man” on March 22, 1924. New operator, Alice Hamly, took over the venue starting in August of 1924 marketed first as the Hamly’s Theatre at launch followed by the Hamly Theatre (and also advertised with the likely incorrect monikers of Hamlys' Theatre and Hamlys Theatre variably over its one year of operation).
Under new operator W.H. Wood, the former El Reno turned Hamly(s) then became the Woods Theatre on October 21, 1925 with Harry Carey in “Soft Shoes.” The silent Woods Theatre was re-equipped with sound films in 1930 formally opening as the Royal Theatre on February 17, 1930 with Vitaphone equipment and “The Devil May Care.” The Royal closed for the summer on “South of St. Louis” on April 30, 1951 but never reopened. The venue was retrofitted for other retail purposes.
Mr. and Mrs. Al Derry transformed three existing buildings that had comprised Fryberger’s Store into a new theatre that launched as the Derry Theatre on January 19, 1921. It opened with a live perf of The Mikado. On November 11, 1923, the venue became a movie house known as the Criterion Theatre with Harold Lloyd opening the theater with “Why Worry?”
The Criterion was gutted by a fire on January 13, 1933 that left virtually nothing from the original. After a major rehab, the venue had its relaunch as the New Criterion on May 24, 1934 with an expanded count of 934 seats and Zasu Pitts in “Sing and Like It.” When purchased by Griffith and Consolidated along with the Criterion in 1939, it was decided that the Criterion would receive a streamline moderne makeover patterned after the deco-themed Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Rock Island Rocket passenger trains built by the Budd Company during the 1930s. The venue’s August 29, 1940 grand reopening ad as the Rocket with “They Drive By Night” is in photos. It closed in 1958. The building was razed in 1965 for a parking lot.
The odd name of El Caro was chosen in a naming contest and mashes together El Reno and Canadian County - at least according to M.I. Owens who won the contest.
A.D. Fortner’s Airdome was constructed in 1913 at 114-116 West Woodson operating for three seasons. It launched June 1, 1913 with a live play “Sweet Clover.” In its third season in 1915, films were added to the programming mix. The venue was closed permanently at the end of the season in September of 1915 as Fortner built a new hardtop theater, Fortner’s & Newell’s Theatre across from the El Reno Opera House. The Airdome was converted for use by Farmers' Produce Company for retail use beginning in November of 1915. (This venue was only known by the name Airdome Theatre during its three season run… not the El Reno Airdome)
The El Reno Drive-In Theatre opened on September 11, 1948 with Fredric March in “There Goes My Heart”. It kept that name opening seasonally in each of its first four seasons of operation. Opal Gray took on the venue and, after a refresh, launched for the venue’s fifth season on April 11, 1952 with Gary Cooper in “Distant Drums” as the Squaw Drive-In. (The venue was never referred to as the El Reno Auto Theatre in any ad or article of the local paper.)
The Princess was a silent theatre in 1921 and had a brief transition to sound films closing in 1930. It reopened as a live and silent theatre in 1931 before closing again in June of 1931. Cecil Davis took on the venue equipping with sound and relaunching on on August 25, 1933 as the Cement Theatre beginning with “The Life of Jimmy Dolan” with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. The Cement Theatre went out of business briefly in 1934 and cracked in January of 1935.
Jack and J.A. Weiss took on the former Cement / Princess venue naming it the Holly Theatre beginning with showtimes on October 19, 1935 of Zasu Pitts in “Hot Tips.” Harry F. Smith next bought the Holly Theatre on January 26, 1939 renaming it as Harry’s Theatre. Harry’s ran through the end of May of 1945. In May of 1946, Jesse Sloan took on the venue re-renaming it as the Cement Theatre. In 1953, it appears to have been renamed once again - this time as the Tower Theatre.
Roy Eakins launched the new Royal Theatre on December 8, 1939 with “Here I Am Stranger.” It was in the retrofitted building previously run as the Gibson Brothers' Recreation Parlor. Eakins had run the Palace Theatre in town previously which closed in 1939. The venue was still operating in 1965.
Reading the local paper, there is a high likelihood that this began as the Crystal Theatre in 1909. The Crystal Airdome had opened as an outdoor venue in 1909 for the ventilation-challenged theaters of Cherokee, Oklahoma. It did so well that Frank Wilson equipped a movie theater in the existing Millspaugh Building as the Crystal Theatre also in 1909.
The silent movie house competed with the Majestic Theatre in the 1920s before coming under common ownership in 1927 with the Hawk Brothers and then Cherokee Amusement Co. Only one of the two theaters was equipped for sound and it was the Majestic turned Ritz. The Crystal continued as a place of worship in the early to mid 1930s discontinuing films. The Max Theatre was placed in this same Crystal space beginning after a major refresh on October 29, 1938 with the Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire film, “Swing Time.”
The theatre was rehabbed in the 1950s to show widecreen and erased much of its past. The building was then badly damaged in a fire in December 2, 1969. When it was rehabbed, the building was modern and not reflective of any of its past. It continued into the mid-1980s as the Max Theatre showing second-run discount movies.
The Aggie opened September 8, 1926 with “The Waning Sex.” It suffered a major fire closing the theater on January 19, 1948. The marquee was used to advertise the bookings which were moved to the Camera Theatre. The rebuilt Aggie opened in 1949.
This venue opened as the Camera Theatre for C.D. Jackson on November 15, 1912 with three-reel movies. At the conclusion of a second 20-year lease, it then closed as the Camera in March 9 1952 with a double feature of “Francis Goes to the Races” and “Borderline.” Under new operators relaunched after a refresh as the Crest Theatre on April 13, 1952 with “An American in Paris.” Woodie B. Sylvester of Video Independent Theatre Circuit took on the venue on July 1, 1954. Also a part of Griffith Circuit, it was closed January 6, 1956 with “Drumbeat” and the building was sold. It was converted that summer for other retail purposes.
Walsie Campbell launched the Corral Drive-In on May 1, 1956 with “Day of Fury.” In September of 1956, he sold both the Deal hardtop theater and the Corral to Elvin Anderson and James Gaskins.
Frank Deal launched the Met Theatre in the Fall of 1910 on a ten-year lease. As the lease was ending, Deal then acquired the neighboring building and expanded the Met as the new Deal Theatre on October 4, 1920. The theater converted to sound and closed for the first time in 1956 as the new Drive-In launched. New operators then purchased by the Corral Drive-In and the Deal reopening on December 7, 1957. But business wasn’t strong and the Deal was closed permanently following April 24, 1960 showings of “Tarzan, the Ape Man.”
E.M. Loew’s Augusta Drive-In Theatre launched in 1950. Its last listings are in 1980 likely indicating closure at the end of a 30-year lease (though not a guarantee).
The Jay Hill Drive-In launched July 10, 1953 with a double-feature of “Desert Legion” and “Meet Me at the Fair.” (Not that it matters particularly, but I don’t see that it ever went by the name of “Drive-In” as stated above and simply opened and closed as the Jay Hill Drive-In.) The ozoner closed for the season on September 11, 1977 with a double-feature of “The Gumball Rally” and “The Domino Principle.” It did not reopen for another season. The concession stand and projection booth was razed in 1983. The screen tower was subsequently razed in August of 1984 ending hopes of a relaunch.
The Criterion, Empress and the Royal theaters operated simultaneously. The El Reno Opera House turned El Reno Theatre was destroyed by fire on December 26, 1918 and rebuilt. It relaunched here in its new building on May 12, 1919 with Harold Lockwood in “Shadows of Suspicion.“ Its final booking is Emory Johnson’s “The Mail Man” on March 22, 1924. New operator, Alice Hamly, took over the venue starting in August of 1924 marketed first as the Hamly’s Theatre at launch followed by the Hamly Theatre (and also advertised with the likely incorrect monikers of Hamlys' Theatre and Hamlys Theatre variably over its one year of operation).
Under new operator W.H. Wood, the former El Reno turned Hamly(s) then became the Woods Theatre on October 21, 1925 with Harry Carey in “Soft Shoes.” The silent Woods Theatre was re-equipped with sound films in 1930 formally opening as the Royal Theatre on February 17, 1930 with Vitaphone equipment and “The Devil May Care.” The Royal closed for the summer on “South of St. Louis” on April 30, 1951 but never reopened. The venue was retrofitted for other retail purposes.
Mr. and Mrs. Al Derry transformed three existing buildings that had comprised Fryberger’s Store into a new theatre that launched as the Derry Theatre on January 19, 1921. It opened with a live perf of The Mikado. On November 11, 1923, the venue became a movie house known as the Criterion Theatre with Harold Lloyd opening the theater with “Why Worry?”
The Criterion was gutted by a fire on January 13, 1933 that left virtually nothing from the original. After a major rehab, the venue had its relaunch as the New Criterion on May 24, 1934 with an expanded count of 934 seats and Zasu Pitts in “Sing and Like It.” When purchased by Griffith and Consolidated along with the Criterion in 1939, it was decided that the Criterion would receive a streamline moderne makeover patterned after the deco-themed Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Rock Island Rocket passenger trains built by the Budd Company during the 1930s. The venue’s August 29, 1940 grand reopening ad as the Rocket with “They Drive By Night” is in photos. It closed in 1958. The building was razed in 1965 for a parking lot.
The Platt Theatre launched with Shirley Temple in “The Little Colonel” on March 21, 1935 (opening ad in photos).
The odd name of El Caro was chosen in a naming contest and mashes together El Reno and Canadian County - at least according to M.I. Owens who won the contest.
A.D. Fortner’s Airdome was constructed in 1913 at 114-116 West Woodson operating for three seasons. It launched June 1, 1913 with a live play “Sweet Clover.” In its third season in 1915, films were added to the programming mix. The venue was closed permanently at the end of the season in September of 1915 as Fortner built a new hardtop theater, Fortner’s & Newell’s Theatre across from the El Reno Opera House. The Airdome was converted for use by Farmers' Produce Company for retail use beginning in November of 1915. (This venue was only known by the name Airdome Theatre during its three season run… not the El Reno Airdome)
The El Reno Drive-In Theatre opened on September 11, 1948 with Fredric March in “There Goes My Heart”. It kept that name opening seasonally in each of its first four seasons of operation. Opal Gray took on the venue and, after a refresh, launched for the venue’s fifth season on April 11, 1952 with Gary Cooper in “Distant Drums” as the Squaw Drive-In. (The venue was never referred to as the El Reno Auto Theatre in any ad or article of the local paper.)
The Centre launched February 29, 1945 with “Tonight and Every Night” supported by a cartoon, a newsreel, and the short subject, “Choo-Choo Baby.”
The Princess was a silent theatre in 1921 and had a brief transition to sound films closing in 1930. It reopened as a live and silent theatre in 1931 before closing again in June of 1931. Cecil Davis took on the venue equipping with sound and relaunching on on August 25, 1933 as the Cement Theatre beginning with “The Life of Jimmy Dolan” with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. The Cement Theatre went out of business briefly in 1934 and cracked in January of 1935.
Jack and J.A. Weiss took on the former Cement / Princess venue naming it the Holly Theatre beginning with showtimes on October 19, 1935 of Zasu Pitts in “Hot Tips.” Harry F. Smith next bought the Holly Theatre on January 26, 1939 renaming it as Harry’s Theatre. Harry’s ran through the end of May of 1945. In May of 1946, Jesse Sloan took on the venue re-renaming it as the Cement Theatre. In 1953, it appears to have been renamed once again - this time as the Tower Theatre.
Roy Eakins launched the new Royal Theatre on December 8, 1939 with “Here I Am Stranger.” It was in the retrofitted building previously run as the Gibson Brothers' Recreation Parlor. Eakins had run the Palace Theatre in town previously which closed in 1939. The venue was still operating in 1965.
Roy Eakins launched the new Royal Theatre on December 8, 1939 with “Here I Am Stranger.”
Reading the local paper, there is a high likelihood that this began as the Crystal Theatre in 1909. The Crystal Airdome had opened as an outdoor venue in 1909 for the ventilation-challenged theaters of Cherokee, Oklahoma. It did so well that Frank Wilson equipped a movie theater in the existing Millspaugh Building as the Crystal Theatre also in 1909.
The silent movie house competed with the Majestic Theatre in the 1920s before coming under common ownership in 1927 with the Hawk Brothers and then Cherokee Amusement Co. Only one of the two theaters was equipped for sound and it was the Majestic turned Ritz. The Crystal continued as a place of worship in the early to mid 1930s discontinuing films. The Max Theatre was placed in this same Crystal space beginning after a major refresh on October 29, 1938 with the Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire film, “Swing Time.”
The theatre was rehabbed in the 1950s to show widecreen and erased much of its past. The building was then badly damaged in a fire in December 2, 1969. When it was rehabbed, the building was modern and not reflective of any of its past. It continued into the mid-1980s as the Max Theatre showing second-run discount movies.
The Aggie opened September 8, 1926 with “The Waning Sex.” It suffered a major fire closing the theater on January 19, 1948. The marquee was used to advertise the bookings which were moved to the Camera Theatre. The rebuilt Aggie opened in 1949.
The Leachman Theatre launched June 22, 1948
Opened May 5, 1939 with “The Lady’s From Kentucky,” the trade press ranked it among the Top Ten New Theatres launched in the year of 1939.
This venue opened as the Camera Theatre for C.D. Jackson on November 15, 1912 with three-reel movies. At the conclusion of a second 20-year lease, it then closed as the Camera in March 9 1952 with a double feature of “Francis Goes to the Races” and “Borderline.” Under new operators relaunched after a refresh as the Crest Theatre on April 13, 1952 with “An American in Paris.” Woodie B. Sylvester of Video Independent Theatre Circuit took on the venue on July 1, 1954. Also a part of Griffith Circuit, it was closed January 6, 1956 with “Drumbeat” and the building was sold. It was converted that summer for other retail purposes.
Woodie B. Sylvester of Video Independent Theatre Circuit took on the venue on June 1, 1953. VIT closed the Mecca with “Wild Heart” on July 15, 1954.
The Alamo Theatre launched in 1909.
Claude Leachman of the Leachman Theatre launced the Moonlite on June 16, 1949 with Canyon Passage.
Walsie Campbell launched the Corral Drive-In on May 1, 1956 with “Day of Fury.” In September of 1956, he sold both the Deal hardtop theater and the Corral to Elvin Anderson and James Gaskins.
Frank Deal launched the Met Theatre in the Fall of 1910 on a ten-year lease. As the lease was ending, Deal then acquired the neighboring building and expanded the Met as the new Deal Theatre on October 4, 1920. The theater converted to sound and closed for the first time in 1956 as the new Drive-In launched. New operators then purchased by the Corral Drive-In and the Deal reopening on December 7, 1957. But business wasn’t strong and the Deal was closed permanently following April 24, 1960 showings of “Tarzan, the Ape Man.”
Max Paul opened his new Max Theater on September 4, 1947 with “It Happened on 5th Avenue.”
E.M. Loew’s Augusta Drive-In Theatre launched in 1950. Its last listings are in 1980 likely indicating closure at the end of a 30-year lease (though not a guarantee).
The Jay Hill Drive-In launched July 10, 1953 with a double-feature of “Desert Legion” and “Meet Me at the Fair.” (Not that it matters particularly, but I don’t see that it ever went by the name of “Drive-In” as stated above and simply opened and closed as the Jay Hill Drive-In.) The ozoner closed for the season on September 11, 1977 with a double-feature of “The Gumball Rally” and “The Domino Principle.” It did not reopen for another season. The concession stand and projection booth was razed in 1983. The screen tower was subsequently razed in August of 1984 ending hopes of a relaunch.
Louis Chiaramonte was responsible for the major renovation in 1959 changing the interior and exterior look of the Morton Theatre.
Louis Chiaramonte was responsible for the 1957 remodeling and its transformation as the “new” Gray Cinema in 1957.