I’m very sure that this was lastly known as the Smyrna Theatre before the newer one was built in mid-1965. The earliest info I can gather about the Smyrna Theatre’s name date back as early as 1962, but was still known as the Victoria in 1961. The Victoria opened as early as 1927.
New Smyrna Beach had another theater called the Palace Theatre but closed on September 1, 1927 due to a lease sale led by the men team of T.A. and S.L. Hayes who sold the Palace to the Florida Theatre Enterprises Incorporated who also managed the Victoria at the time. The Hayes brothers had been operating the Palace Theatre since 1924.
The older Smyrna Theatre closed on July 6, 1965 with “Beach Blanket Bingo” and “McHale’s Navy Joins The Air Force” due to the opening of the newer Smyrna Theatre the following day.
There are two theaters that are named the Smyrna Theatre. This one replaced an older one, and opened on July 7, 1965 with “The Yellow Rolls-Royce” featuring a capacity of 500 seats and was operated by Thomas E. (Ted) Bell. The older location closed the previous day.
It was lastly known as the “New Smyrna Theatre” before closing in mid-to-late January 1988.
MCM Theatres opened the Vista Theatre on January 10, 1973 with “Fiddler On The Roof”, with a capacity of 300 rocking chair seats and stereophonic sound. It was a single-screener throughout its life.
The Vista Theatre was renamed the Vista Cinema Pub on August 1, 1982 with “Victor/Victoria” after two weeks of remodeling, and was lastly known as Vista Cinema & Restaurant before closing for the final time on September 26, 1996 with “The Nutty Professor”.
The Irving Mall launched on August 4, 1971 and was theaterless for only its first three months of operation. When the Irving I & II opened its doors by General Cinema on November 17, 1971 with “Something Big” in Screen 1 and “Doctor Zhivago” in Screen 2, it had a capacity of 1,350 seats (with 900 seats in Screen 1 and 450 seats in Screen 2). Screen 1 was divided into two in late-1976 and became the Irving I-II-III.
The Tujunga Theatre appears to have opened in October 1938, as the Los Angeles Times began showing showtimes to the Tujunga Theatre beginning on its October 31, 1938 edition, screening “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” (unknown if extras added).
During its final few years as a movie theater, it screened exploitation films. The North closed as a movie theater on June 10, 1976 with “Mean Johnny Barrows” and an unknown second feature.
The Rex Theatre became the Fox Theatre on November 2, 1929 by the Fox-Midwesco Theatres chain. The Fox Theatre then reverted back to its original Rex Theatre name in 1933. Closing in the late-1950s as a movie house, it became a special events theater for a time until the early-1960s.
Edited from my previous comment from last night which includes some corrections:
While the original Union Hall was still under construction during both 1869 and 1870, a meeting on January 22, 1870 was voted to call the large public hall by the name “Union Hall”. As of January 1870, Bellows Falls had two halls. There’s the Masonic Hall and the Union Hall. The original Union Hall consists of five stores on the first floor and several offices on the second floor. The Union Hall opened the following month in February 1870.
In the Spring of 1887, the proprietor of the Union Hall announced that he was considering the project of changing the hall into an Opera House, which it did. The Bellows Falls Opera House opened its doors on September 11, 1887 with a live presentation of “The Old Homestead” costing an estimate $100,000 in upgrades, and the historic clock tower was built four years later in 1891 by the estates of Dr. Daniel Campbell and John Robertson.
The Bellows Falls Opera House began showing movies in 1914. Bellows Falls already had a Nickelodeon across the street from the Opera House. After 1914, the Sunshine Theater Company leased the Opera House for $100 a month with Charles Buchanan as manager, but this venture lasted for only a year and the chain leased the house to H. DeMotte Perry who carried on many moving picture ventures locally. Perry left the house in 1920 and was leased by the Bellows Falls Amusement Company led by incorporator Henry D. Sparrow.
The fire on the early morning of May 10, 1925 destroyed both the theater and the next-door United States Post Office building, which originated from the basement debris of the USPS office (not the theater). The fire became statewide headlines and for the damage cost an estimate $200,000 in damages.
After two years of reconstruction and a few ownership issues before reopening, the Bellows Falls Opera House reopened its doors on October 10, 1927, and a large rectangular marquee was erected a few years later in the early-1930s. Since its 1927 reopening, the house has been a longtime dominant first-run movie mainstreamer for more than five decades, although it did had a couple of name changes from here and there.
The Falls Cinema name was introduced in the Spring of 1970. In January 1982, the Falls Cinema received a very short closure due to the lack of a heating system, although the temperatures were not really cold though. The Falls Cinema reopened less than a couple weeks later.
Unfortunately four years later after a special event on May 5, 1986, the Falls Cinema closed again because of a prospective lease and the selectmen failing on finding private ownership who can take over the Falls Cinema, stating that the show must go on and promised that movies will return soon. Some selectmen went to other theaters across the Vermont/New Hampshire area, one of which went to the Colonial Theatre in Keene to see how their work was doing, and did very well. Right after the selectmen failed to find a private investor to reopen and operate, they authorized the Rockingham Recreation Department to run the theater originally on a 22-week basis, which later turned into many years. It officially became the first and only movie theater in the state of Vermont to be operated by the town itself, and not by a chain nor local management.
The Falls Cinema reopened as the New Falls Cinema on February 20, 1987 with “Star Trek IV - The Voyage Home”, and throughout the first two months since its reopening, more than 3,500 people attended movies at the Falls from Bellows Falls and surrounding towns.
Right when it reopened, the first show drew good crowds with former governor Thomas Salmon in attendance, and over time received really good business, especially its largest draw during the reopening week was its showing of “Crocodile Dundee” the following month. Despite being planned as a second-run basis, during its early years as the New Falls Cinema was generically a first-run theater. The New Falls Cinema’s run of “Crocodile Dundee” was so popular that according to Rockingham Recreation Department manager Allen Halberg, he added in his interview that for the first time he had to turn people away at the door until the next showing. Almost 500 children showed up for the two matinee showings of Disney’s 1986 reissue of the 1955 CinemaScope classic “Lady And The Tramp”, but unfortunately “Outrageous Fortune” a few days later drew the smallest crowds due to its R-rating policy. Halberg said that the Falls Cinema had to focus on the 12-to-25-year-old audiences and would book a few if any R-rated movies in the future, but with one exception is the then-already-reserved “The Color Of Money” for unknown reasons. Halberg ended up running the movie in early April 1987 with an idea coming out of his head during the newspaper interview saying that he should bring matinees for younger audiences during R-rated runs. He did, and Halberg ended up booking “Labyrinth” as the run’s matinee for children. His idea was so grand that he added more matinees to PG and PG-13 shows as well at times, such as “An American Tail” being added as a matinee to “Mannequin” a few days later.
Halberg even booked some titles from the previous year that was never picked up in Bellows Falls because of its 10-month closure such as “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” among others. He contacted with other theater managers in Springfield, Brattleboro, and Keene to help with the theater before its February 1987 reopening. Despite its initial success, the theater did receive some problems with its projection. Halberg reported that the projector bulb, a Xenon lamp that was originally purchased for the Ellis Theatre 1 & 2 in Springfield, was failing and had to be replaced and other parts would be needed in the near future, which it did.
With an addition to its original mix of both first-run/second-run movie policies, the Rockingham Recreation Department also booked some classic movies in its Falls Cinema lineup at very rare occasions. Live performances didn’t start at the New Falls Cinema until the following year in Spring 1988, and performing arts were also added around a decade later.
The New Falls Cinema closed in October 2005 for major renovation, which lasted for two months, and the theater reopened under its original Bellows Falls Opera House name in December 2005, showing live performances, performing arts, second-run films, independent films, classic films, and special events.
I’m very sure that this was lastly known as the Smyrna Theatre before the newer one was built in mid-1965. The earliest info I can gather about the Smyrna Theatre’s name date back as early as 1962, but was still known as the Victoria in 1961. The Victoria opened as early as 1927.
The older Smyrna Theatre closed on July 6, 1965 with “Beach Blanket Bingo” and “McHale’s Navy Joins The Air Force” due to the opening of the newer Smyrna Theatre the following day.
There are two theaters that are named the Smyrna Theatre. This one replaced an older one, and opened on July 7, 1965 with “The Yellow Rolls-Royce” featuring a capacity of 500 seats and was operated by Thomas E. (Ted) Bell. The older location closed the previous day.
It was lastly known as the “New Smyrna Theatre” before closing in mid-to-late January 1988.
Opened on May 25, 1988 as the Citrus Center Cinemas.
Last known as “Spring Cinema On The Square”, closed on October 1, 1987 with “The Untouchables”.
Tripled in Spring 1986, closed on September 5, 1989.
Closed on June 28, 1957 with Donald O'Connor in “The Buster Keaton Story”.
The four screens were added on October 26, 1984.
MCM Theatres opened the Vista Theatre on January 10, 1973 with “Fiddler On The Roof”, with a capacity of 300 rocking chair seats and stereophonic sound. It was a single-screener throughout its life.
The Vista Theatre was renamed the Vista Cinema Pub on August 1, 1982 with “Victor/Victoria” after two weeks of remodeling, and was lastly known as Vista Cinema & Restaurant before closing for the final time on September 26, 1996 with “The Nutty Professor”.
Closed on September 25, 1998.
First operated by CinemaCal Enterprises.
Once operated by CinemaCal Enterprises.
This was the adjacent to the Irving Mall I-II-III.
The Irving Mall launched on August 4, 1971 and was theaterless for only its first three months of operation. When the Irving I & II opened its doors by General Cinema on November 17, 1971 with “Something Big” in Screen 1 and “Doctor Zhivago” in Screen 2, it had a capacity of 1,350 seats (with 900 seats in Screen 1 and 450 seats in Screen 2). Screen 1 was divided into two in late-1976 and became the Irving I-II-III.
Once operated by Cineplex Odeon.
Demolished in 2020.
Opened in the late-1920s, closed in either the late-1970s or early-1980s.
Opened in the early-1950s, closed in the mid-1980s.
The Tujunga Theatre appears to have opened in October 1938, as the Los Angeles Times began showing showtimes to the Tujunga Theatre beginning on its October 31, 1938 edition, screening “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” (unknown if extras added).
During its final few years as a movie theater, it screened exploitation films. The North closed as a movie theater on June 10, 1976 with “Mean Johnny Barrows” and an unknown second feature.
Closed on March 28, 2008.
Closed after the 1984 season.
The Rex Theatre became the Fox Theatre on November 2, 1929 by the Fox-Midwesco Theatres chain. The Fox Theatre then reverted back to its original Rex Theatre name in 1933. Closing in the late-1950s as a movie house, it became a special events theater for a time until the early-1960s.
Edited from my previous comment from last night which includes some corrections:
While the original Union Hall was still under construction during both 1869 and 1870, a meeting on January 22, 1870 was voted to call the large public hall by the name “Union Hall”. As of January 1870, Bellows Falls had two halls. There’s the Masonic Hall and the Union Hall. The original Union Hall consists of five stores on the first floor and several offices on the second floor. The Union Hall opened the following month in February 1870.
In the Spring of 1887, the proprietor of the Union Hall announced that he was considering the project of changing the hall into an Opera House, which it did. The Bellows Falls Opera House opened its doors on September 11, 1887 with a live presentation of “The Old Homestead” costing an estimate $100,000 in upgrades, and the historic clock tower was built four years later in 1891 by the estates of Dr. Daniel Campbell and John Robertson.
The Bellows Falls Opera House began showing movies in 1914. Bellows Falls already had a Nickelodeon across the street from the Opera House. After 1914, the Sunshine Theater Company leased the Opera House for $100 a month with Charles Buchanan as manager, but this venture lasted for only a year and the chain leased the house to H. DeMotte Perry who carried on many moving picture ventures locally. Perry left the house in 1920 and was leased by the Bellows Falls Amusement Company led by incorporator Henry D. Sparrow.
The fire on the early morning of May 10, 1925 destroyed both the theater and the next-door United States Post Office building, which originated from the basement debris of the USPS office (not the theater). The fire became statewide headlines and for the damage cost an estimate $200,000 in damages.
After two years of reconstruction and a few ownership issues before reopening, the Bellows Falls Opera House reopened its doors on October 10, 1927, and a large rectangular marquee was erected a few years later in the early-1930s. Since its 1927 reopening, the house has been a longtime dominant first-run movie mainstreamer for more than five decades, although it did had a couple of name changes from here and there.
The Falls Cinema name was introduced in the Spring of 1970. In January 1982, the Falls Cinema received a very short closure due to the lack of a heating system, although the temperatures were not really cold though. The Falls Cinema reopened less than a couple weeks later.
Unfortunately four years later after a special event on May 5, 1986, the Falls Cinema closed again because of a prospective lease and the selectmen failing on finding private ownership who can take over the Falls Cinema, stating that the show must go on and promised that movies will return soon. Some selectmen went to other theaters across the Vermont/New Hampshire area, one of which went to the Colonial Theatre in Keene to see how their work was doing, and did very well. Right after the selectmen failed to find a private investor to reopen and operate, they authorized the Rockingham Recreation Department to run the theater originally on a 22-week basis, which later turned into many years. It officially became the first and only movie theater in the state of Vermont to be operated by the town itself, and not by a chain nor local management.
The Falls Cinema reopened as the New Falls Cinema on February 20, 1987 with “Star Trek IV - The Voyage Home”, and throughout the first two months since its reopening, more than 3,500 people attended movies at the Falls from Bellows Falls and surrounding towns.
Right when it reopened, the first show drew good crowds with former governor Thomas Salmon in attendance, and over time received really good business, especially its largest draw during the reopening week was its showing of “Crocodile Dundee” the following month. Despite being planned as a second-run basis, during its early years as the New Falls Cinema was generically a first-run theater. The New Falls Cinema’s run of “Crocodile Dundee” was so popular that according to Rockingham Recreation Department manager Allen Halberg, he added in his interview that for the first time he had to turn people away at the door until the next showing. Almost 500 children showed up for the two matinee showings of Disney’s 1986 reissue of the 1955 CinemaScope classic “Lady And The Tramp”, but unfortunately “Outrageous Fortune” a few days later drew the smallest crowds due to its R-rating policy. Halberg said that the Falls Cinema had to focus on the 12-to-25-year-old audiences and would book a few if any R-rated movies in the future, but with one exception is the then-already-reserved “The Color Of Money” for unknown reasons. Halberg ended up running the movie in early April 1987 with an idea coming out of his head during the newspaper interview saying that he should bring matinees for younger audiences during R-rated runs. He did, and Halberg ended up booking “Labyrinth” as the run’s matinee for children. His idea was so grand that he added more matinees to PG and PG-13 shows as well at times, such as “An American Tail” being added as a matinee to “Mannequin” a few days later.
Halberg even booked some titles from the previous year that was never picked up in Bellows Falls because of its 10-month closure such as “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” among others. He contacted with other theater managers in Springfield, Brattleboro, and Keene to help with the theater before its February 1987 reopening. Despite its initial success, the theater did receive some problems with its projection. Halberg reported that the projector bulb, a Xenon lamp that was originally purchased for the Ellis Theatre 1 & 2 in Springfield, was failing and had to be replaced and other parts would be needed in the near future, which it did.
With an addition to its original mix of both first-run/second-run movie policies, the Rockingham Recreation Department also booked some classic movies in its Falls Cinema lineup at very rare occasions. Live performances didn’t start at the New Falls Cinema until the following year in Spring 1988, and performing arts were also added around a decade later.
The New Falls Cinema closed in October 2005 for major renovation, which lasted for two months, and the theater reopened under its original Bellows Falls Opera House name in December 2005, showing live performances, performing arts, second-run films, independent films, classic films, and special events.
The Cinema Drive-In originally closed for the 1972 season, but gusty winds knocked the entire screen down on December 1, 1972.
Closed on October 2, 1982 with “Firefox” and “Sharkey’s Machine”.