If I recall right all the buildings that were theatres in the area are gone (stores, med. office, fur or furniture store, etc). To buy one of these building and try to return it to a movie house would be be to costly and would the neighborhood support it?????? To build a new structure, well I don’t think soooooo. The old Esquire on broad st. at Olney Ave. has been store for a very long time. The store that was in it close (a golden opertunity to turn it back into a theatre) but a fried chicken store is in it now. Just down the street is the old Logan. Once a beautiful theatre, close, a church now falling apart. Soon it will come under the wrecking ball if someone doesn’t buy it soon (bad roof). I guess we will have to live with are memories and be happy for that.
Jerry, When I was projectionist one of the neat things was looking through the porthole down on all the people waiting for the show to start. The aud. seats filled and the smell of popcorn. One theatre I managed had three projectors in the booth.
John, Old enough to remember the good days of the movie theatres. The days of great Sat. Mat. double features, Sat. evening shows 6, 8 & 10pm. Cartoons before the show,2 reel shorts. When you were a guest not just a dollar sign. Then I grew up and became a projectionist at the Keswick theatre in Glenside. Ran cinerama after it left phila. Then when on to manage D-I’s and hardtops in the Tri-state area. Life was GOOD.
It’s hard to find someone like Wolfe to take the time and MONEY to run a theatre like the Devon. I don’t think the days of your neighborhood theatre will every come back. To put that kind of money in that type of theatre would be wrong. If the Devon was in a small town with off street parking and no multiplexes close by it maybe a different story. To make it work the cost to redue the theatre and upgrade the booth, it would take forever to get your money back. I grew up going to the neighborhood theatres in my area and a least twice a mo. going to the city for the roadshoe pictures. BUT IT’S OVER and GONE NOT TO RETURN. Very sad but true. Just my thoughts
The theater was sold and torn down to build a MCDONALD’s which was closed and torn down and is now a parking lot. If the theater was still standing and being run like the County in Doylestown or the Ambler in Ambler it may have turned the town around. (IFFFFF) rg
The Norris in the sixties was operated by Budco Theaters along with the Plymouth cinema (Ridge and Butler Pikes) the Ridge Pike D-I on Ridge Pike and the Vally Forge D-I in King of Prussia. They were grouped under the Schlanger Theater banner. Norris Amusement owned a total of 5 theaters in Norristown. The Norris I think was the best. It had a great balconey but was closed when budco operated it. A giant stage and a pit, everything for live entertainment. The projection booth was very large. At one time it had 3 projectors. a slide projector, spot light and a full light panel. The stage had double curtains and a very large scope screen. rg
Construction work is moving along. The stores have been gutted and it appears some work is taking place in the theatre. It’s nice to see old theatres being saved. Too many have been lost.
hdtv267, I was on Frankford Ave. today and the Merben is the medical office. The next block down at 7149 is a building with the marquee made over and what appears to be the lobby the entrance to the storage area which would be the aud. IS this the old skate rink. rg
YES the Saturday matinee was GREAT. Cartoons, Shorts, Serial and 1 or 2 Features. What a GREAT afternoon. My Cub Scout pack held a scouting program at the theatre which gave me some freedom to move around. I have a nice B&W photo with my cub pack on the giant stage. rg
If you want to see cinerama (3 projector) tickets are on sale for HOW THE WEST WAS WON at the Cinerama Dome Theatre later this mo. See web for details. Reserved seating, 2 shows daily 1:30 & 7:30.
InNJ, The Morrisville D-I in Morrisville, Pa. was operated by Budco Theatres out of Doylestown, Pa. I was the dist. mgr. for this and the Ewing D-I in Ewing, N.J. in the 60’s. I have agreat color aerial picture of the Morrisville D-I. Its now a shopping ctr. rg
MikeRa, The 309 complex was NOT built or operated by Goldman Theatres. The D-I was built by the Smith family which owned several other D-I’s. Budco operated this D-I. I know because I managed it. The 309 Cinema was BUILT by Budco NOT Goldman Theatres. I opened this theatre. rg
Budco Theatres was a management company that really did not own any theatres. There is a small conection between Budco and S/W however. The father of one of the owners of Budco was with S/W theatres for years. Several S/W theatres were NOT owned by S/W, but operated by them. Budco did not group or advertise theatres like several other chains did. The ERIC name came from the grandson of one of the owners (SAM). For years Budco and Sharpio theatres were like two kids fighting over candy as to who had more theatres. rg
MikeRa: IT was managed, operated by Budco after S/W in the mid to late 60’s. It did have a standard Budco Theatre sign at the box office in the long outer lobby. The theatre was not in the best of condition and the owner did not want to put any real money into it. The theatre was for sale. This was one of the theatres in my district as manager. rg
MIKEra; The Ambler theatre in Ambler, Pa. WAS OPERATED BY THE BUDCO CHAIN. Budco operated it for the owner (remember BUDCO MANAGED, OPERATED AND BOOKED FILMS for several theatres in the Tri-state area. rg
MIKEra; The Ambler theatre in Ambler, Pa. WAS OPERATED BY THE BUDCO CHAIN. Budco operated it for the owner (remember BUDCO MANAGED, OPERATED AND BOOKED FILMS for several theatres in the Tri-state area. rg
This location is an EMPTY building. Asher candies owned the building, but well over a year ago moved the warehouse. At one time this was a neat little theatre. rg
MikeRa, This D-I was not built by Budco and was an indepent theatre. It wasn’t till later that Budco took over the booking, management of this ozoner. Like many of the budco theatres they managed but did not own. In some locations the budco name was not mentioned for some legal issues. Some of the theatres in N.J. operated bu Budco but were owned by Fox.
TC, I passed Lawrence not to long ago and the old marquee is still stand with thr Lawrence name. There was a US-1 D-I on Rt 1 in Penna. in the falls/morrisville area which is just south of Trenton owned by Shapario Theatres from Phila. About a 1000 car D-I. The field is still there and some signs of the entrance of Rt.1. rg
If I recall right all the buildings that were theatres in the area are gone (stores, med. office, fur or furniture store, etc). To buy one of these building and try to return it to a movie house would be be to costly and would the neighborhood support it?????? To build a new structure, well I don’t think soooooo. The old Esquire on broad st. at Olney Ave. has been store for a very long time. The store that was in it close (a golden opertunity to turn it back into a theatre) but a fried chicken store is in it now. Just down the street is the old Logan. Once a beautiful theatre, close, a church now falling apart. Soon it will come under the wrecking ball if someone doesn’t buy it soon (bad roof). I guess we will have to live with are memories and be happy for that.
Maybe I’m getting to old. The above is Jack. sorry
Jerry, When I was projectionist one of the neat things was looking through the porthole down on all the people waiting for the show to start. The aud. seats filled and the smell of popcorn. One theatre I managed had three projectors in the booth.
John, Old enough to remember the good days of the movie theatres. The days of great Sat. Mat. double features, Sat. evening shows 6, 8 & 10pm. Cartoons before the show,2 reel shorts. When you were a guest not just a dollar sign. Then I grew up and became a projectionist at the Keswick theatre in Glenside. Ran cinerama after it left phila. Then when on to manage D-I’s and hardtops in the Tri-state area. Life was GOOD.
It’s hard to find someone like Wolfe to take the time and MONEY to run a theatre like the Devon. I don’t think the days of your neighborhood theatre will every come back. To put that kind of money in that type of theatre would be wrong. If the Devon was in a small town with off street parking and no multiplexes close by it maybe a different story. To make it work the cost to redue the theatre and upgrade the booth, it would take forever to get your money back. I grew up going to the neighborhood theatres in my area and a least twice a mo. going to the city for the roadshoe pictures. BUT IT’S OVER and GONE NOT TO RETURN. Very sad but true. Just my thoughts
The theater was sold and torn down to build a MCDONALD’s which was closed and torn down and is now a parking lot. If the theater was still standing and being run like the County in Doylestown or the Ambler in Ambler it may have turned the town around. (IFFFFF) rg
The Norris in the sixties was operated by Budco Theaters along with the Plymouth cinema (Ridge and Butler Pikes) the Ridge Pike D-I on Ridge Pike and the Vally Forge D-I in King of Prussia. They were grouped under the Schlanger Theater banner. Norris Amusement owned a total of 5 theaters in Norristown. The Norris I think was the best. It had a great balconey but was closed when budco operated it. A giant stage and a pit, everything for live entertainment. The projection booth was very large. At one time it had 3 projectors. a slide projector, spot light and a full light panel. The stage had double curtains and a very large scope screen. rg
Construction work is moving along. The stores have been gutted and it appears some work is taking place in the theatre. It’s nice to see old theatres being saved. Too many have been lost.
hdtv267, Is the storage building at 7149 the old skate rink? It looks like it was a movie theater at one time. rg
hdtv267, I was on Frankford Ave. today and the Merben is the medical office. The next block down at 7149 is a building with the marquee made over and what appears to be the lobby the entrance to the storage area which would be the aud. IS this the old skate rink. rg
YES the Saturday matinee was GREAT. Cartoons, Shorts, Serial and 1 or 2 Features. What a GREAT afternoon. My Cub Scout pack held a scouting program at the theatre which gave me some freedom to move around. I have a nice B&W photo with my cub pack on the giant stage. rg
Sat. May 6, 1961. This theater was playing “BUTTERFIELD 8” with shows at 6-8-10pm. It was in a block ad with the Lansdowe, Sedgwick and the Terminal.
If you want to see cinerama (3 projector) tickets are on sale for HOW THE WEST WAS WON at the Cinerama Dome Theatre later this mo. See web for details. Reserved seating, 2 shows daily 1:30 & 7:30.
InNJ, The Morrisville D-I in Morrisville, Pa. was operated by Budco Theatres out of Doylestown, Pa. I was the dist. mgr. for this and the Ewing D-I in Ewing, N.J. in the 60’s. I have agreat color aerial picture of the Morrisville D-I. Its now a shopping ctr. rg
MikeRa, The 309 complex was NOT built or operated by Goldman Theatres. The D-I was built by the Smith family which owned several other D-I’s. Budco operated this D-I. I know because I managed it. The 309 Cinema was BUILT by Budco NOT Goldman Theatres. I opened this theatre. rg
That’s not saying much for Budco and Sameric theatres. Most of the theatres are gone.
Budco Theatres was a management company that really did not own any theatres. There is a small conection between Budco and S/W however. The father of one of the owners of Budco was with S/W theatres for years. Several S/W theatres were NOT owned by S/W, but operated by them. Budco did not group or advertise theatres like several other chains did. The ERIC name came from the grandson of one of the owners (SAM). For years Budco and Sharpio theatres were like two kids fighting over candy as to who had more theatres. rg
The shell of this theatre is a storage center with the upright sign still there. The name MERBEN is gone. The medical center is next to it.
MikeRa: IT was managed, operated by Budco after S/W in the mid to late 60’s. It did have a standard Budco Theatre sign at the box office in the long outer lobby. The theatre was not in the best of condition and the owner did not want to put any real money into it. The theatre was for sale. This was one of the theatres in my district as manager. rg
MIKEra; The Ambler theatre in Ambler, Pa. WAS OPERATED BY THE BUDCO CHAIN. Budco operated it for the owner (remember BUDCO MANAGED, OPERATED AND BOOKED FILMS for several theatres in the Tri-state area. rg
MIKEra; The Ambler theatre in Ambler, Pa. WAS OPERATED BY THE BUDCO CHAIN. Budco operated it for the owner (remember BUDCO MANAGED, OPERATED AND BOOKED FILMS for several theatres in the Tri-state area. rg
This location is an EMPTY building. Asher candies owned the building, but well over a year ago moved the warehouse. At one time this was a neat little theatre. rg
Just passed this location on Friday, it is a medical office. rg
MikeRa, This D-I was not built by Budco and was an indepent theatre. It wasn’t till later that Budco took over the booking, management of this ozoner. Like many of the budco theatres they managed but did not own. In some locations the budco name was not mentioned for some legal issues. Some of the theatres in N.J. operated bu Budco but were owned by Fox.
TC, I passed Lawrence not to long ago and the old marquee is still stand with thr Lawrence name. There was a US-1 D-I on Rt 1 in Penna. in the falls/morrisville area which is just south of Trenton owned by Shapario Theatres from Phila. About a 1000 car D-I. The field is still there and some signs of the entrance of Rt.1. rg