Grand opening ad as the Wayne Theatre in photos January 1, 1941 with “Shooting High”. July 30, 1976 rebranding and relaunch as the Center Theatre in photos. Rebrand as Variety Cinema December 5, 1985 in photos. Final ad as Variety Cinema on January 2, 1987 with “Jumpin' Jack Flash” in photos. Became the Variety Cinema and Disco but didn’t screen films. later that year. Should be labeled as the Variety Cinema (not Theatre) if one cares about such things.
The Desert Sky Cinema opened on June 23, 2000. The Desert Sky dived on January 30, 2025 closing with “Wicked,” “Mufasa,” “Wolfman” and “A Complete Unknown.”
The Hudson Theatre launched in the Memorial Building on November 14, 1942 with “The Flying Deuces” with a grand opening ad in photos. It didn’t go well. Ross Thayer got a War Production Board (WPB) grant to build a new theater in 1944. Grand opening ad of his Ross Theatre on January 31, 1945 with “Lady Takes a Chance” is in photos. In January of 1950, the theater was purchased by DeVerne C. Darnell from Clyde Jones who owned the Ross for its final two years. It was renamed the Marcellus Theatre on January 12, 1950 with “Geronimo!”
On August 1, 1957 it became the Dix Theatre with “Four Boys and a Gun.” It closed permanently on July 20, 1958 with “Hot Rod Rumble” and “Naked Sun.”
Seating - 400. The Eagle Theatre left its roost less than a year into its run with a building permit approved in November of 1916 to convert the space to a garage. That’s what occurred as the Smith & Deafner Garage opened there in 1917.
Pitts Madison Theatre opens over in the Masonic Temple on October 22, 1931 with “My Personal Maid”. Pitts moved on as noted above in 1969 but the venue reopened September 18, 1970 under new operators, RC Theatres, with “The Boatniks” as the Madison Theatre. It closed permanently in 1977.
Arthur Abbott launched the Circle A with a western themed rustic interior on November 21, 1937 with Cary Grant in “The Awful Truth” (opening ad in photos). The main attractions were the westerns programmed here. When those westerns were a staple for early television, the business model became challenging. The Circle A headed toward the sunset on November 11, 1951 with “Rough Riders of Durango.”
Osgood and Osgood out of Grand Rapids were the architects of the Century Theatre. The venue opened on February 27, 1922 with Gloria Swanson in “The Great Moment” supported by Buster Keaton in “High Sign”
The original Beckwith Memorial Theatre launched on January 19, 1893 with live fare. The 600-seat theatre was not at capacity when the Marx Brothers hit the stage with “Cocoanuts” just prior to World War I. Over time, movies were worked into the programming mix. In 1914, it switched to showing movies every night. The venue received a major refresh for Larking Theatre Co. reopening on February 24, 1927 with live vaudeville and a film, “The Auctioneer.”
Renamed as Movie One Long Beach on September 3, 1976 as a discount, double-feature house playing somewhat recent Hollywood hits. Under new operators, it was called both the Long Beach Theatre and the Long Beach Adult Theatre beginning October 29, 1976 with “Lovelace Meets Miss Jones” and “Her Taste of Freedom.”
In 1925, the McCartney-Johnson Circuit sold the venue to the Rowland-Clark Circuit as it made its journey to a Warner Bros. owned and operated property.
April 16, 1949 opened as Goldsboro Drive-In. During the 1951 season, the new operators held a name changing contest. The name picked was Waco beginning on May 11, 1951.
Under new operators in 1927, the Constantine Theatre held a naming contest. Mrs. S.F. Shira took home the prize with “Ki-He-Kah” named for the nearby cross avenue and Indian for Chief. The operators did a major refresh at that time including a $10,000 new Robert Morton pipe organ. The theatre went with the tagline, “Where pictures and music meet.” The rebranded Ki-He-Kah Theatre opened May 15, 1927.
In December, the Ki-He-Kah hosted an auction on leases of Osage Indian lands in which 20,000 acres representing 125 tracts of land were auctioned off, another in the infamous auctions conducted by Colonel Ellsworth Walters in the Pawhuska area during the big oil era.
In 1929, the Ki-He-Kah joined the State Theatre in showing talking pictures. The third silent venue of that era in Pawhuska, the Mills Theatre, didn’t convert suffering a business-ending fire in January of 1930. In August of 1930, the venue switched to Western Electric sound-on-film technology and lost the dashes in the venue’s name becoming the Kihekah Theatre.
In 1950, the theater was damaged by fire and its bookings moved to the State and the State’s to the Circle A which had closed. When the theatre reopened, the dashes returned as the Ki-He-Kah Theatre - likely making Mrs. S.F. Shira happy. The dashes lasted into 1963 but it returned to dashless, Kihekah Theatre in name that year. The Kihekah was still advertising in 1977 playing movies five days a week.
In 1909, Albert Jackson took a lease for the ground floor of the new-build Floyd Building for Jackson’s Theater, a 640-seat auditorium. The third floor housed the Elks Lodge. The Hatfield Confectionery moved from across the street to be the de facto concession stand for the Jackson.
Under new ownership, Momand Enterprises Circuit, the building became the State Theatre on July 16, 1928 with audiences wowed by its new $25,000 Wicks Pipe Organ played by Lloyd Hamilton of Tulsa. On March 14, 1929, the venue added Vitaphone to play sound films. Assuring audiences that the “talkies” weren’t a distraction, the fad caught on. The State Theatre closed on February 26, 1956 with Randolph Scott in “Ridin' Shotgun” and Gary Cooper in “Blowing Wild” as the Coral Drive-In Theatre season started. It does not appear to have reopened. The building was demolished in March of 1963.
The untrue line in the entry is: Built inside existing retail space the State Theatre offered little in the way of ornamentation, depending instead on the strength of the current picture playing to draw a crowd. It was a theater at the building’s inception, remaining vacant from 1956 to demolition in 1963. Not a retail store - ever.
This $245,000 Center Theatre was architected by W. Pope Barney. It launched March 5, 1937 with “Gold Diggers of 1937” on a grind policy. It featured double features of Hollywood fare continuing its grind policy into the early 1970s. In 1969, however, the theatre went strictly with M-rated mature art and action films ensuring an adult only audience.
In 1972, the theatre programming switched to porno chic, playing double-features of X-rated films. It then gravitated to showing one rated X porno chic film along with one unrated, what were referred to as “XXX” adult films. In 1978, the policy switched to double-features of only unrated, “XXX” films.
On February 13, 1981, the venue abruptly changed policies to a Chopsocky grind house called the Bruce Lee Center Theater (as noted above) with Bruce Li in “Call Me Dragon” and Chen Kuan-Ti in “Dirty Chan.” On April 30, 1982, the venue closed with John Woo’s “Manhunt” and Bruce Li in “Dynamo” undoubtedly at the expiry of a 20-year and a renewed 25-year leasing agreement. There are no more listings after that other than it became a retail hat store. It was later demolished.
-Reopening ad as the New Port Richey Theater with “True Confession” on January 21, 1938 in photos.
-Reopening as the Vogue Theatre on December 8, 1939 in photos.
-Rebranding as Cinema Theatre with “Gone with the Wind” on April 29, 1961 with widescreen equipment to present CinemaScope titles in photos. The Cinema Theatre closed in 1968 likely at the end of a 30-year leasing cycle.
In May 1972 the Suncoast Young People’s Theater purchased the theater transforming it to live theater.
Cobb Theatres launched the 1,500-seat Cobb Embassy 6 Theatre on December 21, 1979 across from Gulf View Square Mall. The venue had four 275 seat auditoriums and two 200 seat auditoriums at launch. About five miles away, Cobb had purchased the Southgate Twin from Floyd Theatres a year earlier in an attempt to lock up the area’s movie business. The Embassy launched with “The Electric Horseman,” “Apocalypse Now,” “The Jerk,” “The Muppet Movie,” “The Rose” and “Penitentiary.”
In 1997, Regal Theatre bought Cobb Theatres and this venue became the Regal Embassy Theatres 6. Regal downgraded here to discount, sub-run films. During Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2000/1, Regal closed eigcht theaters in the general area including the Embassy 6 on December 31, 2000. Former Time Warner exec Dale Obracay identified the location for another of his Cinema Grill location. It relaunched as the Embassy 6 Cinema Grill with a soft launch December 19, 2003 and grand reopening on January 16, 2004. It closed on November 8, 2008.
Jason Dover and Chanel Castle took on the venue with second run films on August 28, 2009 with “Night at the Museum 2,” “Terminator: Salvation” and “The Hangover.” New operators took on the venue transitioning to digital projection and first-run films.
Built at 1,360 seats, the largest 350 seat auditoria were built to be split in case the venue needed to expand to 14 theaters. That turned out to be an unnecessary feature. The cavernous lobby space was built to accommodate up to an optimistic 100-count restaurant seating area launching October 1, 2010.
The Cinema Planet struggled into the 2020s closing in March of 2020 for the COVID-19 pandemic only to reopen. It then eroded to just four day a week operation at popular pricing with all films just $5. The Cinema Planet closed May 9, 2024 and, though said to be temporary and listed on the parent company’s website, its future in 2025 was in considerable doubt.
Grand opening ad as the Wayne Theatre in photos January 1, 1941 with “Shooting High”. July 30, 1976 rebranding and relaunch as the Center Theatre in photos. Rebrand as Variety Cinema December 5, 1985 in photos. Final ad as Variety Cinema on January 2, 1987 with “Jumpin' Jack Flash” in photos. Became the Variety Cinema and Disco but didn’t screen films. later that year. Should be labeled as the Variety Cinema (not Theatre) if one cares about such things.
The Desert Sky Cinema opened on June 23, 2000. The Desert Sky dived on January 30, 2025 closing with “Wicked,” “Mufasa,” “Wolfman” and “A Complete Unknown.”
The Hudson Theatre launched in the Memorial Building on November 14, 1942 with “The Flying Deuces” with a grand opening ad in photos. It didn’t go well. Ross Thayer got a War Production Board (WPB) grant to build a new theater in 1944. Grand opening ad of his Ross Theatre on January 31, 1945 with “Lady Takes a Chance” is in photos. In January of 1950, the theater was purchased by DeVerne C. Darnell from Clyde Jones who owned the Ross for its final two years. It was renamed the Marcellus Theatre on January 12, 1950 with “Geronimo!”
On August 1, 1957 it became the Dix Theatre with “Four Boys and a Gun.” It closed permanently on July 20, 1958 with “Hot Rod Rumble” and “Naked Sun.”
Seating - 400. The Eagle Theatre left its roost less than a year into its run with a building permit approved in November of 1916 to convert the space to a garage. That’s what occurred as the Smith & Deafner Garage opened there in 1917.
Pitts Madison Theatre opens over in the Masonic Temple on October 22, 1931 with “My Personal Maid”. Pitts moved on as noted above in 1969 but the venue reopened September 18, 1970 under new operators, RC Theatres, with “The Boatniks” as the Madison Theatre. It closed permanently in 1977.
October 14, 1949 Grand Opening ad in photos. Final advertised show was August 18, 1985 with “A View to a Kill” and “Cat’s Eye.”
October 14, 1949 Grand Opening ad in photos.
For the very technical, the proper opening name is Pitts Orange Drive-In Theatre launching May 16, 1952 with “Colt .45”
Arthur Abbott launched the Circle A with a western themed rustic interior on November 21, 1937 with Cary Grant in “The Awful Truth” (opening ad in photos). The main attractions were the westerns programmed here. When those westerns were a staple for early television, the business model became challenging. The Circle A headed toward the sunset on November 11, 1951 with “Rough Riders of Durango.”
Osgood and Osgood out of Grand Rapids were the architects of the Century Theatre. The venue opened on February 27, 1922 with Gloria Swanson in “The Great Moment” supported by Buster Keaton in “High Sign”
The original Beckwith Memorial Theatre launched on January 19, 1893 with live fare. The 600-seat theatre was not at capacity when the Marx Brothers hit the stage with “Cocoanuts” just prior to World War I. Over time, movies were worked into the programming mix. In 1914, it switched to showing movies every night. The venue received a major refresh for Larking Theatre Co. reopening on February 24, 1927 with live vaudeville and a film, “The Auctioneer.”
The 73d Stewart & Everett Circuit theater was announced in 1968 to the plans of Weatley, Whisnant and Associates of Charlotte (in photos).
Renamed as Movie One Long Beach on September 3, 1976 as a discount, double-feature house playing somewhat recent Hollywood hits. Under new operators, it was called both the Long Beach Theatre and the Long Beach Adult Theatre beginning October 29, 1976 with “Lovelace Meets Miss Jones” and “Her Taste of Freedom.”
A 1975 shot.
In 1925, the McCartney-Johnson Circuit sold the venue to the Rowland-Clark Circuit as it made its journey to a Warner Bros. owned and operated property.
Final day: February 28, 1980
Opening ad as Drive-In Theatre on November 2, 1948 with “Gone with the Wind” in photos.
April 16, 1949 opened as Goldsboro Drive-In. During the 1951 season, the new operators held a name changing contest. The name picked was Waco beginning on May 11, 1951.
Under new operators in 1927, the Constantine Theatre held a naming contest. Mrs. S.F. Shira took home the prize with “Ki-He-Kah” named for the nearby cross avenue and Indian for Chief. The operators did a major refresh at that time including a $10,000 new Robert Morton pipe organ. The theatre went with the tagline, “Where pictures and music meet.” The rebranded Ki-He-Kah Theatre opened May 15, 1927.
In December, the Ki-He-Kah hosted an auction on leases of Osage Indian lands in which 20,000 acres representing 125 tracts of land were auctioned off, another in the infamous auctions conducted by Colonel Ellsworth Walters in the Pawhuska area during the big oil era.
In 1929, the Ki-He-Kah joined the State Theatre in showing talking pictures. The third silent venue of that era in Pawhuska, the Mills Theatre, didn’t convert suffering a business-ending fire in January of 1930. In August of 1930, the venue switched to Western Electric sound-on-film technology and lost the dashes in the venue’s name becoming the Kihekah Theatre.
In 1950, the theater was damaged by fire and its bookings moved to the State and the State’s to the Circle A which had closed. When the theatre reopened, the dashes returned as the Ki-He-Kah Theatre - likely making Mrs. S.F. Shira happy. The dashes lasted into 1963 but it returned to dashless, Kihekah Theatre in name that year. The Kihekah was still advertising in 1977 playing movies five days a week.
In 1909, Albert Jackson took a lease for the ground floor of the new-build Floyd Building for Jackson’s Theater, a 640-seat auditorium. The third floor housed the Elks Lodge. The Hatfield Confectionery moved from across the street to be the de facto concession stand for the Jackson.
Under new ownership, Momand Enterprises Circuit, the building became the State Theatre on July 16, 1928 with audiences wowed by its new $25,000 Wicks Pipe Organ played by Lloyd Hamilton of Tulsa. On March 14, 1929, the venue added Vitaphone to play sound films. Assuring audiences that the “talkies” weren’t a distraction, the fad caught on. The State Theatre closed on February 26, 1956 with Randolph Scott in “Ridin' Shotgun” and Gary Cooper in “Blowing Wild” as the Coral Drive-In Theatre season started. It does not appear to have reopened. The building was demolished in March of 1963.
The untrue line in the entry is: Built inside existing retail space the State Theatre offered little in the way of ornamentation, depending instead on the strength of the current picture playing to draw a crowd. It was a theater at the building’s inception, remaining vacant from 1956 to demolition in 1963. Not a retail store - ever.
This $245,000 Center Theatre was architected by W. Pope Barney. It launched March 5, 1937 with “Gold Diggers of 1937” on a grind policy. It featured double features of Hollywood fare continuing its grind policy into the early 1970s. In 1969, however, the theatre went strictly with M-rated mature art and action films ensuring an adult only audience.
In 1972, the theatre programming switched to porno chic, playing double-features of X-rated films. It then gravitated to showing one rated X porno chic film along with one unrated, what were referred to as “XXX” adult films. In 1978, the policy switched to double-features of only unrated, “XXX” films.
On February 13, 1981, the venue abruptly changed policies to a Chopsocky grind house called the Bruce Lee Center Theater (as noted above) with Bruce Li in “Call Me Dragon” and Chen Kuan-Ti in “Dirty Chan.” On April 30, 1982, the venue closed with John Woo’s “Manhunt” and Bruce Li in “Dynamo” undoubtedly at the expiry of a 20-year and a renewed 25-year leasing agreement. There are no more listings after that other than it became a retail hat store. It was later demolished.
-Reopening ad as the New Port Richey Theater with “True Confession” on January 21, 1938 in photos.
-Reopening as the Vogue Theatre on December 8, 1939 in photos.
-Rebranding as Cinema Theatre with “Gone with the Wind” on April 29, 1961 with widescreen equipment to present CinemaScope titles in photos. The Cinema Theatre closed in 1968 likely at the end of a 30-year leasing cycle.
In May 1972 the Suncoast Young People’s Theater purchased the theater transforming it to live theater.
Cobb Theatres launched the 1,500-seat Cobb Embassy 6 Theatre on December 21, 1979 across from Gulf View Square Mall. The venue had four 275 seat auditoriums and two 200 seat auditoriums at launch. About five miles away, Cobb had purchased the Southgate Twin from Floyd Theatres a year earlier in an attempt to lock up the area’s movie business. The Embassy launched with “The Electric Horseman,” “Apocalypse Now,” “The Jerk,” “The Muppet Movie,” “The Rose” and “Penitentiary.”
In 1997, Regal Theatre bought Cobb Theatres and this venue became the Regal Embassy Theatres 6. Regal downgraded here to discount, sub-run films. During Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2000/1, Regal closed eigcht theaters in the general area including the Embassy 6 on December 31, 2000. Former Time Warner exec Dale Obracay identified the location for another of his Cinema Grill location. It relaunched as the Embassy 6 Cinema Grill with a soft launch December 19, 2003 and grand reopening on January 16, 2004. It closed on November 8, 2008.
Jason Dover and Chanel Castle took on the venue with second run films on August 28, 2009 with “Night at the Museum 2,” “Terminator: Salvation” and “The Hangover.” New operators took on the venue transitioning to digital projection and first-run films.
Built at 1,360 seats, the largest 350 seat auditoria were built to be split in case the venue needed to expand to 14 theaters. That turned out to be an unnecessary feature. The cavernous lobby space was built to accommodate up to an optimistic 100-count restaurant seating area launching October 1, 2010.
The Cinema Planet struggled into the 2020s closing in March of 2020 for the COVID-19 pandemic only to reopen. It then eroded to just four day a week operation at popular pricing with all films just $5. The Cinema Planet closed May 9, 2024 and, though said to be temporary and listed on the parent company’s website, its future in 2025 was in considerable doubt.
Completed its 25-year leasing agreement with its final show September 29, 1985 featuring “Rambo II” and “Beverly Hills Cop”