The North Loup Drive-In launched May 1, 1955 with Clifton Webb in “There Coins in the Fountain” by owner R.E Burrows. The theatre reopened in 1956 as the North Loup Drive-In and in 1957 as the NL Drive-In. But on May 29, 1957, it changed to the Valley Drive-In.
The theatre was closed by its owner in 1970 but Armstrong Theatres Circuit of Bowling Green relaunched it in 1975. The theatre was closed permanently following the showing of Burt Reynolds in “Starting Over” on January 6, 1980.
The Genoan Theatre was announced by operator Herbert K. Hoglan in 1947. The theatre was delayed by post-War shortages and the $60,000, 415-seat Genoan launched July 21, 1948 with “The Red Stallion.” On July 18, 1954, the film, “The Command,” became the first movie shown following the theater’s conversion to widescreen to present CinemaScope titles.
The Genoan was closed temporarily in 1961 when Hoglan moved to California and manager Harry Nicklin went to a convalescence home. It reopened in 1963 continuing to 1965 when it closed again temporarily for repairs after a fire. It then continued into the early 1970s temporarily closing before resuming again until 1978 when it was offered for sale by retiring owner Dorothy Nicklin.
The Harkness Theatre launched November 23, 1915 at 106 West Buckeye Street with Mary Pickford in “Behind the Scenes.” Harkness Davenport’s aunt and uncle, E.S. Nichols named it after him as the Harkness Theatre. John G. Furrer took on the venue continuing it as a silent movie theater into the 1930s and declared bankruptcy in January of 1932. But the he made a comeback in September of 1932 and had sound films.
On January 29, 1938, it was renamed as the Clyde Theatre opening with Nelson Eddy in “Rosalie.” Fire damaged the theatre following the September 23, 1954 showings. It was repaired and became the Willow Theatre on September 14, 1955 under the operation of Louis LaBonte. Under one final operator, a Mr. Nuhn, it returned to the Clyde Theatre nameplate and went out of business following the April 13, 1958 showings.
In April of 1958, the former Clyde Theatre became the Deliverance Tabernacle Church in the late 1950s. It was used for sporadic rummage sales in the 1960s. The venue joined the long list of theatres in the parking lot brigade following its demolition in January of 1971.
The stars were out in Compton including Hoot Gibson, Andy Clyde, Tim McCoy, Andy Devine, Rex Allen, the Sons of the Pioneers and Frankenstein. On the big screen was a double feature of “Everybody Does It” and “Blue Lagoon” supported by a newsreel and two cartoons all on January 6, 1950. It closed at the end of a 25-year lease one day after its 25th Anniversary.
The stars were out in Compton including Hoot Gibson, Andy Clyde, Tim McCoy, Andy Devine, Rex Allen, the Sons of the Pioneers and Frankenstein. On the big screen was a double feature of “Everybody Does It” and “Blue Lagoon” supported by a newsreel and two cartoons all on January 6, 1950.
The July 22, 1929 grand opening ad as the Uptown Theatre - located in the Allen Building and former Brooks Furniture store on the North Side of the Iola Square - is posted in photos. Clara Bow in “Persian Love” opened the venue for R. H. Montgomery. Within three months, the Dickinson chain purchased the Uptown closing it after the October 20th showing “The Romance of a Million Dollars.”
The announced change to the Plaza to reopen on December 1, 1929 didn’t occur due to financial complications. The theatre did have its new attractor and the inactive theater simply advertised the Kelley Theatre’s shows.
Dickinson’s Plaza Theatre (its formal name) launched as an ultra low priced continuous-run operation beginning on May 20, 1933 with Ken Maynard in “The Two Gun Man.” It was the Circuit’s 37th theatre. Its motto was “Cool as a cave” due to its air conditioning. Dickinson’s Plaza closed after the January 27, 1935 showing of “The Mighty Barnum.” Iola’s Public Welfare Board terminated the lease abruptly for its lottery-like Bank Night policy. The theater’s response, “Too much business seems to be a crime in Iola.”
In photos is the March 17, 1933 Grand Opening ad of the Uptown Theatre with Kate Smith in “Hello, Everybody.” Earl and Inez VanHyning were in charge of the new Uptown. (The previous, short-lived Uptown was bought out by the Dickinson Circuit becoming the Plaza.)
Tim Holt visited the theatre in person on November 8, 1952. The Uptown closed on November 3, 1953 with “Sailor of the King” and “City That Never Sleeps. After closure, it was retrofitted for a Gambles chain store.
The Pic Theatre launched here by W.A. Weaver on March 5, 1939 as a sub-run discount house with Ralph Bellamy in “It Can’t Last Forever” supported by The Three Stooges short, “Grips, Grunts and Groans,” a cartoon, and two more short subjects. The theatre closed at the end of a 20-year lease on March 16, 1959 with a double-feature of Rhonda Fleming in “Odonga” and Glenn Ford in “3:10 to Yuma.” Future bookings were moved to the 54 Drive-In.
The theatre was almost completely destroyed by fire on December 20, 1924 ending its operation. The building’s foundation and some elements were used in its rebuilding as the Grand Garage.
The architect was Walter H. Simon and the Mayflower had a space for Curry & Olson Confectioner which sold candy to patrons. The Mayflower opened on October 14, 1920 with Matt Moore in “Don’t Ever Marry.” Karl Gaston owned the theatre and its previous location from 1913 to the Mayflower’s 1920 opening all the way to 1939. The theatre was ravaged by a flood in 1951 closing for five months.
The Lyric Theatre launched March 21, 1913 in Independent Order of Odd Fellows fraternal hall with live vaudeville. By 1919, the venue had switched to full time motion picture exhibition. The theatre closed on July 31, 1927 with Gilda Gray in “Cabaret" supported by Al Cook and Kit Guard in “Chin He Loved to Touch.”
The closing of the theatre uncovered stacks of 1910s movie advertisements and posters throughout the 1910s dating back to the first days of the theatre. The “New Theatre” (later Trail Theatre) opened on September 25, 1927 ostensibly replacing the Lyric.
On April 1, 1955, the Sunset Drive-in Theater in Bridgeport was opened by Ted and Johnny Vossos with Maureen O'Hara and Errol Flynn in “Against All Flags.” The theatre closed in July of 1963 and was offered for sale in 1963-1965. Alma and Johnny Vossos reopened the theatre on May 7, 1965 continuing a 4-day a week schedule.
Dorrance Schmidt, who was running the downtown Trail Theatre, launched Centre Drive-In Theatre with “The High and the Mighty” supported by “Bugs Bunny’s Cartoon Revue” on May 1, 1955. After two unsuccessful seasons, Schmidt closed the Centre on July 30, 1955 with Barbara Hale in “Unchained” and Wild Bill Elliot in “Hellfire” supported by a cartoon. Instead of reopening for a third season, in May of 1956, the Drive-In concession stand and equipment were offered for sale as the venue was permanently closed.
(And it was only marketed as the Centre Drive-In and not the Center Drive-In)
Sallows and Hughes Amusement Enterprises Circuit luanched the New Theatre in Bridgeport on September 25, 1927 with Mildred Davis in “Too Many Crooks.” Customers were impressed with the Robert Morton pipe organ. On December 9, 1927, the theatre was named the Trail Theatre. The Circuit added talkies on April 1, 1930 with the film, “Why Leave Home.”
New operators came in 1934 giving the theatre a streamline moderne makeover and improved sound system. Lloyd Gladson would take on the venue switching the Trail to widescreen for CinemaScope presentations with 10-speaker “moving sound” beginning with “The Robe” on March 25, 1954.
Robert L. Weller and Fred Roberts were so pleased with their booking for the opening of the Queen Theatre on October 19, 1916 - “Birth of a Nation” - that they didn’t even have the theatre finished in time. To honor the booking, they used benches and plank seating that and each of the next two nights. The formal opening then came with a live stage play - “The Story of Marion Grey” - on November 13, 1916.
Harry Dubuque then took on the theatre a short time later renaming it was the Orpheum Theatre on February 12, 1917. Two years later, William H. Ostenberg took on the venue and would equip it with the hand-me-down underachieving sound system from the Egyptian beginning on November 5, 1929 with “Why Leave Home?”
Ostenberg then gutted the Orpheum in 1936 reopening to the plans of architect Lynn McReynolds as the Bluffs Theatre. By then the Gibraltar Circuit had become the Midwest Amusement Circuit. The Bluffs Theatre now sported a rustic look to the plans of architect Lynn McReynolds with pine logs and knotty wood to celebrate its plains setting. it was Scottsbluff’s second-tier theater to the Egyptian and launched with a double feature on August 1, 1936 with The Jones Family in “Educating Father” and Henry Hunter in “Parole” The Oto Theatre was the third-tier, subrun house.
The Bluffs was elevated to top tier house after a fire destroyed the Egyptian on October 5, 1945. The projectionist took the films out of the venue before it was a total loss and - that night - had the Egyptian’s booking of Rita Hayworth in “Tonight and Every Night” supported by the March of Time short, “The Unknown Battle" at the Bluffs. That’s effort! The Bluffs' bookings were bounced down to the Oto Theatre. The circuit would then replace the Egyptian with a new first-tier house, the Midwest, and returned the Bluffs to second-tier status into the 1960s.
It took an entire railroad car to bring the $23,500 three-manual Marr-Colton pipe organ from Warsaw, New York to the Egyptian Theatre. The Egyptian opened with Billie Dove in “American Beauty” with Helen Whitehead at the hoseshoe-shaped organ console. On March 23, 1929, the Egyptian became the first theatre in the Oklahoma panhandle to show talkies with Richard Barthelmess in “Weary River.”
The final show took place on October 4, 1945 with Rita Hayworth in “Tonight and Every Night” supported by the March of Time short, “The Unknown Battle.” A short circuit the next morning in the curtain rigging led to a fire that destroyed the building and led to its razing. In one of the more amazing stories, the projectionist saved both of the prints before the first got out of hand - worried that they would explode and stoke the flames. They would be carried to the Bluffs theatre with normal presentations that night through Wednesday. That’s effort!
The North Loup Drive-In launched May 1, 1955 with Clifton Webb in “There Coins in the Fountain” by owner R.E Burrows. The theatre reopened in 1956 as the North Loup Drive-In and in 1957 as the NL Drive-In. But on May 29, 1957, it changed to the Valley Drive-In.
The “Lu” in Del-Lu is for Lulu Follet, daughter and ticket taker of the Del-Lu Theatre.
The theatre was closed by its owner in 1970 but Armstrong Theatres Circuit of Bowling Green relaunched it in 1975. The theatre was closed permanently following the showing of Burt Reynolds in “Starting Over” on January 6, 1980.
The Genoan Theatre was announced by operator Herbert K. Hoglan in 1947. The theatre was delayed by post-War shortages and the $60,000, 415-seat Genoan launched July 21, 1948 with “The Red Stallion.” On July 18, 1954, the film, “The Command,” became the first movie shown following the theater’s conversion to widescreen to present CinemaScope titles.
The Genoan was closed temporarily in 1961 when Hoglan moved to California and manager Harry Nicklin went to a convalescence home. It reopened in 1963 continuing to 1965 when it closed again temporarily for repairs after a fire. It then continued into the early 1970s temporarily closing before resuming again until 1978 when it was offered for sale by retiring owner Dorothy Nicklin.
December 15, 1933 ad for the New Royal Theatre launching with “One Man’s Journey.”
Appears to have ceased film operations on May 1, 1952 after showings of the Bowery Boys in “Fighting Fools” and Roy Rogers in “Under Nevada Skies.”
Operated by Skirball Brothers Circuit.
The Harkness Theatre launched November 23, 1915 at 106 West Buckeye Street with Mary Pickford in “Behind the Scenes.” Harkness Davenport’s aunt and uncle, E.S. Nichols named it after him as the Harkness Theatre. John G. Furrer took on the venue continuing it as a silent movie theater into the 1930s and declared bankruptcy in January of 1932. But the he made a comeback in September of 1932 and had sound films.
On January 29, 1938, it was renamed as the Clyde Theatre opening with Nelson Eddy in “Rosalie.” Fire damaged the theatre following the September 23, 1954 showings. It was repaired and became the Willow Theatre on September 14, 1955 under the operation of Louis LaBonte. Under one final operator, a Mr. Nuhn, it returned to the Clyde Theatre nameplate and went out of business following the April 13, 1958 showings.
In April of 1958, the former Clyde Theatre became the Deliverance Tabernacle Church in the late 1950s. It was used for sporadic rummage sales in the 1960s. The venue joined the long list of theatres in the parking lot brigade following its demolition in January of 1971.
The stars were out in Compton including Hoot Gibson, Andy Clyde, Tim McCoy, Andy Devine, Rex Allen, the Sons of the Pioneers and Frankenstein. On the big screen was a double feature of “Everybody Does It” and “Blue Lagoon” supported by a newsreel and two cartoons all on January 6, 1950. It closed at the end of a 25-year lease one day after its 25th Anniversary.
The stars were out in Compton including Hoot Gibson, Andy Clyde, Tim McCoy, Andy Devine, Rex Allen, the Sons of the Pioneers and Frankenstein. On the big screen was a double feature of “Everybody Does It” and “Blue Lagoon” supported by a newsreel and two cartoons all on January 6, 1950.
The July 22, 1929 grand opening ad as the Uptown Theatre - located in the Allen Building and former Brooks Furniture store on the North Side of the Iola Square - is posted in photos. Clara Bow in “Persian Love” opened the venue for R. H. Montgomery. Within three months, the Dickinson chain purchased the Uptown closing it after the October 20th showing “The Romance of a Million Dollars.”
The announced change to the Plaza to reopen on December 1, 1929 didn’t occur due to financial complications. The theatre did have its new attractor and the inactive theater simply advertised the Kelley Theatre’s shows.
Dickinson’s Plaza Theatre (its formal name) launched as an ultra low priced continuous-run operation beginning on May 20, 1933 with Ken Maynard in “The Two Gun Man.” It was the Circuit’s 37th theatre. Its motto was “Cool as a cave” due to its air conditioning. Dickinson’s Plaza closed after the January 27, 1935 showing of “The Mighty Barnum.” Iola’s Public Welfare Board terminated the lease abruptly for its lottery-like Bank Night policy. The theater’s response, “Too much business seems to be a crime in Iola.”
November 6, 2001 opening ad in photos.
In photos is the March 17, 1933 Grand Opening ad of the Uptown Theatre with Kate Smith in “Hello, Everybody.” Earl and Inez VanHyning were in charge of the new Uptown. (The previous, short-lived Uptown was bought out by the Dickinson Circuit becoming the Plaza.)
Tim Holt visited the theatre in person on November 8, 1952. The Uptown closed on November 3, 1953 with “Sailor of the King” and “City That Never Sleeps. After closure, it was retrofitted for a Gambles chain store.
The Pic Theatre launched here by W.A. Weaver on March 5, 1939 as a sub-run discount house with Ralph Bellamy in “It Can’t Last Forever” supported by The Three Stooges short, “Grips, Grunts and Groans,” a cartoon, and two more short subjects. The theatre closed at the end of a 20-year lease on March 16, 1959 with a double-feature of Rhonda Fleming in “Odonga” and Glenn Ford in “3:10 to Yuma.” Future bookings were moved to the 54 Drive-In.
Opening film was Wallace Reid in “Nice People” on March 15, 1923
The theatre was almost completely destroyed by fire on December 20, 1924 ending its operation. The building’s foundation and some elements were used in its rebuilding as the Grand Garage.
The architect was Walter H. Simon and the Mayflower had a space for Curry & Olson Confectioner which sold candy to patrons. The Mayflower opened on October 14, 1920 with Matt Moore in “Don’t Ever Marry.” Karl Gaston owned the theatre and its previous location from 1913 to the Mayflower’s 1920 opening all the way to 1939. The theatre was ravaged by a flood in 1951 closing for five months.
Opened as the Diamond Theatre in 1921.
The Lyric Theatre launched March 21, 1913 in Independent Order of Odd Fellows fraternal hall with live vaudeville. By 1919, the venue had switched to full time motion picture exhibition. The theatre closed on July 31, 1927 with Gilda Gray in “Cabaret" supported by Al Cook and Kit Guard in “Chin He Loved to Touch.”
The closing of the theatre uncovered stacks of 1910s movie advertisements and posters throughout the 1910s dating back to the first days of the theatre. The “New Theatre” (later Trail Theatre) opened on September 25, 1927 ostensibly replacing the Lyric.
On April 1, 1955, the Sunset Drive-in Theater in Bridgeport was opened by Ted and Johnny Vossos with Maureen O'Hara and Errol Flynn in “Against All Flags.” The theatre closed in July of 1963 and was offered for sale in 1963-1965. Alma and Johnny Vossos reopened the theatre on May 7, 1965 continuing a 4-day a week schedule.
Dorrance Schmidt, who was running the downtown Trail Theatre, launched Centre Drive-In Theatre with “The High and the Mighty” supported by “Bugs Bunny’s Cartoon Revue” on May 1, 1955. After two unsuccessful seasons, Schmidt closed the Centre on July 30, 1955 with Barbara Hale in “Unchained” and Wild Bill Elliot in “Hellfire” supported by a cartoon. Instead of reopening for a third season, in May of 1956, the Drive-In concession stand and equipment were offered for sale as the venue was permanently closed.
(And it was only marketed as the Centre Drive-In and not the Center Drive-In)
Sallows and Hughes Amusement Enterprises Circuit luanched the New Theatre in Bridgeport on September 25, 1927 with Mildred Davis in “Too Many Crooks.” Customers were impressed with the Robert Morton pipe organ. On December 9, 1927, the theatre was named the Trail Theatre. The Circuit added talkies on April 1, 1930 with the film, “Why Leave Home.”
New operators came in 1934 giving the theatre a streamline moderne makeover and improved sound system. Lloyd Gladson would take on the venue switching the Trail to widescreen for CinemaScope presentations with 10-speaker “moving sound” beginning with “The Robe” on March 25, 1954.
The Midwest Theatre launched May 3, 1946 with “Gilda” to the plans of architect Charles D. Strong.
Robert L. Weller and Fred Roberts were so pleased with their booking for the opening of the Queen Theatre on October 19, 1916 - “Birth of a Nation” - that they didn’t even have the theatre finished in time. To honor the booking, they used benches and plank seating that and each of the next two nights. The formal opening then came with a live stage play - “The Story of Marion Grey” - on November 13, 1916.
Harry Dubuque then took on the theatre a short time later renaming it was the Orpheum Theatre on February 12, 1917. Two years later, William H. Ostenberg took on the venue and would equip it with the hand-me-down underachieving sound system from the Egyptian beginning on November 5, 1929 with “Why Leave Home?”
Ostenberg then gutted the Orpheum in 1936 reopening to the plans of architect Lynn McReynolds as the Bluffs Theatre. By then the Gibraltar Circuit had become the Midwest Amusement Circuit. The Bluffs Theatre now sported a rustic look to the plans of architect Lynn McReynolds with pine logs and knotty wood to celebrate its plains setting. it was Scottsbluff’s second-tier theater to the Egyptian and launched with a double feature on August 1, 1936 with The Jones Family in “Educating Father” and Henry Hunter in “Parole” The Oto Theatre was the third-tier, subrun house.
The Bluffs was elevated to top tier house after a fire destroyed the Egyptian on October 5, 1945. The projectionist took the films out of the venue before it was a total loss and - that night - had the Egyptian’s booking of Rita Hayworth in “Tonight and Every Night” supported by the March of Time short, “The Unknown Battle" at the Bluffs. That’s effort! The Bluffs' bookings were bounced down to the Oto Theatre. The circuit would then replace the Egyptian with a new first-tier house, the Midwest, and returned the Bluffs to second-tier status into the 1960s.
It took an entire railroad car to bring the $23,500 three-manual Marr-Colton pipe organ from Warsaw, New York to the Egyptian Theatre. The Egyptian opened with Billie Dove in “American Beauty” with Helen Whitehead at the hoseshoe-shaped organ console. On March 23, 1929, the Egyptian became the first theatre in the Oklahoma panhandle to show talkies with Richard Barthelmess in “Weary River.”
The final show took place on October 4, 1945 with Rita Hayworth in “Tonight and Every Night” supported by the March of Time short, “The Unknown Battle.” A short circuit the next morning in the curtain rigging led to a fire that destroyed the building and led to its razing. In one of the more amazing stories, the projectionist saved both of the prints before the first got out of hand - worried that they would explode and stoke the flames. They would be carried to the Bluffs theatre with normal presentations that night through Wednesday. That’s effort!