I suspect that brief items in Boxoffice were extracted from other sources, including assorted press releases by theater owners, and stuff sometimes got jumbled. I can easily imagine a press release saying that the West End Theatre was getting a De Luxe renovation, and some harried copy editor in Hollywood misinterpreting some other staff member’s hastily jotted notes about it.
Their longer articles appear to be more reliable, and were probably often press releases printed verbatim, or cut down slightly to fit the available column space.
Here is a pdf file of the National Register of Historic Places nomination form for the Midland Theater. It contains a detailed description of the theater and a few small black and white photos. There’s also additional information about John Tackett and Coffeyville.
Among pertinent bits from the form: The house came under Fox Theatres management less than a year after it opened, and that’s when the name was changed; Fox continued to operate the Midland until 1960; in 1960 the theater was sold to Talmadge (“Tal”) and Pearl Richardson; “Tal” Richardson died in 1976, and Pearl continued to run the Midland until her death in 1998; the city of Coffeyville purchased the building after Pearl Richardson died.
During the Fox era, the organ (the form says it was a “Wicks nine-manual” but they must have meant nine rank) was sold, the orchestra pit filled with concrete, the box seats were removed and total seating capacity reduced (it originally had 1200 seats), and the chandeliers were removed. A concession stand was also added. The building originally contained a 25'x50' ballroom on the second floor front, with access via doors to the theatre’s mezzanine lobby. The ballroom was divided into office space during the Fox period.
The Silverado 19 was designed by the Dallas-based architecture firm Hodges & Associates, which has designed quite a few multiplex and megaplex theaters in recent years.
The name change apparently took place in 1937. Here’s something from the October 2, 1937, issue of Boxoffice Magazine: “New Yorker, formerly the Gem, 523 Eighth Avenue, is being operated by the New York Amusement, Inc., Ben Shapiro, principal.”
The item listed two other recent name changes for theaters in Manhattan: The Acme, 247 W. 48th St., had become the President, and the De Luxe, 360 W. 125 St., was undergoing renovation and would reopen as the West End. This latter is a bit confusing, as I gather from the Cinema Treasures West End Theatre page that the place opened as the West End Theatre in 1902, and was sold under that name as late as 1932. Maybe the name De Luxe was used between 1932 and the 1937 renovation?
The architect of the Flagship Cinemas Waterville was Gordon Greenfield. Construction bids were let on September 16, 2003, which would fit with the November, 2004 opening date.
The former Cinema 1&2 across the street (250 Kennedy Memorial Drive) was opened in 1968 by the Lockwood & Gordon circuit, and was designed by Denver theater architectural firm Mel Glatz & Associates, founded in 1965 by former in-house theater designer for the Fox Intermountain chain, Melvin C. Glatz. The last operational name I can find on the Internet for the former Cinema 1&2 is Hoyts Waterville 6.
The November 6, 1967, issue of Boxoffice Magazine published an article saying that the the first two auditoriums of the Campus Cinemas were scheduled to open about mid-November. The third auditorium was slated for a spring, 1968, opening. The owners of the independent house were Robert Waldman and David Dick.
The theater was being decorated in a colonial style by Janet Field. A pair of antique copper lamps that once hung in Charing Cross Road in London were affixed to the facade. Cinema 1 was equipped with 35mm and 70mm projectors, and Cinema 2 with 35mm and 16mm projectors, the latter to be used for movies presented in conjunction with local film societies and the various colleges in the area. Programs of independent and experimental films were contemplated as well.
A November 13, 1967, Boxoffice Magazine item about the planned partial demolition of the New Bedford Theatre (the auditorium and upper floors of the building were to be razed, and the former lobby converted to retail space) said that the theater had last been used to show movies ten years earlier.
Boxoffice Magazine’s issue of April 1, 1950, carried an item saying that Century Theatres planned to open the new Shore Theatre in Huntington on April 8.
In its December 16, 1974 issue, Boxoffice said that Century was selling the Huntington Theatre in Huntington, but would still have two screens in the town because their Shore Theatre had been twinned.
A New York Times article about the theater business on Long Island, published January 27, 2002, said that the 8-screen multiplex that had replaced the Shore Theatre in 1998 was designed by architect James Thomas Martino of Port Washington.
The Fox Theatre had recently opened in Timpson, Texas, according to an item in Boxoffice Magazine’s issue of April 16, 1955. The 361 seat house was owned by Mrs. S.T. Smith. Managers were Mr. and Mrs. J.V. Winbury.
The September 13, 1971, issue of Boxoffice Magazine said that AMC’s Eastmont 4 Theatres had opened to the public on August 18, 1971. Total seating capacity was given as 1300, with two 350 seat and two 300 seat auditoriums.
Del Amo Fashion Square’s UA Cinemas opened as a quad on August 18, 1971, according to an item in Boxoffice Magazine’s issue of September 13 that year. Each of the four auditoriums had 300 seats.
Info from the July, 1986, issue of Boxoffice Magazine: this theater, then called the Sun and Surf Cinemas, was acquired by Fox Theatres (a Reading, Pennsylvania-based company founded by Richard A. Fox in 1958, and not related to the earlier Fox circuit founded by William Fox) in 1980, when it was a four-screen house. It was expanded to eight screens in 1983. I don’t know who owned it before Fox, nor what year Carmike took it over.
The most recent reference to a Premier Theatre in Los Gatos I can find is an item in Boxoffice Magazine, November 20, 1937.
Items from various issues of Boxoffice in late 1950 mention the Los Gatos Theatre celebrating its ninth anniversary. Apparently, this house was part of a small circuit operated by A. Blanco, taken over by partners William B. David and Bruno Vecchiarelli in 1941, according to an item in the September 13 issue of Boxoffice that year. The name change to Los Gatos must have been made about the time David and Vecchiarelli took over the house.
William B. David was still the owner of the Los Gatos in 1974. The September 9 issue of Boxoffice that year ran an item headed “Los Gatos Reconstruction Expected to Start Soon”, relating that the Los Gatos Theatre had been damaged by a fire which had spread to its attic from an adjoining building. The building suffered water damage as well. David was quoted as saying “It looks as though there will be two theaters instead of one.” Thus 1974 is the likely date of the twinning of the Los Gatos.
The article doesn’t mention it, but I’d surmise that David did the design for the reconstruction and remodeling himself, as he was the designer of many Northern California movie houses.
Here’s an item from the July 10, 1948, issue of Boxoffice Magazine:
“The New Turlock Theatre at North Broadway and Olive Streets in Turlock was opened recently. Built at a cost of $120,000, the theatre is owned by United California Theatres and replaces the old Turlock which burned about two years ago.”
It sounds like it was completely new construction, given the price tag.
The June 14, 1952, issue of Boxoffice Magazine has the following information about the Crest, under the headline “El Centro Fox Opens After Remodeling:
“EL CENTRO, CALIF.— Fox West Coast reopened its Crest, 1100 seat house formerly known as the United Artists, Thursday (12)…. The house was closed for a month for a $100,000 remodeling job.”
Cinema Treasures has a page for a United Artists Theatre in El Centro, listed at 721 W. Main Street. There’s apparently a duplication here.
The United Artists was originally designed by Walker & Eisen, with Clifford Balch associated. Plans for the theater were mentioned in the June 5 and June 19, 1931, issues of Southwest Builder & Contractor.
Though the magazine gives the location as Los Gatos, I’m sure the brief item in the April 29, 1950, issue of Boxoffice is about the Saratoga Theatre in Saratoga:
“Mason Shaw, manager of the Saratoga Theatre, Los Gatos, held a first anniversary party with refreshments served at the theatre.”
It probably refers to the theater’s first anniversary, though I suppose it might have been the manager’s first anniversary.
The Fairview reopened as the Fairview Twin on December 23, 1978, according to an article in Boxoffice Magazine, January 9, 1979. Each of the two auditoriums had 300 seats. Metropolitan Theatres expanded their Cinema Theatre, also in Goleta, at the same time, and it reopened as the Cinema Twin earlier that December.
The day before the Fairview Twin opened, Metropolitan opened their new Plaza del Oro Twin in Santa Barbara.
This house reopened as a twin in December, 1978, the same month Metropolitan reopened the Fairview Theatre as a twin and opened their new Plaza del Oro Twin in Santa Barbara. The opening day for the Cinema Twin was December 23.
Lots of references to a Mrs. Elaine S. George of the Star Theatre, Heppner, Oregon, appear in various issues of Boxoffice through the 1950s. But the latest item about the Star that comes up in Boxoffice searches is one from June 25, 1962, saying that a fire had destroyed the theater and the Elks Club upstairs, with the loss estimated at $250,000. “Water in the theatre, owned by Elaine George… was 14 to 16 inches deep when the roof fell in.” Maybe Elaine rebuilt?
DriveinMovie.com says Tal’s Drive-In was opened in 1949 and last operated on September 17, 2000. Small photo on this page.
The owners must have been Talmadge “Tal” Richardson and Pearl Richardson, who operated the Midland Theatre in Coffeyville beginning in 1960.
I suspect that brief items in Boxoffice were extracted from other sources, including assorted press releases by theater owners, and stuff sometimes got jumbled. I can easily imagine a press release saying that the West End Theatre was getting a De Luxe renovation, and some harried copy editor in Hollywood misinterpreting some other staff member’s hastily jotted notes about it.
Their longer articles appear to be more reliable, and were probably often press releases printed verbatim, or cut down slightly to fit the available column space.
Here is a pdf file of the National Register of Historic Places nomination form for the Midland Theater. It contains a detailed description of the theater and a few small black and white photos. There’s also additional information about John Tackett and Coffeyville.
Among pertinent bits from the form: The house came under Fox Theatres management less than a year after it opened, and that’s when the name was changed; Fox continued to operate the Midland until 1960; in 1960 the theater was sold to Talmadge (“Tal”) and Pearl Richardson; “Tal” Richardson died in 1976, and Pearl continued to run the Midland until her death in 1998; the city of Coffeyville purchased the building after Pearl Richardson died.
During the Fox era, the organ (the form says it was a “Wicks nine-manual” but they must have meant nine rank) was sold, the orchestra pit filled with concrete, the box seats were removed and total seating capacity reduced (it originally had 1200 seats), and the chandeliers were removed. A concession stand was also added. The building originally contained a 25'x50' ballroom on the second floor front, with access via doors to the theatre’s mezzanine lobby. The ballroom was divided into office space during the Fox period.
The Silverado 19 was designed by the Dallas-based architecture firm Hodges & Associates, which has designed quite a few multiplex and megaplex theaters in recent years.
The name change apparently took place in 1937. Here’s something from the October 2, 1937, issue of Boxoffice Magazine: “New Yorker, formerly the Gem, 523 Eighth Avenue, is being operated by the New York Amusement, Inc., Ben Shapiro, principal.”
The item listed two other recent name changes for theaters in Manhattan: The Acme, 247 W. 48th St., had become the President, and the De Luxe, 360 W. 125 St., was undergoing renovation and would reopen as the West End. This latter is a bit confusing, as I gather from the Cinema Treasures West End Theatre page that the place opened as the West End Theatre in 1902, and was sold under that name as late as 1932. Maybe the name De Luxe was used between 1932 and the 1937 renovation?
The architect of the Flagship Cinemas Waterville was Gordon Greenfield. Construction bids were let on September 16, 2003, which would fit with the November, 2004 opening date.
The former Cinema 1&2 across the street (250 Kennedy Memorial Drive) was opened in 1968 by the Lockwood & Gordon circuit, and was designed by Denver theater architectural firm Mel Glatz & Associates, founded in 1965 by former in-house theater designer for the Fox Intermountain chain, Melvin C. Glatz. The last operational name I can find on the Internet for the former Cinema 1&2 is Hoyts Waterville 6.
The November 6, 1967, issue of Boxoffice Magazine published an article saying that the the first two auditoriums of the Campus Cinemas were scheduled to open about mid-November. The third auditorium was slated for a spring, 1968, opening. The owners of the independent house were Robert Waldman and David Dick.
The theater was being decorated in a colonial style by Janet Field. A pair of antique copper lamps that once hung in Charing Cross Road in London were affixed to the facade. Cinema 1 was equipped with 35mm and 70mm projectors, and Cinema 2 with 35mm and 16mm projectors, the latter to be used for movies presented in conjunction with local film societies and the various colleges in the area. Programs of independent and experimental films were contemplated as well.
A November 13, 1967, Boxoffice Magazine item about the planned partial demolition of the New Bedford Theatre (the auditorium and upper floors of the building were to be razed, and the former lobby converted to retail space) said that the theater had last been used to show movies ten years earlier.
Designed by architect James Thomas Martino.
Designed by architect James Thomas Martino.
Designed by architect James Thomas Martino.
Originally operated by General Cinemas. Designed by architect James Thomas Martino.
Boxoffice Magazine’s issue of April 1, 1950, carried an item saying that Century Theatres planned to open the new Shore Theatre in Huntington on April 8.
In its December 16, 1974 issue, Boxoffice said that Century was selling the Huntington Theatre in Huntington, but would still have two screens in the town because their Shore Theatre had been twinned.
A New York Times article about the theater business on Long Island, published January 27, 2002, said that the 8-screen multiplex that had replaced the Shore Theatre in 1998 was designed by architect James Thomas Martino of Port Washington.
The Fox Theatre had recently opened in Timpson, Texas, according to an item in Boxoffice Magazine’s issue of April 16, 1955. The 361 seat house was owned by Mrs. S.T. Smith. Managers were Mr. and Mrs. J.V. Winbury.
The September 13, 1971, issue of Boxoffice Magazine said that AMC’s Eastmont 4 Theatres had opened to the public on August 18, 1971. Total seating capacity was given as 1300, with two 350 seat and two 300 seat auditoriums.
Del Amo Fashion Square’s UA Cinemas opened as a quad on August 18, 1971, according to an item in Boxoffice Magazine’s issue of September 13 that year. Each of the four auditoriums had 300 seats.
Info from the July, 1986, issue of Boxoffice Magazine: this theater, then called the Sun and Surf Cinemas, was acquired by Fox Theatres (a Reading, Pennsylvania-based company founded by Richard A. Fox in 1958, and not related to the earlier Fox circuit founded by William Fox) in 1980, when it was a four-screen house. It was expanded to eight screens in 1983. I don’t know who owned it before Fox, nor what year Carmike took it over.
The most recent reference to a Premier Theatre in Los Gatos I can find is an item in Boxoffice Magazine, November 20, 1937.
Items from various issues of Boxoffice in late 1950 mention the Los Gatos Theatre celebrating its ninth anniversary. Apparently, this house was part of a small circuit operated by A. Blanco, taken over by partners William B. David and Bruno Vecchiarelli in 1941, according to an item in the September 13 issue of Boxoffice that year. The name change to Los Gatos must have been made about the time David and Vecchiarelli took over the house.
William B. David was still the owner of the Los Gatos in 1974. The September 9 issue of Boxoffice that year ran an item headed “Los Gatos Reconstruction Expected to Start Soon”, relating that the Los Gatos Theatre had been damaged by a fire which had spread to its attic from an adjoining building. The building suffered water damage as well. David was quoted as saying “It looks as though there will be two theaters instead of one.” Thus 1974 is the likely date of the twinning of the Los Gatos.
The article doesn’t mention it, but I’d surmise that David did the design for the reconstruction and remodeling himself, as he was the designer of many Northern California movie houses.
Plans for the El Rancho Theatre were announced in the July 16, 1949, issue of Boxoffice Magazine. The architect was named Howell Ewald.
Here’s an item from the July 10, 1948, issue of Boxoffice Magazine:
“The New Turlock Theatre at North Broadway and Olive Streets in Turlock was opened recently. Built at a cost of $120,000, the theatre is owned by United California Theatres and replaces the old Turlock which burned about two years ago.”
It sounds like it was completely new construction, given the price tag.
The June 14, 1952, issue of Boxoffice Magazine has the following information about the Crest, under the headline “El Centro Fox Opens After Remodeling:
“EL CENTRO, CALIF.— Fox West Coast reopened its Crest, 1100 seat house formerly known as the United Artists, Thursday (12)…. The house was closed for a month for a $100,000 remodeling job.”
Cinema Treasures has a page for a United Artists Theatre in El Centro, listed at 721 W. Main Street. There’s apparently a duplication here.
The United Artists was originally designed by Walker & Eisen, with Clifford Balch associated. Plans for the theater were mentioned in the June 5 and June 19, 1931, issues of Southwest Builder & Contractor.
Though the magazine gives the location as Los Gatos, I’m sure the brief item in the April 29, 1950, issue of Boxoffice is about the Saratoga Theatre in Saratoga:
“Mason Shaw, manager of the Saratoga Theatre, Los Gatos, held a first anniversary party with refreshments served at the theatre.”
It probably refers to the theater’s first anniversary, though I suppose it might have been the manager’s first anniversary.
The Fairview reopened as the Fairview Twin on December 23, 1978, according to an article in Boxoffice Magazine, January 9, 1979. Each of the two auditoriums had 300 seats. Metropolitan Theatres expanded their Cinema Theatre, also in Goleta, at the same time, and it reopened as the Cinema Twin earlier that December.
The day before the Fairview Twin opened, Metropolitan opened their new Plaza del Oro Twin in Santa Barbara.
This house reopened as a twin in December, 1978, the same month Metropolitan reopened the Fairview Theatre as a twin and opened their new Plaza del Oro Twin in Santa Barbara. The opening day for the Cinema Twin was December 23.
Lots of references to a Mrs. Elaine S. George of the Star Theatre, Heppner, Oregon, appear in various issues of Boxoffice through the 1950s. But the latest item about the Star that comes up in Boxoffice searches is one from June 25, 1962, saying that a fire had destroyed the theater and the Elks Club upstairs, with the loss estimated at $250,000. “Water in the theatre, owned by Elaine George… was 14 to 16 inches deep when the roof fell in.” Maybe Elaine rebuilt?