The Lawrence launched on December 20, 1920 with Lon Chaney in “The Penalty.” Publix Theatres took on the venue from McCarrell’s Amusements effective January 1, 1930. Publix did not convert the theater to sound or - apparently - have any intentions to operated the venue as a movie house and it becomes a live event theater.
McCarrell established Theatrical Managers Inc. taking back the theater in 1935. It’s equipped with sound and remains a movie house until early 1952. It is used for sporadic live events and church services until being remodeled for other purposes in 1959.
Scherer, Scherer & Powell opened the Palace Theatre on December 22, 1926 with “Sunnyside Up” supported by 5 acts of vaudeville, a Pathé newsreel and an Aesop’s Fable cartoon. The silent films were accompanied by a Starr Baby Grand Piano. The atmospheric design was welcomed but the cramped seating and organ-less presentation did not live up to the wait for the movie palace. Vonderschmitt Amusements took on the venue redesigning the theatre and giving it a $25,000 Barton Orchestral pipe organ. Locals were thrilled by the improvements. It relaunched June 8, 1927 as the renamed Von Ritz Theatre with “Up in Mable’s Room” & “One Hour Married”.
In January of 1929, the venue received an RCA Photophone “C” System to present sound films. On March 27, 1954, the Von Ritz switched to widescreen equipment to play CinemaScope films beginning with “The Command.” The 50-year old Indiana Theatre moved from its home on 15th Street to the Ritz location on November 1, 1963 opening with “For Love or Money” and “Harbor Lights.”
Palace Enterprises bought the venue in 1982 On June 25, 1982, the venue reopening after a major refresh with “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid” under its new name of the Palace Theatre getting down to 639 seats. It got two additional screens later in the year becoming the Palace I-II-II Theatre. Its final screenings were held on February 7, 1983 with “Grease,” “48 Hours,” and “They Call Me Bruce?” It was destroyed by fire that destroyed the theater and an adjoining business on Feb. 8th, 1983.
The Elinda Ann Drive-In opened June 15, 1949 with “Black Gold.” The original screen was destroyed by high winds in December of 1953. It was rebuilt as a CinemaScope screen when it relaunched in 1954. It closed for the season in 1965. Billy Wayne Wright converted the main building to a laundromat the following spring in 1966.
The Cavalier Drive-In launched with space for 370 cars on June 25, 1953 with Frances Langford in “The Purple Heart Diary” and Maureen O'Hara in “Kangaroo.”
The Lyric Theatre opened in 1913. It was expanded in 1915 as the Colonial Theatre. It closed in February of 1930 for an extensive retrofit re-opening in the sound era as the New Upland Theatre opening with “Son of the Gods” on June 12, 1930. The venue closed as the Upland Theatre on May 26, 1947 with a double feature of “Misters del Hampa” and “Rainbow Island.”
The original purpose of the building was as a movie house designed by architect Henry B. Snoop for the Bender Brothers Circuit. The William Penn opened on October 13, 1914. James George of the Victoria Theatre took on the venue on April 17. 1915 with a new $25,000 organ. The theater was short-lived and became a full time fraternal hall for the Knights of Malta and others. The fraternal Hall had a major refresh in 1925.
The venue was refreshed as the Roxy Theatre opening as “the new picture show on the Hill” on April 21, 1933 with “Outlaw Justice” and “Me and My Gal.” The Roxy closed permanently on March 21, 1954 with “Easy to Love” without converting to widescreen presentations. It is currently in use as a church.
The East Park Center shopping plaza was announced in 1962 anchored by a Town & Country discount variety store and a Super Thrift Food Market. Sameric Theatre and Sam Shapiro added the Eric Theatre, a 1,400 luxury cinema to the complex in the planning stages just to the right of the Super Thrift. Purportedly, it was “adaptable” to Cinerama but would open with 70mm and 35mm capability and stereo sound. The theatre was a big deal as Governor William W. Scranton showed up to lay the cornerstone for the theater on April 26, 1963.
The Eric Theatre opened in the East Park Center with a ribbon cutting by State Senator M. Harvey Taylor on July 10, 1963. Just over ten years later, on December 19, 1973, the venue became a twin called Twin Eric I and II with “Sleeper” and a double feature of “Midnight Cowboy” and “Easy Rider.”
Sameric Theatres sold the theatre in May of 1989 to UAB II Inc. with the theatres operated by Creative Entertainment, LTD. The theaters were renamed as the Twin East Park Center Theatres on May 5, 1989. The Creative Entertainment nameplate was discontinued in 1991 with the theaters continuing. On April 23, 1993, they became the UA East Park I & II Theatres.
The UA East Park I & II Theatres closed at the end of lease on February 26, 1995 with “Nobody’s Fool” and “Legends of the Fall.” Any thoughts of returning the cinemas to operational condition was challenged by arsonists who set a number of small fires inside the twins in 1996. The theater stood until 2006 when it was finally demolished.
The Orpheum Theatre closed with a stage play on May 14, 1925. Two months prior, an architectural plan was revealed under the name of the New Orpheum. That project would be renamed as the State Theatre during construction. Craver’s Soda Fountain opened in the lobby serving as the de facto concession stand at the theater’s launch on April 12, 1926.
The State Theatre was refreshed in 1953 to play widescreen titles starting November 5, 1953 with “The Robe” in CinemaScope. The State was closed after a double feature of Velvet Busch in “Lunch” and Janine Lenon in “Aroused” on November 25, 1973. The marquee was maintained until demolition to advertise concerts, provide holiday messages and, finally, to advertise the auctioning off of the venue’s fixtures where you could purchase everything including the marquee. A preservation effort failed early in 1974 and the auction was held May 6-8, 1974. The demolition of the theater took place thereafter.
On June 9, 1978, Trans-Lux sold the venue to the Sameric Circuit and the theatre became the Eric Twin Colonial Park Theatres. The venue made it to the end of its 20-year lease closing permanently with “Stand by Me” and “Playing for Keeps” on November 7, 1986. The theatre moved inside the Colonial Park Mall to open a quadplex. The former Trans-Lux turned Eric Twin Colonial Park Theatres were torn down.
Loew’s Regent closed August 29, 1960 at the end of lease with “Elmer Gantry.” The theater went out profitably in its final year including more than 10,000 tickets sold just for its final 17-day run of “Gantry.” Central Parking took on the property with demolition starting on September 6, 1960.
The Broad Theatre closed with a continuous run, grind policy on August 27, 1953 with “Northern Patrol” and “The Blue Gardenia.” It sat vacant until 1955, it was converted to a retail Greenberg Boston store that was forced from a previous location due to fire.
The National Picture Theatre opened on September 17, 1914 with Alma Taylor in “Cloister of the Hearth.” Isaac and Rose Marcus operated the theatre. He had come to Pennsylvania at the age of 14 and became one of the city’s first movie operators. The National’s slogan was, “The Movie (House) for the Uptown Folks.” The Marcuses would sell the theatres late in 1927 unable to convert them to sound.
The Isaacs would then re-acquire the theatres. They operated the National, Royal, Rialto and the Family Theatre. Isaac Marcus passed away in 1942 and Rose operating the National, Rialto and Family. After closing the Family Theatre, Rose closed the National Theatre on February 28, 1957 with “Swamp Women” and “Godzilla: King of Monsters.” Upon closing the National, it was sold to Evangelistic Deliverance Crusade which conducted religious services.
The Rio Theatre closed for the summer on June 10, 1954 reopening that September. But a month after reopening, the theatre closed permanently with a double feature of “Coroner Creek” and “Gunfighters” on October 25, 1954. Operator Edward Herre was having the former Rife Hotel demolished next door and decided to take down the Rio, as well. That demolition by Hanover Construction began in December of 1954 and was completed in 1955.
Opened with “You Can’t Have Everything” on November 3, 1937. M. Dale Smith was the architect. On April 15, 1954, the Penway Theatre was refreshed to provide widescreen projection to present CinemaScope titles beginning with “The Robe.” The Penway closed at the end of lease on November 7, 1977 just after its 40th Anniversary with Sony Chiba in “The Bodyguard” and “Goodbye Bruce Lee: His Last Game of Death.”
The venue closed permanently with live fare in March of 2024 just shy of its 58th Anniversary and moved productions to a nearby high school. The dramatic operation closed there permanently on August 4, 2024 and the organization’s contents were subsequently auctioned off. “Closed”
The Lawrence launched on December 20, 1920 with Lon Chaney in “The Penalty.” Publix Theatres took on the venue from McCarrell’s Amusements effective January 1, 1930. Publix did not convert the theater to sound or - apparently - have any intentions to operated the venue as a movie house and it becomes a live event theater.
McCarrell established Theatrical Managers Inc. taking back the theater in 1935. It’s equipped with sound and remains a movie house until early 1952. It is used for sporadic live events and church services until being remodeled for other purposes in 1959.
Scherer, Scherer & Powell opened the Palace Theatre on December 22, 1926 with “Sunnyside Up” supported by 5 acts of vaudeville, a Pathé newsreel and an Aesop’s Fable cartoon. The silent films were accompanied by a Starr Baby Grand Piano. The atmospheric design was welcomed but the cramped seating and organ-less presentation did not live up to the wait for the movie palace. Vonderschmitt Amusements took on the venue redesigning the theatre and giving it a $25,000 Barton Orchestral pipe organ. Locals were thrilled by the improvements. It relaunched June 8, 1927 as the renamed Von Ritz Theatre with “Up in Mable’s Room” & “One Hour Married”.
In January of 1929, the venue received an RCA Photophone “C” System to present sound films. On March 27, 1954, the Von Ritz switched to widescreen equipment to play CinemaScope films beginning with “The Command.” The 50-year old Indiana Theatre moved from its home on 15th Street to the Ritz location on November 1, 1963 opening with “For Love or Money” and “Harbor Lights.”
Palace Enterprises bought the venue in 1982 On June 25, 1982, the venue reopening after a major refresh with “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid” under its new name of the Palace Theatre getting down to 639 seats. It got two additional screens later in the year becoming the Palace I-II-II Theatre. Its final screenings were held on February 7, 1983 with “Grease,” “48 Hours,” and “They Call Me Bruce?” It was destroyed by fire that destroyed the theater and an adjoining business on Feb. 8th, 1983.
The Elinda Ann Drive-In opened June 15, 1949 with “Black Gold.” The original screen was destroyed by high winds in December of 1953. It was rebuilt as a CinemaScope screen when it relaunched in 1954. It closed for the season in 1965. Billy Wayne Wright converted the main building to a laundromat the following spring in 1966.
The Cavalier Drive-In launched with space for 370 cars on June 25, 1953 with Frances Langford in “The Purple Heart Diary” and Maureen O'Hara in “Kangaroo.”
The Lyric Theatre opened in 1913. It was expanded in 1915 as the Colonial Theatre. It closed in February of 1930 for an extensive retrofit re-opening in the sound era as the New Upland Theatre opening with “Son of the Gods” on June 12, 1930. The venue closed as the Upland Theatre on May 26, 1947 with a double feature of “Misters del Hampa” and “Rainbow Island.”
According to newspaper articles, this venue was opened by Tony Rand of Rand Theatres as the Race Street Cinema 5. It later expanded to 8 screens.
The original purpose of the building was as a movie house designed by architect Henry B. Snoop for the Bender Brothers Circuit. The William Penn opened on October 13, 1914. James George of the Victoria Theatre took on the venue on April 17. 1915 with a new $25,000 organ. The theater was short-lived and became a full time fraternal hall for the Knights of Malta and others. The fraternal Hall had a major refresh in 1925.
The venue was refreshed as the Roxy Theatre opening as “the new picture show on the Hill” on April 21, 1933 with “Outlaw Justice” and “Me and My Gal.” The Roxy closed permanently on March 21, 1954 with “Easy to Love” without converting to widescreen presentations. It is currently in use as a church.
Closed permanently following a double feature of “Summer School” and “Back to the Beach” on September 6, 1987.
Announced closure after shows on August 29, 2024.
The East Park Center shopping plaza was announced in 1962 anchored by a Town & Country discount variety store and a Super Thrift Food Market. Sameric Theatre and Sam Shapiro added the Eric Theatre, a 1,400 luxury cinema to the complex in the planning stages just to the right of the Super Thrift. Purportedly, it was “adaptable” to Cinerama but would open with 70mm and 35mm capability and stereo sound. The theatre was a big deal as Governor William W. Scranton showed up to lay the cornerstone for the theater on April 26, 1963.
The Eric Theatre opened in the East Park Center with a ribbon cutting by State Senator M. Harvey Taylor on July 10, 1963. Just over ten years later, on December 19, 1973, the venue became a twin called Twin Eric I and II with “Sleeper” and a double feature of “Midnight Cowboy” and “Easy Rider.”
Sameric Theatres sold the theatre in May of 1989 to UAB II Inc. with the theatres operated by Creative Entertainment, LTD. The theaters were renamed as the Twin East Park Center Theatres on May 5, 1989. The Creative Entertainment nameplate was discontinued in 1991 with the theaters continuing. On April 23, 1993, they became the UA East Park I & II Theatres.
The UA East Park I & II Theatres closed at the end of lease on February 26, 1995 with “Nobody’s Fool” and “Legends of the Fall.” Any thoughts of returning the cinemas to operational condition was challenged by arsonists who set a number of small fires inside the twins in 1996. The theater stood until 2006 when it was finally demolished.
BTW: As advertised above, The Trammps - prior to their “Disco Inferno” fame - played the Farm Show Arena in Harrisburg on April 14, 1974.
The Orpheum Theatre closed with a stage play on May 14, 1925. Two months prior, an architectural plan was revealed under the name of the New Orpheum. That project would be renamed as the State Theatre during construction. Craver’s Soda Fountain opened in the lobby serving as the de facto concession stand at the theater’s launch on April 12, 1926.
The State Theatre was refreshed in 1953 to play widescreen titles starting November 5, 1953 with “The Robe” in CinemaScope. The State was closed after a double feature of Velvet Busch in “Lunch” and Janine Lenon in “Aroused” on November 25, 1973. The marquee was maintained until demolition to advertise concerts, provide holiday messages and, finally, to advertise the auctioning off of the venue’s fixtures where you could purchase everything including the marquee. A preservation effort failed early in 1974 and the auction was held May 6-8, 1974. The demolition of the theater took place thereafter.
On June 9, 1978, Trans-Lux sold the venue to the Sameric Circuit and the theatre became the Eric Twin Colonial Park Theatres. The venue made it to the end of its 20-year lease closing permanently with “Stand by Me” and “Playing for Keeps” on November 7, 1986. The theatre moved inside the Colonial Park Mall to open a quadplex. The former Trans-Lux turned Eric Twin Colonial Park Theatres were torn down.
Loew’s Regent closed August 29, 1960 at the end of lease with “Elmer Gantry.” The theater went out profitably in its final year including more than 10,000 tickets sold just for its final 17-day run of “Gantry.” Central Parking took on the property with demolition starting on September 6, 1960.
The Broad Theatre closed with a continuous run, grind policy on August 27, 1953 with “Northern Patrol” and “The Blue Gardenia.” It sat vacant until 1955, it was converted to a retail Greenberg Boston store that was forced from a previous location due to fire.
The National Picture Theatre opened on September 17, 1914 with Alma Taylor in “Cloister of the Hearth.” Isaac and Rose Marcus operated the theatre. He had come to Pennsylvania at the age of 14 and became one of the city’s first movie operators. The National’s slogan was, “The Movie (House) for the Uptown Folks.” The Marcuses would sell the theatres late in 1927 unable to convert them to sound.
The Isaacs would then re-acquire the theatres. They operated the National, Royal, Rialto and the Family Theatre. Isaac Marcus passed away in 1942 and Rose operating the National, Rialto and Family. After closing the Family Theatre, Rose closed the National Theatre on February 28, 1957 with “Swamp Women” and “Godzilla: King of Monsters.” Upon closing the National, it was sold to Evangelistic Deliverance Crusade which conducted religious services.
The Rio Theatre closed for the summer on June 10, 1954 reopening that September. But a month after reopening, the theatre closed permanently with a double feature of “Coroner Creek” and “Gunfighters” on October 25, 1954. Operator Edward Herre was having the former Rife Hotel demolished next door and decided to take down the Rio, as well. That demolition by Hanover Construction began in December of 1954 and was completed in 1955.
Opened with “You Can’t Have Everything” on November 3, 1937. M. Dale Smith was the architect. On April 15, 1954, the Penway Theatre was refreshed to provide widescreen projection to present CinemaScope titles beginning with “The Robe.” The Penway closed at the end of lease on November 7, 1977 just after its 40th Anniversary with Sony Chiba in “The Bodyguard” and “Goodbye Bruce Lee: His Last Game of Death.”
Closed permanently August 15, 2024
Closed at the expiry of a 30-year lease.
Reopened August 5, 2024 by the Alamo Drafthouse parent company.
The venue closed permanently with live fare in March of 2024 just shy of its 58th Anniversary and moved productions to a nearby high school. The dramatic operation closed there permanently on August 4, 2024 and the organization’s contents were subsequently auctioned off. “Closed”
Reopening under Alamo Drafthouse operation on August 23, 2024
Reopening under Alamo Drafthouse operation on August 20, 2024.
Reopened under Alamo Drafthouse operation on August 16, 2024.