The Plaza Theatre was a new-build facility for T. Miller Davidge who held a naming contest to give a handle to the W. Scott Dunne architected venue. It launched as the Plaza Theatre which replaced the fire-damaged former Liberty/State Theatre which had been on the lot prior to its demolition. The fire took place on Halloween of 1934 closing the State Theatre permanently. It had become the State Theatre when John Terry took over the Liberty from Robb & Rowley and relaunched as the State Theatre on March 4, 1932 with “The Big Shot.” The Plaza opened July 3d, 1936.
The Ship Drive-In set sail on March 6, 1952 with Jane Frazee in “Rhythm Inn.” It appears to have ceased operation on December 14, 1963 with a double feature of “It Happened at the World’s Fair” and “The Young and The Brave” supported by a cartoon.
The Sky-Vu launched September 29, 1949 by T. Miller Davidge with Burt Lancaster in “Desert Fury” supported by a cartoon. It was demolished by a tornado on April 2, 1957. desert fury movie. The theatre was rebuilt relaunching as the Sky-Vu Drive-In relaunched on June 20, 1957 with “The Deadly Mantis” and “The Girl in the Kremlin.”
Repositioned by Gulf States Theatre Circuit on September 20, 1967 as the Rebel Art Theatre. It was closed permanently on April 11, 1968 with Fabian in “The Wild Racers.” Its phone number was moved to Gulf States' new Cinema Theatre which ostensibly replaced the Rebel Art later in 1968.
The Harkins Circuit announced in July of 2021 that it would close the theatre later that year. It felt that the cost of refurbishing the theater was too great and preferred to open a new-build, “start of the art” venue.
Lloyd Royal, Sr., of the Royal Circuit was operating here in 1932 and closed permanently at the end of a 25-year leasing agreement on March 23, 1957 after a double feature of “The Proud Ones” and “Tiger Claw.” The building was retrofitted for a bank in 1958.
The Rose Theatre opened in the early 1930s operating almost 20 years. Paramount-Richards Theatres Circuit closed both the Rose and the Buck theaters on September 10, 1949. After a refresh and under new ownerships, the theatre became the Ritz Theatre on March 1, 1950 with a double feature of “The Family Honeymoon” and “The Countess of Monte Cristo.”
Lloyd Royal of the Royal Circuit was bought out of his location a block away where he was operating the Rebel Theatre in December of 1958. So he moved the Rebel Theatre to the Ritz Theatre and reopened there after a refresh on Feb. 28, 1959 with the religious film, “I’ll Give My Life.”
The former Rose turned Ritz turned Rebel was purchased by Gulf States operating briefly as the Rebel Art Theatre showing adult/overseas titles. Gulf opened the new-build Cinema Theatre elsewhere in town and subsequently closed the Rebel which was later demolished. The Rebel’s former home at the Lomo was also demolished.
United Artists demoted the Cloverleaf Cinema to sub-run discount status in 1995 and dropped the theater in the Summer of 1996. Cinestar Theatres of Atlanta took on the venue on January 4, 1 997 resuming a discount policy at the 99 cent price point. The circuit closed the Cloverleaf on December 1, 2004 just months from the end of a 30-year lease.
The Star Theatre opens for African American audiences on November 23, 1944 at 312 Mobile Street getting a War-time exemption to use building materials in its creation. Live music was part of the mix as Tommie “T-Bone” Pruitt was a member of the regular house band. The theatre appears to have discontinued film exhibition in 1951.
The theatre had a grand reopening with films on April 12, 1954 with “Tumbleweed” and “Slaves of Babylon.” It was accompanied by an opening parade featuring the Royal Street and the Eureka bands. Films were once again apparently discontinued on June 13, 1961 with a double feature of “Beyond the Time Barrier” and “Journey to the Lost City” supported by a cartoon and short subject. The theatre hosted live African American wrestling and beauty pageants before closing altogether.`
Paramount-Richards Theatres Circuit listed the Buck at least back to 1938. The Circui tclosed by the Buck and the Rose theaters on September 10, 1949. While the Rose would find new life as the Ritz then Rebel (location #2), the Buck closed permanently with a double feature of Charles Sterrett in “The Durango Kid” and Smiley Burnett in “Quick on the Trigger” supported by the final chapter of the serial, “Bruce Gentry,” a cartoon and a newsreel.
In 1951, Hattiesburg Federal Savings and Loan bought the building and demolished it. There are no listings with Gulf States Theatres - just Paramount-Richards.
Lohmann and Mollere fused their name together to launch their Lomo Theater on September 7, 1910 on a 5-year lease. The establishment went bankrupt in 1914 and sold for just $670 at auction. After reopening, the winning bidders created a new-build venue launching as the New Lomo Theatre on West Pine on October 21, 1915 with its first feature Francis X. Bushman in “Second in Command.” The Gulf Arm & Creosoting Company – later Gulf Amusement Circuit – built the theater along with the Southern Metro Picture Corporation. It was located next to the office of the town’s streetcar operator, the Hattiesburg Traction Company. The theater remained silent closing in 1929.
Paramount-Gulf later decided to breathe new life in the venue equipping it for sound and a grand opening relaunch in 1933. It closed the Lomo there on July 14, 1950 likely at the end of lease with Roy Rogers in “Jeepers Creepers” supported by “Trail of the Hawk,” a Popeye cartoon and Chapter Five of “Invisible Monster.” (Give the Dome Theatre credit for continuing the serial from that point and getting the town’s moviegoers to the 12th and culminating episode.)
Lloyd Royal’s Royal Circuit - which had the original Royal in town back in 1914 - took on the venue and - after a significant refresh - reopened it as the Rebel Theatre on April 12, 1952 with Alan Young and Dinah Shore in “Aaron Slick from Punkin Crick.” The Rebel lived up to its name booking the racy Brigette Bardot film, “And God Created Woman.” As showtime neared, the city stepped in forbidding the show until an agreed upon, “sharply edited” version finally played there in November 1958. That turned out to be one of the last movies for the Rebel as it was sold by Royal Circuit under the agreement that no further pictures would play there for five years.
The venue would be renamed as the McGinnis Building used for a newsstand, a realtor office, and a jeweler thereafter. It was torn down without returning to cinematic greatness. Royal would move the Rebel name to the Ritz Theatre, and after a refresh, the Rebel continued there using the same exterior “R"s that dated to the Rose in the 1930s and the Ritz, previously. The Rebel would go full-time adult / foreign film exhibition in its final days as the Rebel Art Cinema under its purchase by Gulf States The Rose/Ritz/Rebel/Rebel Art closed when the the Cinema Theatre was opened by the circuit elsewhere in town.
To locals, however, the building housing the Lomo for decades and the Rebel for just a few was generally referred to as the former Lomo Theatre upon its demolition.
Gulf States announced this venue in February of 1967 shortly after purchasing the Rebel Theatre elsewhere in town. It was built as an “upscale shopping center theater” with 750 rocker lounger seats and large screen. It launched as The Cinema Theater August 22, 1967 with Walt Disney’s “The Gnome Mobile.” The theatre was twinned beginning on June 12, 1981.
On March 5, 1982, Gulf States renamed the venue as the Hardy Street Cinemas 2. United Artists Theatre Circuit purchased Gulf States Theatres Inc. and its 52 theaters in December of 1986. United Artists officially took over the venue on February 12, 1987 as the UA Hardy Street Cinema 2 (often truncated in ads to the UA Hardy 2). United Artists closed the venue permanently on August 13, 1992 likely at the end of a 25-year leasing agreement with John Lithgow in “Raising Cain” and Geena Davis in “A League of Their Own.”
The facility became an auto dealer location the next year and later was a gaming venue known for laser tag. (BTW: The theater was never called the Hardy Court Twin which was a Plitt location in Gulfport.)
The Moonlite Drive-In opened on November 8, 1950 with “Peggy.” Taken over by Gulf States Theatre, the final night of operation turned out to be August 16, 1969 with a double feature of Alvy Moore in “The Witchmaker” and Mario Bava’s “Blood and Black Lace.” On August 17, 1969, Hurricane Camille destroyed the theatre.
The $60,000 drive-in was announced on a 30-year leasing agreement by Chester A. Knight in 1948. The ozoner opened to its 300-car capacity as the Gulf Coast Drive-In Theatre on May 18, 1948 with Dick Powell in “Johnny O'Clock.” Its 30x40' wood-framed screen was built by Dismuke Construction of Biloxi.
After a refresh, the theatre was doubled in size to accommodate 600 cars and became the Gulf Coast Do Drive-In Theatre in September of 1950. It then became the Do Drive-In. Though Gulf States Circuit took on operation of the Do, “Gulf Coast” was dropped from its name.
The Do Drive-In closed at the end of a 30-year lease on August 29, 1978 with Claude Brasseur in “Let’s Make A Dirty Movie” and Adam West in “The Specialist” claiming just that it was the end of season. Though negotiations for a new lease were perhaps entertained for a reopening, the Do didn’t and was done.
The original Joy Theatre in Moss Point was part of Joy Houck’s New Orleans Joy Theatre Circuit and launched on October 9, 1935 with the William A. Seiter directed film, “Orchids to You.” Within two months, fire destroyed both the theatre and the Spann-McRae Department store.
The Joy was rebuilt and relaunched as the New Joy Theatre on February 13, 1936 with Kay Francis in “I Found Stella Parish.” William M. Cook and his wife took over operation of the venue in the early 1950s equipping it for widescreen presentation of CinemaScope titles. The Joy burned down on December 31, 1958 just an hour after the final show played.
The Avenue was said to have closed January 2, 1977 due to code enforcement issues. The city essentially used eminent domain to condemn the property, order its demolition which was accompanied by a salvage sale. The property was used to make room for the Vieux Marché Mall / Shopping Center.
The Don Drive-In launches with Cornel Wilde in “Star of India” and Tony Martin in “Frontier Scout” on June 28, 1956. The Don closed gracefully with a super double feature of “Bad, Black and Beautiful” and “"Blood of the Dragon” on November 28, 1976 at the end of a 20-year lease and declining revenue. The former ozoner’s buildings were then hit by two fires in 1978 and 1979 followed by storm damage in 1985 that permanently ended things.
George W. Luce opened up his third theatre and this one was Aladdin’s Theatre in an existing space in the Harshman Building. The Aladdin appeared on August 27, 1931 with Laura La Plante in “Lonely Wives.” Just six months later, the Aladdin closed in February of 1932. On July 29, 1933, Gordon H. Cary took on the Aladdin. He equipped it with a Weber Synchrofilm Sound system for better audio fidelity and a Blizzard fan to better ventilate the venue. Its reopening film was Bob Steele in “The Fighting Champ.”
In 1940, it got a major streamline moderne makeover. On March 10, 1955, the theatre was equipped with widescreen projection to play CinemaScope titles beginning with “Knights of the Round Table.” But the combination of television and a 20% reduction in the town’s population that saw it sink to fewer than 900 residents led to the closure of the theatre. Cary closed the Aladdin on April 1, 1956 due to lack of patronage.
A new operator, Manuel Alvarez, reopened the Aladdin on August 3, 1956 with a sold-out sowing of Jack Palance in “Kiss of Fire.” But that outpouring of support was short-lived and Alvarez closed the Aladdin due to lack of patronage on December 30, 1957 with Shirley Jones in “Oklahoma!” in CinemaScope supported by a newsreel and a cartoon.
Prior to 1912, moving pictures were sporadically brought into to the town of Jet by traveling companies that furnished a generator. But that changed when a new build facility by W.E. George launched as the Wonderland Electric Theatre showing movies for a dime with a grand opening on September 12, 1912.
New operators refreshed the venue renaming it the Savoy Theatre featuring movies and a boxing vaudevillian kangaroo named “Battling Bob” Fitzsimmons, The Champion Boxing Kangaroo of the World on October 1, 1916. C.A. Hinshaw sold the venue to Roy Azbill in 1920 who closed the Savoy to extend the building and provide a better stage for vaudeville which would be programmed twice a month. Azbill’s grand opening of the Rex Theatre took place on June 10, 1920 with J. Warren Kerrigan in “Number 99.” The Rex closed April 7, 1923 with “Sylvia of the Secret Service.” The facility was retrofitted as a retail store likely on a 15-year lease.
In 1939, Nelson Smith and John Jordan took over the retail spot and relaunched it with sound as the new Rex Theatre. After the War, the town’s population decreased to under 400 residents and the advent of television posed a threat to the future of the Rex. Under operators James and Bob Henigman, the theatre got new projection and a curved screen to show CinemaScope films beginning after a refresh with “Ivanhoe” on February 18, 1954. The theatre closed April 19, 1955. The Henigmans relaunched the venue one last timein August of 1957 with theater closing permanently before year’s end.
The Pawnee Theatre neon signage was installed and ready to go but went unused when Fox bought the venue and changed its moniker to the Fox. The venue launched on November 24, 1929 with “Salute” as the Fox Theatre.
The Plaza Theatre was a new-build facility for T. Miller Davidge who held a naming contest to give a handle to the W. Scott Dunne architected venue. It launched as the Plaza Theatre which replaced the fire-damaged former Liberty/State Theatre which had been on the lot prior to its demolition. The fire took place on Halloween of 1934 closing the State Theatre permanently. It had become the State Theatre when John Terry took over the Liberty from Robb & Rowley and relaunched as the State Theatre on March 4, 1932 with “The Big Shot.” The Plaza opened July 3d, 1936.
The Ship Drive-In set sail on March 6, 1952 with Jane Frazee in “Rhythm Inn.” It appears to have ceased operation on December 14, 1963 with a double feature of “It Happened at the World’s Fair” and “The Young and The Brave” supported by a cartoon.
The Sky-Vu launched September 29, 1949 by T. Miller Davidge with Burt Lancaster in “Desert Fury” supported by a cartoon. It was demolished by a tornado on April 2, 1957. desert fury movie. The theatre was rebuilt relaunching as the Sky-Vu Drive-In relaunched on June 20, 1957 with “The Deadly Mantis” and “The Girl in the Kremlin.”
Repositioned by Gulf States Theatre Circuit on September 20, 1967 as the Rebel Art Theatre. It was closed permanently on April 11, 1968 with Fabian in “The Wild Racers.” Its phone number was moved to Gulf States' new Cinema Theatre which ostensibly replaced the Rebel Art later in 1968.
The Harkins Circuit announced in July of 2021 that it would close the theatre later that year. It felt that the cost of refurbishing the theater was too great and preferred to open a new-build, “start of the art” venue.
Lloyd Royal, Sr., of the Royal Circuit was operating here in 1932 and closed permanently at the end of a 25-year leasing agreement on March 23, 1957 after a double feature of “The Proud Ones” and “Tiger Claw.” The building was retrofitted for a bank in 1958.
The Rose Theatre opened in the early 1930s operating almost 20 years. Paramount-Richards Theatres Circuit closed both the Rose and the Buck theaters on September 10, 1949. After a refresh and under new ownerships, the theatre became the Ritz Theatre on March 1, 1950 with a double feature of “The Family Honeymoon” and “The Countess of Monte Cristo.”
Lloyd Royal of the Royal Circuit was bought out of his location a block away where he was operating the Rebel Theatre in December of 1958. So he moved the Rebel Theatre to the Ritz Theatre and reopened there after a refresh on Feb. 28, 1959 with the religious film, “I’ll Give My Life.”
The former Rose turned Ritz turned Rebel was purchased by Gulf States operating briefly as the Rebel Art Theatre showing adult/overseas titles. Gulf opened the new-build Cinema Theatre elsewhere in town and subsequently closed the Rebel which was later demolished. The Rebel’s former home at the Lomo was also demolished.
Edgar N. Hirsch launched the Gem Theatre on May 14, 1908 as a “strictly moral” movie house. It appears to have closed in 1918, likely at end of lease.
United Artists demoted the Cloverleaf Cinema to sub-run discount status in 1995 and dropped the theater in the Summer of 1996. Cinestar Theatres of Atlanta took on the venue on January 4, 1 997 resuming a discount policy at the 99 cent price point. The circuit closed the Cloverleaf on December 1, 2004 just months from the end of a 30-year lease.
The Star Theatre opens for African American audiences on November 23, 1944 at 312 Mobile Street getting a War-time exemption to use building materials in its creation. Live music was part of the mix as Tommie “T-Bone” Pruitt was a member of the regular house band. The theatre appears to have discontinued film exhibition in 1951.
The theatre had a grand reopening with films on April 12, 1954 with “Tumbleweed” and “Slaves of Babylon.” It was accompanied by an opening parade featuring the Royal Street and the Eureka bands. Films were once again apparently discontinued on June 13, 1961 with a double feature of “Beyond the Time Barrier” and “Journey to the Lost City” supported by a cartoon and short subject. The theatre hosted live African American wrestling and beauty pageants before closing altogether.`
Paramount-Richards Theatres Circuit listed the Buck at least back to 1938. The Circui tclosed by the Buck and the Rose theaters on September 10, 1949. While the Rose would find new life as the Ritz then Rebel (location #2), the Buck closed permanently with a double feature of Charles Sterrett in “The Durango Kid” and Smiley Burnett in “Quick on the Trigger” supported by the final chapter of the serial, “Bruce Gentry,” a cartoon and a newsreel.
In 1951, Hattiesburg Federal Savings and Loan bought the building and demolished it. There are no listings with Gulf States Theatres - just Paramount-Richards.
Lohmann and Mollere fused their name together to launch their Lomo Theater on September 7, 1910 on a 5-year lease. The establishment went bankrupt in 1914 and sold for just $670 at auction. After reopening, the winning bidders created a new-build venue launching as the New Lomo Theatre on West Pine on October 21, 1915 with its first feature Francis X. Bushman in “Second in Command.” The Gulf Arm & Creosoting Company – later Gulf Amusement Circuit – built the theater along with the Southern Metro Picture Corporation. It was located next to the office of the town’s streetcar operator, the Hattiesburg Traction Company. The theater remained silent closing in 1929.
Paramount-Gulf later decided to breathe new life in the venue equipping it for sound and a grand opening relaunch in 1933. It closed the Lomo there on July 14, 1950 likely at the end of lease with Roy Rogers in “Jeepers Creepers” supported by “Trail of the Hawk,” a Popeye cartoon and Chapter Five of “Invisible Monster.” (Give the Dome Theatre credit for continuing the serial from that point and getting the town’s moviegoers to the 12th and culminating episode.)
Lloyd Royal’s Royal Circuit - which had the original Royal in town back in 1914 - took on the venue and - after a significant refresh - reopened it as the Rebel Theatre on April 12, 1952 with Alan Young and Dinah Shore in “Aaron Slick from Punkin Crick.” The Rebel lived up to its name booking the racy Brigette Bardot film, “And God Created Woman.” As showtime neared, the city stepped in forbidding the show until an agreed upon, “sharply edited” version finally played there in November 1958. That turned out to be one of the last movies for the Rebel as it was sold by Royal Circuit under the agreement that no further pictures would play there for five years.
The venue would be renamed as the McGinnis Building used for a newsstand, a realtor office, and a jeweler thereafter. It was torn down without returning to cinematic greatness. Royal would move the Rebel name to the Ritz Theatre, and after a refresh, the Rebel continued there using the same exterior “R"s that dated to the Rose in the 1930s and the Ritz, previously. The Rebel would go full-time adult / foreign film exhibition in its final days as the Rebel Art Cinema under its purchase by Gulf States The Rose/Ritz/Rebel/Rebel Art closed when the the Cinema Theatre was opened by the circuit elsewhere in town.
To locals, however, the building housing the Lomo for decades and the Rebel for just a few was generally referred to as the former Lomo Theatre upon its demolition.
Gulf States announced this venue in February of 1967 shortly after purchasing the Rebel Theatre elsewhere in town. It was built as an “upscale shopping center theater” with 750 rocker lounger seats and large screen. It launched as The Cinema Theater August 22, 1967 with Walt Disney’s “The Gnome Mobile.” The theatre was twinned beginning on June 12, 1981.
On March 5, 1982, Gulf States renamed the venue as the Hardy Street Cinemas 2. United Artists Theatre Circuit purchased Gulf States Theatres Inc. and its 52 theaters in December of 1986. United Artists officially took over the venue on February 12, 1987 as the UA Hardy Street Cinema 2 (often truncated in ads to the UA Hardy 2). United Artists closed the venue permanently on August 13, 1992 likely at the end of a 25-year leasing agreement with John Lithgow in “Raising Cain” and Geena Davis in “A League of Their Own.”
The facility became an auto dealer location the next year and later was a gaming venue known for laser tag. (BTW: The theater was never called the Hardy Court Twin which was a Plitt location in Gulfport.)
The Moonlite Drive-In opened on November 8, 1950 with “Peggy.” Taken over by Gulf States Theatre, the final night of operation turned out to be August 16, 1969 with a double feature of Alvy Moore in “The Witchmaker” and Mario Bava’s “Blood and Black Lace.” On August 17, 1969, Hurricane Camille destroyed the theatre.
The $60,000 drive-in was announced on a 30-year leasing agreement by Chester A. Knight in 1948. The ozoner opened to its 300-car capacity as the Gulf Coast Drive-In Theatre on May 18, 1948 with Dick Powell in “Johnny O'Clock.” Its 30x40' wood-framed screen was built by Dismuke Construction of Biloxi.
After a refresh, the theatre was doubled in size to accommodate 600 cars and became the Gulf Coast Do Drive-In Theatre in September of 1950. It then became the Do Drive-In. Though Gulf States Circuit took on operation of the Do, “Gulf Coast” was dropped from its name.
The Do Drive-In closed at the end of a 30-year lease on August 29, 1978 with Claude Brasseur in “Let’s Make A Dirty Movie” and Adam West in “The Specialist” claiming just that it was the end of season. Though negotiations for a new lease were perhaps entertained for a reopening, the Do didn’t and was done.
The original Joy Theatre in Moss Point was part of Joy Houck’s New Orleans Joy Theatre Circuit and launched on October 9, 1935 with the William A. Seiter directed film, “Orchids to You.” Within two months, fire destroyed both the theatre and the Spann-McRae Department store.
The Joy was rebuilt and relaunched as the New Joy Theatre on February 13, 1936 with Kay Francis in “I Found Stella Parish.” William M. Cook and his wife took over operation of the venue in the early 1950s equipping it for widescreen presentation of CinemaScope titles. The Joy burned down on December 31, 1958 just an hour after the final show played.
The Bayview Theatre launched on November 30, 1946 with Vivian Leigh in “Caesar and Cleopatra.”
The Avenue was said to have closed January 2, 1977 due to code enforcement issues. The city essentially used eminent domain to condemn the property, order its demolition which was accompanied by a salvage sale. The property was used to make room for the Vieux Marché Mall / Shopping Center.
The Don Drive-In launches with Cornel Wilde in “Star of India” and Tony Martin in “Frontier Scout” on June 28, 1956. The Don closed gracefully with a super double feature of “Bad, Black and Beautiful” and “"Blood of the Dragon” on November 28, 1976 at the end of a 20-year lease and declining revenue. The former ozoner’s buildings were then hit by two fires in 1978 and 1979 followed by storm damage in 1985 that permanently ended things.
The Don Drive-In launches with Cornel Wilde in “Star of India” and Tony Martin in “Frontier Scout” on June 28, 1956.
Great stuff… that certainly puts it on Main Street.
George W. Luce opened up his third theatre and this one was Aladdin’s Theatre in an existing space in the Harshman Building. The Aladdin appeared on August 27, 1931 with Laura La Plante in “Lonely Wives.” Just six months later, the Aladdin closed in February of 1932. On July 29, 1933, Gordon H. Cary took on the Aladdin. He equipped it with a Weber Synchrofilm Sound system for better audio fidelity and a Blizzard fan to better ventilate the venue. Its reopening film was Bob Steele in “The Fighting Champ.”
In 1940, it got a major streamline moderne makeover. On March 10, 1955, the theatre was equipped with widescreen projection to play CinemaScope titles beginning with “Knights of the Round Table.” But the combination of television and a 20% reduction in the town’s population that saw it sink to fewer than 900 residents led to the closure of the theatre. Cary closed the Aladdin on April 1, 1956 due to lack of patronage.
A new operator, Manuel Alvarez, reopened the Aladdin on August 3, 1956 with a sold-out sowing of Jack Palance in “Kiss of Fire.” But that outpouring of support was short-lived and Alvarez closed the Aladdin due to lack of patronage on December 30, 1957 with Shirley Jones in “Oklahoma!” in CinemaScope supported by a newsreel and a cartoon.
Prior to 1912, moving pictures were sporadically brought into to the town of Jet by traveling companies that furnished a generator. But that changed when a new build facility by W.E. George launched as the Wonderland Electric Theatre showing movies for a dime with a grand opening on September 12, 1912.
New operators refreshed the venue renaming it the Savoy Theatre featuring movies and a boxing vaudevillian kangaroo named “Battling Bob” Fitzsimmons, The Champion Boxing Kangaroo of the World on October 1, 1916. C.A. Hinshaw sold the venue to Roy Azbill in 1920 who closed the Savoy to extend the building and provide a better stage for vaudeville which would be programmed twice a month. Azbill’s grand opening of the Rex Theatre took place on June 10, 1920 with J. Warren Kerrigan in “Number 99.” The Rex closed April 7, 1923 with “Sylvia of the Secret Service.” The facility was retrofitted as a retail store likely on a 15-year lease.
In 1939, Nelson Smith and John Jordan took over the retail spot and relaunched it with sound as the new Rex Theatre. After the War, the town’s population decreased to under 400 residents and the advent of television posed a threat to the future of the Rex. Under operators James and Bob Henigman, the theatre got new projection and a curved screen to show CinemaScope films beginning after a refresh with “Ivanhoe” on February 18, 1954. The theatre closed April 19, 1955. The Henigmans relaunched the venue one last timein August of 1957 with theater closing permanently before year’s end.
In reorganization during bankruptcy, the circuit promised the rebirth of this location in late summer or early fall of 2021.
The Pawnee Theatre neon signage was installed and ready to go but went unused when Fox bought the venue and changed its moniker to the Fox. The venue launched on November 24, 1929 with “Salute” as the Fox Theatre.