Miller, Martin and Lewis 1936 streamline moderne refresh architectural sketch in photos. The Venue closed January 26, 1958 with “Maked Paradise” and “The Flesh and the Spur”
Robert Dillon promoted art films as he did art in the lobby there and with his work at the Dilfin Art Gallery. But he simply ran out of money on his three-year art experiment from 1952 to 1955. The Avon closed permanently on November 28, 1955. He left the note, “We wish to thank our patrons for the last three years of operations. We hope that this type of theater can continue in the future under another sponsorship.”
Sadly, the final film shown was the four-wall, “Mom and Dad,” the highest profit film in the Golden Age of Hollywood from production cost to profit. And - yes - the an Elliot Forbes was there in person.The final film was to have been Machiko Kyo in “Gate of Hell” so if intent is of import, we can call it the final film in their heart.
Cinema West closed at the 15-year opt out of its leasing agreement on Labor Day, September 3, 1984 with “Footloose” and “Seven Magnificent Gladiators.”
The Avondale Theater was listed in 1934 and likely dates back further perhaps as an African American theater. The place was raided in 1935 for indecency - which it then advertised that same year. The Avondale Theatre closed permanently on October 20, 1952 with “The Frogmen.” It became a house of worship thereafter known as the Birmingham Revival Center.
The Newmar Theatre was created in a theater previously known as the Capitol Theatre in December of 1948 by the Waters Theatre Circuit. They gave the Cap a brand new streamline moderne makeover erasing the theater’s silent-era Alcazar and sound-era Capitol past. The fun began on December 10, 1948 with Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.“ The fun ended on August 30, 1959 with "12 Great Rock and Roll Hits” and “Go, Johnny, Go.” And go they did. The building was retrofitted for a clothing store.
Guessy date of 1955 and guessy hopeful factoid that it was once again the Capitol Theatre above - in error.
The Galax was closed by John Douglas - also of the Acme - as a second-run neighborhood house on July 7, 1951 following a midnight show of Roy Rogers in “Trail of Robin Hood” and John Wayne in “The Fighting Kentuckian.”
The paper reports that the theater closed at the opt out of a 15-year leasing agreement on December 16, 2001 with Carmike closing with “Monsters, Inc.”, “Out Cold”, “Black Knight”, “Spy Game”, and “Shallow Hal”. Carmike had taken on the venue after the theater’s fifth anniversary on November 16, 1991 operating to closure. Barnes and Noble took on the spot and sprinted out during an opt out in 2011 with the Mall in full scale retreat already in greyfield or “dead mall” status. Demolished - technically twice - after the Mall closed in December of 2019.
Again - not that it matters much - but just to restate that the theater was open at the time of the fire and burned down with the marquee blazing: Happy Holidays - “Jerrimiah Johnson” and “The Macintosh Man” on December 11, 1974 and eerily illuminated during the fire making for very dramatic photos. (Mann, a chain operator closed on New Year’s Eve in 1973, and an independent reopened there two weeks later in January of 1974 to the ending fire the next December)
Cooper Foundation closed the Broadway in April of 1961 before subleasing it to Earl Nansel on a sublease in June of 1961. He threw in. the towel April 21, 1963 with “Courtship of Eddie’s Father” followed by a live beauty contest. It was leased for a grocer in 1964.
Nicholas Amos and the estate of N.P. Dodge razed the Revere Hotel for a new build theater, his third in Council Bluffs but first new-build in 1911. The architect was F.E. Cox. Amos opened November 30, 1911 - Thanksgiving - with an address by Mayor Thomas Maloney, five acts of vaudeville from the Sullivan and Considine Vaudeville Circuit, and the latest in motion pictures. Anton Gundrum operated the adjoining confectionery which served as the theater’s de facto concession stand. Frank Blank operated the humidor called The Puff.
The Nicholas Theatre was taken on by new operators. They rented it the more patriots Liberty Theatre beginning April 27, 1918 with “The Man Without a Country.” The Liberty closed in 1967. It was taken on for a nightclub called The Psychedelic Wheel on December 6, 1967. They lasted less than a year. Kenneth Claypool took on the venue on November 27, 1968 under the nameplate of the Iowa Theatre with “Gone with the Wind."On November 20, 1969, the Iowa found out that families weren’t supporting the old venue.
On December 5, 1972, the venue went for promo chic programming as the Crest Theatre beginning with “Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers” and “Good Morning and Goodbye!” Just months later, the City attempted to say the films were obscene to no avail. County Attorney David Richter went after the Crest in 1984 again seizing a film but unable to make a charge stick.
In 1985, the Crest was slated for redevelopment. And money talked with the operators, Joella Cohen and Jordin Ginsberg, selling outright for $110,000 in 1985. The theater close just after its 64th Anniversary on November 23, 1985. The next day a fixture / salvage sale was held with everything from the seats to the projectors sold “cheap!” The theater was torched on February 4, 1986 prior to demolition. The remains were taken away that summer.
The Omni Theatre had four auditoriums of 285, 257, 255 and 226 or 1,023 total. It was designed for the West Side of the Midlands Mall under the Sears anchor store.
Mall of the Bluffs Cinema 2 and 2 was part of Kroh Brothers of Kansas City’s expansion in 1976. The Cinema joined Coco’s and Rueben’s restaurants. Architect Lowry C. Gilbert and Associates drawing is in photos.
As noted above and in the photos, the Strand was still in operation when the fire struck and eerily the marquee stayed lit as the fire was raging. Joella Cohen ran it independently two weeks after Mann closed on December 31, 1973. The last films were “Jerrimiah Johnson” and “The Macintosh Man” on December 11, 1974.
This is your Robert O. Boller designed theater (see photos) with its exterior in Colonial style and interior in Southwestern style flourished by Taos artist Llloyd Moylan’s murals reflecting pioneer days (that’s according to Boller if you want to go with his notes on the theater’s style). The entire concept was commissioned by developer Harry Jacobs. Also the opening date was March 6, 1937 with James Cagney in “The Great Guy” for Mutual Theatres and Brookside Theatres. Operators W.D. Fulton and Stanley H. Schwartz ran into difficulty closing the house November 21, 1937 with “Trader Horn” and “Footloose Heiress” ending their operation after just eight months. Fulton and Schwartz also operated the Tivoli, LaSalle, Mokan, Southtown and Colonial theaters.
Fox took on the venue’s lease and refreshed it with more streamline moderne features including its exterior signage at its reopening as the Fox Brookside on February 13, 1938 with Alice Faye in “Your a Sweetheart.” Arguably, the biggest booking to date was a coup and one of the Brookside’s biggest bookings - March 27, 1959 - the 70mm presentation of “Sleeping Beauty” before the downtown houses. Like many old houses, the Brookside devolved missing its 40th anniversary target.
It was set to receive new life as a nightclub when fire broke out in the barbecue restaurant decimating parts of the Boller-designed plaza in January of 1978. Despite the amazing photos showing the destruction, the building remained standing and a point of some intrigue for a full year. Why? The theaters front and lobby was destroyed beyond repair. Yet, the auditorium was spared from damage other than water (and neglect over the years) so there was discussion about saving the theater’s auditorium and cobbling together the nightclub with the remaining elements. But then a salvage sale was held and the theater razed about a year after the blaze.
The ridiculously long-running theater, the Trail Ridge Theatres 3 / Trailridge Cinema operated 32 years until January 29, 2007. The venue was announced in 1974 as part of the planned rustic, Trailridge Shopping Center in Shawnee. Linclay Contracting Corporation built the strip center minus the rustic look (other than the plaza’s signage) with the Trail Ridge Cinema opening March 21, 1975 for Guy-Con Theatres with “4 Musketeers,” “Island at the Top of the World” and “Girls in Trouble.”
On April 6, 1977, Commonwealth Theatres Circuit took over all nine of Guy-Con’s screens including the Trail Ridge’s becoming the Trail Ridge Theatres 3. The triplex was challenged by a new group of multiplexes with five to eight screens. On May 28, 1982, Commonwealth downgraded the venue to a discount, sub-run $1 house which it retained for the next 25 years.
On February 10, 1988, United Artists took on Commonwealth locations including the Trail Ridge. The UA Trail Ridge 3 continued the $1 all seats policy. In September of 1990, the theatre lost the space between Trail and Ridge finally adopting the center’s name as the UA Trailridge while raising the price 50 cents before returning to a dollar. UA was ready to leave at the end of its lease in 1993 but was encouraged to re-up for three more years. UA left the house on March 10, 1996 making no improvements.
The shopping center management found independent Ron Willard willing to take on the venue. He rebooted at a penny cheaper - 99 cents for all seats - on May 23, 1996 sporting the tagline, “Cleaned up; painted up; lighted up!” Clearly a shot at UATC which had let the venue run down as it counted the days to the lease’s expiry. Willard ran the venue under The name of the name of the Trailridge Cinema.
“Rocky Horror Picture Show” $3 midnight screenings ran for 196 weeks until the theater became damaged by overzealous “Rocky” fans. In 2001, Willard gave the theater its final refresh and announced no more “Rocky Horror” screenings for the good of the facility. The Trailridge Cinema closed on January 29, 2007. The plaza’s owners couldn’t find another theater owner wanting to operate a 32-year old triplex so they found a tax-friendly solution in moving it to a church in 2012.
Kroh Brothers Development launched the Ward Parkway Shopping Center in 1959 as an enclosed shopping Mall but theatre-less. That changed with the opening of the Parkway Theatres One and Two by Shopping Center Theaters, Inc. / Durwood Theatres, the precursors to AMC on July 12th, 1963.
The venue closed as the Parkway 2 under the renamed American Multi Cinema (AMC) on April 26, 1977 with “The Seven-Per-Cent Solution” and “The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother.” The venue was to be be replaced by a Kroh Brothers Development second floor food court and multiplex theater in 1978. The $500,000 project started and stalled leaving the Ward Parkway Mall theatre-less until th Mall was able to sever relations with the Kroh Brothers in 1987. That paved the way for a major multiplex that was built in 1991 and opened November 22d.
Miller, Martin and Lewis 1936 streamline moderne refresh architectural sketch in photos. The Venue closed January 26, 1958 with “Maked Paradise” and “The Flesh and the Spur”
Robert Dillon promoted art films as he did art in the lobby there and with his work at the Dilfin Art Gallery. But he simply ran out of money on his three-year art experiment from 1952 to 1955. The Avon closed permanently on November 28, 1955. He left the note, “We wish to thank our patrons for the last three years of operations. We hope that this type of theater can continue in the future under another sponsorship.”
Sadly, the final film shown was the four-wall, “Mom and Dad,” the highest profit film in the Golden Age of Hollywood from production cost to profit. And - yes - the an Elliot Forbes was there in person.The final film was to have been Machiko Kyo in “Gate of Hell” so if intent is of import, we can call it the final film in their heart.
Advertisements end with the October 31, 1952 showing of “King Kong.”
Closed as the Cobb Midfield 6 theater on Jan. 2, 1996.
The Eastwood Mall Twin Theatre closed at the expiry of a 25-year leasing agreement with “Disorganized Crime” and “Major League.”
Cinema West closed at the 15-year opt out of its leasing agreement on Labor Day, September 3, 1984 with “Footloose” and “Seven Magnificent Gladiators.”
The Avondale Theater was listed in 1934 and likely dates back further perhaps as an African American theater. The place was raided in 1935 for indecency - which it then advertised that same year. The Avondale Theatre closed permanently on October 20, 1952 with “The Frogmen.” It became a house of worship thereafter known as the Birmingham Revival Center.
Carmike closed here as a discount, $1 house on June 4, 1998 at the opt out of a leasing period at the 15-year mark.
Cobb closed the Cinema City as a second-run, discount house on Labor Day, September 3, 1990 “temporarily.” That proved to be the end of the line.
The Newmar Theatre was created in a theater previously known as the Capitol Theatre in December of 1948 by the Waters Theatre Circuit. They gave the Cap a brand new streamline moderne makeover erasing the theater’s silent-era Alcazar and sound-era Capitol past. The fun began on December 10, 1948 with Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.“ The fun ended on August 30, 1959 with "12 Great Rock and Roll Hits” and “Go, Johnny, Go.” And go they did. The building was retrofitted for a clothing store.
Guessy date of 1955 and guessy hopeful factoid that it was once again the Capitol Theatre above - in error.
The Galax was closed by John Douglas - also of the Acme - as a second-run neighborhood house on July 7, 1951 following a midnight show of Roy Rogers in “Trail of Robin Hood” and John Wayne in “The Fighting Kentuckian.”
Grand opening ad July 7, 1939 of Auto Movies No. 1 with Frederic March in “There Goes My Heart” is in photos.
The paper reports that the theater closed at the opt out of a 15-year leasing agreement on December 16, 2001 with Carmike closing with “Monsters, Inc.”, “Out Cold”, “Black Knight”, “Spy Game”, and “Shallow Hal”. Carmike had taken on the venue after the theater’s fifth anniversary on November 16, 1991 operating to closure. Barnes and Noble took on the spot and sprinted out during an opt out in 2011 with the Mall in full scale retreat already in greyfield or “dead mall” status. Demolished - technically twice - after the Mall closed in December of 2019.
Again - not that it matters much - but just to restate that the theater was open at the time of the fire and burned down with the marquee blazing: Happy Holidays - “Jerrimiah Johnson” and “The Macintosh Man” on December 11, 1974 and eerily illuminated during the fire making for very dramatic photos. (Mann, a chain operator closed on New Year’s Eve in 1973, and an independent reopened there two weeks later in January of 1974 to the ending fire the next December)
Cooper Foundation closed the Broadway in April of 1961 before subleasing it to Earl Nansel on a sublease in June of 1961. He threw in. the towel April 21, 1963 with “Courtship of Eddie’s Father” followed by a live beauty contest. It was leased for a grocer in 1964.
Nicholas Amos and the estate of N.P. Dodge razed the Revere Hotel for a new build theater, his third in Council Bluffs but first new-build in 1911. The architect was F.E. Cox. Amos opened November 30, 1911 - Thanksgiving - with an address by Mayor Thomas Maloney, five acts of vaudeville from the Sullivan and Considine Vaudeville Circuit, and the latest in motion pictures. Anton Gundrum operated the adjoining confectionery which served as the theater’s de facto concession stand. Frank Blank operated the humidor called The Puff.
The Nicholas Theatre was taken on by new operators. They rented it the more patriots Liberty Theatre beginning April 27, 1918 with “The Man Without a Country.” The Liberty closed in 1967. It was taken on for a nightclub called The Psychedelic Wheel on December 6, 1967. They lasted less than a year. Kenneth Claypool took on the venue on November 27, 1968 under the nameplate of the Iowa Theatre with “Gone with the Wind."On November 20, 1969, the Iowa found out that families weren’t supporting the old venue.
On December 5, 1972, the venue went for promo chic programming as the Crest Theatre beginning with “Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers” and “Good Morning and Goodbye!” Just months later, the City attempted to say the films were obscene to no avail. County Attorney David Richter went after the Crest in 1984 again seizing a film but unable to make a charge stick.
In 1985, the Crest was slated for redevelopment. And money talked with the operators, Joella Cohen and Jordin Ginsberg, selling outright for $110,000 in 1985. The theater close just after its 64th Anniversary on November 23, 1985. The next day a fixture / salvage sale was held with everything from the seats to the projectors sold “cheap!” The theater was torched on February 4, 1986 prior to demolition. The remains were taken away that summer.
The Omni Theatre had four auditoriums of 285, 257, 255 and 226 or 1,023 total. It was designed for the West Side of the Midlands Mall under the Sears anchor store.
Mall of the Bluffs Cinema 2 and 2 was part of Kroh Brothers of Kansas City’s expansion in 1976. The Cinema joined Coco’s and Rueben’s restaurants. Architect Lowry C. Gilbert and Associates drawing is in photos.
As noted above and in the photos, the Strand was still in operation when the fire struck and eerily the marquee stayed lit as the fire was raging. Joella Cohen ran it independently two weeks after Mann closed on December 31, 1973. The last films were “Jerrimiah Johnson” and “The Macintosh Man” on December 11, 1974.
Photo as the Bijou Cinema (should be also known as) from January 1972 in photos.
A picture operating as Teatro Tapia - an homage to the venerable Puerto Rican venue of the same name - from 1972 is in phots.
This is your Robert O. Boller designed theater (see photos) with its exterior in Colonial style and interior in Southwestern style flourished by Taos artist Llloyd Moylan’s murals reflecting pioneer days (that’s according to Boller if you want to go with his notes on the theater’s style). The entire concept was commissioned by developer Harry Jacobs. Also the opening date was March 6, 1937 with James Cagney in “The Great Guy” for Mutual Theatres and Brookside Theatres. Operators W.D. Fulton and Stanley H. Schwartz ran into difficulty closing the house November 21, 1937 with “Trader Horn” and “Footloose Heiress” ending their operation after just eight months. Fulton and Schwartz also operated the Tivoli, LaSalle, Mokan, Southtown and Colonial theaters.
Fox took on the venue’s lease and refreshed it with more streamline moderne features including its exterior signage at its reopening as the Fox Brookside on February 13, 1938 with Alice Faye in “Your a Sweetheart.” Arguably, the biggest booking to date was a coup and one of the Brookside’s biggest bookings - March 27, 1959 - the 70mm presentation of “Sleeping Beauty” before the downtown houses. Like many old houses, the Brookside devolved missing its 40th anniversary target.
It was set to receive new life as a nightclub when fire broke out in the barbecue restaurant decimating parts of the Boller-designed plaza in January of 1978. Despite the amazing photos showing the destruction, the building remained standing and a point of some intrigue for a full year. Why? The theaters front and lobby was destroyed beyond repair. Yet, the auditorium was spared from damage other than water (and neglect over the years) so there was discussion about saving the theater’s auditorium and cobbling together the nightclub with the remaining elements. But then a salvage sale was held and the theater razed about a year after the blaze.
The ridiculously long-running theater, the Trail Ridge Theatres 3 / Trailridge Cinema operated 32 years until January 29, 2007. The venue was announced in 1974 as part of the planned rustic, Trailridge Shopping Center in Shawnee. Linclay Contracting Corporation built the strip center minus the rustic look (other than the plaza’s signage) with the Trail Ridge Cinema opening March 21, 1975 for Guy-Con Theatres with “4 Musketeers,” “Island at the Top of the World” and “Girls in Trouble.”
On April 6, 1977, Commonwealth Theatres Circuit took over all nine of Guy-Con’s screens including the Trail Ridge’s becoming the Trail Ridge Theatres 3. The triplex was challenged by a new group of multiplexes with five to eight screens. On May 28, 1982, Commonwealth downgraded the venue to a discount, sub-run $1 house which it retained for the next 25 years.
On February 10, 1988, United Artists took on Commonwealth locations including the Trail Ridge. The UA Trail Ridge 3 continued the $1 all seats policy. In September of 1990, the theatre lost the space between Trail and Ridge finally adopting the center’s name as the UA Trailridge while raising the price 50 cents before returning to a dollar. UA was ready to leave at the end of its lease in 1993 but was encouraged to re-up for three more years. UA left the house on March 10, 1996 making no improvements.
The shopping center management found independent Ron Willard willing to take on the venue. He rebooted at a penny cheaper - 99 cents for all seats - on May 23, 1996 sporting the tagline, “Cleaned up; painted up; lighted up!” Clearly a shot at UATC which had let the venue run down as it counted the days to the lease’s expiry. Willard ran the venue under The name of the name of the Trailridge Cinema.
“Rocky Horror Picture Show” $3 midnight screenings ran for 196 weeks until the theater became damaged by overzealous “Rocky” fans. In 2001, Willard gave the theater its final refresh and announced no more “Rocky Horror” screenings for the good of the facility. The Trailridge Cinema closed on January 29, 2007. The plaza’s owners couldn’t find another theater owner wanting to operate a 32-year old triplex so they found a tax-friendly solution in moving it to a church in 2012.
Closed December 30, 2024 with “Sonic 3” and “Mufasa.”
Kroh Brothers Development launched the Ward Parkway Shopping Center in 1959 as an enclosed shopping Mall but theatre-less. That changed with the opening of the Parkway Theatres One and Two by Shopping Center Theaters, Inc. / Durwood Theatres, the precursors to AMC on July 12th, 1963.
The venue closed as the Parkway 2 under the renamed American Multi Cinema (AMC) on April 26, 1977 with “The Seven-Per-Cent Solution” and “The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother.” The venue was to be be replaced by a Kroh Brothers Development second floor food court and multiplex theater in 1978. The $500,000 project started and stalled leaving the Ward Parkway Mall theatre-less until th Mall was able to sever relations with the Kroh Brothers in 1987. That paved the way for a major multiplex that was built in 1991 and opened November 22d.