The Treasure Village Shopping Center on Buford Highway was anchored by a new-build Jerry Lewis Cinema. By the time the venue opened, Network Cinema’s phones were disconnected and Jerry Lewis had ankled the project. Star Cinemas took on this location just three months after it had opened along the Jerry Lewis Old Dixie, Mableton, and Roswell locations in May of 1973. It was renamed as the Buford Highway Twin Cinema I & II.
In 1975, the venues were then under the Septum Twin Cinemas / Septum Cinemas banner. “Star Wars” had a record run there making over $150,000 23 weeks playing in Dolby Stereo from December 23, 1977. As competition increased, the venue used one auditorium for X-rated fare beginning in the 1980s which had an amazing ten-plus year run. In 1991, the venue began booking Indian films under Monty Hadda’s watch which proved so popular that others copied the move. The Buford would move back to full time adult cinema capping an amazing run in June of 2015. Considering that 185 out of 200 Jerry Lewis locations reportedly lost money, the Buford and the Roswell locations were easily two of the Jerry Lewis Cinema Circuit’s most profitable locations that stayed with their original screen count.
The December 17, 1971 Grand Opening ad of the Jerry Lewis Twin Cinema in Mableton with “Evel Knievel” in Mableton I Auditorium and “A Boy Named Charlie Brown” in Mableton II Auditorium is posted in photos. Star Cinemas took on this location and the Jerry Lewis Old Dixie, Buford Highway, Snellville, and Rosswell locations in May of 1973 with Lewis and Network Cinema out of business and under legal challenges. Other operators followed suite around the country. This location was renamed as the Mableton Twin Cinema I & II by Star Cinemas.
In 1974, the venues were then under the Septum Twin Cinemas / Septum Cinemas banner. In 1978, the venue became the Mableton Triple Cinema I, II & III. After Septum moved on form the location in 1982, new operators renamed it as the Mableton Hilltop Cinema through 1984. It then became the Hilltop Family Cinema late in 1984. Jack and Phyllis Hubbard operated it for many years. The venue has since closed.
The architect of the Canton Village Shopping Center location of this Jerry Lewis Cinema was W.J. Ostrowski for operator Richard T. Hooker Sr. & Associates. Seat count was 350. Franchise owner Murray Levine left the operation here and in Suffield, South Windsor and Manchester reportedly without paying rent in 1978. Sheriff Richard Ostop served the papers and then ran the theater in hopes of paying of the creditors as the renamed Canton Village Cinema on March 23, 1978 and closing in 1979, as noted above.
The Hunting Ridge Mall was announced at 448 Post Road in 1970 with an A&P anchoring the 15-store plaza. The Mall was constructed in 1971 and a 350-seat automated Jerry Lewis Cinema was an original tenant. The venue launched after a significant delay on October 25, 1972 with Robert Redford in “The Candidate.” As the theatre was preparing its launch, it received a unanimous thumbs down from the city’s zoning board on operating with matinees due to parking concerns. That rule was overturned in December of 1972.
Meanwhile, over at Jerry Lewis Cinemas Inc. and its parent company, Network Cinema, things weren’t going too well. Lawsuits were piling up in late-1972 against the circuit for price gouging, lack of support, and inflated claims. This location was probably not too happy about falling behind schedule for nearly a year. 1973 brought Jerry Lewis parting ways with the dying concept and Network Cinema’s bankruptcy. On April 5th, 1973, Network Cinema’s phones were disconnected.
Give this location credit for dumping the Lewis name within just two months of its opening date. On December 22, 1972, the venue was renamed as Cinema 22 and the family-friendly policy espoused by Mr. Lewis was over quickly. The venue showed a double feature of “Swinging Stewardesses” and “Swinging Pussycats” just two weeks later. Though it was in keeping with the “porno chic” era of cinema exhibition, this was not what the Hunting Ridge Mall bargained for. “Gone With the Wind” was replaced with “The Sensuous Teenager” and “Love Under 17.”
The venue was operated by the Brandt Circuit from 1973 until its closure on Labor Day, September 7, 1987 with “Hamburger Hill.
This theater opened in Beaver, West Virginia (zip code 25813) about 1.2 miles from Glen Rogers and operated with the same owner in Stanley Walker. The theatre transitioned to widescreen projection to show CinemaScope titles in 1955. The Beaver closed in 1958.
The AMC Cantera 30 launched at the height of the mega-led boom. Announced in 1996, the venue launched on March 20, 1998. In 2005, AMC merged with the Loews Circuit. In 2007, the Cantera was renamed as the AMC Loews Cantera 30. In 2010, AMC acquired the Kerasotes Circuit of theaters causing competition issues. On June 28, 2010, AMC sold four locations to Regal to be in compliance including the Cantera.
On July 12, 2010, the venue was renamed as the Regal Cantera 30. Regal was neither a proponent nor practitioner of 24+ screen megaplexes. A deal was consummated in 2011 with Regal off-loading 13 screens carving up the property - a move that had occurred in a number of other AMC 24+ locations. On September 30, 2011, the downsized venue became the Regal Cantera Stadium 17 and, in 2013, it added an RPX screens as the renamed Regal Cantera Stadium & RPX. The Main Event upscale arcade took on the 13-screen area redeveloping it for its newest location that launched in September of 2014.
Regal closed the Cantera on March 16, 2020 for the COVD-19 pandemic along with all other hardtop theaters. The venue reopened in September of 2020 but closed again on October 8, 2020 along with the Cineworld / Regal locations again due to COVID-19. The venue reopened in 2021.
The Colonial Theatre ended is 67-year run on July 6, 1969 with a great run of “Oliver!” It had a salvage sale and was bulldozed for a parking area early in 1970. Thieves took the four, 750-pound brass doors prior to the demolition.
The Rubber City Theatre was one of the earliest dedicated movie houses in Akron’s history launching here on September 5, 1907 by Frank Dauria with motion pictures and illustrated songs. The theater was located at 292 South Main Street in downtown Akron. The Rubber City claimed to have the longest show for five cents. In 1909, the venue was renamed as the Vaudette Theatre under new ownership.
The Vaudette was offered for sale and, under new owners, became the Dome Theater in 1913. The long-running Dome ran under Allen T. Simmons watch until July 4, 1929. The theatre was dynamited along with the Allen, Ideal, Gem, National, Dayton and the Liberty theaters for suspected non-union workers. The Dome was demolished two months later. Another long-running theater just two blocks away, the Dreamland, would announce its closure two months later.
The Rondo Theatre opened in October of 1911. It was wired for sound in 1929 under the name of the Lyric Theater. The Park Theater Company reduced it to weekend only operations in 1951 but was closed in 1957.
Charles A. Barbarian opened the Waldorf Theatre on June 19, 1913 with live stage plays. Ike Friedman turned the theater toward profit when he converted it to a full-time movie house. In the 1920s, under competition from far better movie palaces, the Waldorf sank to third-tier films and exploitation fare.
Under new operators M.M. Federhar and Roy Bode, the Waldorf installed sound equipment to remain somewhat viable. It closed with a four-wall exploitation film, “Sex Madness” on June 30, 1931. The theatre’s contents were then auctioned off on July 14, 1931 including the “talkie equipment”, seats, piano and “picture machine” as the venue was dismantled.
The Al-Stan Auto Theater’s May 26, 1948, Grand Opening ad with Zachary Scott in “The Southerner” supported by shorts including The Hoosier Hotshots in “Hoosier Holiday” and “Hoosier Holiday” in photos.
According to Box Office Magazine, this venue opened as Rand Theatres Circuit’s first Texas location on March 15, 1988. It definitely launched as a Rand Theatre but no confirmation of date.
The Kenyon Opera House was opened on December 23, 1912. On March 20, 1913 with a different manager, the venue became the Penn Avenue Theater. The venue got a refresh less than a year into its run and relaunched as the Pitt Theatre again with live fare on September 6, 1913.
In photos, there is an October 19, 1914 grand reopening ad as the Miles Theatre, under the watch of Charles H. Miles. The Miles actually had a soft launch on October 9, 1914 with a giant electronic board and simulcast of the first game of the 1914 World Series baseball game between the Philadelphia A’s and the visiting Boston Braves. The first movie was shown the next day on October 10th with live bulletins of the Pitt college football game win versus Navy. An announced October 12, 1914 grand opening did not take place but did a week later on October 19, 1914 with live vaudeville and short films interspersed between acts. Miles' vaudeville attendance began to slip the next year.
By all reports, Miles ostensibly skipped town on December 11, 1915 leaving performers unpaid and ticket holders angry for the next day’s matinee. William Moore Patch picked up the pieces and reverted the venue back to the Pitt Theatre on January 17 1916 with the World War I film, Fighting for France.“ However, the Pitt would move back into its roots as a legit house primarily through 1934. In August of 1934, the venue went back to vaudeville and movies. A brief return to legit plays in 1935 was unsuccessful and the venue dropped live perfs and ran third-run double feature films and then triple feature grind runs.
Ohio-based Skirball Brothers Circuit took on the Pitt Theatre and renamed it after a refresh as the Barry Theatre on February 28, 1936 with a double feature of Will Rogers in “Steamboat Around the Bend” and Joan Bennett in “She Couldn’t Take It.” The Barry operated in to closure on May 29, 1951 with Sunny Knight in “Midnight Frolics” & Wayne Morris in “The Tougher They Come”. It was demolished in 1952 for a parking garage.
Opened as Crow Canyon Cinemas 6 - previous name listed as “Crow Stadium 6” is in error. The venue closed for over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic from March 16, 2020 to May 21, 2021 when it reopened. Regal closed here permanently September 14, 2022 (add year).
The theatre was opened by Festival Theatres on December 21, 1984. It became Mann’s Crow Canyon on October 4, 1996. In April of 2000, Signature bought the Mann locations in Northern California including the Festival and the Crown Canyon. Regal bought Signature Theaters in November of 2004.
A.C. Winter launched the New Winter Theatre on March 7, 1912. He would go on to run the Bank Theatre and took over the Norka Theatre in 1913. The “New” was dropped and the Winter Theatre continued into 1924. The theatre then got new operators and continued under the Standard Theater moniker beginning on May 24, 1924 with vaudeville and movies.
The venue was wired for sound after being vacant for a period on March 24, 1928 relaunching again as the New Winter Theatre. On August 8, 1931, it was reopened under new operator Jack Flamm as the Tivoli Theatre. That had a great run closing on June 3, 1954 with a triple feature of westerns. Flann would take on the Norka Theatre in December of 1954.
The Thornton Theatre closed on June 16, 1960 with “The Gene Krupa Story” and “Horrors of the Black Museum.” It reopened under new management briefly as the Stratford Theatre on July 6, 1961 with “Days of Laughter.” That lasted for one month. It returned to its Thornton Theatre name in 1962 hosting live jamborees on the stage from October 8, 1962 until May 4, 1963.
This venue opened in 1972 for franchisee Mini Movie Corp. in the McLean Shopping Center as the Jerry Lewis Cinema.
The Treasure Village Shopping Center on Buford Highway was anchored by a new-build Jerry Lewis Cinema. By the time the venue opened, Network Cinema’s phones were disconnected and Jerry Lewis had ankled the project. Star Cinemas took on this location just three months after it had opened along the Jerry Lewis Old Dixie, Mableton, and Roswell locations in May of 1973. It was renamed as the Buford Highway Twin Cinema I & II.
In 1975, the venues were then under the Septum Twin Cinemas / Septum Cinemas banner. “Star Wars” had a record run there making over $150,000 23 weeks playing in Dolby Stereo from December 23, 1977. As competition increased, the venue used one auditorium for X-rated fare beginning in the 1980s which had an amazing ten-plus year run. In 1991, the venue began booking Indian films under Monty Hadda’s watch which proved so popular that others copied the move. The Buford would move back to full time adult cinema capping an amazing run in June of 2015. Considering that 185 out of 200 Jerry Lewis locations reportedly lost money, the Buford and the Roswell locations were easily two of the Jerry Lewis Cinema Circuit’s most profitable locations that stayed with their original screen count.
The December 17, 1971 Grand Opening ad of the Jerry Lewis Twin Cinema in Mableton with “Evel Knievel” in Mableton I Auditorium and “A Boy Named Charlie Brown” in Mableton II Auditorium is posted in photos. Star Cinemas took on this location and the Jerry Lewis Old Dixie, Buford Highway, Snellville, and Rosswell locations in May of 1973 with Lewis and Network Cinema out of business and under legal challenges. Other operators followed suite around the country. This location was renamed as the Mableton Twin Cinema I & II by Star Cinemas.
In 1974, the venues were then under the Septum Twin Cinemas / Septum Cinemas banner. In 1978, the venue became the Mableton Triple Cinema I, II & III. After Septum moved on form the location in 1982, new operators renamed it as the Mableton Hilltop Cinema through 1984. It then became the Hilltop Family Cinema late in 1984. Jack and Phyllis Hubbard operated it for many years. The venue has since closed.
The architect of the Canton Village Shopping Center location of this Jerry Lewis Cinema was W.J. Ostrowski for operator Richard T. Hooker Sr. & Associates. Seat count was 350. Franchise owner Murray Levine left the operation here and in Suffield, South Windsor and Manchester reportedly without paying rent in 1978. Sheriff Richard Ostop served the papers and then ran the theater in hopes of paying of the creditors as the renamed Canton Village Cinema on March 23, 1978 and closing in 1979, as noted above.
The Hunting Ridge Mall was announced at 448 Post Road in 1970 with an A&P anchoring the 15-store plaza. The Mall was constructed in 1971 and a 350-seat automated Jerry Lewis Cinema was an original tenant. The venue launched after a significant delay on October 25, 1972 with Robert Redford in “The Candidate.” As the theatre was preparing its launch, it received a unanimous thumbs down from the city’s zoning board on operating with matinees due to parking concerns. That rule was overturned in December of 1972.
Meanwhile, over at Jerry Lewis Cinemas Inc. and its parent company, Network Cinema, things weren’t going too well. Lawsuits were piling up in late-1972 against the circuit for price gouging, lack of support, and inflated claims. This location was probably not too happy about falling behind schedule for nearly a year. 1973 brought Jerry Lewis parting ways with the dying concept and Network Cinema’s bankruptcy. On April 5th, 1973, Network Cinema’s phones were disconnected.
Give this location credit for dumping the Lewis name within just two months of its opening date. On December 22, 1972, the venue was renamed as Cinema 22 and the family-friendly policy espoused by Mr. Lewis was over quickly. The venue showed a double feature of “Swinging Stewardesses” and “Swinging Pussycats” just two weeks later. Though it was in keeping with the “porno chic” era of cinema exhibition, this was not what the Hunting Ridge Mall bargained for. “Gone With the Wind” was replaced with “The Sensuous Teenager” and “Love Under 17.”
The venue was operated by the Brandt Circuit from 1973 until its closure on Labor Day, September 7, 1987 with “Hamburger Hill.
Closed permanently in January of 2023.
Closes permanently on January 31, 2023.
Closed permanently January 26, 2023
The Cinema 414 launched likely with 16mm projection on September 25, 1970 with “The Crazy World of Laurel and Hardy” with “The Best of W.C. Fields.”
This theater opened in Beaver, West Virginia (zip code 25813) about 1.2 miles from Glen Rogers and operated with the same owner in Stanley Walker. The theatre transitioned to widescreen projection to show CinemaScope titles in 1955. The Beaver closed in 1958.
The AMC Cantera 30 launched at the height of the mega-led boom. Announced in 1996, the venue launched on March 20, 1998. In 2005, AMC merged with the Loews Circuit. In 2007, the Cantera was renamed as the AMC Loews Cantera 30. In 2010, AMC acquired the Kerasotes Circuit of theaters causing competition issues. On June 28, 2010, AMC sold four locations to Regal to be in compliance including the Cantera.
On July 12, 2010, the venue was renamed as the Regal Cantera 30. Regal was neither a proponent nor practitioner of 24+ screen megaplexes. A deal was consummated in 2011 with Regal off-loading 13 screens carving up the property - a move that had occurred in a number of other AMC 24+ locations. On September 30, 2011, the downsized venue became the Regal Cantera Stadium 17 and, in 2013, it added an RPX screens as the renamed Regal Cantera Stadium & RPX. The Main Event upscale arcade took on the 13-screen area redeveloping it for its newest location that launched in September of 2014.
Regal closed the Cantera on March 16, 2020 for the COVD-19 pandemic along with all other hardtop theaters. The venue reopened in September of 2020 but closed again on October 8, 2020 along with the Cineworld / Regal locations again due to COVID-19. The venue reopened in 2021.
The Colonial Theatre ended is 67-year run on July 6, 1969 with a great run of “Oliver!” It had a salvage sale and was bulldozed for a parking area early in 1970. Thieves took the four, 750-pound brass doors prior to the demolition.
The Rubber City Theatre was one of the earliest dedicated movie houses in Akron’s history launching here on September 5, 1907 by Frank Dauria with motion pictures and illustrated songs. The theater was located at 292 South Main Street in downtown Akron. The Rubber City claimed to have the longest show for five cents. In 1909, the venue was renamed as the Vaudette Theatre under new ownership.
The Vaudette was offered for sale and, under new owners, became the Dome Theater in 1913. The long-running Dome ran under Allen T. Simmons watch until July 4, 1929. The theatre was dynamited along with the Allen, Ideal, Gem, National, Dayton and the Liberty theaters for suspected non-union workers. The Dome was demolished two months later. Another long-running theater just two blocks away, the Dreamland, would announce its closure two months later.
The Rondo Theatre opened in October of 1911. It was wired for sound in 1929 under the name of the Lyric Theater. The Park Theater Company reduced it to weekend only operations in 1951 but was closed in 1957.
Charles A. Barbarian opened the Waldorf Theatre on June 19, 1913 with live stage plays. Ike Friedman turned the theater toward profit when he converted it to a full-time movie house. In the 1920s, under competition from far better movie palaces, the Waldorf sank to third-tier films and exploitation fare.
Under new operators M.M. Federhar and Roy Bode, the Waldorf installed sound equipment to remain somewhat viable. It closed with a four-wall exploitation film, “Sex Madness” on June 30, 1931. The theatre’s contents were then auctioned off on July 14, 1931 including the “talkie equipment”, seats, piano and “picture machine” as the venue was dismantled.
The March 3, 1914 Grand Opening ad for the - then - Spicer Theatre in Akron is in photos.
The Al-Stan Auto Theater’s May 26, 1948, Grand Opening ad with Zachary Scott in “The Southerner” supported by shorts including The Hoosier Hotshots in “Hoosier Holiday” and “Hoosier Holiday” in photos.
Policy changed from discount, sub-run house to first-run on January 27, 2023.
According to Box Office Magazine, this venue opened as Rand Theatres Circuit’s first Texas location on March 15, 1988. It definitely launched as a Rand Theatre but no confirmation of date.
Architect - Theatre Concepts with 1,830 total seats, one 350, one 280, and 6 200.
The Kenyon Opera House was opened on December 23, 1912. On March 20, 1913 with a different manager, the venue became the Penn Avenue Theater. The venue got a refresh less than a year into its run and relaunched as the Pitt Theatre again with live fare on September 6, 1913.
In photos, there is an October 19, 1914 grand reopening ad as the Miles Theatre, under the watch of Charles H. Miles. The Miles actually had a soft launch on October 9, 1914 with a giant electronic board and simulcast of the first game of the 1914 World Series baseball game between the Philadelphia A’s and the visiting Boston Braves. The first movie was shown the next day on October 10th with live bulletins of the Pitt college football game win versus Navy. An announced October 12, 1914 grand opening did not take place but did a week later on October 19, 1914 with live vaudeville and short films interspersed between acts. Miles' vaudeville attendance began to slip the next year.
By all reports, Miles ostensibly skipped town on December 11, 1915 leaving performers unpaid and ticket holders angry for the next day’s matinee. William Moore Patch picked up the pieces and reverted the venue back to the Pitt Theatre on January 17 1916 with the World War I film, Fighting for France.“ However, the Pitt would move back into its roots as a legit house primarily through 1934. In August of 1934, the venue went back to vaudeville and movies. A brief return to legit plays in 1935 was unsuccessful and the venue dropped live perfs and ran third-run double feature films and then triple feature grind runs.
Ohio-based Skirball Brothers Circuit took on the Pitt Theatre and renamed it after a refresh as the Barry Theatre on February 28, 1936 with a double feature of Will Rogers in “Steamboat Around the Bend” and Joan Bennett in “She Couldn’t Take It.” The Barry operated in to closure on May 29, 1951 with Sunny Knight in “Midnight Frolics” & Wayne Morris in “The Tougher They Come”. It was demolished in 1952 for a parking garage.
The Mountain-Air Drive-In closed at the expiry of a 15-year leasing agreement on November 2, 1963 with “Cape Fear” and “The Outsider”
Corrections:
Opened as Crow Canyon Cinemas 6 - previous name listed as “Crow Stadium 6” is in error. The venue closed for over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic from March 16, 2020 to May 21, 2021 when it reopened. Regal closed here permanently September 14, 2022 (add year).
The theatre was opened by Festival Theatres on December 21, 1984. It became Mann’s Crow Canyon on October 4, 1996. In April of 2000, Signature bought the Mann locations in Northern California including the Festival and the Crown Canyon. Regal bought Signature Theaters in November of 2004.
A.C. Winter launched the New Winter Theatre on March 7, 1912. He would go on to run the Bank Theatre and took over the Norka Theatre in 1913. The “New” was dropped and the Winter Theatre continued into 1924. The theatre then got new operators and continued under the Standard Theater moniker beginning on May 24, 1924 with vaudeville and movies.
The venue was wired for sound after being vacant for a period on March 24, 1928 relaunching again as the New Winter Theatre. On August 8, 1931, it was reopened under new operator Jack Flamm as the Tivoli Theatre. That had a great run closing on June 3, 1954 with a triple feature of westerns. Flann would take on the Norka Theatre in December of 1954.
The Thornton Theatre closed on June 16, 1960 with “The Gene Krupa Story” and “Horrors of the Black Museum.” It reopened under new management briefly as the Stratford Theatre on July 6, 1961 with “Days of Laughter.” That lasted for one month. It returned to its Thornton Theatre name in 1962 hosting live jamborees on the stage from October 8, 1962 until May 4, 1963.