This was NEVER once operated by Warner Bros. Circuit Management Corp. At that exact time, it was independently operated by manager E.W. Johnson. Johnson took over the Empire Theatre after a short closure for a few weeks in September 1933 before reopening on October 8 of that same year.
The Empire Theatre name (sometimes named New Empire Theatre) lasted until April 1941 and was briefly renamed “Theatre in McHenry” until September 1941 when it was renamed the Colony Theatre. It was still named the Empire Theatre in 1931.
According to the United Press International, the El Capitan once became a scene of a suicide at the theater’s balcony. On October 12, 1992, the El Capitan Theatre became national headlines when a showing of “The Mighty Ducks” turned into tragic when several moviegoers witnessed a man in his late-60s pulling out a .38-caliber revolver and fatally shot himself in the head. At the time of his suicide, hundreds of moviegoers were in the middle of watching the movie. LAPD officials didn’t receive any answer on why the man took his own life from inside the El Capitan.
All Comerford theaters in May 1930 were taken over by Paramount-Publix, but Comerford took his Publix-owned theaters back on January 1, 1933. It was fully operated by Comerford throughout the Strand’s history but had partial ownership with Paramount, alongside other theaters operated by Comerford. Together, they formed the name “Paramount-Comerford Theatres”.
Mrs. Emma J. DesRosier opened the Park Theater on July 27, 1939 with Richard Greene in “Submarine Patrol” along with a few unnamed shorts. The Park Theater operated for 51 years in total, but during its final years, the Park Theater continued to run movies without advertising on the Glacier Reporter. Unfortunately, the Park Theatre closed after a massive fire destroyed the building on November 3, 1990.
NOTE: The Park Theater was originally planned to open seven days prior on July 20, 1939 with Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in “Gunga Din” along with Walt Disney’s Silly Symphonies “The Old Mill”, but was delayed for unknown reasons. Both the movie and the cartoon were moved to September 26.
Its Sid Marks, who was also the manager of the Olympic Auditorium. The February 28, 1938 edition of the Los Angeles Daily News says that Williams was shot several times, including once in the left ear, once in the left arm, and once fatally through his chest. It was also confirmed that Williams was also the suspect of the murder of a man at a nearby cafe.
The last advertisement as a movie theater that I can find is from March 2, 1953, showing Stewart Granger in “Scaramouche” and Janet Leigh in “Fearless Fagan” (unknown if extras added).
On June 17, 1931, a total of 2,000 patrons were watching “The Front Page” and for more than 15 minutes, a body sat in the theater chain amid the crowd. A 63-year-old drug store owner named Christ Kelly was killed just on time a scene involving a gunshot happened. It confused theatergoers if it’s part of the show and didn’t receive as much attention. It was confirmed that the man did kill himself in the auditorium.
On March 19, 1992, an evening screening of “Kuffs” turned into a disaster when a 19-year-old Aaron Scott Wallander was shot dead at the theater parking lot. A San Antonio Police sergeant named Tom Secraw was inside watching the film with his girlfriend when an argument began with three men, including Wallander, sitting behind them. At the time of the argument, the theater’s air conditioning system had an issue at the time. Secraw did not know what the argument was about, but the three men, including Wallander, left the theater about halfway through and were followed outside by the three. The argument continued at the lobby. One of the men shouted, “Let’s go outside and finish this!”
Wallander walked outside followed by his girlfriend and the three men. The man’s unknown-modeled (listed as late-model compact) was parked off the theater sidewalk on the west side. The girlfriend stayed at the top of the steps leading to the parking lot while Wallander tried to get to his car. The three men caught up to Wallander and fatally shot him in the head, neck, chest, and arm, five times with a ,25-caliber semi-automatic pistol, before Wallander fell less than 15 feet from his car that had a bumper sticker on the rear of his car reading “Skateboarding is not a crime”. He was pronounced dead after being taken to a nearby hospital.
The Warner Bros. Downtown Theatre became national headlines during a showing of Edward G. Robinson’s “A Slight Case Of Murder” that turned into an ACTUAL murder.
While a packed audience was in the middle of watching the mentioned movie on February 27, 1938, a 42-year-old man named Harold Williams entered the manager’s office and stole some of the manager’s money. Back in the auditorium, one of the attendees is a man named Sid Mark, who carried an honorary police lieutenant’s badge and a gun. An usher had recognized Marks when he left the auditorium and entered the lobby where he summoned him when he saw the robbery. Marks confronted Williams in the theater balcony, pulled over a gun, and shot Williams dead to the ground. The incident just happened while the noise of gunfire and a gangster fight appeared during the mentioned movie and a few in the audience were aware of the robbery and killing outside.
Unfortunately, Marks was never charged with first-degree murder. This was because the LAPD had been looking for Williams for a while after he invaded a bar room during a floor show the previous week.
On February 28, 1997, the Esplanade 6 Cinemas became worldwide headlines following the killing of Mohammed Mirhadi, a 21-year-old Hong Kong native, karate expert, martial-arts devotee, and member of the Persian Pride gang, who was fatally shot towards the end of a screening of “Donnie Brasco” and died from inside the auditorium a few minutes later. Witnesses saw two men running for the exit. RCMP officers confirmed that a total of three and five shots were fired from a 9mm semi-automatic handgun at close range. The incident was SO massive in British Columbia that it became front page headlines for several days after the shooting.
This was in connection of the then-skyrocketing violence against men and members of the Persian Pride gang. It was also connection of another incident, where another man, 20-year-old Mani Razaei was shot in the head after a Vancouver warehouse party in December 1996.
On January 23, 1971, a local man named John Plasterer Jr. lived at a house above the Victory Theater when he heard noises while he was sleeping. He went down into the theater to investigate and found an intruder. Both men began to struggle but the prowler pulled out a gun and shot Plasterer two times in the stomach from inside the Victory. He was taken to a nearby hospital where emergency surgery took place.
On December 9, 1985, a pre-showing of “Rocky IV” turned into horror after a 21-year-old man from New Springville was shot in the fracas in the lobby. The man, identified as Richie Sunquist, was shot in the left shoulder and was transported to a nearby hospital in critical condition. The incident, which happened during the final minutes of intermission (possibly doing trailers at that time), was forced to delay before resuming minutes later. The suspect fled out of the theater afterward.
On November 8, 1985, manager Ricky Norman Korn was in the middle of closing his Village Twin Theatres around 2:20 AM ET when a man meeting the same description that robbed a nearby Econo Lodge entered the theater. When the man entered the theater by prying open an exit door and approached him in the lobby, he pulled out a blue steel revolver and demanded money. Instead of giving money, Korn took off on foot, fled into the theater office, and locked the door before the suspect opened fire three shots through the office door, hitting Korn’s left hand, before the suspect left the theater in a flash.
On May 7, 1984, a showing of “Breaking” turned into a disaster when an argument involving two men turned into a shooting. One of the two men pulled out a gun and shot a 29-year-old man and his 5-year-old son. The gunman ran out of the theater.
On January 15, 1984, 43-year-old NYPD Detective Lorenzo Glover arrived at the Rugby Theatre for a disturbance and trespassing call. Glover escorted the man from outside the Rugby Theatre, and they were standing near the door when the man pulled out a handgun and shot Lorenzo. The suspect, a man in his early-to-mid 20s, was reported to be both loud and boisterous when management kicked him out at the lobby.
On March 25, 1984, an unidentified man was fatally shot in front of the Lakeshore Drive-In by an unspecified suspect. The victim was in the middle of watching the double feature of “The Legend Of Boggy Creek II” and “Creature From Black Lake” at Screen 1. A total of six shots ripped into him while he was outside of his vehicle.
On August 31, 1985, the Surf Theater became statewide headlines following the attempted androcide of a 19-year-old black man named Curtis D. White, who was shot in the left side and the arm while attempting to meet up with a 15-year-old black girl (with Jamaican or West Indian accent) in front of the Surf Theater.
The girl, a rare and unusual suspect, pulled out a .25-caliber nickel-plated pearl-handled automatic pistol and shot the man twice before saying, “This is for talking to me”, and fleeing on-foot north as the victim fell. The Surf Theater was showing “Cease Fire” starring Miami Vice actor (and very brief pop singer) Don Johnson at the time of the shooting. Police didn’t confirm if the girl is a misandrist. Meanwhile after the shooting, a female cashier in the ticket booth of the nearby Normandy Theater, which was showing “Gremlins” at the time, ran into the roadway and flagged down a Miami Beach police car under a Code 3 response, complete with lights and sirens.
On May 8, 1988, a man was shot several times while people were waiting to enter the Byron-Carlyle VII before the suspect drove away. It was most likely that the shooting was connected to the movie “Colors”, which there was a series of real-life incidents at movie theaters that were connected to the movie itself, and was showing that exact movie at the time of the shooting. According to an employee who worked for the tickets, he looked up and saw six or seven people dash past the theater followed by a man waving a gun before shots were fired around five-to-ten minutes later.
On April 17, 1988, a midnight screening of “Colors” in one of the auditoriums turned into chaos after an 18-year-old man was shot in the side and seriously wounded near the entrance of the Showcase. The shooting happened around 12:30 AM ET, and moviegoers were told to “hit the floor” (or take shelter). Police discovered that a cluster of bullet holes in two of the theater’s glass windows were boarded with plywood.
Once operated by RMC Cinemas.
Two corrections:
This was NEVER once operated by Warner Bros. Circuit Management Corp. At that exact time, it was independently operated by manager E.W. Johnson. Johnson took over the Empire Theatre after a short closure for a few weeks in September 1933 before reopening on October 8 of that same year.
The Empire Theatre name (sometimes named New Empire Theatre) lasted until April 1941 and was briefly renamed “Theatre in McHenry” until September 1941 when it was renamed the Colony Theatre. It was still named the Empire Theatre in 1931.
Closed on July 10, 2003 with “Hollywood Homicide” and “Rugrats Go Wild”.
According to the United Press International, the El Capitan once became a scene of a suicide at the theater’s balcony. On October 12, 1992, the El Capitan Theatre became national headlines when a showing of “The Mighty Ducks” turned into tragic when several moviegoers witnessed a man in his late-60s pulling out a .38-caliber revolver and fatally shot himself in the head. At the time of his suicide, hundreds of moviegoers were in the middle of watching the movie. LAPD officials didn’t receive any answer on why the man took his own life from inside the El Capitan.
Definitely looks closed.
All Comerford theaters in May 1930 were taken over by Paramount-Publix, but Comerford took his Publix-owned theaters back on January 1, 1933. It was fully operated by Comerford throughout the Strand’s history but had partial ownership with Paramount, alongside other theaters operated by Comerford. Together, they formed the name “Paramount-Comerford Theatres”.
Mrs. Emma J. DesRosier opened the Park Theater on July 27, 1939 with Richard Greene in “Submarine Patrol” along with a few unnamed shorts. The Park Theater operated for 51 years in total, but during its final years, the Park Theater continued to run movies without advertising on the Glacier Reporter. Unfortunately, the Park Theatre closed after a massive fire destroyed the building on November 3, 1990.
It was fully operated by the Georgia Theatre Company but had a partial ownership with Paramount.
Here you go:
Its Sid Marks, who was also the manager of the Olympic Auditorium. The February 28, 1938 edition of the Los Angeles Daily News says that Williams was shot several times, including once in the left ear, once in the left arm, and once fatally through his chest. It was also confirmed that Williams was also the suspect of the murder of a man at a nearby cafe.
The last advertisement as a movie theater that I can find is from March 2, 1953, showing Stewart Granger in “Scaramouche” and Janet Leigh in “Fearless Fagan” (unknown if extras added).
Most likely opened on March 24, 1949 with Ingrid Bergman in “Joan of Arc” (unknown if extras added).
On June 17, 1931, a total of 2,000 patrons were watching “The Front Page” and for more than 15 minutes, a body sat in the theater chain amid the crowd. A 63-year-old drug store owner named Christ Kelly was killed just on time a scene involving a gunshot happened. It confused theatergoers if it’s part of the show and didn’t receive as much attention. It was confirmed that the man did kill himself in the auditorium.
On March 19, 1992, an evening screening of “Kuffs” turned into a disaster when a 19-year-old Aaron Scott Wallander was shot dead at the theater parking lot. A San Antonio Police sergeant named Tom Secraw was inside watching the film with his girlfriend when an argument began with three men, including Wallander, sitting behind them. At the time of the argument, the theater’s air conditioning system had an issue at the time. Secraw did not know what the argument was about, but the three men, including Wallander, left the theater about halfway through and were followed outside by the three. The argument continued at the lobby. One of the men shouted, “Let’s go outside and finish this!”
Wallander walked outside followed by his girlfriend and the three men. The man’s unknown-modeled (listed as late-model compact) was parked off the theater sidewalk on the west side. The girlfriend stayed at the top of the steps leading to the parking lot while Wallander tried to get to his car. The three men caught up to Wallander and fatally shot him in the head, neck, chest, and arm, five times with a ,25-caliber semi-automatic pistol, before Wallander fell less than 15 feet from his car that had a bumper sticker on the rear of his car reading “Skateboarding is not a crime”. He was pronounced dead after being taken to a nearby hospital.
The Warner Bros. Downtown Theatre became national headlines during a showing of Edward G. Robinson’s “A Slight Case Of Murder” that turned into an ACTUAL murder.
While a packed audience was in the middle of watching the mentioned movie on February 27, 1938, a 42-year-old man named Harold Williams entered the manager’s office and stole some of the manager’s money. Back in the auditorium, one of the attendees is a man named Sid Mark, who carried an honorary police lieutenant’s badge and a gun. An usher had recognized Marks when he left the auditorium and entered the lobby where he summoned him when he saw the robbery. Marks confronted Williams in the theater balcony, pulled over a gun, and shot Williams dead to the ground. The incident just happened while the noise of gunfire and a gangster fight appeared during the mentioned movie and a few in the audience were aware of the robbery and killing outside.
Unfortunately, Marks was never charged with first-degree murder. This was because the LAPD had been looking for Williams for a while after he invaded a bar room during a floor show the previous week.
On February 28, 1997, the Esplanade 6 Cinemas became worldwide headlines following the killing of Mohammed Mirhadi, a 21-year-old Hong Kong native, karate expert, martial-arts devotee, and member of the Persian Pride gang, who was fatally shot towards the end of a screening of “Donnie Brasco” and died from inside the auditorium a few minutes later. Witnesses saw two men running for the exit. RCMP officers confirmed that a total of three and five shots were fired from a 9mm semi-automatic handgun at close range. The incident was SO massive in British Columbia that it became front page headlines for several days after the shooting.
This was in connection of the then-skyrocketing violence against men and members of the Persian Pride gang. It was also connection of another incident, where another man, 20-year-old Mani Razaei was shot in the head after a Vancouver warehouse party in December 1996.
On January 23, 1971, a local man named John Plasterer Jr. lived at a house above the Victory Theater when he heard noises while he was sleeping. He went down into the theater to investigate and found an intruder. Both men began to struggle but the prowler pulled out a gun and shot Plasterer two times in the stomach from inside the Victory. He was taken to a nearby hospital where emergency surgery took place.
On December 9, 1985, a pre-showing of “Rocky IV” turned into horror after a 21-year-old man from New Springville was shot in the fracas in the lobby. The man, identified as Richie Sunquist, was shot in the left shoulder and was transported to a nearby hospital in critical condition. The incident, which happened during the final minutes of intermission (possibly doing trailers at that time), was forced to delay before resuming minutes later. The suspect fled out of the theater afterward.
On November 8, 1985, manager Ricky Norman Korn was in the middle of closing his Village Twin Theatres around 2:20 AM ET when a man meeting the same description that robbed a nearby Econo Lodge entered the theater. When the man entered the theater by prying open an exit door and approached him in the lobby, he pulled out a blue steel revolver and demanded money. Instead of giving money, Korn took off on foot, fled into the theater office, and locked the door before the suspect opened fire three shots through the office door, hitting Korn’s left hand, before the suspect left the theater in a flash.
On May 7, 1984, a showing of “Breaking” turned into a disaster when an argument involving two men turned into a shooting. One of the two men pulled out a gun and shot a 29-year-old man and his 5-year-old son. The gunman ran out of the theater.
On January 15, 1984, 43-year-old NYPD Detective Lorenzo Glover arrived at the Rugby Theatre for a disturbance and trespassing call. Glover escorted the man from outside the Rugby Theatre, and they were standing near the door when the man pulled out a handgun and shot Lorenzo. The suspect, a man in his early-to-mid 20s, was reported to be both loud and boisterous when management kicked him out at the lobby.
On March 25, 1984, an unidentified man was fatally shot in front of the Lakeshore Drive-In by an unspecified suspect. The victim was in the middle of watching the double feature of “The Legend Of Boggy Creek II” and “Creature From Black Lake” at Screen 1. A total of six shots ripped into him while he was outside of his vehicle.
On August 31, 1985, the Surf Theater became statewide headlines following the attempted androcide of a 19-year-old black man named Curtis D. White, who was shot in the left side and the arm while attempting to meet up with a 15-year-old black girl (with Jamaican or West Indian accent) in front of the Surf Theater.
The girl, a rare and unusual suspect, pulled out a .25-caliber nickel-plated pearl-handled automatic pistol and shot the man twice before saying, “This is for talking to me”, and fleeing on-foot north as the victim fell. The Surf Theater was showing “Cease Fire” starring Miami Vice actor (and very brief pop singer) Don Johnson at the time of the shooting. Police didn’t confirm if the girl is a misandrist. Meanwhile after the shooting, a female cashier in the ticket booth of the nearby Normandy Theater, which was showing “Gremlins” at the time, ran into the roadway and flagged down a Miami Beach police car under a Code 3 response, complete with lights and sirens.
On May 8, 1988, a man was shot several times while people were waiting to enter the Byron-Carlyle VII before the suspect drove away. It was most likely that the shooting was connected to the movie “Colors”, which there was a series of real-life incidents at movie theaters that were connected to the movie itself, and was showing that exact movie at the time of the shooting. According to an employee who worked for the tickets, he looked up and saw six or seven people dash past the theater followed by a man waving a gun before shots were fired around five-to-ten minutes later.
On April 17, 1988, a midnight screening of “Colors” in one of the auditoriums turned into chaos after an 18-year-old man was shot in the side and seriously wounded near the entrance of the Showcase. The shooting happened around 12:30 AM ET, and moviegoers were told to “hit the floor” (or take shelter). Police discovered that a cluster of bullet holes in two of the theater’s glass windows were boarded with plywood.