Henry Luebke and William Johnson opened Fort Dodge’s largest movie house known as the Rialto Theatre on January 1, 1920 with Mildred Reardon in “Everywoman” with no extra short subjects.
Original information about the Rialto Theatre as of 1920 goes as follows: According to a December 23, 1919 article about the then-upcoming opening of the Rialto Theatre, the Rialto originally housed 630 seats, which featured 522 seats in the main section and 108 seats in the balcony (the total amount of seats would later upgrade to 755 seats later into the Rialto’s life). The type of seats that were used in its early heydays were spring-leathered upholstered. Much of the lobby and the balcony in the rear of the theater features a colonial design, which that same exact design in mahogany and white leads to the stairways. Inside the lobby features a concession stand located at the west side of the lobby, and the basement of the theater is attractively fitted up as restrooms painted in gray and mahogany with mirrors, tables, and comfortable chairs for the patrons. The isles were carpeted in brown with the same colony-style shade.
The designs and colors of the walls were satin finish of colonial panels in gray, cream, ivory, and gold with colonial bracket lights in harmonizing colors, all done by Halle Hanson (who was known as “The Danish Artist”) who is very familiar with his arts and paintings grace the walls of some palaces in Europe, as well as the state capitols of Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Oregon, and Illinois. The ceiling lights were also semi-indirect drop lights with shades of gold, and the gray ceiling was finished in panel style and was attractive latticed beams to the gray colored ceiling. Those lights were also equipped with changeable dimmers that were used either showtime or intermission. The front of the theater features a very attractive screen of gold lobe, shadow boxed and a border of cut leg drops and wood foliage in fall tones which makes it additionally effective. For comfort inside the theater, eight automatic heating and cooling ventilating systems were installed, five at the theater and three at the balcony.
However during construction of the theater in May 1919, Luebke ordered a pipe organ that hasn’t arrive on time before opening. Luebke had no choice but to invite an orchestra to join in until the pipe organ arrives.
The actual opening date is November 28, 1916 with Francis X. Bushman in “Romeo And Juliet”, and was first managed by Edward Awe. The building where the Strand is was originally called the “Butler Building”, and the building itself was built on the site of an another building that was destroyed by a fire earlier that year. This was the third motion picture theater to open in Fort Dodge.
The Strand originally housed 556 seats when it opened, and some original information includes two sets of projectors in the balcony, restrooms in the basement, a ventilating system that changes cycles every two minutes, and an $8,000 Bartola pipe organ.
This started life as the “Filmhuis Arnhem” and opened in 1973 as a single-screener. It was later twinned, and a third screen was added in November 2005. A short time later, it was renamed “Focus Filmtheater” on February 17, 2006.
The Focus Filmtheater’s current functions include first-run films, special showings, special events, live performances, and performing arts.
It was on Flickr. I just searched up “Drive-In” and set the dates between 1950 and 1990, there are at least a fine load of pictures with drive-in theaters in it.
The Warsaw Theatre opened its doors on October 1, 1947 with “I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now” (unclear if any short subjects were added), as a replacement of the nearby Royal Theatre which closed a day prior to the opening of the Warsaw Theatre.
What’s strange about movie houses in Warsaw is that the total of four movie theaters in history that served Warsaw replaced one after another. First there was the Dreamland, then the Vivid who replaced the Dreamland, then the Royal who replaced the Vivid, and then the Warsaw that replaced the Royal.
The El Rancho Drive-in opened its gates on May 8, 1951 with Bill Williams in “Blue Blood” (unknown if any short subjects). It was closed at the end of the 1983 season and was demolished in late-March 1984.
The La Rita Theatre opened its doors on February 4, 1931 with Nancy Carroll in “Laughter” along with MGM’s Dogville short “The Dogway Melody” and the Paramount Screen Song “Chinatown, My Chinatown” (listed as simply “China Town” on ad).
Original information about the theater goes as follows: The brick, tile, and steel faced with light-colored brick, terra cotta and fancy tile building measures 50x120ft with the theater being 30x120ft with an office located above the theater. Installations of RCA sound were installed and inside the auditorium has an original capacity of 800 seats as of 1931. The decorations of the theater inside were mainly triangular-shaped globes. W.L. Hamilton who also owns the Mission Theatre was the original owner of the La Rita as well, with Otis Parks being the first operator of the theater.
The Yuma Theatre opened its doors on June 24, 1938 with Mickey Rooney in “Lord Jeff” along with Disney’s Mickey Mouse in “Mickey’s Trailer”, Fitzpatrick’s Traveltalks' “Czechoslovakia on Parade”, and a Universal Newsreel (all of these were listed on article and not on the grand opening ad).
The Yuma Theatre is first owned by J.N. Hughes and the husband-and-wife team of Mr. and Mrs. J.K. Powell. The opening of the Yuma Theatre caused a permanent closure to the nearby Gem Theatre also in Yuma.
In 1965, the Yuma Theatre closed for three months following interior remodeling which include a new concession stand and ticket booth.
Throughout its first 50 years of operation, the Yuma Theatre ran a grand total of nearly 6,000 movies (including special showings and children’s matinees) between 1938 and 1988, and still going strong.
Opened with Walt Disney’s “Follow Me Boys” and Robert Redford in “All The President’s Men”. The theater housed a total of 640 seats (with 320 seats in each auditorium) complete with an automated projection system. It was first operated by the Dubinsky Brothers chain and was first managed by Charles McLaughlin.
According to an article about its construction including the $64,000 project on the twin cinema, the theater’s original name was supposed to be the “Cooper-Highland Twin Cinema” but the name was dropped for unknown reasons.
The city of Trenton was left without a movie theater for eight months after the closure of the Plaza Theatre on August 30, 1985 due to poor attendance.
Movies return to Trenton after an eight-month hiatus when the single-screen Main Street Cinema opened its doors on April 11, 1986 with “Rocky IV”. An addition to its main feature, a one-day matinee of “Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation” was added a day later but was not shown on grand opening. The theater originally housed 138 seats.
The Main Street Cinema closed for the final time on December 30, 1999 with “Toy Story 2” and the theater was later converted into a classroom, leaving Trenton again without a movie theater until the launch of the Bigtime Cinema in October 2006.
The Plaza Theatre closed its doors on August 30, 1985 with “Weird Science” due to poor attendance, and George Day was the last operator of the theater. The Main Street Cinema would later open eight months later.
On December 1, 1999, the building was destroyed by a fire causing two walls to collapse.
The Grand Vu Drive-In opened its gates on June 11, 1953 with Rhonda Fleming in “The Golden Hawk” along with a cartoon before showing and fireworks after showing. It was first operated by W.O. and William Lenhart who also constructed the theater. It was closed in 1983.
The Royal Theatre opened in 1911 and was relocated to its current location a couple of years later. It was first operated by Percy Jones and later V.C. Rose Sr. who purchased the theater in 1916 and operated the theater until 1933 when it was taken over by the husband-and-wife team of G.W. Summers.
The large fire on May 16, 1951 destroyed the entire building caused by unknown. It was rebuilt and reopened on September 11, 1951.
The Royal closed for the final time in mid-March 1977.
The Sky Vue Drive-In opened its gates on May 15, 1953 with Rod Cameron in “Ride The Man Down” with no extra short subjects. The Sky Vue featured original installations of a Boyer product Homosete screen and Baliantype Double Coned speakers.
The theater was built by Mrs. George Summers, and was first operated by Rex Cool. Rex formerly operated the Royal Theatre until the Royal was destroyed by a large fire in May 1951 which was later rebuilt.
The Sky Vue Drive-In closed for the final time on August 31, 1986 with “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”.
The Tyson Theater opened its doors on August 27, 1946 with Judy Garland in “The Harvey Girls” along with a Passing Parade subject “Magic On A Stick” plus a speech delivered by civil leaders which also featured WROX radio personalities in the lobby, with an original capacity of 520 seats. The Tyson originally featured a gray and red exterior and arrangements of multicolored lights aroused in passers.
The 1951 film “Three Guys Named Mike” gave very special sneak preview at the Tyson due to the film being inspired by experiences of a Clarksdale woman named Ethel “Pug” Welles who worked as an airline stewardess for American Airlines.
The Tyson Theatre was once known as “Bosworth Showcase Cinema” when ownership changed after Billy Holcomb passed the theater building over to Tom Bosworth in 1975. In November 1979, the theater installed Dolby Stereo. After Bosworth moved to Louisiana in 1981, it was taken over by another person who continued operating the theater. He later twinned it. Although it became the Delta Theater and Delta Cinema later on, it eventually kept the Showcase name on the center of the marquee. In 2003, the theater suddenly went vacant for a short time but reopened later.
The Delta Cinema closed for the final time in January 2019 due to a sewage problem.
The Marion Theatre opened its doors on April 22, 1918 with a sporting event (which would later become a movie theater). The Marion became the Paramount Theatre on August 4, 1930, reopening with Joan Crawford in “Our Blushing Brides” along with the Our Gang short “Railroadin'” and a Universal Newsreel (listed as “Graham McNamee Newscasting Latest News”), when it was acquired by the Saenger chain that same year.
The Roxy Theatre originally opened as a colored-only theater. The Roxy opened its doors on December 15, 1949 with “The Big Cat” along with a newsreel, a serial, and a comedy reel, featuring an original capacity of 700 seats, and was first operated by A.N. Rossie. The structure measures 40x125ft long and its original projection equipment features Simplex projection with a Four-Star sound system.
The South Willow Street Cinemas started life as a quad, but opened slowly throughout July 1981. The first two screens opened on July 3, 1981, while the other two screens opened on July 17, 1981.
Four more screens were added in 1985 bringing a total to eight screens, and one more was added the following year bringing a total to nine.
General Cinemas opened the Bedford Mall Cinema I & II on July 23, 1969 with “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” at Screen 1 and “Goodbye Columbus” at Screen 2. A third screen was added on October 24, 1975 and a fourth screen was added in the Spring of 1987.
General Cinema operated the theater until it was taken over by Canad Cinemas in late-1992 or early-1993. Canad would later add three more screens to the theater in 1994, but however, Canad only operated the theater for around four years until it was taken over by Hoyts in 1997. Hoyts operated the Bedford Mall Cinema 7 until Regal took it over on April 4, 2003.
Regal closed the Bedford Mall Cinema 7 for the final time on October 22, 2007.
Henry Luebke and William Johnson opened Fort Dodge’s largest movie house known as the Rialto Theatre on January 1, 1920 with Mildred Reardon in “Everywoman” with no extra short subjects.
Original information about the Rialto Theatre as of 1920 goes as follows: According to a December 23, 1919 article about the then-upcoming opening of the Rialto Theatre, the Rialto originally housed 630 seats, which featured 522 seats in the main section and 108 seats in the balcony (the total amount of seats would later upgrade to 755 seats later into the Rialto’s life). The type of seats that were used in its early heydays were spring-leathered upholstered. Much of the lobby and the balcony in the rear of the theater features a colonial design, which that same exact design in mahogany and white leads to the stairways. Inside the lobby features a concession stand located at the west side of the lobby, and the basement of the theater is attractively fitted up as restrooms painted in gray and mahogany with mirrors, tables, and comfortable chairs for the patrons. The isles were carpeted in brown with the same colony-style shade.
The designs and colors of the walls were satin finish of colonial panels in gray, cream, ivory, and gold with colonial bracket lights in harmonizing colors, all done by Halle Hanson (who was known as “The Danish Artist”) who is very familiar with his arts and paintings grace the walls of some palaces in Europe, as well as the state capitols of Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Oregon, and Illinois. The ceiling lights were also semi-indirect drop lights with shades of gold, and the gray ceiling was finished in panel style and was attractive latticed beams to the gray colored ceiling. Those lights were also equipped with changeable dimmers that were used either showtime or intermission. The front of the theater features a very attractive screen of gold lobe, shadow boxed and a border of cut leg drops and wood foliage in fall tones which makes it additionally effective. For comfort inside the theater, eight automatic heating and cooling ventilating systems were installed, five at the theater and three at the balcony.
However during construction of the theater in May 1919, Luebke ordered a pipe organ that hasn’t arrive on time before opening. Luebke had no choice but to invite an orchestra to join in until the pipe organ arrives.
The actual opening date is November 28, 1916 with Francis X. Bushman in “Romeo And Juliet”, and was first managed by Edward Awe. The building where the Strand is was originally called the “Butler Building”, and the building itself was built on the site of an another building that was destroyed by a fire earlier that year. This was the third motion picture theater to open in Fort Dodge.
The Strand originally housed 556 seats when it opened, and some original information includes two sets of projectors in the balcony, restrooms in the basement, a ventilating system that changes cycles every two minutes, and an $8,000 Bartola pipe organ.
This started life as the “Filmhuis Arnhem” and opened in 1973 as a single-screener. It was later twinned, and a third screen was added in November 2005. A short time later, it was renamed “Focus Filmtheater” on February 17, 2006.
The Focus Filmtheater’s current functions include first-run films, special showings, special events, live performances, and performing arts.
Closed in 2020, still closed today.
It was on Flickr. I just searched up “Drive-In” and set the dates between 1950 and 1990, there are at least a fine load of pictures with drive-in theaters in it.
Update: The Warsaw Theatre also opened with a newsreel.
And correction: It’s Vivo, not Vival. The Vivo replaced the Dreamland and later became the Royal before the Warsaw replaced the Royal.
The Warsaw Theatre opened its doors on October 1, 1947 with “I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now” (unclear if any short subjects were added), as a replacement of the nearby Royal Theatre which closed a day prior to the opening of the Warsaw Theatre.
What’s strange about movie houses in Warsaw is that the total of four movie theaters in history that served Warsaw replaced one after another. First there was the Dreamland, then the Vivid who replaced the Dreamland, then the Royal who replaced the Vivid, and then the Warsaw that replaced the Royal.
The Warsaw Theatre closed in the early-1970s.
The El Rancho Drive-in opened its gates on May 8, 1951 with Bill Williams in “Blue Blood” (unknown if any short subjects). It was closed at the end of the 1983 season and was demolished in late-March 1984.
The Mission Theatre opened its doors on January 24, 1921 with George Loane Tucker in “The Miracle Man”. It was twinned on April 16, 1972.
The La Rita Theatre opened its doors on February 4, 1931 with Nancy Carroll in “Laughter” along with MGM’s Dogville short “The Dogway Melody” and the Paramount Screen Song “Chinatown, My Chinatown” (listed as simply “China Town” on ad).
Original information about the theater goes as follows: The brick, tile, and steel faced with light-colored brick, terra cotta and fancy tile building measures 50x120ft with the theater being 30x120ft with an office located above the theater. Installations of RCA sound were installed and inside the auditorium has an original capacity of 800 seats as of 1931. The decorations of the theater inside were mainly triangular-shaped globes. W.L. Hamilton who also owns the Mission Theatre was the original owner of the La Rita as well, with Otis Parks being the first operator of the theater.
The Gem Theatre was built in 1913 and closed on June 23, 1938 following the opening of the Yuma Theatre.
The Yuma Theatre opened its doors on June 24, 1938 with Mickey Rooney in “Lord Jeff” along with Disney’s Mickey Mouse in “Mickey’s Trailer”, Fitzpatrick’s Traveltalks' “Czechoslovakia on Parade”, and a Universal Newsreel (all of these were listed on article and not on the grand opening ad).
The Yuma Theatre is first owned by J.N. Hughes and the husband-and-wife team of Mr. and Mrs. J.K. Powell. The opening of the Yuma Theatre caused a permanent closure to the nearby Gem Theatre also in Yuma.
In 1965, the Yuma Theatre closed for three months following interior remodeling which include a new concession stand and ticket booth.
Throughout its first 50 years of operation, the Yuma Theatre ran a grand total of nearly 6,000 movies (including special showings and children’s matinees) between 1938 and 1988, and still going strong.
Opened with Walt Disney’s “Follow Me Boys” and Robert Redford in “All The President’s Men”. The theater housed a total of 640 seats (with 320 seats in each auditorium) complete with an automated projection system. It was first operated by the Dubinsky Brothers chain and was first managed by Charles McLaughlin.
According to an article about its construction including the $64,000 project on the twin cinema, the theater’s original name was supposed to be the “Cooper-Highland Twin Cinema” but the name was dropped for unknown reasons.
Any additional information on this theatre would be greatly appreciated, and will be updated as soon as we get information.
The city of Trenton was left without a movie theater for eight months after the closure of the Plaza Theatre on August 30, 1985 due to poor attendance.
Movies return to Trenton after an eight-month hiatus when the single-screen Main Street Cinema opened its doors on April 11, 1986 with “Rocky IV”. An addition to its main feature, a one-day matinee of “Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation” was added a day later but was not shown on grand opening. The theater originally housed 138 seats.
The Main Street Cinema closed for the final time on December 30, 1999 with “Toy Story 2” and the theater was later converted into a classroom, leaving Trenton again without a movie theater until the launch of the Bigtime Cinema in October 2006.
The Plaza Theatre closed its doors on August 30, 1985 with “Weird Science” due to poor attendance, and George Day was the last operator of the theater. The Main Street Cinema would later open eight months later.
On December 1, 1999, the building was destroyed by a fire causing two walls to collapse.
The Grand Vu Drive-In opened its gates on June 11, 1953 with Rhonda Fleming in “The Golden Hawk” along with a cartoon before showing and fireworks after showing. It was first operated by W.O. and William Lenhart who also constructed the theater. It was closed in 1983.
The Royal Theatre opened in 1911 and was relocated to its current location a couple of years later. It was first operated by Percy Jones and later V.C. Rose Sr. who purchased the theater in 1916 and operated the theater until 1933 when it was taken over by the husband-and-wife team of G.W. Summers.
The large fire on May 16, 1951 destroyed the entire building caused by unknown. It was rebuilt and reopened on September 11, 1951.
The Royal closed for the final time in mid-March 1977.
The Sky Vue Drive-In opened its gates on May 15, 1953 with Rod Cameron in “Ride The Man Down” with no extra short subjects. The Sky Vue featured original installations of a Boyer product Homosete screen and Baliantype Double Coned speakers.
The theater was built by Mrs. George Summers, and was first operated by Rex Cool. Rex formerly operated the Royal Theatre until the Royal was destroyed by a large fire in May 1951 which was later rebuilt.
The Sky Vue Drive-In closed for the final time on August 31, 1986 with “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”.
The Tyson Theater opened its doors on August 27, 1946 with Judy Garland in “The Harvey Girls” along with a Passing Parade subject “Magic On A Stick” plus a speech delivered by civil leaders which also featured WROX radio personalities in the lobby, with an original capacity of 520 seats. The Tyson originally featured a gray and red exterior and arrangements of multicolored lights aroused in passers.
The 1951 film “Three Guys Named Mike” gave very special sneak preview at the Tyson due to the film being inspired by experiences of a Clarksdale woman named Ethel “Pug” Welles who worked as an airline stewardess for American Airlines.
The Tyson Theatre was once known as “Bosworth Showcase Cinema” when ownership changed after Billy Holcomb passed the theater building over to Tom Bosworth in 1975. In November 1979, the theater installed Dolby Stereo. After Bosworth moved to Louisiana in 1981, it was taken over by another person who continued operating the theater. He later twinned it. Although it became the Delta Theater and Delta Cinema later on, it eventually kept the Showcase name on the center of the marquee. In 2003, the theater suddenly went vacant for a short time but reopened later.
The Delta Cinema closed for the final time in January 2019 due to a sewage problem.
The Marion Theatre opened its doors on April 22, 1918 with a sporting event (which would later become a movie theater). The Marion became the Paramount Theatre on August 4, 1930, reopening with Joan Crawford in “Our Blushing Brides” along with the Our Gang short “Railroadin'” and a Universal Newsreel (listed as “Graham McNamee Newscasting Latest News”), when it was acquired by the Saenger chain that same year.
The Roxy Theatre originally opened as a colored-only theater. The Roxy opened its doors on December 15, 1949 with “The Big Cat” along with a newsreel, a serial, and a comedy reel, featuring an original capacity of 700 seats, and was first operated by A.N. Rossie. The structure measures 40x125ft long and its original projection equipment features Simplex projection with a Four-Star sound system.
Functions Update: Classics films are also presented.
The South Willow Street Cinemas started life as a quad, but opened slowly throughout July 1981. The first two screens opened on July 3, 1981, while the other two screens opened on July 17, 1981.
Four more screens were added in 1985 bringing a total to eight screens, and one more was added the following year bringing a total to nine.
General Cinemas opened the Bedford Mall Cinema I & II on July 23, 1969 with “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” at Screen 1 and “Goodbye Columbus” at Screen 2. A third screen was added on October 24, 1975 and a fourth screen was added in the Spring of 1987.
General Cinema operated the theater until it was taken over by Canad Cinemas in late-1992 or early-1993. Canad would later add three more screens to the theater in 1994, but however, Canad only operated the theater for around four years until it was taken over by Hoyts in 1997. Hoyts operated the Bedford Mall Cinema 7 until Regal took it over on April 4, 2003.
Regal closed the Bedford Mall Cinema 7 for the final time on October 22, 2007.