The overview is mistaken. Stanley Warner sold its southern California houses, including the Wiltern, to Pacific Theatres in 1968. In 1958 Pacific was still a drive-in chain and did not yet have any hardtops.
A book called Lakewood: The First Hundred Years, by Jim and Susan Borchert, says that the Lincoln Theatre was in operation from 1924 to 1950. The Borcherts list a total of eleven movie theaters that have operated in Lakewood over the years.
A book called Lakewood: The First Hundred Years, by Jim and Susan Borchert, says that the Lakewood Theatre operated from 1912 to 1922, and then again from 1924 to 1930. The Borcherts list a total of eleven movie theaters that have operated in Lakewood over the years.
This article from Boise Weekly of November 1, 2012, says that the Pix Theatre opened on September 11, 1946, with the Rita Hayworth musical “Tonight and Every Night.” The house originally seated 688. It was closed in 1999, and the interior was gutted between 2004 and 2006 when roof repairs were carried out.
Ongoing plans by Pix Anew, the non-profit organization currently doing renovations, include 400 seats of stadium-style seating and the replacement of the lost marquee. The organization is seeking investment partners and estimates that it will need about $2,000,000 to get the house ready to open again. Pix Anew has a Facebook page, but it hasn’t been updated in almost a year.
The destruction of this theater, and so many others, was a tragic loss for Racine, which was a handsome city at one time, now greatly diminished. It’s unfortunate that Racine’s later leaders failed so miserably to live up to their predecessors and build on the splendid legacy left to them, rather than shamelessly squandering it.
This ad is for the Majestic Theatre in Port Huron, Michigan, not the Majestic in Detroit. Here is a link to the Port Huron Majestic’s Cinema Treasures page.
I haven’t found a demolition date, but the theater was apparently in operation into 1975. An article in a Kenyon College Alumni Bulletin says “[Kenyon House] stretched the entire block from the side on South Main Street to the corner alley, the same alley many alumni will remember as being next to the front entrance to Schine’s Vernon Theater, which Kenyon students frequented to see movies from 1938 to 1975.”
It was demolished within a few years of closing, though. A 1960 view at Historic Aerials shows the theater, but it is gone in the 1981 aerial, which is the next one available.
The February 14, 1951 issue of The Exhibitor said that the Trans-Calfiornia Theatre Company’s new Mission Drive-In,under construction just outside San Francisco, had been designed by architect Bernard Nobler.
The Richmond Theatre was built in 1949. The February 14, 1951 issue of The Exhibitor ran this article about the theater’s second anniversary:
“Lyndhurst, O., House Gets Award
“Cleveland —Several hundred people braved the sub-zero temperature to participate in the triple anniversary celebration held in the Richmond, deluxe first subsequent run in the suburb of Lyndhurst, O.
“It being the second birthday anniversary of the theatre, this date was selected as most fitting to receive the much coveted Exhibitor award as one of the ‘most modern and well appointed of all theatres constructed in 1949.’ Presentation was made on the stage by Ernest Schwartz, president, Cleveland Motion Picture Exhibitors Association, to Bert Lefkowich, Community Circuit, son of one of the theatre owners. In accepting the trophy, Lefkowich expressed his appreciation, and paid tribute to Max Marmorstein, realtor, who made the project possible, and Joseph Weinberg, architect, responsible for the architectural and decorative design of the structure.
“The ceremonies also included presentation to Mayor Elmer T. Elbrecht of an engraved plaque from the businessmen to commemorate the suburb’s change of status from a village to that of a city. Speakers included ex-Congressman-at-large Stephen Young and Mrs. William McCabe, who presented a check in the amount of $480 to Ernest Schwartz, representing ‘The March of Dimes’ collections in the Richmond under her leadership.
“Carrying out the anniversary theme, the feature attraction was ‘Mr. Music,’ which called for a congratulatory telegram from Bing Crosby. Congressman Frances P. Bolton also wired her congratulations from Washington.
“Max Greenwald, manager, Richmond, made all arrangements for the celebration.”
The May 20, 1949 issue of the Santa Cruz Sentinel-News said that the new, 800-car Encina Drive-In would open within a week. The theater was owned by Frank Paone and John Forde, in partnership with Trans-Caliornia Theaters, a regional circuit. Paone and Forde had opened the Starview Drive-In, Santa Cruz County’s first, near Boulder Creek in 1947. Paone would manage the new theater.
The Starview Drive-In was opened in 1947, and was the first drive-in theater in Santa Cruz County. The owners were Frank Paone and John Forde who, in 1949, would open the much larger Encina Drive-In in Santa Cruz. They operated the Encina in partnership with a regional chain called Trans-California Theaters, but I’ve been unable to discover if the same arrangement was in effect at the Starview.
A book published by the Dwight Foster Public Library in 1986, on the occasion of Fort Atkinson’s 150th anniversary, has a brief paragraph about the Uptown Theatre:
“The Uptown theater began serving Fort Atkinson residents in November 1937. It had an interesting cooling system: owners I.J. Craite and John Mayles flooded the theater’s flat roof with 2 to 3 inches of water during the summer months. This supposedly helped keep the theater cool and protected the roof from the sun’s rays. The main floor of the theater seated 392 people, while the balcony held 92, for a 484-person capacity.”
A thumbnail biography of theater operator A. G. Miller in the 1937-38 International Motion Picture Almanac says that he opened the new Lyric Theatre at Atkinson on February 9, 1926. Miller had begun showing movies in Atkinson’s old Opera House on December 19, 1909, when he was 18 years old. It was the town’s first regular movie theater.
According to the Arcadia Publishing Company’s book Fort Atkinson, the auditorium of the Fort Theatre was demolished in April, 2001. The older, adjacent building at 23-25 Milwaukee Avenue E. that once housed the Lyric Theatre was demolished at the same time.
This item from the September 1, 1928 issue of Motion Picture News reveals that the Fort Theatre had earlier been known as the Crystal Theatre:
“Walter Beier, of the Beier Film
exchange, has taken over the Crystal theatre at Ft. Atkinson from Neil Thompson. Mr. Beier is closing the theatre for three weeks for extensive remodeling. The house will be opened as The Fort.”
The Crystal was the name of one of the three theaters listed at Fort Atkinson in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory. The Empire and the Lyric were the other two.
A new theater opened in Saguache in 1928, and it is possible that it was the house that later became the Ute Theatre. This item is from the September 1, 1928 issue of Motion Picture News:
“Chas W. Ogden of Saguache, Colorado, will open his new Ogden Theatre early in September. This will make two theatres for the little town of Saguache, the other being the Opera House, managed by Mrs. McEntyre.”
The September 1, 1928 issue of Motion Picture News had this item about the demise of the Hollywood Theatre:
“The Hollywood Theatre, Aurora, Colorado, has been closed and dismantled by Sam H. Horner, who has operated the theatre for the past year. Mr. Hennen [sic] has given the city of Aurora the best of service and a fair chance to support a theatre of its own; business, however, dropped to the point where it was impossible to continue and Mr. Horner used his only alternative in closing the theatre and selling the equipment.”
The September 1, 1928 issue of Motion Picture News said that a new partnership of V. S. Hennen and Orin C. Milburn had purchased the Gem Theatre at Durango from Marshall & Day and planned begin operating the house that day with “high-class service.”
Here is an item from the June 16, 1928 issue of Motion Picture News:
“Edwin Bluck, who is building the new theatre in Durango, Colo., was a Denver visitor this week, looking after some new equipment. The new theatre will contain about 600 seats. It has been named ‘The Kiva,’ and the grand opening is planned for June 21st.”
Here is a brief article about the Cozy Theatre and its manager, Ruth Wright, from the October 7, 1922 issue of The Moving Picture World:
“Painted a Big City for a Display of Hats
“New York and the fashions are firmly linked together in the feminine mind. The manager of the Cozy theatre, Topeka, is a woman, Ruth Wright, and she was quick to see the value of the connection.
“She persuaded a leading millinery concern to make a display of the very latest styles in hats and contributed a backing supposed to be New York to carry out the idea of ‘The Crossroads of New York.’
“The painting is not going to be framed for preservation, and, to say the least, it is crude, but the big point is this: During the showing it was the most prominent window in the entire city, and it sold both hats and theatre tickets.
“The moral is that it does not pay to hang back because you cannot equal the work of the best scenic artists, but to go ahead and do the best you can. If it makes money for you it’s good, no matter how poor it may be, and this simple window stunt did more to sell this First National attraction than would a half page in the newspapers.”
This item is from the April 7, 1928 issue of Motion Picture News:
“Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Bluck of the Durango Theatre of Durango, Colorado, are in this city visiting with their son Ross Bluck who is booker at the local F B O exchange. A new theatre is being constructed at Durango by Bluck, to be ready for opening by June 1st. ”
The theater Mr. Bluck was building was the Kiva, according to later items in the same journal.
This page from Rockford Public Library’s Local History project suggests that the building occupied by Nordlof Center is the same building once occupied by the Orpheum.
A timeline of its history says that it was occupied by a manufacturer of watch cases in 1887, housed the Orpheum from 1912 until 1936, and was occupied by the Kress variety store from 1937 until 1973. It sat vacant after that, and was bought by the City of Rockford in 1984, then sold to New American Theater in 1986.
Laura La Shell was the widow of George La Shell, who died in 1928.
The overview is mistaken. Stanley Warner sold its southern California houses, including the Wiltern, to Pacific Theatres in 1968. In 1958 Pacific was still a drive-in chain and did not yet have any hardtops.
A book called Lakewood: The First Hundred Years, by Jim and Susan Borchert, says that the Lincoln Theatre was in operation from 1924 to 1950. The Borcherts list a total of eleven movie theaters that have operated in Lakewood over the years.
A book called Lakewood: The First Hundred Years, by Jim and Susan Borchert, says that the Lakewood Theatre operated from 1912 to 1922, and then again from 1924 to 1930. The Borcherts list a total of eleven movie theaters that have operated in Lakewood over the years.
This article from Boise Weekly of November 1, 2012, says that the Pix Theatre opened on September 11, 1946, with the Rita Hayworth musical “Tonight and Every Night.” The house originally seated 688. It was closed in 1999, and the interior was gutted between 2004 and 2006 when roof repairs were carried out.
Ongoing plans by Pix Anew, the non-profit organization currently doing renovations, include 400 seats of stadium-style seating and the replacement of the lost marquee. The organization is seeking investment partners and estimates that it will need about $2,000,000 to get the house ready to open again. Pix Anew has a Facebook page, but it hasn’t been updated in almost a year.
The destruction of this theater, and so many others, was a tragic loss for Racine, which was a handsome city at one time, now greatly diminished. It’s unfortunate that Racine’s later leaders failed so miserably to live up to their predecessors and build on the splendid legacy left to them, rather than shamelessly squandering it.
This ad is for the Majestic Theatre in Port Huron, Michigan, not the Majestic in Detroit. Here is a link to the Port Huron Majestic’s Cinema Treasures page.
I haven’t found a demolition date, but the theater was apparently in operation into 1975. An article in a Kenyon College Alumni Bulletin says “[Kenyon House] stretched the entire block from the side on South Main Street to the corner alley, the same alley many alumni will remember as being next to the front entrance to Schine’s Vernon Theater, which Kenyon students frequented to see movies from 1938 to 1975.”
It was demolished within a few years of closing, though. A 1960 view at Historic Aerials shows the theater, but it is gone in the 1981 aerial, which is the next one available.
The February 14, 1951 issue of The Exhibitor said that the Trans-Calfiornia Theatre Company’s new Mission Drive-In,under construction just outside San Francisco, had been designed by architect Bernard Nobler.
The Richmond Theatre was built in 1949. The February 14, 1951 issue of The Exhibitor ran this article about the theater’s second anniversary:
The May 20, 1949 issue of the Santa Cruz Sentinel-News said that the new, 800-car Encina Drive-In would open within a week. The theater was owned by Frank Paone and John Forde, in partnership with Trans-Caliornia Theaters, a regional circuit. Paone and Forde had opened the Starview Drive-In, Santa Cruz County’s first, near Boulder Creek in 1947. Paone would manage the new theater.
The Starview Drive-In was opened in 1947, and was the first drive-in theater in Santa Cruz County. The owners were Frank Paone and John Forde who, in 1949, would open the much larger Encina Drive-In in Santa Cruz. They operated the Encina in partnership with a regional chain called Trans-California Theaters, but I’ve been unable to discover if the same arrangement was in effect at the Starview.
A book published by the Dwight Foster Public Library in 1986, on the occasion of Fort Atkinson’s 150th anniversary, has a brief paragraph about the Uptown Theatre:
A thumbnail biography of theater operator A. G. Miller in the 1937-38 International Motion Picture Almanac says that he opened the new Lyric Theatre at Atkinson on February 9, 1926. Miller had begun showing movies in Atkinson’s old Opera House on December 19, 1909, when he was 18 years old. It was the town’s first regular movie theater.
According to the Arcadia Publishing Company’s book Fort Atkinson, the auditorium of the Fort Theatre was demolished in April, 2001. The older, adjacent building at 23-25 Milwaukee Avenue E. that once housed the Lyric Theatre was demolished at the same time.
This item from the September 1, 1928 issue of Motion Picture News reveals that the Fort Theatre had earlier been known as the Crystal Theatre:
The Crystal was the name of one of the three theaters listed at Fort Atkinson in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory. The Empire and the Lyric were the other two.Also, according to the official web site, the Ute Theatre will be reopening on June 21.
A new theater opened in Saguache in 1928, and it is possible that it was the house that later became the Ute Theatre. This item is from the September 1, 1928 issue of Motion Picture News:
The September 1, 1928 issue of Motion Picture News had this item about the demise of the Hollywood Theatre:
The September 1, 1928 issue of Motion Picture News said that a new partnership of V. S. Hennen and Orin C. Milburn had purchased the Gem Theatre at Durango from Marshall & Day and planned begin operating the house that day with “high-class service.”
Here is an item from the June 16, 1928 issue of Motion Picture News:
Here is a brief article about the Cozy Theatre and its manager, Ruth Wright, from the October 7, 1922 issue of The Moving Picture World:
This item is from the April 7, 1928 issue of Motion Picture News:
The theater Mr. Bluck was building was the Kiva, according to later items in the same journal.The Gem Theatre at Platteville is listed in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory. A second house called the Lyric Theatre was also listed.
This page from Rockford Public Library’s Local History project suggests that the building occupied by Nordlof Center is the same building once occupied by the Orpheum.
A timeline of its history says that it was occupied by a manufacturer of watch cases in 1887, housed the Orpheum from 1912 until 1936, and was occupied by the Kress variety store from 1937 until 1973. It sat vacant after that, and was bought by the City of Rockford in 1984, then sold to New American Theater in 1986.