The Colney opened for the Stanley Circuit on April 11, 1925 and while “The Thief of Bagdad” enthused audiences, the theater’s Wurlitzer Hope Jones Style F Organ costing some $75,000 - more than the entire cost of some neighborhood theaters of the era - apparently was the show stealer.
The Italian Renaissance stylings of Hodgens & Hill also wowed the opening afternoon’s audience. The bathing of the interior in blue and gold at the ground level with monochromatic interior elsewhere including the white terra cotta front suggested class. Under Stanley / Stanley-Warner, independent operator Herbert Elliott of the Fern Rock was a thorn in the circuit’s side. After about eight lawsuits - Stanley Warner Circuit cooperatively operated the Colney with Elliott while providing fare and an arrangement with his independent Fern Rock.
Elliott would sell out the Fern Rock to Stanley-Warner, as well. The last advertised show at the Colney for Stanley-Warner was “A Streetcar Named Desire” on May 9, 1952. Said a distressed Marlon Brando, “Colney! Hey, Colney!” The building was then listed for sale ending its cinematic journey.
The venue was announced in 1927 for independent operator George Schwinn. The venue was ambitious and costly aimed at combining vaudeville and silent films with a live band and organ. It opened as the Fern Rock Theatre on July 9, 1928 with “The Cohens and the Kellys in Paris” and other silent films as well as vaudeville acts headed by Silver Toes.
Herbert J. Elliott, another independent operator, acquired the theatre in 1929 and wired the venue for sound. Elliott remained fiercely independent in his tenure at the Fern Rock and sued the major Hollywood studios in 1934 for inability to get the films he wanted. He sued Warner Bros. on the same charges in 1938. Elliot modernized the facility in 1939 including a Simplex Four Star Sound system. He also launched another lawsuit suing competing theaters. He was more successful in his suits than most others as he would sometimes get limited clearances.
Stanley-Warner finally created an operational agreement with Elliott to grant clearances to Elliot’s Fern Park and took over his other house, the Colney Theatre. Elliot, who had maintained the independent operation of the Fern Rock for some 13 years, would then sell out the Fern Park in 1942 to Stanley Warner Circuit.
Acquired by Sameric Circuit, it became the Eric Fern Rock Theatre in October of 1971 and soon was refreshed. In July of 1974, it became the Eric Twin Fern Rock Theatre. The Eric Twin Fern Rock closed permanently on November 8, 1987 with “Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II” and “Nightflyers.”
The Pastime Theatre opened at 1420-1426 Point in 1911. The theatre was sold to new operators who modernized the venue in 1924 with a new organ and later equipped it for sound.
The A.M. Ellis chain took it over after the Pastime closed for renovations following the January 30, 1942 shows. It was modernized to the plans of David Supowitz relaunching May 19, 1942 as the Victory Theatre. The adjoining Kresge’s store was a busy neighbor allowing patrons of the Victory to have an alternative to its concession stand.
The Victory closed at the expiry of a ten-year lease likely catering to African American audiences in its final three years and was demolished in 1953. It was replaced by a retail location for Spiro’s Style Shops.
This venue opened in 1911 as a movie house. The Ridge Theatre ceased operations following the November 6, 1952 double feature of “Tripoli” and “Wagon Wheels.”
David Shapiro of the New Penn Theatre at 800-802 North 24th Street gave the theatre a streamlined moderne makeover in 1936 by Paramount Decorating. He then sold the venue to Martin A. Ellis Circuit in September of 1941 who ran it to closure on July 11, 1954 with “South Seas” and “Elephant Walk.” Ellis sold the building for $25,000 becoming the long-running home of St. Hedwig’s Church until 1999. The venue was then razed for a townhouse complex.
The Golden Triangle Mall was once serviced by two cinemas. The first was the UA Golden Triangle 4 - a long-since demolished outparcel location - that sat across from the northern section of the Golden Triangle Mall just across San Jacinto Boulevard opening June 6, 1980 just ahead of the Mall’s launch. The sequel was this location, the UA Golden Triangle 5, a 5-plex interior theatre inside of Mall opening on March 17, 1995.
The original UA Golden Triangle 4 operated to the end of its 20-year leasing agreement closing quietly on March 26, 2000 with UA continuing with this interior theatre. UA later downgraded the theater to a discount, sub-run venue before discontinuing operations at the end of its lease. Silver Cinemas, a discount specialist, took on the location and ran it continually until the COVID-19 pandemic which temporarily closed the cinema on March 16, 2020. The theatre was among just a handful of discount movie theaters nationally which would get second-life relaunching a year-and-a half-later on September 29, 2021.
The discount theatres struggled mightily in late 2021 to get second-run product to fill their screens and Silver Cinemas changed course in December of 2021 opting to try a policy of first-run features under the Landmark Theatres circuit brand name. The theater’s policy change combined with the shuttering of Cinemark’s Hollywood USA in Garland also in December of 2021 ended sub-run, discount films in mega/multi-plexes in Texas if not the entire Southwest. It also left Silver Cinema with one official theater in operation - the Market Square in Madison, Wisconsin - which continued with discount films until closing in February of 2022.
The problems here are many. 1) I don’t think there’s a theatre at the posted address. 2) I believe the photos are of another theater - the William Penn. 3) The guessy years don’t help.
There was a modest neighborhood theatre built at 1426-1428 South Fourth Street at Dickinson in 1913 called the Penn Theatre. The project was initially announced in March of 1913 and would be built for Jacob Petchon. This likely what the contributor is referring to - or not. This Penn Theatre closed after 36 years on July 7, 1949 with “Crime Doctor’s Gamble” and “Sons of Adventure.” During the 4th Street-located Penn Theatre’s run there was also a William Penn Theatre that seated 3,000, a South Penn Theatre showing movies at 10th and Girard and a New Penn Theatre at 800 North 24th Street at Brown that lasted into the 1950s.
The address of this former theatre dated back to the 1870s when Restein Hall served as a meeting place for many political discussions all the way until 1913 when it was razed. August W. Becker, H.W. Becker and Jacob Becker decided to buy the property to build a new $50,000 movie house. The venue was deemed fireproof using structural steel and concrete in its construction.
H.W. Becker was one of the pioneering area theatre operators when live theater changed over to photoplays. Becker’s moved from the New York market into the Philadelphia area when we acquired Fox’s Pleasure Palace in 1898 and changed it to Becker’s Lyceum Theatre. As for this entry, local accounts show the building and opening of this theatre in 1913 (aka the Becker Brothers' Theatre).
The Beckers sold off this theater in 1921 for $63,000 to Abe Wax. The theatre was given a refresh becoming the Stratford Theatre around September of 1921. The theatre added sound to remain viable. Late in 1955, it had a major refresh complete with widescreen presentations. The Stratford ran into a challenging period becoming an ultra-discount sub-run house at a quarter a ticket hoping to get anyone to walk through the front door.
The Stratford closed on January 15, 1963. Shockingly, the venue found another operator reopening July 15, 1963. That operator, Gregory Faramelli, was beaten by patrons in August of 1963 - a sort of welcome to the neighborhood moment. The Stratford appears to have ground to a halt following showings of “The Incredible Shrinking Man,” Chapter 11 of the serial, “Batman and Robin,” and “I Spit on Your Grave” on October 5, 1963 at the time of its 50th Anniversary and end of a leasing period. There were more bookings for the theatre, but they appear to have not been run. The theatre has since been razed.
The Savoia opened on June 9, 1937 with a full house for “Mountain Justice.” The name was suggested by George L. Smiley who won $100 from Warner Bros. Circuit for naming the new-build venue at 1705-1709 S. Broad Street. Construction had started in October of 1936 and featured great quantities of stainless steel to represent the latest and greatest in movie theaters. The Savoia closed at the expiry of a 30-year lease on August 3, 1967 with a double-feature of “Blow-Up” and “Chuka.”
Stanley Warner closed the Commodore Theatre on May 13, 1956 with “Guys and Dolls.” The long-running Commodore and Ogontz were retrofitted as live theaters. The Commodore became the Forty-Third Street Theatre beginning on January 12, 1959 with “The Potting Shed” by Graham Greene. It appears to have folded after just two plays.
H.W. Becker was one of the pioneering area theatre operators when live theater changed over to photoplays. Becker’s first foray into the Philadelphia market when we acquired Fox’s Pleasure Palace in 1898 and changed it to Becker’s Lyceum Theatre. As for this entry, local accounts show the building of the theatre in late 1911 and opening as Becker’s Theatre early in January of 1912 by August W. Becker, Jacob Becker and C.W. Becker (aka the Becker Brothers' Theatre). They also acquired another theatre at 7th and Snyder in 1913 which they renamed as the Becker Theatre.
The venue was opened at the corner lot of 1727-1731 Snyder Avenue and the Becker made headlines when two blackmail notes came in reading, “ Warning to the bearer, Jacob Becker. I am going to blow up your moving picture place is you don’t send me $5,000…. I will blow it up when (you and) the crowd are in it. YOUR WORST ENEMY.” The Philadelphia police apprehended a 13-year old boy who didn’t follow through on his plan and the tip came after he had boasted of the plot to school chums. The Beckers ran the unexploded venue until 1928 when they sold it to J.M. Krause, Inc.
The theatre was wired for sound under the Venice Theatre nameplate. According to the local paper, the Venice was modernized to the plans of David Supowitz in 1938/9 for a streamlined look. Gilbert Addeo was the final operator of the Venice which closed September 7, 1953 with “The Girl Next Door” and “Invaders from Mars.” It became the events center, the Venice Plaza in 1956.
The Fans Theatre closed during an August 25, 1963 showing of “Diary of a Madman.” Kids running across the roof looking for a free way into the theatre near a skylight resulted in plaster falling 100 feet and injuring patrons. The Fans had a reported crowd of 600 at the time of the incident. The theatre was listed as “Closed for repairs; open soon.” But, apparently, the 50th Anniversary in 1964 was not meant to be.
H.W. Rambo of the Lubin Company opened the new vaudeville/movie house on February 14, 1911 as the Lincoln Theatre at 1317-1325 South 49th Street. A neighboring soda fountain served as the de facto concession stand in the theater’s early days. The theatre closed for a major refresh in 1924 when J.J. Miller sold off the lease. The Murphy-Quigley Company presided over the improvements. It re-emerged under new operator Ray O’Rourke and Quaker City Amusement when it became the Doris Theatre in January of 1925. O'Rourke had previously managed the Orpheum in Germantown and operated a number of West Philly theaters including this one. As the Doris, the venue was now a full-time movie theater complete with pipe organ.
The Doris was equipped with sound (presumably in 1930 under a new 20-year lease) and, in 1939, was modernized once again to the plans of David Supowitz to become a streamline moderne theatre. A 1936 case in which the Doris Theatre personnel refused to sell a movie ticket to an African American patron ended up in court with the plaintiff winning the case. Another case involved the charge that its Bank/Bingo nights amounted to an illegal lottery - which O"Rourke’s theatre won. And another situation involved the playing of Sunday movies.
A.M. and Martin D. Ellis took on the vnue on May 27, 1942 operating it under the last eight years remaining on its lease. The Doris closed permanently at the expiry of its lease with William Holden in “Dear Wife” on May 25, 1950. After being listed for sale or lease, the former Doris was auctioned off in 1952. The building is still standing as of the 2020s.
The $125,000 Bellevue Theatre launched for Milton Rogasner and St. Charles Amusement on December 10, 1914. Charlie Chaplin’s “The Tango Tangle” opened the theatre shown on its Radium Gold Fibre screen and accompanied by its new Haskell pipe organ with echo effect. The theatre appears to have ceased operations at the exit point of a lease at the 15 year mark.
William Hunt / Hunt’s Enterprise operated the venue at 4910-4914 North Broad Street from 1922 to 1942. Listed as a Spanish architecture theatre, in 1941 the theatre was modernized to the plans of Thalheimer and Weitz bringing a streamlined look. The theatre was transferred to A.M. Ellis Theatres in 1943. Ellis also launched the Chester Pike D-I on My 26, 1949. The Rockland ceased operations following showtimes on October 11, 1970 with “Machine Gun McCain” and “Land Raiders.”
On March 29, 1929, the Northeastern was one of eleven existing theaters acquired by Warner-Equity Theatres. In April of 1942, Warner Circuit gave it a streamline moderne makeover. A long-running soda fountain served as a before and after show hangout. The Northeastern Theatre closed on January 25, 1958 with “The Unknown Terror” and “Back from the Dead.”
Warner-Equity Theatres launched the new Holme Theatre with sound pictures on October 11, 1929 with “On With the Show” supported by “Look Out Below.” The theatre was named after Thomas Holme and was in the Holemsburg neighborhood of Philly. The Holme closed after the January 8, 1942 showing of “Hold That Ghost” for a major $100,000 refresh. On March 17, 1942, it was relaunched as the Penypak Theatre with Kay Kyser in “The Playmates.”
The Penypak scuffled in the 1950s along with many neighborhood movie houses. In 1950, the independent operator, Melvin Fox, sued the eight major Hollywood distributors citing a cartel that didn’t allow it access to key first run films. That and similar suits at that time around the country led to the Paramount decree that would break up the cartel. The Penypak Theatre initially closed at the expiry of a leasing period on September 27, 1951 with “The Great Caruso.” The former Penypak became the short-lived Herby’s Auction House. A boy got his hand stuck in the Penypak popcorn machine during an auction requiring rescue by the fire department. The auction house closed early in 1954 with the building offered for sale.
The Penypak re-emerged on a grind policy by Mr. Fox on May 8, 1955 with “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” and “Desiree.” The venue had a new 40' screen and widescreen projection to present CinemaScope titles. But the Penypak’s audience loss was not stemmed and it soon cased operations on October 30, 1955 with Anne Appleton in the exploitation film, “The Desperate Women,” supported by Richard Coogan in “Girl on the Run” ending the venue’s cinematic journey.
After being offered for sale without a buyer, the theatre was auctioned off on July 12, 1956 for $70,000. It resumed auction services for a short period. In 1959, it was a showplace with live plays by the Pinypak players. That only lasted three months closing just prior the theater’s 30th Anniversary. The building was again sold in 1962 for $52,500 to a furniture retailer beginning a long retail career.
The Airport Drive-In Theatre took flight on October 30, 1957 with “Man of a Thousand Faces” and “War Drums.” The Airport crash landed on December 16, 1969, with a quadruple feature of “Fanny Hill,” “The Wild Angels.” “The Glory Stompers” and “Hell’s Angels on Wheels.”
The Elm Theatre dates back at least to 1920. It was renamed the Airport in 1942. The Airport crash landed on July 9, 1950 with “Crime Doctor’s Diary” and Pat O'Brien appropriately in “Flight Lieutenant.” The building was then offered for sale before being auctioned off in 1952 at end of lease.
Jack Delmar launched the Bell Theatre in 1913. Under new ownership by Marcus Benn, it became the original Benn Theatre in 1917. Benn soon outgrew the diminutive house and purchased land in 1920 at 6316 to 6322 Woodland to build the New Benn Theatre for some $350,000. During the project, the Stanley Circuit bought the venue claiming it as part of its $10 million building spree of theaters in 1923.
The September 1, 1923 opening of the New Benn ended the original Benn Theatre which would eventually became to the Benson Theatre. The Benson appears to have closed August 13, 1967 with “Divorce, American Style.”
The Colney opened for the Stanley Circuit on April 11, 1925 and while “The Thief of Bagdad” enthused audiences, the theater’s Wurlitzer Hope Jones Style F Organ costing some $75,000 - more than the entire cost of some neighborhood theaters of the era - apparently was the show stealer.
The Italian Renaissance stylings of Hodgens & Hill also wowed the opening afternoon’s audience. The bathing of the interior in blue and gold at the ground level with monochromatic interior elsewhere including the white terra cotta front suggested class. Under Stanley / Stanley-Warner, independent operator Herbert Elliott of the Fern Rock was a thorn in the circuit’s side. After about eight lawsuits - Stanley Warner Circuit cooperatively operated the Colney with Elliott while providing fare and an arrangement with his independent Fern Rock.
Elliott would sell out the Fern Rock to Stanley-Warner, as well. The last advertised show at the Colney for Stanley-Warner was “A Streetcar Named Desire” on May 9, 1952. Said a distressed Marlon Brando, “Colney! Hey, Colney!” The building was then listed for sale ending its cinematic journey.
The venue was announced in 1927 for independent operator George Schwinn. The venue was ambitious and costly aimed at combining vaudeville and silent films with a live band and organ. It opened as the Fern Rock Theatre on July 9, 1928 with “The Cohens and the Kellys in Paris” and other silent films as well as vaudeville acts headed by Silver Toes.
Herbert J. Elliott, another independent operator, acquired the theatre in 1929 and wired the venue for sound. Elliott remained fiercely independent in his tenure at the Fern Rock and sued the major Hollywood studios in 1934 for inability to get the films he wanted. He sued Warner Bros. on the same charges in 1938. Elliot modernized the facility in 1939 including a Simplex Four Star Sound system. He also launched another lawsuit suing competing theaters. He was more successful in his suits than most others as he would sometimes get limited clearances.
Stanley-Warner finally created an operational agreement with Elliott to grant clearances to Elliot’s Fern Park and took over his other house, the Colney Theatre. Elliot, who had maintained the independent operation of the Fern Rock for some 13 years, would then sell out the Fern Park in 1942 to Stanley Warner Circuit.
Acquired by Sameric Circuit, it became the Eric Fern Rock Theatre in October of 1971 and soon was refreshed. In July of 1974, it became the Eric Twin Fern Rock Theatre. The Eric Twin Fern Rock closed permanently on November 8, 1987 with “Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II” and “Nightflyers.”
The Pastime Theatre opened at 1420-1426 Point in 1911. The theatre was sold to new operators who modernized the venue in 1924 with a new organ and later equipped it for sound.
The A.M. Ellis chain took it over after the Pastime closed for renovations following the January 30, 1942 shows. It was modernized to the plans of David Supowitz relaunching May 19, 1942 as the Victory Theatre. The adjoining Kresge’s store was a busy neighbor allowing patrons of the Victory to have an alternative to its concession stand.
The Victory closed at the expiry of a ten-year lease likely catering to African American audiences in its final three years and was demolished in 1953. It was replaced by a retail location for Spiro’s Style Shops.
This venue opened in 1911 as a movie house. The Ridge Theatre ceased operations following the November 6, 1952 double feature of “Tripoli” and “Wagon Wheels.”
David Shapiro of the New Penn Theatre at 800-802 North 24th Street gave the theatre a streamlined moderne makeover in 1936 by Paramount Decorating. He then sold the venue to Martin A. Ellis Circuit in September of 1941 who ran it to closure on July 11, 1954 with “South Seas” and “Elephant Walk.” Ellis sold the building for $25,000 becoming the long-running home of St. Hedwig’s Church until 1999. The venue was then razed for a townhouse complex.
The Golden Triangle Mall was once serviced by two cinemas. The first was the UA Golden Triangle 4 - a long-since demolished outparcel location - that sat across from the northern section of the Golden Triangle Mall just across San Jacinto Boulevard opening June 6, 1980 just ahead of the Mall’s launch. The sequel was this location, the UA Golden Triangle 5, a 5-plex interior theatre inside of Mall opening on March 17, 1995.
The original UA Golden Triangle 4 operated to the end of its 20-year leasing agreement closing quietly on March 26, 2000 with UA continuing with this interior theatre. UA later downgraded the theater to a discount, sub-run venue before discontinuing operations at the end of its lease. Silver Cinemas, a discount specialist, took on the location and ran it continually until the COVID-19 pandemic which temporarily closed the cinema on March 16, 2020. The theatre was among just a handful of discount movie theaters nationally which would get second-life relaunching a year-and-a half-later on September 29, 2021.
The discount theatres struggled mightily in late 2021 to get second-run product to fill their screens and Silver Cinemas changed course in December of 2021 opting to try a policy of first-run features under the Landmark Theatres circuit brand name. The theater’s policy change combined with the shuttering of Cinemark’s Hollywood USA in Garland also in December of 2021 ended sub-run, discount films in mega/multi-plexes in Texas if not the entire Southwest. It also left Silver Cinema with one official theater in operation - the Market Square in Madison, Wisconsin - which continued with discount films until closing in February of 2022.
Technically, that ends the Silver Cinema Circuit.
The problems here are many. 1) I don’t think there’s a theatre at the posted address. 2) I believe the photos are of another theater - the William Penn. 3) The guessy years don’t help.
There was a modest neighborhood theatre built at 1426-1428 South Fourth Street at Dickinson in 1913 called the Penn Theatre. The project was initially announced in March of 1913 and would be built for Jacob Petchon. This likely what the contributor is referring to - or not. This Penn Theatre closed after 36 years on July 7, 1949 with “Crime Doctor’s Gamble” and “Sons of Adventure.” During the 4th Street-located Penn Theatre’s run there was also a William Penn Theatre that seated 3,000, a South Penn Theatre showing movies at 10th and Girard and a New Penn Theatre at 800 North 24th Street at Brown that lasted into the 1950s.
The address of this former theatre dated back to the 1870s when Restein Hall served as a meeting place for many political discussions all the way until 1913 when it was razed. August W. Becker, H.W. Becker and Jacob Becker decided to buy the property to build a new $50,000 movie house. The venue was deemed fireproof using structural steel and concrete in its construction.
H.W. Becker was one of the pioneering area theatre operators when live theater changed over to photoplays. Becker’s moved from the New York market into the Philadelphia area when we acquired Fox’s Pleasure Palace in 1898 and changed it to Becker’s Lyceum Theatre. As for this entry, local accounts show the building and opening of this theatre in 1913 (aka the Becker Brothers' Theatre).
The Beckers sold off this theater in 1921 for $63,000 to Abe Wax. The theatre was given a refresh becoming the Stratford Theatre around September of 1921. The theatre added sound to remain viable. Late in 1955, it had a major refresh complete with widescreen presentations. The Stratford ran into a challenging period becoming an ultra-discount sub-run house at a quarter a ticket hoping to get anyone to walk through the front door.
The Stratford closed on January 15, 1963. Shockingly, the venue found another operator reopening July 15, 1963. That operator, Gregory Faramelli, was beaten by patrons in August of 1963 - a sort of welcome to the neighborhood moment. The Stratford appears to have ground to a halt following showings of “The Incredible Shrinking Man,” Chapter 11 of the serial, “Batman and Robin,” and “I Spit on Your Grave” on October 5, 1963 at the time of its 50th Anniversary and end of a leasing period. There were more bookings for the theatre, but they appear to have not been run. The theatre has since been razed.
The Savoia opened on June 9, 1937 with a full house for “Mountain Justice.” The name was suggested by George L. Smiley who won $100 from Warner Bros. Circuit for naming the new-build venue at 1705-1709 S. Broad Street. Construction had started in October of 1936 and featured great quantities of stainless steel to represent the latest and greatest in movie theaters. The Savoia closed at the expiry of a 30-year lease on August 3, 1967 with a double-feature of “Blow-Up” and “Chuka.”
Stanley Warner closed the Commodore Theatre on May 13, 1956 with “Guys and Dolls.” The long-running Commodore and Ogontz were retrofitted as live theaters. The Commodore became the Forty-Third Street Theatre beginning on January 12, 1959 with “The Potting Shed” by Graham Greene. It appears to have folded after just two plays.
H.W. Becker was one of the pioneering area theatre operators when live theater changed over to photoplays. Becker’s first foray into the Philadelphia market when we acquired Fox’s Pleasure Palace in 1898 and changed it to Becker’s Lyceum Theatre. As for this entry, local accounts show the building of the theatre in late 1911 and opening as Becker’s Theatre early in January of 1912 by August W. Becker, Jacob Becker and C.W. Becker (aka the Becker Brothers' Theatre). They also acquired another theatre at 7th and Snyder in 1913 which they renamed as the Becker Theatre.
The venue was opened at the corner lot of 1727-1731 Snyder Avenue and the Becker made headlines when two blackmail notes came in reading, “ Warning to the bearer, Jacob Becker. I am going to blow up your moving picture place is you don’t send me $5,000…. I will blow it up when (you and) the crowd are in it. YOUR WORST ENEMY.” The Philadelphia police apprehended a 13-year old boy who didn’t follow through on his plan and the tip came after he had boasted of the plot to school chums. The Beckers ran the unexploded venue until 1928 when they sold it to J.M. Krause, Inc.
The theatre was wired for sound under the Venice Theatre nameplate. According to the local paper, the Venice was modernized to the plans of David Supowitz in 1938/9 for a streamlined look. Gilbert Addeo was the final operator of the Venice which closed September 7, 1953 with “The Girl Next Door” and “Invaders from Mars.” It became the events center, the Venice Plaza in 1956.
The Fans Theatre closed during an August 25, 1963 showing of “Diary of a Madman.” Kids running across the roof looking for a free way into the theatre near a skylight resulted in plaster falling 100 feet and injuring patrons. The Fans had a reported crowd of 600 at the time of the incident. The theatre was listed as “Closed for repairs; open soon.” But, apparently, the 50th Anniversary in 1964 was not meant to be.
The Haverford opened January 16, 1910. It was auctioned off in 1956.
H.W. Rambo of the Lubin Company opened the new vaudeville/movie house on February 14, 1911 as the Lincoln Theatre at 1317-1325 South 49th Street. A neighboring soda fountain served as the de facto concession stand in the theater’s early days. The theatre closed for a major refresh in 1924 when J.J. Miller sold off the lease. The Murphy-Quigley Company presided over the improvements. It re-emerged under new operator Ray O’Rourke and Quaker City Amusement when it became the Doris Theatre in January of 1925. O'Rourke had previously managed the Orpheum in Germantown and operated a number of West Philly theaters including this one. As the Doris, the venue was now a full-time movie theater complete with pipe organ.
The Doris was equipped with sound (presumably in 1930 under a new 20-year lease) and, in 1939, was modernized once again to the plans of David Supowitz to become a streamline moderne theatre. A 1936 case in which the Doris Theatre personnel refused to sell a movie ticket to an African American patron ended up in court with the plaintiff winning the case. Another case involved the charge that its Bank/Bingo nights amounted to an illegal lottery - which O"Rourke’s theatre won. And another situation involved the playing of Sunday movies.
A.M. and Martin D. Ellis took on the vnue on May 27, 1942 operating it under the last eight years remaining on its lease. The Doris closed permanently at the expiry of its lease with William Holden in “Dear Wife” on May 25, 1950. After being listed for sale or lease, the former Doris was auctioned off in 1952. The building is still standing as of the 2020s.
The Chester Pike Drive-In was opened by Ellis Theatres on May 26, 1949 with “The Adventures of Robin Hood.”
The $125,000 Bellevue Theatre launched for Milton Rogasner and St. Charles Amusement on December 10, 1914. Charlie Chaplin’s “The Tango Tangle” opened the theatre shown on its Radium Gold Fibre screen and accompanied by its new Haskell pipe organ with echo effect. The theatre appears to have ceased operations at the exit point of a lease at the 15 year mark.
William Hunt / Hunt’s Enterprise operated the venue at 4910-4914 North Broad Street from 1922 to 1942. Listed as a Spanish architecture theatre, in 1941 the theatre was modernized to the plans of Thalheimer and Weitz bringing a streamlined look. The theatre was transferred to A.M. Ellis Theatres in 1943. Ellis also launched the Chester Pike D-I on My 26, 1949. The Rockland ceased operations following showtimes on October 11, 1970 with “Machine Gun McCain” and “Land Raiders.”
On March 29, 1929, the Northeastern was one of eleven existing theaters acquired by Warner-Equity Theatres. In April of 1942, Warner Circuit gave it a streamline moderne makeover. A long-running soda fountain served as a before and after show hangout. The Northeastern Theatre closed on January 25, 1958 with “The Unknown Terror” and “Back from the Dead.”
Warner-Equity Theatres launched the new Holme Theatre with sound pictures on October 11, 1929 with “On With the Show” supported by “Look Out Below.” The theatre was named after Thomas Holme and was in the Holemsburg neighborhood of Philly. The Holme closed after the January 8, 1942 showing of “Hold That Ghost” for a major $100,000 refresh. On March 17, 1942, it was relaunched as the Penypak Theatre with Kay Kyser in “The Playmates.”
The Penypak scuffled in the 1950s along with many neighborhood movie houses. In 1950, the independent operator, Melvin Fox, sued the eight major Hollywood distributors citing a cartel that didn’t allow it access to key first run films. That and similar suits at that time around the country led to the Paramount decree that would break up the cartel. The Penypak Theatre initially closed at the expiry of a leasing period on September 27, 1951 with “The Great Caruso.” The former Penypak became the short-lived Herby’s Auction House. A boy got his hand stuck in the Penypak popcorn machine during an auction requiring rescue by the fire department. The auction house closed early in 1954 with the building offered for sale.
The Penypak re-emerged on a grind policy by Mr. Fox on May 8, 1955 with “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” and “Desiree.” The venue had a new 40' screen and widescreen projection to present CinemaScope titles. But the Penypak’s audience loss was not stemmed and it soon cased operations on October 30, 1955 with Anne Appleton in the exploitation film, “The Desperate Women,” supported by Richard Coogan in “Girl on the Run” ending the venue’s cinematic journey.
After being offered for sale without a buyer, the theatre was auctioned off on July 12, 1956 for $70,000. It resumed auction services for a short period. In 1959, it was a showplace with live plays by the Pinypak players. That only lasted three months closing just prior the theater’s 30th Anniversary. The building was again sold in 1962 for $52,500 to a furniture retailer beginning a long retail career.
The Merben Theater was opened on August 16, 1950 with “The Big Hangover.” It closed with the Philly favorite, “Rocky,” on October 6, 1977.
The Lehigh Theatre closed September 22, 1957 with “Bambi” and “The adventures of Robin Hood.”
The Airport Drive-In Theatre took flight on October 30, 1957 with “Man of a Thousand Faces” and “War Drums.” The Airport crash landed on December 16, 1969, with a quadruple feature of “Fanny Hill,” “The Wild Angels.” “The Glory Stompers” and “Hell’s Angels on Wheels.”
The Elm Theatre dates back at least to 1920. It was renamed the Airport in 1942. The Airport crash landed on July 9, 1950 with “Crime Doctor’s Diary” and Pat O'Brien appropriately in “Flight Lieutenant.” The building was then offered for sale before being auctioned off in 1952 at end of lease.
Jack Delmar launched the Bell Theatre in 1913. Under new ownership by Marcus Benn, it became the original Benn Theatre in 1917. Benn soon outgrew the diminutive house and purchased land in 1920 at 6316 to 6322 Woodland to build the New Benn Theatre for some $350,000. During the project, the Stanley Circuit bought the venue claiming it as part of its $10 million building spree of theaters in 1923.
The September 1, 1923 opening of the New Benn ended the original Benn Theatre which would eventually became to the Benson Theatre. The Benson appears to have closed August 13, 1967 with “Divorce, American Style.”