One more Boxoffice mention, accurate in everything except the dateline city.
Boxoffice, April 16, 1949: “SPRINGFIELD, COLO. – Work has begun on a 400-car drive-in on a ten-acre plot of ground three blocks east of Highway 85, just north of Eagle Tail airport. The theatre will be operated by Floyd Davis and Nat Jones, local business men. Plans are for a 50x60 foot screen at the north end of the grounds and a two-story combination refreshment center and projection booth. Facilities for expansion to 500 cars will be allowed, the owners said.”
I’ve found the answer to this mysterious quote in Boxoffice. First, that quote:
Boxoffice, April 16, 1949: “SPRINGFIELD, COLO. – Work has begun on a 400-car drive-in on a ten-acre plot of ground three blocks east of Highway 85, just north of Eagle Tail airport. The theatre will be operated by Floyd Davis and Nat Jones, local business men. Plans are for a 50x60 foot screen at the north end of the grounds and a two-story combination refreshment center and projection booth. Facilities for expansion to 500 cars will be allowed, the owners said.”
Searching for the site near Springfield turned out to be futile, since it had neither an Eagle Tail airport nor a Highway 85. On the other hand, both were present in Raton NM, where Floyd Davis and Nat Jones opened the 85 Drive-in in June 1949.
By the way, Getty Images is licensing this old Denver Post photo, so my advice would be to either give Getty a few hundred dollars to reuse it or just enjoy looking at it here.
The pandemic has led Ripon resident Mark Stotzer to reopen the Ceres. It’s down to one screen, and it may be just a temporary thing, but it was reported by the Turlock Journal and the Modesto Bee.
Getty Images is licensing this photo from the Jan. 12, 1962 issue of the Denver Post. Getty would disagree with the assertion that this image is public domain, and they have many lawyers in their employ.
Newman still owned the Gem in 1964, when he bought the Apache Drive-In in Springfield CO, per a note in the Feb. 17, 1964 issue of Boxoffice. In his 2007 essay “Silver Screens Under Starry Skies,” historian Mark Wolfe clarified that Newman had formed a corporation, Baca Theaters, with Ike and Ruby Ross in 1963. Wolfe wrote that the corporation bought the Gem that year.
Same theater? Boxoffice, Sept. 23, 1950: “DELTA, COLO. – Max Story, owner of the Skylite Drive-In here, will open a new house in the old Strand building early in October. … The house will be operated on a year-around basis with the Skylite, which probably will close for a few months during the winter."
Now that you got me started, here’s a history of the Empire, as seen by the San Juan Record.
Noel Sitton, who ran a service station in Monticello UT, opened the Empire in July 1940. It seated 156.
On Aug. 5, 1944, a fire that started in the film room destroyed the Empire a and its “fine building erected nearly two years ago by Noel W. Sitton.” Not sure whether he built in 1942-43, or the newspaper got the dates wrong. Thanks to Sitton’s calm instructions for patrons to leave, no one was injured. The Empire reopened in temporary quarters on Sept. 16.
By January 1947, there were references to the Empire Theatre building, so Sitton must have rebuilt.
Another fire caused by “the careless use of a cigarette in the film room” broke out on June 9, 1945. Sitton and two others were injured while subduing the flames.
The Dec. 16, 1954 note posted above showed that Sitton sold the Empire to the Waltons in 1951, and they sold it to Neil Bolt.
The Empire advertised in the Record from 1964 to April 1967. In the Feb. 13, 1969 issue of the San Juan Record, Neil and Nettie Bolt advertised that they were reopening. “The Empire Theatre in Dove Creek will again offer you the best in entertainment starting February 20” It continued advertising sporadically for years; the last I could find was Dec. 23, 1976.
The San Juan Record (Monticello UT), Dec. 16, 1954: “Mr. and Mrs. Bill Walton, owners of the Empire Theatre, announced this week, the sale of the business to Neil Bolt of Dove Creek. The change will be effective Jan. 1. The Walton(s) of Monticello purchased the theatre three years ago from Noel Sitton. They have made a lot of friends in Dove Creek and wish to express their thanks for the fine patronage. Bolt’s sister and her husband, Mr. and Mrs. O. S. Roush of Albuquerque, N. M., will be in charge of the theatre.”
The San Juan Record (Monticello), Aug. 7, 1980: A local landmark, the screen to Monticello’s one and only drive-in theater, was razed Monday, August 4, by Leonard Howe, his son Riley, Hardy Redd, and with Julius Harvey as “supervisor.” This ended the hopes of any resurrection of the old “Nu Vu” theater which opened back in the early ‘50s. …
The construction of the “Nu Vu” was started in 1953 with Max Dalton furnishing the land and E.P. (Bud) Corbin doing the construction. It opened in 1954 and was operated by Bud and Arah Corbin. Arah ran the ‘snack bar’ which was constructed at the same time. In 1956 Max Dalton sold his interest in the theater to the Corbins.
Harry Randall purchased the “Nu Vu” from the Corbin family in 1957. At that time, Harry was also owner and operator of the “Little Theatre” in Monticello. Harry and his wife, Jerry, and family successfully ran the theater for 16 years selling to Leonard Howe in 1973. The Howe family ran the theater for four years and then sold it to Grayson Redd.
One minor clarification to Nick Genova’s excellent summary: According to a story in the March 20, 1986 Daily Sentinel, Westland/Commonwealth’s 10-year lease had expired. (Westland had leased the Rocket before the 1976 season.) Leonard Scales allowed his daughter and son-in-law, Melanie and Alan Gates, to manage the Rocket for what became its final two seasons.
Thanks for uploading this, Nick. In case you ever check this page, I have a couple of questions.
First, I didn’t notice any copyright notice on that issue’s front page or Page-4 masthead. My search of the US Copyright Office turned up the result that The Daily Sentinel of Grand Junction first registered its copyright in 2003. So even if there was a copyright notice printed on that issue, its contents would have fallen into the public domain when it wasn’t renewed 26 years later. Did the Daily Sentinel folks tell you something different?
Second, who at the Daily Sentinel provides such permission for reuse? That would be handy to know!
Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph, Aug. 11, 1968: The Rialto there was reopened by “Mitchell Kelloff, owner of the Uptown theatre in Pueblo and the Valley theatre in Fowler. … Kelloff has owned the Uptown theatre in Pueblo since October 1956.”
Same Rialto? Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph, Aug. 11, 1968: “The Rialto theater, closed for nearly a year, opened for business Friday under the management of Mitchell Kelloff, owner of the Uptown theatre in Pueblo and the Valley theatre in Fowler.”
Trinidad CO’s Chronicle-News wrote the day before about the May 11, 1912 formal dedication of the Princess theatre, built by Mrs. S. Macaron at a cost of about $10,000. H. L. Carson was the manager. Between operas, it was to function as a “high class vaudeville and moving picture house.”
The 1922-23 Film Daily Year Book’s only mention of Aguilar was that the “Sarah & Yoeman” chain was in charge of the Princess there.
The Walsenburg World wrote on March 6, 1923 that Che Kelloff had sold the Princess to Mr. L. E. Summers, who had a brother running a theater in La Veta.
The 1926 Film Daily Year Book listed two theaters in Aguilar, the Princess (200 seats) and the Strand (140 seats). The 1927 theater list omitted the entire state of Colorado. (What the?) Colorado was back in the 1928 book, but Aguilar didn’t return until the 1929 edition, where it had the Colorado (200 seats) and the Strand (140 seats).
Walsenburg World, July 21, 1927: “The Aguilar Theatre Company, a concern with which several business men from this city are directly interested, has abandoned the lease on the Colorado Theatre which it has held for the past ten months and has leased the Strand Theatre of Aguilar. George Nickolds will continue as manager of the company and will manage the company’s new theatre.”
The 1930 Year Book said that both the Colorado (now 290 seats) and the Strand were wired for sound. By 1933, only the Colorado remained, still with 290 seats. By 1937, the seat number was bumped up to 300. It was still the Colorado in 1938, but was the Ute in the 1940 book.
Najeeb Kelloff’s obituary said he “operated the Ute Theatre in Aguilar since 1925.”
By 1952, Najeeb’s son George was running the Ute, as mentioned in a Trinidad State Junior College alumni article in the Trojan Tribute.
According to the Dec. 4, 1940 issue of the Craig Empire Courier, the Craig Theatre signed a 10-year lease on the West, effective Jan. 1, 1941. The announcement was made by the Craig’s owner, the redundantly named Stanfill Day Stanfill.
Stanfill said, “We are making plans for redecorating the front of the Craig and will make some few changes in the lobby to give us more display both in the lobby and on the front of the building.” Former West manager Bob Smith said he didn’t know what he’d be doing next.
The Jan. 1, 1925 issue of the Craig Courier ran an article titled “History of the Victory Theatre”. It called it “the only theatre and movie house in the county,” seating 450, run by Chapman and Evans, who bought it in December 1921 from Ora Card.
Card opened the theater “in the old building near the D. & O. Lumber yard, now used as a warehouse. The Evans Block, on Victory Way, was built about that time, and the theatre occupied a large part of its ground floor space. The new management called their place of amusement the "Gem” and by this name it was known until last summer when it was re-christened, the "Victory” theatre.”
Chapman and Evans planned improvements to start in Spring 1925 including “the installing of a slanting floor, the rearrangement of the lower floor and the building of an upper story which will be used for office rooms, the construction of a modern stage and dressing rooms,” and a high ceiling above the stage for hanging scenery.
Showman’s Trade Review, July 9, 1949: “Opening in Dallas last week were two drive-in theatres. The Hi-Vue, located at 5525 S. Beckley, owned by Tom Moran, Phil Isley and M. J. Konemann, to be managed by Mr. and Mrs. Konemann. The house accommodates 550 cars and is modernly equipped throughout.”
One more Boxoffice mention, accurate in everything except the dateline city.
Boxoffice, April 16, 1949: “SPRINGFIELD, COLO. – Work has begun on a 400-car drive-in on a ten-acre plot of ground three blocks east of Highway 85, just north of Eagle Tail airport. The theatre will be operated by Floyd Davis and Nat Jones, local business men. Plans are for a 50x60 foot screen at the north end of the grounds and a two-story combination refreshment center and projection booth. Facilities for expansion to 500 cars will be allowed, the owners said.”
I’ve found the answer to this mysterious quote in Boxoffice. First, that quote:
Boxoffice, April 16, 1949: “SPRINGFIELD, COLO. – Work has begun on a 400-car drive-in on a ten-acre plot of ground three blocks east of Highway 85, just north of Eagle Tail airport. The theatre will be operated by Floyd Davis and Nat Jones, local business men. Plans are for a 50x60 foot screen at the north end of the grounds and a two-story combination refreshment center and projection booth. Facilities for expansion to 500 cars will be allowed, the owners said.”
Searching for the site near Springfield turned out to be futile, since it had neither an Eagle Tail airport nor a Highway 85. On the other hand, both were present in Raton NM, where Floyd Davis and Nat Jones opened the 85 Drive-in in June 1949.
By the way, Getty Images is licensing this old Denver Post photo, so my advice would be to either give Getty a few hundred dollars to reuse it or just enjoy looking at it here.
The pandemic has led Ripon resident Mark Stotzer to reopen the Ceres. It’s down to one screen, and it may be just a temporary thing, but it was reported by the Turlock Journal and the Modesto Bee.
Getty Images is licensing this photo from the Jan. 12, 1962 issue of the Denver Post. Getty would disagree with the assertion that this image is public domain, and they have many lawyers in their employ.
There’s an excellent article, with plenty of photos, in today’s Tulsa World marking the 10th anniversary of the Admiral Twin’s screen-destroying fire.
FYI, Getty Images has a lot of Denver Post photos that it licenses, and this is one of them. Reuse this photo at your peril.
Newman still owned the Gem in 1964, when he bought the Apache Drive-In in Springfield CO, per a note in the Feb. 17, 1964 issue of Boxoffice. In his 2007 essay “Silver Screens Under Starry Skies,” historian Mark Wolfe clarified that Newman had formed a corporation, Baca Theaters, with Ike and Ruby Ross in 1963. Wolfe wrote that the corporation bought the Gem that year.
Same theater? Boxoffice, Sept. 23, 1950: “DELTA, COLO. – Max Story, owner of the Skylite Drive-In here, will open a new house in the old Strand building early in October. … The house will be operated on a year-around basis with the Skylite, which probably will close for a few months during the winter."
Now that you got me started, here’s a history of the Empire, as seen by the San Juan Record.
Noel Sitton, who ran a service station in Monticello UT, opened the Empire in July 1940. It seated 156.
On Aug. 5, 1944, a fire that started in the film room destroyed the Empire a and its “fine building erected nearly two years ago by Noel W. Sitton.” Not sure whether he built in 1942-43, or the newspaper got the dates wrong. Thanks to Sitton’s calm instructions for patrons to leave, no one was injured. The Empire reopened in temporary quarters on Sept. 16.
By January 1947, there were references to the Empire Theatre building, so Sitton must have rebuilt.
Another fire caused by “the careless use of a cigarette in the film room” broke out on June 9, 1945. Sitton and two others were injured while subduing the flames.
The Dec. 16, 1954 note posted above showed that Sitton sold the Empire to the Waltons in 1951, and they sold it to Neil Bolt.
The Empire advertised in the Record from 1964 to April 1967. In the Feb. 13, 1969 issue of the San Juan Record, Neil and Nettie Bolt advertised that they were reopening. “The Empire Theatre in Dove Creek will again offer you the best in entertainment starting February 20” It continued advertising sporadically for years; the last I could find was Dec. 23, 1976.
The San Juan Record (Monticello UT), Dec. 16, 1954: “Mr. and Mrs. Bill Walton, owners of the Empire Theatre, announced this week, the sale of the business to Neil Bolt of Dove Creek. The change will be effective Jan. 1. The Walton(s) of Monticello purchased the theatre three years ago from Noel Sitton. They have made a lot of friends in Dove Creek and wish to express their thanks for the fine patronage. Bolt’s sister and her husband, Mr. and Mrs. O. S. Roush of Albuquerque, N. M., will be in charge of the theatre.”
The San Juan Record (Monticello), Aug. 7, 1980: A local landmark, the screen to Monticello’s one and only drive-in theater, was razed Monday, August 4, by Leonard Howe, his son Riley, Hardy Redd, and with Julius Harvey as “supervisor.” This ended the hopes of any resurrection of the old “Nu Vu” theater which opened back in the early ‘50s. …
The construction of the “Nu Vu” was started in 1953 with Max Dalton furnishing the land and E.P. (Bud) Corbin doing the construction. It opened in 1954 and was operated by Bud and Arah Corbin. Arah ran the ‘snack bar’ which was constructed at the same time. In 1956 Max Dalton sold his interest in the theater to the Corbins.
Harry Randall purchased the “Nu Vu” from the Corbin family in 1957. At that time, Harry was also owner and operator of the “Little Theatre” in Monticello. Harry and his wife, Jerry, and family successfully ran the theater for 16 years selling to Leonard Howe in 1973. The Howe family ran the theater for four years and then sold it to Grayson Redd.
In 2010, the Rocket’s old sign was restored and placed in the Rocket Grille inside of the Fort Lewis College Student Union.
And they finally built something on the old Rocket site. The Rocket Pointe Apartments opened there in early 2019.
One minor clarification to Nick Genova’s excellent summary: According to a story in the March 20, 1986 Daily Sentinel, Westland/Commonwealth’s 10-year lease had expired. (Westland had leased the Rocket before the 1976 season.) Leonard Scales allowed his daughter and son-in-law, Melanie and Alan Gates, to manage the Rocket for what became its final two seasons.
Thanks for uploading this, Nick. In case you ever check this page, I have a couple of questions.
First, I didn’t notice any copyright notice on that issue’s front page or Page-4 masthead. My search of the US Copyright Office turned up the result that The Daily Sentinel of Grand Junction first registered its copyright in 2003. So even if there was a copyright notice printed on that issue, its contents would have fallen into the public domain when it wasn’t renewed 26 years later. Did the Daily Sentinel folks tell you something different?
Second, who at the Daily Sentinel provides such permission for reuse? That would be handy to know!
From the cover of the June 4, 1955 issue of Boxoffice
A larger version of this remarkable photo is available for viewing at the Huntington Digital Library. Love those searchlights!
Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph, Aug. 11, 1968: The Rialto there was reopened by “Mitchell Kelloff, owner of the Uptown theatre in Pueblo and the Valley theatre in Fowler. … Kelloff has owned the Uptown theatre in Pueblo since October 1956.”
Same Rialto? Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph, Aug. 11, 1968: “The Rialto theater, closed for nearly a year, opened for business Friday under the management of Mitchell Kelloff, owner of the Uptown theatre in Pueblo and the Valley theatre in Fowler.”
A big bucket of notes:
Trinidad CO’s Chronicle-News wrote the day before about the May 11, 1912 formal dedication of the Princess theatre, built by Mrs. S. Macaron at a cost of about $10,000. H. L. Carson was the manager. Between operas, it was to function as a “high class vaudeville and moving picture house.”
The 1922-23 Film Daily Year Book’s only mention of Aguilar was that the “Sarah & Yoeman” chain was in charge of the Princess there.
The Walsenburg World wrote on March 6, 1923 that Che Kelloff had sold the Princess to Mr. L. E. Summers, who had a brother running a theater in La Veta.
The 1926 Film Daily Year Book listed two theaters in Aguilar, the Princess (200 seats) and the Strand (140 seats). The 1927 theater list omitted the entire state of Colorado. (What the?) Colorado was back in the 1928 book, but Aguilar didn’t return until the 1929 edition, where it had the Colorado (200 seats) and the Strand (140 seats).
Walsenburg World, July 21, 1927: “The Aguilar Theatre Company, a concern with which several business men from this city are directly interested, has abandoned the lease on the Colorado Theatre which it has held for the past ten months and has leased the Strand Theatre of Aguilar. George Nickolds will continue as manager of the company and will manage the company’s new theatre.”
The 1930 Year Book said that both the Colorado (now 290 seats) and the Strand were wired for sound. By 1933, only the Colorado remained, still with 290 seats. By 1937, the seat number was bumped up to 300. It was still the Colorado in 1938, but was the Ute in the 1940 book.
Najeeb Kelloff’s obituary said he “operated the Ute Theatre in Aguilar since 1925.”
By 1952, Najeeb’s son George was running the Ute, as mentioned in a Trinidad State Junior College alumni article in the Trojan Tribute.
According to the Dec. 4, 1940 issue of the Craig Empire Courier, the Craig Theatre signed a 10-year lease on the West, effective Jan. 1, 1941. The announcement was made by the Craig’s owner, the redundantly named Stanfill Day Stanfill.
Stanfill said, “We are making plans for redecorating the front of the Craig and will make some few changes in the lobby to give us more display both in the lobby and on the front of the building.” Former West manager Bob Smith said he didn’t know what he’d be doing next.
The Jan. 1, 1925 issue of the Craig Courier ran an article titled “History of the Victory Theatre”. It called it “the only theatre and movie house in the county,” seating 450, run by Chapman and Evans, who bought it in December 1921 from Ora Card.
Card opened the theater “in the old building near the D. & O. Lumber yard, now used as a warehouse. The Evans Block, on Victory Way, was built about that time, and the theatre occupied a large part of its ground floor space. The new management called their place of amusement the "Gem” and by this name it was known until last summer when it was re-christened, the "Victory” theatre.”
Chapman and Evans planned improvements to start in Spring 1925 including “the installing of a slanting floor, the rearrangement of the lower floor and the building of an upper story which will be used for office rooms, the construction of a modern stage and dressing rooms,” and a high ceiling above the stage for hanging scenery.
The Rancho 50 wasn’t in the 1952 edition in the Theatre Catalog, but it was included in the 1953-54 edition.
This 1980 photo by John Margolies is available at the Library of Congress, which says that it’s effectively in the public domain.
Showman’s Trade Review, July 9, 1949: “Opening in Dallas last week were two drive-in theatres. The Hi-Vue, located at 5525 S. Beckley, owned by Tom Moran, Phil Isley and M. J. Konemann, to be managed by Mr. and Mrs. Konemann. The house accommodates 550 cars and is modernly equipped throughout.”