Comments from 50sSNIPES

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50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Showtown USA Drive-In on Aug 18, 2021 at 6:17 pm

Opened With “The Big Cat” Along With An Unnamed Cartoon And A Film Entitled “Red Angels And His Natural Seven”.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Cinema I-82 on Aug 18, 2021 at 6:06 pm

Opened On November 2, 1966 With “Fantastic Voyage”. A Second Screen Was Added On November 26, 1969, Reopening As A Twin With “Alice’s Restaurant” At Screen 1 And “Krakatoa East Of Java” At Screen 2.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Century 1-2-3 on Aug 17, 2021 at 9:56 am

Opened on October 21, 1966 with “The Idol” and “Boy Did I Get A Wrong Number”.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Algona Theater on Aug 17, 2021 at 6:09 am

Opened With Doris Day and Gordon MacRae in “On Moonlight Bay”, along with a Tom and Jerry cartoon, a Pete Smith speciality, and a newsreel.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Belle Theatre on Aug 16, 2021 at 8:31 pm

The original Simplex projector that was used since its 1942 opening only operated for 3 years due to a fire incident inside the projection booth. On April 7, 1945, the Belle Theatre was gutted by a fire caused by a broken belt inside the projector causing a fire inside the projection booth. The fire occurred during a showing of a double feature: Bob Crosby in “The Singing Sheriff” and Joe E. Brown in “Casanova In Burlesque” along with an unnamed serial and an unnamed comedy, which was only shown for one day. Luckily enough, the audience, mostly children, had all escaped safely. The theater reopened the following day in the afternoon with Gerr Garson and Walter Pidgeon in “Mrs. Parkington” (along with a few unnamed short subjects) after a new projector was installed. The estimated loss is between $300 and $400.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Capri Theater on Aug 15, 2021 at 6:54 am

The Capri also installed Cinerama later that year in 1961, reopening on November 8 of that year with their test film “This Is Cinerama” as the “Capri Cinerama”.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Varsity Theatre on Aug 13, 2021 at 3:39 pm

The theater opened with a double feature: Don Ameche in “You Can’t Have Everything”, and Russell Gleason in “The Higgins Family”.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Anita Theatre on Aug 13, 2021 at 3:34 pm

CinemaScope was later installed. Still in operation since 1960.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Mohawk Theatre on Aug 12, 2021 at 4:50 pm

The actual opening date is November 5, 1938 with a double feature: Deanna Durbin in “That Certain Age” and Joe Penner in “Mr. Doodle Kicks Off”, along with the latest reel of March Of Time.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Cinema III (I) on Aug 12, 2021 at 12:58 pm

It became the Cinema III on August 1, 1973, not around 1959. The Palace Theater name continued to last throughout the 1960’s and early 1970’s.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Cinema III (I) on Aug 10, 2021 at 8:17 pm

The Palace Theater was built and opened in 1918 by a husband-and-wife team of Lou and Elizabeth Galster of Petoskey.

On March 5, 1945, the Palace Theater was completely destroyed by a fire. It was later rebuilt and reopened later that year.

The Palace Theater name continued to last until August 1, 1973 when it reopened as the Cinema III with “Hell Upside Down” as its first film.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Cheboygan Drive-In on Aug 10, 2021 at 8:01 pm

Closed On August 24, 1984 With “The Last Starfighter” And “Hard To Hold” As Its Last Films, Since Both Films Played As A Double Feature Before Its Closure. I Can’t Find Anything Else After Those Showings. It Is Now A Marathon (Former BP) Gas Station.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Park Theatre on Aug 10, 2021 at 3:57 pm

Found It, Opened On August 8, 1927 With Karl Dane In “Rockies”, Along With A Newsreel And An Unknown Comedy.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Dillsburg Theatre on Aug 10, 2021 at 6:25 am

Opened in 1928, Closed on May 25, 1955 due to an expiration of lease, demolished in 1960.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Wood River Theatre on Aug 9, 2021 at 7:40 pm

The Wood River Theatre Opened Its Doors On September 29, 1927 With Richard Dix In “Shanghai Bound”, Along With 5 Acts Of Vaudeville And A Performance By Professor Herzuwarm With His Gratian Organ.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Butte Theatre on Aug 9, 2021 at 7:31 pm

The Butte Theatre Opened Its Doors On June 18, 1938 With Deanna Durbin In “Mad About Music” Along With An Unknown Amount Of Short Subjects, With The Building Being An Estimated Cost Of $75,000.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Riverside Theatre on Aug 8, 2021 at 4:23 pm

The Riverside Theatre opened its doors on July 27, 1967 with John Wayne in “El Dorado”.

This theater is a rocking chair theater with ultra-vision and 6-channel surround stereophonic sound system, including free parking at front door parking. The Riverside Theatre’s screen is 50x20ft, with a 12ft mammoth curvature which is designed to eliminate distortion and present a perfect picture. It also includes an electronic air conditioner system that can provide 25% more output. This system works with all 4 seasons as the temperature is automatically regulated with a direct relationship to the outdoor temperature. The projection is on a direct line to the screen providing a sharpness in distortion-free viewing. The wall-to-wall screen represents a combination of correlated elements, scientifically designed for the particular auditorium-taking into consideration on both sizes and curvature, property related to the height and width of the auditorium and to the width and length of the screen. The screen also reflects light evenly and efficiently over the entire area, providing a concept in depth of large-screen presentations. A full-range stereophonic sound system was installed as well. The theater contains the auditorium draped in material of rich blues, greens, and golds to completely harmonize with a huge amount of deep-piled green, from the carpet to the upholstered rocking chair seats to the large lobby and covered canopy entrance.

Paul Jones was the original manager, who has been apart of the business since being an usher in Greensboro, North Carolina at the National Theatre since 1925 while he was in high school. He explains on how his theater business was, but it was a very long story. He faced on with many popular silent films such as “Big Parade”, the original 1925 version of “Ben Hur”, and “Hell’s Angels”, including the first sound film for the National Theatre, “The Lights Of New York” as an usher. A short time after graduating high school in 1928, he left for High Point to work as a doorman. He thought that running both of those was tough and was not enough to support his family including his new wife Stella in 1930. Despite at that time being the highest paid job for $55 per week for being either a doorman or an usher was too much, but however, they used to refer themselves as the “privileged few”. Flash-forward more than a decade ago and right when World War II started to faded away in 1945, theatre managers became fallen for short supply. He was called to return to the office in a managerial capacity, but only until war concluded its stunt. By the time the war completely died, he found himself in the peculiar position of being more variable to his company in the front office than a projectionist. There were many men who took up a trade of projectionist while being apart of the military service. So he continued to stay year after year wanting to get back into technical field. He finally returned back to the theatre business in 1950. He operated a few theaters and drive-ins until 1957 when he worked as a sales representative for sometime between a year. For 6 months beginning in October or November 1957, his former home bases such as the Center Theatre in High Point, North Carolina, but he moved to Virginia in Danville later on and worked at Danville’s Rialto Theatre after the original manager, Al Barber, became ill, and started to fill his appointment on April 9, 1958. He was transferred to Charlottesville, Virginia in 1959 to be apart of Danville Enterprises. He thought that it was a big job but the position he told had been previously pleasant by such men as Charlie Abererombie, Charlie Lewis, and John Knight. He felt very happy to become the manager of the Riverside Theatre to fit his journey again. He would also later become the president and manager of the Riverside Merchant Association. Danvillians were starting to die down by 1977 possibly due to most Danvillians taken a huge vacation population. Paul noticed that helping throughout the years and into the nearby future “definitely really helps a whole lot, because there’s a whole lot of money put into their hands, so they come out here and spend their perfect time and money, and they enjoyed it”.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Dale Theater on Aug 7, 2021 at 2:22 pm

The Dale Theatre is part of the People Theatres of Alabama chain which operated by the one and only Fred T. McLendon (who would later be the president of the popular McLendon Theatres chain a couple of years later). With the theater being opened on October 19, 1937 with Spencer Tracy in “Big City”, the Dale Theatre was built on an old Dowerly property which became secured and was planned by the foremost architect of the territory named Mr. H. L. Holman. Jr. The Dale Theatre was converted from a building originally being built in 1892. The Dale Theatre would later become part of the Brackin Theatres chain right after the Brackin Theatre nearby opened its doors on October 26, 1945.

And yes, Walter T. Brackin is the one who owned the theater. He has been associated with Fred T. McLendon (of the popular McLendon Theatres chain) in Union Springs back in 1934, who had a partnership of an experience many years of a variety operations of theaters.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Criterion Theatre on Aug 6, 2021 at 7:08 pm

According To Sapulpa’s Daily Herald, The Criterion Is Remodeled Once Again In March 1955, Possibly Due To CinemaScope Installation, Later Reopening It On The 27th.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Indiana Theatre on Aug 6, 2021 at 6:59 pm

It Became The Indiana Theatre On August 18, 1935 With Pat O'Brien’s “In Caliente”, Along With A Disney Cartoon: Mickey Mouse In “The Band Concert”, And A Performance By The De-Marcos.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Fox Theatre on Aug 6, 2021 at 6:51 pm

The theater opened with Randolph Scott in “When The Daltons Rode” along with a Fox Movietone Newsreel, a Disney Cartoon: Mickey Mouse in “Pluto’s Dream House” (despite Pluto making a cameo appearance, the mouse himself was the star-billing in the short), a performance by Kate Smith doing “God Bless America”, and a live performance by Artie Shaw and his band.

Information about the theater goes as follows: Owned by Fox Ozark Theatre Corporation, the structure has a first floor seating plan which is an innovation in a midwest theatre planning in that in the rear of the theatre containing deeply cushioned loge seats with wider spacing. They constituted with a virtually reversed section. Steel superstructures form the basis of fireproof construction, and the projection and sound systems were recent designation and scientific development to insure a perfect screen development as of 1940. The original front of the theatre is a scene of 2 stories in height, of stucco finish with an opaline glass center, paneling with colorful flooded lights. The marquee is decorated with neon, with the lower part of the front being faced with decorative tile, with leatherette walls above the tiling in the lobby. The interior is richly appointed with the walls having in a colored plaster with fluorescent paint designs. The ceiling is made with a tile board in decorative designs and light fixtures to harmonize. The absence of both of the traditional proscenium arch and the customary footlights are also in the fully equipped stage. The foyers were in ornamental plaster with wide stairways, richly carpeted leading to the mezzanine and balcony. Lounge rooms for both genders are on the east side of the Fox. The lower floor seatings were divided into 3 sections with 2 center aisles. Correct posture chairs of the then-modern design have been installed with ample spacing and loge seats. The building is mechanically air-conditioned with a flow of pure fresh air being automatically adjusted to the outside temperature and capacity demands. J. E. Mater, a popular Sedalia manager who managed both the Liberty and the Sedalia Theatres later became Fox Midwest operators right after the Fox opened its doors, who became the manager of the Fox Theatre. Born in Kansas City (Missouri) in 1908 and was married to Ms. Jennie Ward of Abilene, Kansas at age 20 in 1928, who later had a child 2 years later in 1930. His office is on the mezzanine floor, with mechanical equipment and projectors all in the basement along with storage rooms, a room where a break deserves, and a few dressing rooms.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Cottonwood Cinema on Aug 2, 2021 at 12:14 pm

Opened On January 12, 1982.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Corona Crossings Stadium 18 on Jul 31, 2021 at 6:12 pm

On July 26, 2021, 2 people (all between the ages of 18 and 19) were shot in the head at one of the 18 auditoriums. The youngest is confirmed dead, with the other being hospitalized. The suspect is a 20-year-old who has been charged 5 days later by the Riverside County Superior Court.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Buckhorn Drive-In on Jul 30, 2021 at 5:10 pm

Closed In 1974 Or 1975.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES commented about Buckhorn Drive-In on Jul 30, 2021 at 5:04 pm

Bill Ramaland, a former theatre operator of a Corpus Christi area town of Alice (who formerly operated one out of 5 theaters (2 theaters and 3 drive-ins)) was the operator of the theater by manager Jack Humphries, manger of the Mission Chamber of Commerce who broke the ground on April 17, 1949.

The theater made its formal opening on June 7, 1949 with a barbecue cookout announced by R. J. Ramsland and H. C. Gunder. It would later open its gates to the public the next day on June 8, 1949 with Errol Flynn in “Adventures Of Don Juan”.