October 2007 photo of Jerry Lewis Cinema, Eagan, MN, shortly before demolition. https://www.flickr.com/photos/70267096@N00/1640505583/in/photolist-5bJ4M1-Y1Lisz-7UWaDC-7Yb9HE-v5DTE-3uY2a2-7XhysX-8rxfQ2-8rxfi4-8rxfct-7XkN2d-7XkNm3-7XkNhf-7XhyFP-7XhyKt-rshmo4-Kd387Y-JWhA1o-5bJ4LY-pY2X8-fQZ5HA-fSzs5c-fQS3y4-fSvN2F-fSFCKP-rfH9uX-6dx2FW-oZnX5y-qgmq9c-NcQ1ci-Cwtd3c-BJriH7-2c7eWCY-T9aJ4J-2cGopre-GJvjfA-227mSBJ-24NWpRg-23rSKF2-GJvhS5-2evwsxP-23KQUhL-23KQUNA-RNAea8-dDGrGF-23CCy3a
Opened as Jerry Lewis Twin, 10/1/71; name change to Cedarvale I & II 7/1/72; Engler Theatre chain acquires 6/14/74, runs for one year to 6/3/75. Taken over by Metropolitan Theatres Co. (Ernest Peaslee) a few days later. Closes mid-October; reopened by new operator 11/26/75, final closing 2/12/76.
Several articles in 2016 about how the Thunderbird Mall would be “de-malled”, including the demolition of K-Mart, where they would follow the new fad of flip-flopping the retail spaces to strip-mall style and the retail would face outside, to the parking lot.
Two malls, the Mesabi Mall in Hibbing, and the Thunderbird Mall in Virginia MN, opened in mid-August 1971. Neither Jerry Lewis Cinema were ready to open however, and lost the momentum behind the malls’ openings. About two months later, the Virginia Lewis theatre opened on Oct. 6 and the Hibbing theatre on Oct. 7. Both opened with “Blue Water, White Death” which was frequently booked at Lewis locations of the time. To take the sting off missing the mall openings, the “See a Grown Man Cry” ad campaign was created by one of the partners of the dual-theatre venture, who was in the advertising business.
Hibbing Daily Tribune article of 10-28-1982 reports the Lybba being closed and Cinemaland was going into the Irongate Mall 3-plex. Cinemaland said competition from the 3-plex in 1981 hurt the Lybba’s business. Impression given by the article is that the 3 plex had been a different operator, and may have been out of business at the time Cinemaland closed the Lybba and went into the 3-plex. The article is a bit murky on these details.
Lybba was twinned in March 1980; article in 10-28-82 Hibbing Daily Tribune said the Lybba was to be closed and owners to take over 3-plex in Irongate Mall.
Dec 2024 article in Mesabi Tribune (consolidation of the Mesabi Daily News in Virginia, MN and the Hibbing Daily Tribune). The website has a paywall so you can look at only one article.
The opening was 4/16/71 with “Cromwell”. Attached are the opening ad and a pre-opening news story. As of Feb. 2025, the building has been demolished and is now the site of storage rental garages.
In the Photos area, an ad from 10-21-1970 that shows Cinema II playing Hello Dolly in 70mm, which seems to confirm Joe Vogel’s findings in 2009 - that this theatre had 70mm. I don’t believe this playdate is in the Coate 70mm research for Hello Dolly, so it should be added in… I did some looking at ads in the Kokomo Tribune, various dates, in 1970 and 1971. Cinecom was operating all the theatres there at the time. (The ad for Cinema I on 10-21-70 was the reissue of Son of Flubber.)
2005 reader comment says this theatre is running film with carbon arc projection. Still doing it today? It’s very frustrating to see theatre websites and advertising that * never * say * how * they are showing the “movie.” E-mails to theatres asking this question are never answered. Phone calls are not returned.
The geodesic dome picture here is for another theatre, not the Playhouse Cinema Southfield, later known as Cabaret Theatre. The geodesic dome theatre was part of this 1950’s shopping center: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northland_Center. There was also live legitimate at this shopping center, which may have been held at some place other than the geodesic dome theatre. The Southfield Playhouse Cinema I & II is not related to any of these and not in the same location. The address was 25570 W. 8 Mile Rd, “1 block east of Beech Daly.” It was in a strip mall and the building can be seen on google’s roadside camera. The theatre was busted for allowing minors to see X-rated films (see article - I found the date - 1-24-73). Soon after the name was changed to Cabaret Theatre. Ads in May 77 say “under new management” and still said that in Jan. 79. Jan. 81 ads were porn, so the change to porn probably occurred in 1980. This twin theatre was originally intended to be a Jerry Lewis theatre but appears to not have used the name. There was also a “Playhouse 1 & 2” in Marysville (no listing on C. Treasures) in the early 70s which could have been the same operator. This is something to research (also see CT entry for Waterford, MI Playhouse twin l/k/a Academy 59 Twin.) CT says the opening was 10-25-72 for the Southfield Playhouse Cinema. Ads found dated Fri 10-27-72 showed the theatre playing “The Other” in a multiple wide run.
Announced to be a Jerry Lewis Cinema. (see Waterford, MI Academy 59 Theatre in Cinema Treasures). Waterford also named Playhouse and opened Dec. 72. Name of operator and corporate name listed in the article that was posted here (date?) matches up with the Waterford Playhouse operator.
This looks like a Jerry Lewis Cinema but probably didn’t open under the name. There was a brief article in Boxoffice 3-20-72:
“WESTLAND, MICH. — Attorney Frederick Nagher, general partner of Automated Cinema Enterprises and president of Pisces Exhibitor, Inc., will be the principal operator of a 350-seat Jerry Lewis Cinema to be constructed in the K-Mart Center at Eight Mile and Beech in Southfield, Mich., it was announced by Nicholas Fileccia, president of Michigan Cinema Corp., JLC representative in the southeastern Michigan area.
Nagher also will operate a 700-seat JLC twin cinema to be constructed in the Waterford Plaza Shopping Center, Waterford Township.
The theatres will be full automated, Fileccia stated, and an early summer opening of both facilities is planned."
Further comment: The opening ad that was uploaded says “Grand Opening Dec 22” - that was probably 1972 since “Pete n Tillie” was a Christmas release that year. ‘Planned to open in the summer’ - most likely there were delays and the theatre didn’t open until Christmas, and not with the JLC name. Several theatre operators waited around for JLC and finally opened themselves under their own name.
Is this the same location as a proposed 1972 United General theatre on Van Dyke that supposedly was 16mm? Here is the brief item from Boxoffice magazine of 8-7-72: “PONTIAC, MICH. — Ted Damerow’s Oakland Mini-Theatres has opened United General mini-theatres in Clarkston, Milford and Romeo, Mich. All three houses will use 16mm film and feature family-oriented films, according to Damerow.
The Clarkston Cinema is a 266-seat house located on Dixie Highway and will be operated by Damerow. John Henn is licensee of the Cinema in Milford, a 171- seat house located in the Milford Shopping Center, and the 320-seat Lantern Theatre on Van Dyke Road in Romeo is operated by licensee Gene Powers."
Update to 7-22-2024. The misidentifed theatre was actually in Fullerton, CA even though it was called Yorba Linda Cinema. https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/6641 It was a United General franchised theatre
This one seems to have been a United General theatre, not Jerry Lewis. The celebrities who lent their names to the UG venture were Glenn Ford, Debbie Reynolds and Agnes Moorehead.
It looks like this * did * open under the United General franchise name because that logo of the traffic cop in the upper left is the United General logo. There’s another United General theatre on C.T. that is misidentified as Jerry Lewis, in Yorba Linda CA. Boxoffice Magazine of Dec. 4, 1972 announced that United General had opened its 31st franchised theatre. Jerry Lewis Cinemas announced in an ad in March 1973 that it had reached 205 theatres. That figure probably included the several locations that had dropped the JLC name and were on their own. An item in Boxoffice (Aug 7, 1972) has an article about three Michigan theatres that were going to be 16mm operations under United General. In that same edition, there was a UG franchising ad. A classified ad was in the NY Times of 6/6/71, and a full page franchising ad in the Rochester, NY paper of 6/25/72. Another U.G. theatre was in Cross River, NY and teaser ads in the fall of 1972 said it was to be a U.G. theatre. It finally opened 4/11/73 but without any mention of U.G. in the ads. This frequently happened with Jerry Lewis Cinemas as well — announced, usually long delays, and finally opening without the franchise name.
There was a Jerry Lewis Cinema in Brunswick, GA according to an Atlanta Constitution article dated Jan. 28, 1972. Whether it was this Altama Village triplex (?) The article was about three Georgia Lewis theatre operators filed a federal lawsuit in Atlanta district court against Lewis and Network Cinema Corp. One of the three plantiffs was Michael Solomon, Solomon Cinemas Inc., a Georgia corporation, and the article said Solomon Cinemas operated a Lewis theatre in Brunswick. More research is needed, but any further information would be appreciated. Perhaps the Lewis theatre in Brunswick, GA is not listed at all on C. Treasures.
This appears to have been originally a Jerry Lewis Cinema. According to the Boxoffice article below, it opened in Feb. 1972, and was operating under the JLC name as of May 1972. Most likely the opening Sept. 19, 1972, per commenter 50sSNIPES, was when the name change occurred. The theatre could have been closed for a short time before Sept. 19, but we know it was operating in May ‘72.
If * the * Sidney Pink, the movie producer, operated this theatre, he may have stepped in when this name change occurred. Pink’s page on IMDB says he was a Florida resident, died in 2002 in FL., and operated theatres in FL and Puerto Rico. It’s very likely it’s the same fellow.
Here’s the Boxoffice article from 5-22-72:
Johnson Managing Winter Haven JL Cinema
WINTER HAVEN, FLA.—Richard E. Johnson, assistant manager of the Jerry Lewis Cinema in the Winter Haven Mall, has been promoted to manager, according to Mr. and Mrs. Wallace Walters, owners of the Winter Haven and Melbourne Jerry Lewis cinemas.
Johnson, a native of Rockford, Ill., came here in 1968 but has been connected with the motion picture theatre business only since the February opening of the local JLC. Al Radlein, who has been manager here since the opening, will return to Cocoa and take over as manager of the Melbourne Jerry Lewis Cinema.
Johnson said in an interview that no changes in the present staff will be made but that he is planning special features and promotions for the theatre and local charity and civic groups.
Still listed in 1988 Motion Picture Almanac, but that is only a starting point for further research. MPA not always reliable, mainly because the theatre owners would not fill out and return their postcards, “are you still in business?”
June 10, 2023: Now called “New Life Church”, says marquee. No changes to the exterior of the theatre. Looks same as in the photos shown on Cinema Treasures. The “Atlantic” name is still on the marquee– “New Life Church” takes up the space where a movie title would be.
The Roxanne/Beverly Hills Cop II photo was probably taken in late summer 1987. The two pix were released in June, and May 1987 respectively.
October 2007 photo of Jerry Lewis Cinema, Eagan, MN, shortly before demolition. https://www.flickr.com/photos/70267096@N00/1640505583/in/photolist-5bJ4M1-Y1Lisz-7UWaDC-7Yb9HE-v5DTE-3uY2a2-7XhysX-8rxfQ2-8rxfi4-8rxfct-7XkN2d-7XkNm3-7XkNhf-7XhyFP-7XhyKt-rshmo4-Kd387Y-JWhA1o-5bJ4LY-pY2X8-fQZ5HA-fSzs5c-fQS3y4-fSvN2F-fSFCKP-rfH9uX-6dx2FW-oZnX5y-qgmq9c-NcQ1ci-Cwtd3c-BJriH7-2c7eWCY-T9aJ4J-2cGopre-GJvjfA-227mSBJ-24NWpRg-23rSKF2-GJvhS5-2evwsxP-23KQUhL-23KQUNA-RNAea8-dDGrGF-23CCy3a
Opened as Jerry Lewis Twin, 10/1/71; name change to Cedarvale I & II 7/1/72; Engler Theatre chain acquires 6/14/74, runs for one year to 6/3/75. Taken over by Metropolitan Theatres Co. (Ernest Peaslee) a few days later. Closes mid-October; reopened by new operator 11/26/75, final closing 2/12/76.
Several articles in 2016 about how the Thunderbird Mall would be “de-malled”, including the demolition of K-Mart, where they would follow the new fad of flip-flopping the retail spaces to strip-mall style and the retail would face outside, to the parking lot.
The two malls opened on the same day, Aug. 11, 1971. A press release from Gamble’s was in the Duluth News-Tribune of Aug. 10.
Two malls, the Mesabi Mall in Hibbing, and the Thunderbird Mall in Virginia MN, opened in mid-August 1971. Neither Jerry Lewis Cinema were ready to open however, and lost the momentum behind the malls’ openings. About two months later, the Virginia Lewis theatre opened on Oct. 6 and the Hibbing theatre on Oct. 7. Both opened with “Blue Water, White Death” which was frequently booked at Lewis locations of the time. To take the sting off missing the mall openings, the “See a Grown Man Cry” ad campaign was created by one of the partners of the dual-theatre venture, who was in the advertising business.
Hibbing Daily Tribune article of 10-28-1982 reports the Lybba being closed and Cinemaland was going into the Irongate Mall 3-plex. Cinemaland said competition from the 3-plex in 1981 hurt the Lybba’s business. Impression given by the article is that the 3 plex had been a different operator, and may have been out of business at the time Cinemaland closed the Lybba and went into the 3-plex. The article is a bit murky on these details.
Lybba was twinned in March 1980; article in 10-28-82 Hibbing Daily Tribune said the Lybba was to be closed and owners to take over 3-plex in Irongate Mall.
State Theatre in Hibbing, MN closed 3-27-80 with “Apocalypse Now”
https://www.mesabitribune.com/news/community/the-state-theater-hibbing-s-movie-palace/article_6723a7ec-b26a-11ef-9e4a-1fc4cd8d26d1.html
Dec 2024 article in Mesabi Tribune (consolidation of the Mesabi Daily News in Virginia, MN and the Hibbing Daily Tribune). The website has a paywall so you can look at only one article.
The opening was 4/16/71 with “Cromwell”. Attached are the opening ad and a pre-opening news story. As of Feb. 2025, the building has been demolished and is now the site of storage rental garages.
In the Photos area, an ad from 10-21-1970 that shows Cinema II playing Hello Dolly in 70mm, which seems to confirm Joe Vogel’s findings in 2009 - that this theatre had 70mm. I don’t believe this playdate is in the Coate 70mm research for Hello Dolly, so it should be added in… I did some looking at ads in the Kokomo Tribune, various dates, in 1970 and 1971. Cinecom was operating all the theatres there at the time. (The ad for Cinema I on 10-21-70 was the reissue of Son of Flubber.)
2005 reader comment says this theatre is running film with carbon arc projection. Still doing it today? It’s very frustrating to see theatre websites and advertising that * never * say * how * they are showing the “movie.” E-mails to theatres asking this question are never answered. Phone calls are not returned.
Listed on Loopnet as of 9/2/2024: https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/14238-Harper-Rd-Detroit-MI/30393499/
The geodesic dome picture here is for another theatre, not the Playhouse Cinema Southfield, later known as Cabaret Theatre. The geodesic dome theatre was part of this 1950’s shopping center: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northland_Center. There was also live legitimate at this shopping center, which may have been held at some place other than the geodesic dome theatre. The Southfield Playhouse Cinema I & II is not related to any of these and not in the same location. The address was 25570 W. 8 Mile Rd, “1 block east of Beech Daly.” It was in a strip mall and the building can be seen on google’s roadside camera. The theatre was busted for allowing minors to see X-rated films (see article - I found the date - 1-24-73). Soon after the name was changed to Cabaret Theatre. Ads in May 77 say “under new management” and still said that in Jan. 79. Jan. 81 ads were porn, so the change to porn probably occurred in 1980. This twin theatre was originally intended to be a Jerry Lewis theatre but appears to not have used the name. There was also a “Playhouse 1 & 2” in Marysville (no listing on C. Treasures) in the early 70s which could have been the same operator. This is something to research (also see CT entry for Waterford, MI Playhouse twin l/k/a Academy 59 Twin.) CT says the opening was 10-25-72 for the Southfield Playhouse Cinema. Ads found dated Fri 10-27-72 showed the theatre playing “The Other” in a multiple wide run.
Announced to be a Jerry Lewis Cinema. (see Waterford, MI Academy 59 Theatre in Cinema Treasures). Waterford also named Playhouse and opened Dec. 72. Name of operator and corporate name listed in the article that was posted here (date?) matches up with the Waterford Playhouse operator.
This looks like a Jerry Lewis Cinema but probably didn’t open under the name. There was a brief article in Boxoffice 3-20-72:
“WESTLAND, MICH. — Attorney Frederick Nagher, general partner of Automated Cinema Enterprises and president of Pisces Exhibitor, Inc., will be the principal operator of a 350-seat Jerry Lewis Cinema to be constructed in the K-Mart Center at Eight Mile and Beech in Southfield, Mich., it was announced by Nicholas Fileccia, president of Michigan Cinema Corp., JLC representative in the southeastern Michigan area.
Nagher also will operate a 700-seat JLC twin cinema to be constructed in the Waterford Plaza Shopping Center, Waterford Township.
The theatres will be full automated, Fileccia stated, and an early summer opening of both facilities is planned."
Further comment: The opening ad that was uploaded says “Grand Opening Dec 22” - that was probably 1972 since “Pete n Tillie” was a Christmas release that year. ‘Planned to open in the summer’ - most likely there were delays and the theatre didn’t open until Christmas, and not with the JLC name. Several theatre operators waited around for JLC and finally opened themselves under their own name.
Is this the same location as a proposed 1972 United General theatre on Van Dyke that supposedly was 16mm? Here is the brief item from Boxoffice magazine of 8-7-72: “PONTIAC, MICH. — Ted Damerow’s Oakland Mini-Theatres has opened United General mini-theatres in Clarkston, Milford and Romeo, Mich. All three houses will use 16mm film and feature family-oriented films, according to Damerow.
The Clarkston Cinema is a 266-seat house located on Dixie Highway and will be operated by Damerow. John Henn is licensee of the Cinema in Milford, a 171- seat house located in the Milford Shopping Center, and the 320-seat Lantern Theatre on Van Dyke Road in Romeo is operated by licensee Gene Powers."
Update to 7-22-2024. The misidentifed theatre was actually in Fullerton, CA even though it was called Yorba Linda Cinema. https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/6641 It was a United General franchised theatre
This one seems to have been a United General theatre, not Jerry Lewis. The celebrities who lent their names to the UG venture were Glenn Ford, Debbie Reynolds and Agnes Moorehead.
It looks like this * did * open under the United General franchise name because that logo of the traffic cop in the upper left is the United General logo. There’s another United General theatre on C.T. that is misidentified as Jerry Lewis, in Yorba Linda CA. Boxoffice Magazine of Dec. 4, 1972 announced that United General had opened its 31st franchised theatre. Jerry Lewis Cinemas announced in an ad in March 1973 that it had reached 205 theatres. That figure probably included the several locations that had dropped the JLC name and were on their own. An item in Boxoffice (Aug 7, 1972) has an article about three Michigan theatres that were going to be 16mm operations under United General. In that same edition, there was a UG franchising ad. A classified ad was in the NY Times of 6/6/71, and a full page franchising ad in the Rochester, NY paper of 6/25/72. Another U.G. theatre was in Cross River, NY and teaser ads in the fall of 1972 said it was to be a U.G. theatre. It finally opened 4/11/73 but without any mention of U.G. in the ads. This frequently happened with Jerry Lewis Cinemas as well — announced, usually long delays, and finally opening without the franchise name.
There was a Jerry Lewis Cinema in Brunswick, GA according to an Atlanta Constitution article dated Jan. 28, 1972. Whether it was this Altama Village triplex (?) The article was about three Georgia Lewis theatre operators filed a federal lawsuit in Atlanta district court against Lewis and Network Cinema Corp. One of the three plantiffs was Michael Solomon, Solomon Cinemas Inc., a Georgia corporation, and the article said Solomon Cinemas operated a Lewis theatre in Brunswick. More research is needed, but any further information would be appreciated. Perhaps the Lewis theatre in Brunswick, GA is not listed at all on C. Treasures.
This appears to have been originally a Jerry Lewis Cinema. According to the Boxoffice article below, it opened in Feb. 1972, and was operating under the JLC name as of May 1972. Most likely the opening Sept. 19, 1972, per commenter 50sSNIPES, was when the name change occurred. The theatre could have been closed for a short time before Sept. 19, but we know it was operating in May ‘72.
If * the * Sidney Pink, the movie producer, operated this theatre, he may have stepped in when this name change occurred. Pink’s page on IMDB says he was a Florida resident, died in 2002 in FL., and operated theatres in FL and Puerto Rico. It’s very likely it’s the same fellow.
Here’s the Boxoffice article from 5-22-72:
WINTER HAVEN, FLA.—Richard E. Johnson, assistant manager of the Jerry Lewis Cinema in the Winter Haven Mall, has been promoted to manager, according to Mr. and Mrs. Wallace Walters, owners of the Winter Haven and Melbourne Jerry Lewis cinemas.
Johnson, a native of Rockford, Ill., came here in 1968 but has been connected with the motion picture theatre business only since the February opening of the local JLC. Al Radlein, who has been manager here since the opening, will return to Cocoa and take over as manager of the Melbourne Jerry Lewis Cinema.
Johnson said in an interview that no changes in the present staff will be made but that he is planning special features and promotions for the theatre and local charity and civic groups.
Still listed in 1988 Motion Picture Almanac, but that is only a starting point for further research. MPA not always reliable, mainly because the theatre owners would not fill out and return their postcards, “are you still in business?”
June 10, 2023: Now called “New Life Church”, says marquee. No changes to the exterior of the theatre. Looks same as in the photos shown on Cinema Treasures. The “Atlantic” name is still on the marquee– “New Life Church” takes up the space where a movie title would be.