Thanks NeonMichael for the comments on the drive in’s. I was not aware of the Circle B drive in.
Please excuse any typos as I am now almost blind.
In my earlier post on 2015 that has some info the Hermosa that was on Hermosa Drive.
I still have my paycheck stubs from Bill Bartlett, I was still in 10th grade High School, and would run movies on weekends when the senior projectionist would run the LandSun theater downtown. I sure wish I could remember that projectionist name, he was certinallly a great mentor for me. There was also a restaurant down the street that had once been a theater that we would sometimes go scavenge for the LandSun.
Worked this theater from 1980 to 90’s. Dolby was installed for “Tron” in 2 theaters, 3 and 4 later had UltraStereo installed. When I started it was reel to reel on 6000 foot reels.
Some projectionist had fun pulling the diode pins out of the automation and handing them to a new operator. I had the chance to map the pin locations before that happened to me.
I was there during the platter, 3D Screen, and new snack bar installs.
I worked at the Ritz in 1966 or 67 for about 2 weeks before we moved on. Someone in town was just doing a new reopening after being closed for a while. The movies were “Flight of the Phoenix”, and “My Fair Lady”. as second run (cheap for a small theater). I was projectionist and theater janitor at end of night. The projectors were Motigraph 35mm. with hand slide change over for the picture.
There was an operating drive in theater, where I met the towns regular projectionist. I only remember his nickname which was “Burbon”. Menphis was a dry town, I think there is a story behind that, but I will protect the innocent. I was still in my mid-teens.
In the fall of 1968 I saw “2001 Space Odyssey” I suppose in the lower Empire 2.
Possibly in that same time period I say “Around The World in 80 Days”
in the upstairs theater, a reissue?
Last film I saw in the upper small theater was “Flap” Anthony Quinn
Release Date: November 1970 (USA).
That was the last film I saw there as I returned to California.
During my time at The Hermosa we had just put up a 24 sheet billboard poster for a Beatles movie when the uproar about the alleged Beatles comments on god and everyone was banning any thing to do with them.
This was around August 1966 according to the internet.
We had to remove the poster and replace it with another film title.
The projection booth had 2 Simples XL 35 projectors, Strong Futura carbon arc lamp houses, and Super Panatar anamorphic lenses. the sound system was still speakers on posts.
Comparing the B/W photo that includes the Hollywood Cafe with the burn photo of the Roxy you can see the window and brick patterns on the front wall are the same. I put one picture above the other so it would be easy to compare. 6 storefronts to the east would be where the Roxy was, ant whatever the theater was previously named.
Thanks to all for the photos and comments. comparing google street view with some of the old photos taken on the streets it is easier to visualize where the theaters may have been. The one photo of the Roxy seems to have been showing the movie “Fall of the Roman Empire” 1964 from IMDB. I had found this same photo in the CHS school yearbook ad’s.
Looking at this photo and google street view, the Roxy should be about 6 storefronts down. I would love to someday create a computer animation or 3D views of these theaters.
IMAXJack
Yes the Roxy was just to the right, in the picture where some blue sky is showing. Thanks a lot for the pictures that have been uploaded. I went to the Roxy often after the Fox closed, I am now in California now and do not have access to newspaper or library archives to do much research on these theaters. I would love to see a photo of the interior of the Roxy, but I suppose none exist.
Morning Joe, Thanks for your input and eagle eye, I know my memory has faded some. Upon retiring this must be a normal obsession, trying to relive the past. Surprisingly I can remember where I viewed certain movies, and so I use IMDB to check the dates.
I’m in California, and cannot go to library’s to look up info. A web page mentioned that the Carthage library had the local newspaper from 1888 to present on microfilm. Someday I’ll get there. I was amazed to discover last night that Google has published many U.S. newspapers including Nevada, Mo.
Also in Carthage there was the Sunset Drive in, not yet listed here.
I’m thinking the Roxy was lost between 1963-68, when I returned as a seasoned projectionist and wanted to see the Roxy “soooo bad”. But it was gone. Fall 68 is when I returned to Nevada, MO. for four months and worked the Fox. In 1979 I returned to California and have been here since then, only with occasional visits to Carthage.
All the people on this web site are wonderful I can spend hours reading history. Especially thanks to the Web Host for providing this cinema web site.
Hi Joe I’m looking at google street view. and the book review simultaneously attempting to get an idea, the Hollbrook drugstore later bookstore was on south corner, I used to hangout there and a jewelry store was on the other end of the block. book review the Electric ? theater shown on the west side may be the Roxy, I’m checking to see if they may have the west mixed for the south. I’ll be searching the net. We rented a house from Murry Dunkin drug store, I was there in the 4th thru 7th grade and moved after the Kennedy assassination.
Hello Joe
Thanks for your input, Somehow I seem to think it is the Roxy, at least during the 60’s when I went there, it was almost a long narrow almost shoe box one entrance to the auditorium, can’t remember if a single isle down the middle or seats in the middle. but it was definitely a small 200-300 seat theater. use to get in free with a potato chip sack on some promotions. I just retired and now are researching my old childhood theaters. Have been using IMDB to try to verify some dates. more later.
I went to this theater as a teen, later I worked there for a short time in 1968. Several years ater it was twinned with the balcony being one theater and the lower section being another, The seating was elevated continuous from front to back without the usual floating balcony. Only a separating walkway where patrons entered the auditorium. Some years later it was Multiplexed again into three cinemas by splitting the lower section. resulting in three very short throw, very wide theaters, not your typical long narrow shoe boxes.
At last it was stripped out and restored as a stage playhouse type theater. This is the theater where I first stepped into the booth at age 14 and began my career as a film projectionist. ending with 30 years with IMAX, with about 47 years total.
The last time I went to this theater was 1963. When I came back in 1972 it was gone, I think destroyed by fire, Google street view shows the empty space where the theater was.
Film’s I saw in this movie house were “The Shaggy Dog”, “Flubber”, “Island of Dr. Moreau” and some other Jerry Lewis films. These are some of the shows I can remember,
If I remember correctly the Fox off the town square from the north side had already been converted to the Star Lanes bowling alley. This was about a year before I ventured into a projection booth and began my lifelong job as a film projectionist, ending with 30 years with IMAX.
I hope to return to Carthage library someday and look-up newspaper articles to update this thread.
I worked here as a projectionist assistant while also running movies at the Hermosa Drive In theatre. I think I was about 16 at the time, there is not yet a listing for the drive in here, I can later add some comments.
The LandSun was a single screen, Movies I remember here are “Whats New Pussycat”, Boy Did I Get A Wrong Number" with Bob Hope. The theatre down the street was closed and converted into a restaurant, although the projection booth was still intact with projectors and equipment. I was here when the Apollo 1 astronauts died, and when the Beatles music was banned. We had just put up a 24 sheet billboard at the drive in, and had to pull it down and replace it with something else. We also had a pickup truck that had two 6 sheet boards for movie adds. I sure wish I had a camera back then and the foresight to take pictures.
Hi Chuck
The 904 address is from the upper corner of google maps, street view, I just looked again, and the building that I remember as a large drug store has the number 800 on the glass door. So the Tejano Club next door could be 802 to 810 or thereabouts. This appears to be about the size a 200 seat theatre would be.
Again I’m going from memory about 50 years ago. I hope to return sometime and check old newspapers, The Wichita was a first run theatre, I hope to find a newspaper Ad from December 65,
I just checked IMDB and “Doctor Zhivago” was released in December 1965. That is the timeframe I was there.
The projectionist union wanted to hire me as a projectionist but I was not old enough. I started running theatre projectors when I was 14, and pretty much self taught. I have done that all my life except for my military time and 5 years in a movie lab here in California.
IMAX Jack
There is a possibility that the Tejano Scorpion Club at
904 Indiana Avenue Wichita Falls, TX 76301 Google maps, is the old Azteca Theatre, I’m thinking back almost 50 years, I remember seeing a movie there “Torero Por Un Dia” with an actor Pipporo, similar to Cantinflas. The building next door was a large drug store., and of coarse down the street is the Wichita and “Dr Zahavigo” was playing there in 70mm. That’s the best time frame I can give. I will try to have the Library look up a newspaper add from that period.
IMAX Jack
I worked as a projectionist thru the Smokey Bandit series and a few more pictures, also when we upgraded from carbon arcs to zenon lamphouse during a B/W Woody Allen picture. When I retire in 3 months I will link a bunch of San Diego booth photos.
IMAXJack
The Cinerama was running “Empire Strikes Back” When I was relief projectionist there, The Chief projectionst Dick Koldoff had run all the 3 strip films there and had in his archives tfhe last 20 minutes od “This Is Cinerama”. He was a master projector repairman, rebuilding projectors from all over the US.
I was at the Center Three for a while after it had been split into a tri-plex. The projector in each booth supossedly was a cinerama machine converted back to 4 perf pulldown.
The Cinema 21 was a 35/70 house but had a long projection booth same as Cinerama and Center-3. although the ports were covered and never used for three strip. I have pictures.
I have worked most every theatre in San Diego from 1967 to now.
Imax says I am the most senior IMAX Projectionist still working anywhere in the world.
IMAXJACK
Thanks NeonMichael for the comments on the drive in’s. I was not aware of the Circle B drive in. Please excuse any typos as I am now almost blind. In my earlier post on 2015 that has some info the Hermosa that was on Hermosa Drive. I still have my paycheck stubs from Bill Bartlett, I was still in 10th grade High School, and would run movies on weekends when the senior projectionist would run the LandSun theater downtown. I sure wish I could remember that projectionist name, he was certinallly a great mentor for me. There was also a restaurant down the street that had once been a theater that we would sometimes go scavenge for the LandSun.
Worked this theater from 1980 to 90’s. Dolby was installed for “Tron” in 2 theaters, 3 and 4 later had UltraStereo installed. When I started it was reel to reel on 6000 foot reels. Some projectionist had fun pulling the diode pins out of the automation and handing them to a new operator. I had the chance to map the pin locations before that happened to me. I was there during the platter, 3D Screen, and new snack bar installs.
I worked at the Ritz in 1966 or 67 for about 2 weeks before we moved on. Someone in town was just doing a new reopening after being closed for a while. The movies were “Flight of the Phoenix”, and “My Fair Lady”. as second run (cheap for a small theater). I was projectionist and theater janitor at end of night. The projectors were Motigraph 35mm. with hand slide change over for the picture. There was an operating drive in theater, where I met the towns regular projectionist. I only remember his nickname which was “Burbon”. Menphis was a dry town, I think there is a story behind that, but I will protect the innocent. I was still in my mid-teens.
In the fall of 1968 I saw “2001 Space Odyssey” I suppose in the lower Empire 2. Possibly in that same time period I say “Around The World in 80 Days” in the upstairs theater, a reissue? Last film I saw in the upper small theater was “Flap” Anthony Quinn Release Date: November 1970 (USA). That was the last film I saw there as I returned to California.
During my time at The Hermosa we had just put up a 24 sheet billboard poster for a Beatles movie when the uproar about the alleged Beatles comments on god and everyone was banning any thing to do with them. This was around August 1966 according to the internet. We had to remove the poster and replace it with another film title. The projection booth had 2 Simples XL 35 projectors, Strong Futura carbon arc lamp houses, and Super Panatar anamorphic lenses. the sound system was still speakers on posts.
I worked at the Hermosa Drive In theater in 1967 as a projectionist. an helped out at the LandSun indoor theater.
Is this the theater that ran “Fate Is the Hunter” with Glenn Ford
in 1964?
I saw that movie in one of the downtown theaters in 64.
Saw Fun in Acapulco here in 1964.
Does anyone remember what the Roxy looked like inside?
Where was the snack bar, How many isles, etc.
Comparing the B/W photo that includes the Hollywood Cafe with the burn photo of the Roxy you can see the window and brick patterns on the front wall are the same. I put one picture above the other so it would be easy to compare. 6 storefronts to the east would be where the Roxy was, ant whatever the theater was previously named.
Thanks to all for the photos and comments. comparing google street view with some of the old photos taken on the streets it is easier to visualize where the theaters may have been. The one photo of the Roxy seems to have been showing the movie “Fall of the Roman Empire” 1964 from IMDB. I had found this same photo in the CHS school yearbook ad’s.
Looking at this photo and google street view, the Roxy should be about 6 storefronts down. I would love to someday create a computer animation or 3D views of these theaters. IMAXJack
Yes the Roxy was just to the right, in the picture where some blue sky is showing. Thanks a lot for the pictures that have been uploaded. I went to the Roxy often after the Fox closed, I am now in California now and do not have access to newspaper or library archives to do much research on these theaters. I would love to see a photo of the interior of the Roxy, but I suppose none exist.
Morning Joe, Thanks for your input and eagle eye, I know my memory has faded some. Upon retiring this must be a normal obsession, trying to relive the past. Surprisingly I can remember where I viewed certain movies, and so I use IMDB to check the dates. I’m in California, and cannot go to library’s to look up info. A web page mentioned that the Carthage library had the local newspaper from 1888 to present on microfilm. Someday I’ll get there. I was amazed to discover last night that Google has published many U.S. newspapers including Nevada, Mo.
Also in Carthage there was the Sunset Drive in, not yet listed here.
I’m thinking the Roxy was lost between 1963-68, when I returned as a seasoned projectionist and wanted to see the Roxy “soooo bad”. But it was gone. Fall 68 is when I returned to Nevada, MO. for four months and worked the Fox. In 1979 I returned to California and have been here since then, only with occasional visits to Carthage.
All the people on this web site are wonderful I can spend hours reading history. Especially thanks to the Web Host for providing this cinema web site.
Hi Joe I’m looking at google street view. and the book review simultaneously attempting to get an idea, the Hollbrook drugstore later bookstore was on south corner, I used to hangout there and a jewelry store was on the other end of the block. book review the Electric ? theater shown on the west side may be the Roxy, I’m checking to see if they may have the west mixed for the south. I’ll be searching the net. We rented a house from Murry Dunkin drug store, I was there in the 4th thru 7th grade and moved after the Kennedy assassination.
Hello Joe Thanks for your input, Somehow I seem to think it is the Roxy, at least during the 60’s when I went there, it was almost a long narrow almost shoe box one entrance to the auditorium, can’t remember if a single isle down the middle or seats in the middle. but it was definitely a small 200-300 seat theater. use to get in free with a potato chip sack on some promotions. I just retired and now are researching my old childhood theaters. Have been using IMDB to try to verify some dates. more later.
I went to this theater as a teen, later I worked there for a short time in 1968. Several years ater it was twinned with the balcony being one theater and the lower section being another, The seating was elevated continuous from front to back without the usual floating balcony. Only a separating walkway where patrons entered the auditorium. Some years later it was Multiplexed again into three cinemas by splitting the lower section. resulting in three very short throw, very wide theaters, not your typical long narrow shoe boxes. At last it was stripped out and restored as a stage playhouse type theater. This is the theater where I first stepped into the booth at age 14 and began my career as a film projectionist. ending with 30 years with IMAX, with about 47 years total.
The last time I went to this theater was 1963. When I came back in 1972 it was gone, I think destroyed by fire, Google street view shows the empty space where the theater was. Film’s I saw in this movie house were “The Shaggy Dog”, “Flubber”, “Island of Dr. Moreau” and some other Jerry Lewis films. These are some of the shows I can remember, If I remember correctly the Fox off the town square from the north side had already been converted to the Star Lanes bowling alley. This was about a year before I ventured into a projection booth and began my lifelong job as a film projectionist, ending with 30 years with IMAX. I hope to return to Carthage library someday and look-up newspaper articles to update this thread.
I have a number of photos to post showing this and other theaters in South Korea. There is an article about this theater in Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Cinema
And an additional Wikipedia linked story about the projectionist here.
http://www.arirang.co.kr/News/News_View.asp?nseq=83475&code=Ne6&category=7
I worked here as a projectionist assistant while also running movies at the Hermosa Drive In theatre. I think I was about 16 at the time, there is not yet a listing for the drive in here, I can later add some comments. The LandSun was a single screen, Movies I remember here are “Whats New Pussycat”, Boy Did I Get A Wrong Number" with Bob Hope. The theatre down the street was closed and converted into a restaurant, although the projection booth was still intact with projectors and equipment. I was here when the Apollo 1 astronauts died, and when the Beatles music was banned. We had just put up a 24 sheet billboard at the drive in, and had to pull it down and replace it with something else. We also had a pickup truck that had two 6 sheet boards for movie adds. I sure wish I had a camera back then and the foresight to take pictures.
IMAX Jack
Hi Chuck The 904 address is from the upper corner of google maps, street view, I just looked again, and the building that I remember as a large drug store has the number 800 on the glass door. So the Tejano Club next door could be 802 to 810 or thereabouts. This appears to be about the size a 200 seat theatre would be. Again I’m going from memory about 50 years ago. I hope to return sometime and check old newspapers, The Wichita was a first run theatre, I hope to find a newspaper Ad from December 65, I just checked IMDB and “Doctor Zhivago” was released in December 1965. That is the timeframe I was there. The projectionist union wanted to hire me as a projectionist but I was not old enough. I started running theatre projectors when I was 14, and pretty much self taught. I have done that all my life except for my military time and 5 years in a movie lab here in California. IMAX Jack
There is a possibility that the Tejano Scorpion Club at 904 Indiana Avenue Wichita Falls, TX 76301 Google maps, is the old Azteca Theatre, I’m thinking back almost 50 years, I remember seeing a movie there “Torero Por Un Dia” with an actor Pipporo, similar to Cantinflas. The building next door was a large drug store., and of coarse down the street is the Wichita and “Dr Zahavigo” was playing there in 70mm. That’s the best time frame I can give. I will try to have the Library look up a newspaper add from that period. IMAX Jack
I worked as a projectionist thru the Smokey Bandit series and a few more pictures, also when we upgraded from carbon arcs to zenon lamphouse during a B/W Woody Allen picture. When I retire in 3 months I will link a bunch of San Diego booth photos. IMAXJack
The Cinerama was running “Empire Strikes Back” When I was relief projectionist there, The Chief projectionst Dick Koldoff had run all the 3 strip films there and had in his archives tfhe last 20 minutes od “This Is Cinerama”. He was a master projector repairman, rebuilding projectors from all over the US.
I was at the Center Three for a while after it had been split into a tri-plex. The projector in each booth supossedly was a cinerama machine converted back to 4 perf pulldown.
The Cinema 21 was a 35/70 house but had a long projection booth same as Cinerama and Center-3. although the ports were covered and never used for three strip. I have pictures.
I have worked most every theatre in San Diego from 1967 to now.
Imax says I am the most senior IMAX Projectionist still working anywhere in the world.
IMAXJACK
Cinama 21 had a Cinerama style booth.