The Plaza had to have been opened pre-1969. Both My Fair Lady (1964) and Olivier’s Othello (1965) were there on hard ticket. Also,Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) played there BEFORE it was twinned.It was a beautiful theatre; absolutely one of the best places to see a film in the suburbs, especially 70mm, 6-track.BTW it had a virtually twin in Cheltenham—The Cheltenham Theatre. Built a few years prior to the Plaza, also owned by Stanley-Warner, most likely the same architect. The interior was just about identical to the Plaza. Played both The Sand Pebbles and Becket on hard ticket, and a sub-run of Lawrence Of Arabia, which was stunning in 70mm/6-track.
The King was actually not opened as a Sameric. It was opened as a Jerry Lewis Cinema. As a matter of fact Jerry opened it personally, and there was a bronze plaque in the floor of the ticket lobby that commemorated that fact (“Opened by the King of show business, Jerry Lewis…”). It was very typical of a Jerry Lewis Cinema, very cheap construction, virtually no decoration, poor, uncomfortable seats.(The only other one in the area was in Lionville, Chester County—it eventually came to be called the Marchwood cinema.
The Plaza had to have been opened pre-1969. Both My Fair Lady (1964) and Olivier’s Othello (1965) were there on hard ticket. Also,Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) played there BEFORE it was twinned.It was a beautiful theatre; absolutely one of the best places to see a film in the suburbs, especially 70mm, 6-track.BTW it had a virtually twin in Cheltenham—The Cheltenham Theatre. Built a few years prior to the Plaza, also owned by Stanley-Warner, most likely the same architect. The interior was just about identical to the Plaza. Played both The Sand Pebbles and Becket on hard ticket, and a sub-run of Lawrence Of Arabia, which was stunning in 70mm/6-track.
The King was actually not opened as a Sameric. It was opened as a Jerry Lewis Cinema. As a matter of fact Jerry opened it personally, and there was a bronze plaque in the floor of the ticket lobby that commemorated that fact (“Opened by the King of show business, Jerry Lewis…”). It was very typical of a Jerry Lewis Cinema, very cheap construction, virtually no decoration, poor, uncomfortable seats.(The only other one in the area was in Lionville, Chester County—it eventually came to be called the Marchwood cinema.