I may be wrong about this, but, I recall the Richards closing in December 1970. I spent many Saturday afternoons and nights in it. Even saw it full a few times. The last film that I remember playing there was “The Battle of Britain,” starring a young actor named Michael Caine. The manager, who I knew, was sweeping out the lobby when I walked by on a sunny Dec. afternoon, just after it closed. His name was Bill and he asked if I’d like to go inside and take a last look around. I did. I asked him, “How many did it seat?” He told me,“999. Old man Richards built it to squeeze in as many seats as possible, because the insurance went from 0-999, then, 1,000-1,999, etc.” I credit the Richards and the films I saw there to educating me that there were bigger and better things far outside the Fayette city limits and past the county line. It’s a shame that the people of Fayette have to drive 40-50+ miles to see a film on the big screen.
I may be wrong about this, but, I recall the Richards closing in December 1970. I spent many Saturday afternoons and nights in it. Even saw it full a few times. The last film that I remember playing there was “The Battle of Britain,” starring a young actor named Michael Caine. The manager, who I knew, was sweeping out the lobby when I walked by on a sunny Dec. afternoon, just after it closed. His name was Bill and he asked if I’d like to go inside and take a last look around. I did. I asked him, “How many did it seat?” He told me,“999. Old man Richards built it to squeeze in as many seats as possible, because the insurance went from 0-999, then, 1,000-1,999, etc.” I credit the Richards and the films I saw there to educating me that there were bigger and better things far outside the Fayette city limits and past the county line. It’s a shame that the people of Fayette have to drive 40-50+ miles to see a film on the big screen.