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Theatre in Bedford Ohio
posted by
cfrank
on
March 3, 2006 at 12:44 pm
I’m asking for help here. There was a theatre in Bedford, Ohio, on Broadway that I remember going to as a child. I remember seeing “The Sound of Music” there. It was beautiful inside. It closed and eventually became a car dealership. I have not lived in the area for over 20 years. Does anyone remember the name of the theatre and any history? It is not listed on your website, but I think it would be a good candidate.
Comments (5)
Looking through this website I found reference to a Stillwell Theatre in Bedford Ohio that was torn down in the 80’s and a Ford dealership put in its place. It was at 310 Broadway. I didn’t see any pictures but hoefully having a name will help you.
The Stillwell Theatre in Bedford is indeed the Cinema Treasure in question. The address I have, however, is 290 Broadway (sourced from 1960s era Plain Dealer newspaper ads), which would place it a block or two away from the 310 Broadway address supplied in the previous post.
The Stillwell’s engagement of “The Sound Of Music” was a “Special Selective Engagement” (AKA a modified roadshow) premiering in February 1967 and running for 15 weeks.
Sorry I do not have anything else on the theatre. But for more on the original showings of “The Sound Of Music,” see:
View link
I agree, Cfrank. It was my childhood palace, too. Check it out on this website, and don’t hesitate to contact me for further discussion:
The Stillwell was a Loew’s chain theatre and the car lot address that replaced it is 310 (addresses there increase rapidly, 290 and 310 could be adjacent addresses)There was a Howard Johnson’s Diner across the street (for several years) for an ice cream or Ho Jo Cola after the movie.
I may be older than others who have responded, because there was a second “movie house”/theatre in Bedford. I moved in in 1957 and for a few years after that I remember going to the BEDFORD Theatre in the Bedford commercial/business district (downtown Bedford) north of the town square; around 650 Broadway. This was not a chain theatre, but an independent “movie house”.
Both of these theatres plus another one (the Mapletown)in neighboring Maple Hts. suffered when a Modern twin screen theatre opened in Maple Hts. in the Southgate Shopping Center; the Southgate “General Cinema”. All of these theatres are now closed.
As a child in the ‘50s, I remember stories about the old Bedford Theatre, most of which suggested that on any given night the rats were likely to outnumber the patrons. We never went there that I can recall, though we frequently went to the Stillwell, usually on Friday night, when we could preceed the show with the all-you-can-eat fish deal across the street at Howard Johnson’s. I’m fairly sure that the Bedford was located next door to DeLuca Chrysler-Plymouth (though at the time it was probably still DeLuca Plymouth-DeSoto), and eventually DeLuca bought the building, gutted it, and, if I remember right, turned it into part of his shop area. If I’m getting the right feedback from Google maps, I think that would make the remains of the building part of what’s now Target Automotive Group, though I could be off a couple hundred feet and it’s a rental place at 580 Broadway (or maybe the parking lot in between them).