Satellite 1 & 2
1113 Elm Avenue,
Norman,
OK
73072
1113 Elm Avenue,
Norman,
OK
73072
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I uploaded a photo of my mom at work at Satellite Twin in 1983.
My wife and I met at the Satellite Twin, January 17, 1987 – at the Rocky Horror Picture Show!
We have been married 28 years and have eight children.
Raybradley: your roadsideoklahoma link does not work. Was wondering if you could give me updated link for the complete history of satellite 1&2 in norman ok? Thanks so much! ls91364
While I attended college at the University of Oklahoma, the theatre hosted a few screenings of the English Department sponsored Czechoslovakian Film Festival, circa 1979-1980. One rare print of a Czech movie came with French subtitles, so an interpreter sat in the audience translating as the film played. Later the venue became a concert hall – I saw The Smithereens play an excellent show there, circa 1986-87.
That young lady manager was my mom! I have very fond memories of going to work with her on Friday evenings as a very young child and seeing the chaos of Rocky Horror Picture Show from up in the projector room.
During the very-early 80s the young lady manager of this theater kindly permitted an OU student newspaper staffer to view films like FORT APACHE-THE BRONX, OMEN III-THE FINAL CONFLICT, and MY BLOODY VALENTINE so they could provide some reviews to the Entertainment page (in less than 2 years the theater managers of that town elsewhere started getting highly resistant about credentialed reviewers getting passes). The stair walk up to the theater on the second floor was REALLY long and steep—I doubt if federal equal-access laws could permit that kind of entrance nowadays without an elevator—but the interior was very plush, and the screens were rather tall & well-illuminated for such a narrowed auditorium. Wherever that manager is now, you have that reviewer’s eternal thanks…
What company operated this theater during the early 1980s?
Star Wars, in its original 1977 release, opened here day-and-date with North Park Cinema 4 in Oklahoma City. It played here for 20 weeks.
This is recent view of the Satallite Twin Cinema. The former lobby is now a Papa John’s Pizza.
View link
This Satallite Twin was never a member of Video Independent Theatres. In fact RKO-Video used every tactic in their dirty book of tricks to keep this (and the Stillwater Satellite 1&2) cinema from getting a building permit. But the brave little theatre opened anywat and was (foar a while) quite prosperous!
This informative site has a complete history and photos for the Satelite Twin Cinema,
http://www.roadsideoklahoma.com/node/473
First opened in 1972, this second floor twin cinema was located above retail stores in a large shopping center. Each auditorium held around 300 seats.
Open for twenty years before it first closed. After that it operated for a short while as an adult cinema, then sat vacant a few years. It must have taken a lot of holy water to clean this cinema before it would suitable for religious use.