Dallas Cinema
166 SE Mill Street,
Dallas,
OR
97338
166 SE Mill Street,
Dallas,
OR
97338
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According to an an article in the 12/4/1986 edition of the Salem Statesman Journal, the Rio would be reopening the following day as the Fox, named so for the new operator’s business name, Fox Enterprises.
Here is the new web site for the Dallas Cinema. Interestingly, it’s operated by an outfit called Cinema Treasures, LLC, who also operate the Star Cinema in Stayton.
Fox theater was recently renamed Dallas Cinema and underwent some renovations.
When Moyer (“Act III”) took over in 1985 the Rio was in poor repair. Under their management it got much worse, turned into a second-run theater, and was empty most nights. During high school I remember seeing films like “Johnny Dangerously” and “Runaway” there on double dates- and we’d be the only four people a the screening. Seats were broken and the place in general disrepair, typical of the Moyer operations of the 1980s (their Salem theaters were dumps too). The Motor-Vu drive in was in similar condition, but the $5/carload price made it much more popular with my friends…we mostly went to the “Fox” as it was called after 1985 with a sense of irony. I’m delighted to see it being kept up now and showing first-run movies. Congrats to the owners!
The Rio (now Fox) was my hometown theater from 1976-1986, when I graduated from high school. When Don Wernli still owned it (<1985) it was well kept and played mostly what I recall as “B” movies. I remember seeing “The Great White Bullafo,” “Orca,” and “Gray Lady Down” there in the late 70s. They made a big deal out of “The Late Great Planet Earth” in 1979. But my fondest memories were of Halloween screenings, when they’d show a cartoon before a kids feature and every child got a free bag of candy on the way in. Tickets, if I recall correctly, were just $1 for kids. Dallas was a small town then and in the 70s parents routinely dropped kids as young as 8 off at the Rio for weekend matinees and pre-teens were always much of the audience for PG evening showings.
This theatre was originally the Rio Theatre. I don’t know why the name was changed. Possibly since there is another Rio Theatre in Sweethome, OR., or Fox sounds more like the Fox Theatre in Hollywood, so it sounds more authentic in the movie industry. But, these are just my guess.
I recently purchased the Fox Theatre and Motor Vu Drive In. We are currently refurbishing the theatre with sound and video upgrades, snack bar upgrades, lobby, outside lighting and painting as well as fixing all seats that need attention and installing cupholders on all. The drive in will be refurbished before we open in Spring 2008. We plan on painting front/back of screen, refurbishing box office, and turning the snack bar into a 50’s car hop / movie theme. Then there’s the landscaping and playground. etc etc. We also changed the website to www.dallasfox.net and www.dallasmotorvu.com
Informaton on the status of the Wurlitzer organ:
http://www.pstos.org/instruments/or/dallas/fox.htm