Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre

533-37 N. Main Street,
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701

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50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES on May 28, 2022 at 12:54 pm

The Sterling Theatre was formerly occupied by another Sterling Theatre which opened in 1916 and closed in May 1941.

It was re-erected, rebuilt, and reopened on November 27, 1941 with Bob Hope in “Nothing But The Truth” along with an unnamed Donald Duck cartoon, a short entitled “Wings of Steel”, and a Fox Movietone Newsreel.

The 920-seat Sterling only operated for nearly 13 years, closing in 1955. A short time beforehand a day before Christmas Eve 1954, three juveniles were playing in front of the theater until one naughty kid apparently broke the door panel. The “cruiserman” called in the boy’s mother to pay nearby hundreds of dollars if her son was guilty.

On August 30, 1955, an announcement came that the Sterling Theatre building will become a city cultural center after a $75,000 bond has been paid for by the Little Theatre group, as it would renaming the Sterling the Little Theatre.

Roger Katz
Roger Katz on November 17, 2009 at 4:24 am

This theatre should be listed as open as the Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre.

ABone
ABone on February 19, 2006 at 7:59 pm

The Sterling closed as a neighborhood movie house more than 50 years ago, but it is still in use as the home of Little Theater of W-B. I think the seating number has to be high, as I’ve been in it. It is art deco on the inside, but not on the outside, as it was remodeled in the ‘30’s from a former boxing arena.