Murphy Theatre
131 East Main Street,
Front Royal,
VA
22630
131 East Main Street,
Front Royal,
VA
22630
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Pitts' Theaters Inc.
Functions: Retail
Previous Names: Murphy Opera House, Pitts Murphy Theatre
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A conversion of the Front Royal Methodist Church. The Murphy Opera House was opened in 1909 and was screening motion pictures by 1914. It was used as a vaudeville and silent motion picture theatre. Taken over by Pitts' Theaters Inc. in 1930, the Murphy Theatre was closed around 1957. The building still stands and has had various uses over the years. These include a post office, a clothing store and it’s current use as Royal Oak Computers.
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Recent comments (view all 4 comments)
The April 4, 1930, issue of the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star reported that Benjamin Pitts had taken a ten-year lease on Murphy’s Theatre in Front Royal and would immediately begin a remodeling which would include the installation of Western Electric sound equipment.
The theater was expected to reopen in about six weeks. It would be the sixth house in the Pitts' Theatres chain. The article said that Murphy’s was Front Royal’s leading playhouse, and one of the largest theaters in the Shenandoah Valley, seating over 1000.
The house was listed as Pitts' Murphy on a list of the twenty-five theaters operated by Pitts' Theatres in 1952. I found it mentioned in 1959, but an ambiguous context make it impossible to tell if it was still in operation at that time. Pitts' Theatres also took over the Park Theatre in Front Royal sometime after acquiring the Murphy, and appears to have operated it until at least 1960.
I toured the Murphy Theatre in 1967 while with my father who was an assistant manager for the Pitt’s Theatre chain. The theatre had been used for storage and the front portion had been turned into a store front. The projection room for the theatre was accessible only by a ladder and film reels had to be sent up by rope and pulley.
I toured the Murphy Theatre in 1967 while with my father who was an assistant manager for the Pitt’s Theatre chain. The theatre had been used for storage and the front portion had been turned into a store front. The projection room for the theatre was accessible only by a ladder and film reels had to be sent up by rope and pulley.
This web page about the Front Royal Historic District has this to say about the origin of the Murphy Theatre:
An organization called the Murphy’s Theatre Project hopes to raise funds to purchase and renovate the theater. Here is their Facebook page.