Chief Theater

51 Main Avenue S,
Britt, IA 50423

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dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters on November 12, 2026 at 4:50 am

This was a new build facility with work starting on a vacant lot opposite the Commercial Bank in May of 1912. It was essentially a replacement for the existing Magic Theatre - a store show nickelodeon. F.R. Bandy and Lee Jewelers had the main floor and the Masons took the top floor. The Princess Theatre and Opera House launched October 10, 1912.

The Princess installed sound to remain commercially viable. It became the Chief in August of 1949 and went widescreen in the 1950s with new Century projectors. Its last show was “Mr. Mom” on Oct. 27, 1982 just after its 70th Anniversary.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES on May 22, 2024 at 7:57 am

The Princess Theatre opened its doors on October 10, 1912 with a live presentation of “The City” (which previously had its long-run engagement in both New York and Chicago at the time), and was renamed the Chief Theatre on August 20, 1949.

  • The Chief Theatre name came very unexpectedly from local resident John K. Lorenz when he received a whole shoe box filled with letters during a free theater naming contest that was held between July 30 and August 6, 1949. Some other people submitted other names but was unlisted. At the time, the theater was operated by H.S. (Doc) Twedt.

The Chief Theatre closed as a movie house in the mid-1980s, and was then bought out by the Britt Chamber of Commerce following renovation in August 1988.

SethG
SethG on January 18, 2024 at 1:24 pm

This theater is much older. It appears on the 1914 Sanborn. The building was built sometime around 1900 as a Masonic lodge, and they used the upstairs.

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on December 20, 2008 at 2:46 pm

Here is a 2004 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/8pcfx4

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on August 10, 2007 at 9:01 am

Here is an undated photo:
http://tinyurl.com/3xdpwt