Warren Theatre
Main Street,
Warren,
IL
61087
Main Street,
Warren,
IL
61087
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The Warren Theatre by Marchesi Bros. Circuit opens here on September 28, 1938 with “Carefree” replacing the long-running Auditorium Theatre. The Marchesis closed the venue following the November 4, 1957 showing of “Shootout at the O.K. Corral.” The operators cited financial difficulty as it needed an additional 500 tickets sold per month to break even - challenging in a town of just under 1,500 residents.
The local merchants were ready to reopen the venue with Herman Krippendorf in charge. But on March 3, 1958 the building was gutted by fire ending the comeback hopes. The building was repaired and became a retail location of Royal Blue chain in 1959.
CinemaTour indicates it originally opened in 1938 on Main Street. Did a Google street view and there are multiple buildings in which it could have been located.
This is from Boxoffice magazine in March 1958:
WARREN, ILL.-Herman Krippendorf, who recently bought the closed Warren Theatre from the Marchesi brothers, has re-opened the house on a six nights a week policy, the theatre not operating on Tuesdays.
The Marchesi brothers had operated the Warren for 20 years prior to closing it last November when attendance dwindled. Krippendorf was encouraged to take over the theatre by local citizens assuring him of support through regular attendance. The former owners are helping Krippendorf in the booking of film and other operating procedures in the early weeks of his tenure.