Carousel Theatre

50sSNIPES on April 29, 2024 at 4:26 pm

I saw the building in a drone view on ABC World News Tonight.

And actually, this started life as the Ritz Theatre. I cannot find its opening date but it opened as early as 1937. It was renamed the Carlton Theatre on October 21, 1956. It did not had a short closure in early-1959, as it immediately changed its name back to Ritz Theatre during the first week of March 1959.

KenLayton on October 11, 2019 at 9:23 am

Any pictures of the inside of this theater?

dallasmovietheaters on October 9, 2019 at 2:29 pm

The long-running Carlton Theatre closed in 1959 and was refreshed becoming the Ritz Theatre in March of 1959.

RachelHall on October 10, 2015 at 11:10 pm

This theater was owned in the late 1980s by my father, Dennis Arterburn. I basically grew up in this theater. He refurbished it himself after many years of not being in operation. The first showing was the movie Legal Eagles. He named the theater Carousel, as there was a theater in Madill called the Ritz, which he also owned. He later refurbished and opened a theater in Healton, and previously partially owned the Tivoli in Ardmore. I remember him putting the Carousel sign up but I can’t remember where he found it. To look inside the windows of the theater now is like seeing it frozen in time. The light fixtures are the same, the cabinets, even the concession sign is the same. I would love to get the chance to go back inside one more time.

Popcorn $1, $2, & $3 Drinks .75, $1, $1.50 Candy .50 Pickles .50

Child $2.00
Adults $3.50

Those were the days!

Lauren Durbin on December 23, 2011 at 7:19 pm

I found an advertisement for another Sulphur theatre called the “Pinto” that also shows an advert for the “Carousel,” which was a children’s clothing store. Flyer was dated 1974.