Morris Field Theatre

dallasmovietheaters on February 9, 2020 at 4:38 am

Charlotte Municipal Airport was a WPA project that opened theatre-less in 1936. The U.S. Army took over the airport in 1941 establishing the Charlotte Air Base. A theatre was built opening for operation on May 1, 1941 on a three-day a week schedule primarily for service men and women called the Air Base Theater.

After Pearl Harbor, the recommendation was made to rename the airport Sykes Field after pilot James S. Sykes of Charlotte killed in action during WWI. But on January 22, 1942, the War Department overruled that concept naming the Municipal Airport for Major William Colby Morris. The Air Base Theater at Morris Field was also renamed becoming the Morris Field Theatre in January of 1942.

Morris Field Theatre closed in 1946 when the Air Corps vacated the airport. But on May 15, 1946, the city acquired Morris Field. J.B Erskine subleased the theatre later that year which was redecorated and reopened to the public on February 10, 1947 seven days a week. The theatre closed October 31, 1950. A classified ad offered the theatre seats just prior to the theater being removed from the airport ending the operation.