Centre Theatre
225 Main Street,
Watsonville,
CA
95076
225 Main Street,
Watsonville,
CA
95076
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In 1953 the operator of the Centre was Homer I. Tegtmeier, who also operated the Vogue Theatre in Salinas. Tegtmeier was one of many exhibitors who testified at the 1953 hearings of the U.S. Senate Small Business Committee that was investigating the trade practices of motion picture exhibitors. Another round of hearings was done in 1956 as well.
I recently was shown a photo of the Centre when it was new, and originally it had a two-sided readerboard which hung out over the sidewalk. Above it was a neon vertical sign, in the shape of an arrow pointing downward and toward the building. This whole assembly was mounted on the ribbed concrete “fin” on the Left edge of the facade, visible in the above color photo I took in 1982.
That image in the above post is the same image shown in black and white at the top of this page. I posted it in the early days of Cinematreasures on behalf of Jack Tillmany. It’s from his collection. How it got on Classic American Images is anyone’s guess.