State Theatre
1335 W. Manatee Street,
Bradenton,
FL
34201
1335 W. Manatee Street,
Bradenton,
FL
34201
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The Wallace Theatre was George B Wallace’s silent movie house. Bradenton Theatre Circuit, a subsidiary of Sparks took on the venue along with the Rialto in 1928. The management closed the Rialto and continued with the Wallace not converting to sound. The Wallace was reduced to three day a week operation before closing in 1930. It got some use as a live vaudeville house in 1933 and a club house in 1938.
The former Wallace Theatre got new life when the Sparks Theatre Circuit launched the State Theatre on January 3, 1941 as the second-run double-feature theater with Charles Bickford in “South to Karanga” and The Three Mesquiteers in “Heroes of the Saddle” supported by the Flash Gordon serial, “Conquering Universe.” It closed with “Drums in the Deep South” and Robert Mitchum in “The Racket” supported by the Goofy cartoon, “Farther’s Day Off” on December 16, 1953. Fire just five minutes prior to the December 17, 1953 showings of those same films ended the theater’s run.
Judging from that 1940 picture, the theater would’ve been at the southeast corner of Manatee at 14th Street, with an address of about 1335 W. Manatee. It’s hard to believe, but virtually everything in the picture has been demolished, except for the church on the left and the tall building in the back right.
Manatee Ave is the main E-W drag through Bradenton. Also called Hwy 64. Use the map link above, but take out the ZIP Code.
Open at least till 1950?
Photo says Manatee Avenue, but Google Map shows no such street in Bradenton?
Sure could use an address, more info and more photos!
From the 1940s a view of the State Theatre in Bradenton.