Cameo Theatre
109 W. Center Street,
Madisonville,
KY
42431
109 W. Center Street,
Madisonville,
KY
42431
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Crescent Amusement Co.
Previous Names: Kentucky Theatre, Dixie Theatre
Nearby Theaters
The Cameo Theatre was opened in 1917. It is listed in 1925 with 366 seats. It was operated by the Crescent Amusement Co. until its closing in 1956. The building was demolished in 1976, and the entire block likely went around the same time. There is now a large post office and parking lot on the site.
Contributed by
Chuck
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Recent comments (view all 3 comments)
This opened as early as 1925.
Chuck’s claim of a South Main Cameo Theatre can certainly stand as contributed by him. But checking the facts and looking at the photo - I’d say neither the address nor the depicted building is quite accurate. And the dates provided in the Chuck submitted entry are simply guessy.
Providing what I think is accurate below (but attributed in any way shape or form to Chuck’s name as perhaps I am the one in error). There were two Cameo Theater locations and two Dixie Theater locations.
The Dixie Electric Theatre opened on April 11, 1908 as one of the first dedicated nickelodeons in Madisonville. The second Dixie Theatre was in improved digs at 25 West Center Street (that should have been the address of this entry). Ben Eskind took it on in 1917. E. W. Dozier and F.M. Holeman’s Cameo Theatre (#1) was across the street at 24 West Center. They also operated the Garrick Theatre, locally. But it was here at Eskind’s Dixie that ran into problems when the Madisonville City Council was against its integrated policy in 1925. Operator Eskind remodeled the house so it has a balcony for African American patrons and its main floor for White patrons. It relaunched as the Kentucky Theatre on May 19, 1926 with Syd Chaplin in “The Man on the Box.” On June 12, 1929, Eskind added sound to remain commercially viable with Al Jolson in “The Singing Fool.” Eskind suffered a stroke and David Eskind took it on.
David Eskind ordered new leather seats and a new sound system improving the venue under the banner: The New Kentucky Theatre: “Home of the Hits" in 1931. Dozier bought out Holeman and formed the Capitol Amusement Company. It reopened the silent-era Cameo with sound on January 23, 1931 hoping to undermine business here at the Kentucky Theatre. But Capitol simply bought out the Kentucky moving the Cameo across the street to here.
The Kentucky Theatre was renamed the Cameo Theatre (“#2”) on December 31, 1931 with “Safe in Hell.” Cameo Theatre #1 was retired becoming a retail store. Cameo #2 was likely operating on a new 25-year leasing agreement. Tony Sudekum’s Crescent Amusement - in operation since 1907 - bought out the Capitol folks in 1932. Cameo #2’s audi was gutted by fire on January 17, 1937 destroying the auditorium but leaving the venue structurally intact. Crescent Amusement rebuilt the venue with a streamline moderne sensibility at its reopening on December 21, 1939 with “The Llano Kid.”
Cameo #2 closed on October 7, 1956 with “The Road to Denver” and “IT Came from Beneath the Sea.” It was razed in 1976 after serving as a house of worship briefly and a consistent home to rummage sales before its final stint as home to a print shop.
Trying to make sense of this. Chuck’s entries are always full of errors, and he can’t be relied upon for even something simple like an address. That said, this summary is a bit confusing.
The December 1906 map shows no movie theaters, aside from the Morton (later Garrick/Capitol).
The October 1912 map shows nothing on W. Center (then Centre or Main Cross), but does show a theater at what was then 111 E Centre (now 11 E Center). That building is still there, but cannot be the one in the picture since it only has 3 windows.
The September 1923 map shows a theater at 209 W. Centre (now 109 W Center). That must be this theater. The map shows that it was the west half of a building, with a different building of the same height to the west. This matches what we see in the photo. The entire block has been demolished for a big post office and parking lot. The theater on E Center has disappeared on this map.
I don’t see any evidence that a theater was at 24 W Center. It may have operated for only a few years and fallen into a gap between maps. I will fix the address and status, and use 1917 as the opening date. I think Cameo #1 must have been the 11 E Center theater. I’m not clear on where the original Dixie was, and the Capitol/Kentucky part is difficult to follow.