Graham Cinema
119 N. Main Street,
Graham,
NC
27253
119 N. Main Street,
Graham,
NC
27253
3 people
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Reopened as Cinema on July 9th, 1966. Grand opening ad posted.
According to the NRHP listing, the theater was built in 1928. Listing also says the theater was gutted by a fire in 1935, but that doesn’t jibe with the 1938 photo I found. I suppose the auditorium could have been destroyed in the fire, and the front remodeled later?
Theater was around before 1941 for sure. Found a picture pre-remodel (1938), and the building at that point was your typical semi-fancy brick front thing from the ‘20s.
Here is the Facebook page for the theater.
https://www.facebook.com/TheGrahamCinema/
Nice to read about stained glass being returned.
Graham Cinema is getting a major overhaul. This was in our county paper on September 18th 2016. Recently the projector was upgraded and now they got new seats and put some of the stained glass windows back into the front of the building.
http://www.thetimesnews.com/news/20160918/have-new-seat
Very exciting for our town!
Following on from ghamilton’s comment dated July 15, 2008, this cinema featured in the indie horror film “Dark Awakening”, directed by Dean C. Jones in 2014. As well as the exterior, there was a scene in the auditorium, which showed that large space off very well.
Great art deco exterior facade…may have to check it out this winter.
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE PHOTO’S OF THE INSIDE OF THE THEATRE IF ANYONE HAS ANY. LOOKS GREAT FROM THE OUTSIDE, CONSIDERING.
Here is my picture from December 2010.
Excuse me, WORLD FAMOUS JOKE LINE!
On the Graham Cinema web site there is a t-shirt there for sale that says “Home of Tim Bob’s joke line, since 1928.” http://www.grahamcinema.net/GC_Merch.htm
I used ot listen to this guy when I managed movie theaters years ago. A lady I was dating at the time was my manager and she gave me his phone number and we would call it late at night and laugh our noses off.
The February 1, 1941, issue of Boxoffice said that upon completion of the remodeling of their Alco Theatre in Graham, Mr. and Mrs. A.B. Thompson would close their Graham Theatre for a complete renovation. The same issue mentions the Graham among a number of theaters that were to be reseated. The September 13 issue of Boxoffice reported that the Graham would be reopened on the 15th.
Given the date of renovation and reseating, I think this theater might have been around before 1935, perhaps under a different name. I can’t find any Boxoffice items about theaters in Graham from before 1941, though.
Boxoffice of October 7, 1963, said that Stewart & Everett Theatres had taken over the Graham Theatre from Mr. and Mrs. A.B. Thompson, who had operated the house for 36 years.
…….“one of the last old-style theaters in North Carolina that hasn’t been chopped into smaller theaters.” This is music to my ears! There is a book entitled Our Vanishing Americana by Mike Lassiter of Davidson NC that features many things such as single screen theatres, drug stores with soda fountains, hot dog stands and general stores.
Drove by this theater today,while looking for the PO.Going strong,obviously.This is such a cute little city,it belongs in the movies itself.
I believe the theater once held more seats,before the new arrangement.It is a LARGE theater for the size town.
Graham Cinema now has a website:
http://www.grahamcinema.net/
It lists showtimes and even has Graham Cinema items (ie. t-shirts, etc) for sale.
The Cinema also has really comfortable seats with drink holders and plenty of legroom, free refills on popcorn, and a terrific sound system. Tim-Bob, the owner, still shows a vintage cartoon (Tom and Jerry, Donald Duck, Bugs Bunny) before every movie.
The Graham Theatre seats 777 people.
Yep, this is the same one. :) He picks up prints from my theatre all of the time. The recording number is (336)226-1488. This guy runs his theatre really well and it shows.
If this is the theater i am thinking of, its owner puts some of the wildest outgoing messages on the theater’s answering machine.