Century 1-2-3
31 Golf Center,
Hoffman Estates,
IL
60169
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This Is The Only Shot I Can Find From The Main Single-Screener. Just A Random Load Of People On Opening Day.
Constructed Either In June Or July 1966, The Thunderbird Theatre Is Originally A 1,200-Capacity $750,000 Estimated Theater Featuring A Mix Of First And Second-Run Films. Located At The Golf-Rose Shopping Center, This One-Housed Floored Single-Screener Contains A 6-Track Stereophonic Sound System And 62ft Screen For The Main Auditorium. The Theater Originally Started Off As Operation From Duncan Kennedy, Who Was A Former Operator Of The Starview Drive-In 15 Miles Away In Elgin, And A Former ABC Great States Theaters Vice-President Which Was The Former Long-Dead Balaban & Katz Chain.
The Theater Was Originally Scheduled To Open In September Of 1966 But Was Delayed Due To Late Delivery On Installations Of Seats And Interior Decorations. Finally After A Month, It Had Its Grand Opening On October 21, 1966 With The Midwest Premiere Of The Films Shown On My Other Comment. Some Chicago Veterans Participate In The Opening.
Here Are All The Attractions The Thunderbird Ran Throughout 1966:
October 21, 1966: “The Idol” And “Boy Did I Get A Wrong Number” (Midwest Premiere According To Chicago’s Daily Herald)
October 28, 1966: “This Property Is Condemned” And “What Did You Do In The War Daddy?” (Plus October 29-30, 1966: Giant Children’s Matinee With “Jack Frost” Plus “Git” And An Unknown Amount Of Cartoons).
November 4, 1966: “The Ugly Dachshund”, “Winnie The Pooh And The Honey Tree”, And “Born Free” (For Dachshund And Pooh, It Was The First Second-Run Feature To Show At The Thunderbird).
November 11, 1966: “Batman” (11-14th Only Plus Kiddie Matinee), “The Appaloosa” And “Blindfold”.
November 17, 1966: “Spinout” And “Mira In The Valley Of The Tigers”.
November 24, 1966: “Alvarez Kelly” And “Kaleidoscope”.
December 1, 1966: “Goldfinger” And “Dr. No”.
December 8, 1966: “Seconds” And “Return of The Seven” (Plus December 10-11, 1966: “Gulliver’s Travels Beyond The Moon” As A Kiddie Show).
December 16, 1966: “Christmas That Almost Wasn’t” And “Smoky”.
December 28, 1966: “Texas Across The River” And “Fortune Cookie”.
After Almost 12 Years As A Single-Screener, The Main Auditorium Divided Into Three Screens And Was Renamed The Century 1-2-3 On June 2, 1978. This Lasted For Another 8 Years And Closed For The Final Time In September 1986.
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