Franklin Theatre

A little backup history goes as follows:

During the middle of the 1910’s, Russellville started to grow stronger by building a variety of stores such as a Hall Brothers Corporation office, and a few theatres nearby. Russellville prior to World War I had a few theatres. The first motion picture theatre in the city of Russellville is back on February 10, 1912, the Idle Hour Theatre is a short-lived theatre located in downtown Russellville. Apparently though, the Idle Hour Theatre was very short-lived during the beginning of 1912 and closed in the middle of the year, last operated by L. O. Rather of Nashville, Tennessee. It was the city’s second short-lived theatre. The other two are as follows: an unknown vaudeville theatre off of Jackson Street and Franklin Street with 1,000 seats under an equipped canvas theatre extant during the late-1900’s. The second motion picture theatre for the city of Russellville is the Tent Theatre, or the Big Tent Theatre which opened on September 8, 1913 with Bessie Love and Tully Marshall in “Deserted at the Altar”. The Big Tent Theatre was owned by a veteran of the tent theatre business Mr. Parks, and the theatre contains a 25-piece orchestra and band, and operated until closing in 1916. During World War I, the city’s Opera House began showing films.

Right after the Tent Theatre closed its doors, A new experiment came in mind for a new theatre. The answer is the “second” Princess Theatre. The “second” Princess Theatre located a little more than 20 miles north of Russellville is operated by Mr. C. E. Rubel who began making arrangements to the house by Christmas week of 1916. The theatre opened in January 1917.

Apparently though, a little fun fact popped in my head while finding information on the theatre. The “first” Princess Theatre name was actually very short lived from 1913 until 1915 at the Opera House in Russellville. The Opera House was then named back to just simply Opera House in 1915 because of a new experiment. I can find an article reading that a Wurlitzer drum piano was once installed there back on February 5, 1914.

The Princess Theatre during December 1929 began running talkies and continued to operate until December 31, 1934. The theatre closed for a short while. W. J. Hurn, the operator since 1919, anticipates that “a reopening for the Princess Theatre will occur sometime during the early spring 1935 with new installations on latest equipment and a new location).

That plan went deeper behind because shortly a month after that was announced, Mr. W. E. P. Lakeman of Haleyville, Alabama, made an announcement that the theatre will open a new theatre in the former Princess Theatre. The word “new” was actually the theatre’s name, the New Theatre. At 2:00 P.M. Eastern Time on January 31, 1935, the theatre opened its doors with newly established equipment including newly established Western Electric sound. The first attraction the theatre opened is Bing Crosby in “She Loves Me Not” along with Paramount News and a not named cartoon.

The theatre name, the New Theatre, only lasted for only 8 months during 1935. The theatre immediately changed its name to the Franklin Theatre without any announcements at all.

On May 6, 1937, the theatre changed their ownership and became apart of the Hartselle Theatre Corporation Incorporated chain of Nashville, Tennessee.

The Franklin Theatre despite being yet again short lived, closed its doors for the final time in January 1940, shortly before the Lyric Theatre opened its doors to the public on the 18th of that month.

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