Town Theatre
135 N. Front Street,
Chesaning,
MI
48616
135 N. Front Street,
Chesaning,
MI
48616
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My grandfather Al Johnson built this theatre in 1948 and I’d like to be able to upload a scanned image of a June 1948 Kodachrome slide that he took of the Town. It was opened on March 3, 1948. After it closed it was converted into a bowling alley. In recent years it has been in use as Arthur’s Pizzeria Restaurant, which had closed by August 2014.
Contributed by
Andy Gray
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The Town Theatre stood at 135 N. Front Street in Chesaning. Our family records list this Johnson Construction Co. job as a 1948 project.
Al Johnson’s Kodachrome slide, which I’ve uploaded, shows two pairs of the art moderne style “Johnson doors” in a natural color and with half-moon glass. My grandfather is said to have patented this type of door, which was a feature of several of his theaters.
In the slide image, “Angels' Alley,” a film released in 1948, appears on the marquee. The cinder block building construction suggests that the 1948 project was a new theater rather than a remodeling job.
The waterwinterwonderland.com website suggests that the theater operated until the 1960’s, after which the building housed a bowling alley and an auto parts store. A (2021) Google Maps search shows the building as a closed pizzeria with a “For Sale” sign.
The February 28, 1948 issue of Boxoffice said that the new Town Theatre in Chesaning was slated to open on March 3. The house was to be booked by Ashmun Bros. of Caro, Michigan, for the owner, Vera Graham. The 45x117 foot cinder block building with white porcelain front had cost $75,000 to build and equip, according to Boxoffice.
Mrs. Graham and her late husband Fred had earlier operated another theater in Chesaning, which was probably the one call called the Crystal, which had gone into operation by 1918. Their sons Bill and Don Graham later took over the Town, and when the movie business ceased to be viable converted the building into a bowling alley.
The earliest mention I’ve found of a movie theater in Chesaning was a house called the Vaudette, which was listed in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory.