Pleasureville Theatre

Professor Kirkpatrick opened the first full-time movie theatre in downtown Pleasureville in 1914 as the town had swelled to 522 people. But Kirkpatrick may not have quite understood how to operate a successful movie theatre and it failed quickly. He apparently sold off the equipment; but the town still wanted a local movie house. Retailer William G. Bryant, who said he knew nothing about the movie business, signed a binding contract to play movies without location, equipment, or personnel.

Bryant apparently situated the venue in an existing storefront only to watch it temporarily closed on May 11, 1915 by a major fire that took out most of the wood-frame downtown including Malin’s Livery where the fire started along with McCowan’s Blacksmith Shop, Fallis' Coal and Lumber, Falls Hall, Banta’s Feed Store and Coal, Hudson’s Hardware, Estes' Meat Market, Brown’s Barber Shop and damaging the Pleasureville Theatre. Bryant was able to reopen the venue after making repairs only to watch it burn down on November 9, 1915.

The town got a very short-lived airdome that Bryant created prior to open his new Star Theatre in 1916. This was more acceptable to locals than having to drive some five miles to Eminence to the theatre there. The venue was renamed the Pleasureville Theatre to better connect with the locals and it thrived with patriotic films during World War I, especially in the latter stages of 1917 and 1918. Aggressive marketing and heavy advertising allowed Bryant to book expensive pictures that were thought to be the domain of Louisville until much later second or third runs. He believed that any big town film would be supported by his loyal customers and generate foot traffic for all of the local retailers… even films costing $25 a day to book.

The town of Pleasureville suffered a major population loss in the 1920 census and was down to just 308 people - a drop of 40 percent. And the Pleasureville Theatre was sold in 1921 to Mrs. Ray Fallis - the family that ran the coal and lumberyard. Unfortunately, the venue was destroyed by fire in 1923. The town got its fifth and final theatre, the new Star Theatre which was unable to make the conversion to sound and was, itself, silenced in 1929. The townspeople, fortunately, still had the Eminence Theatre nearby which survived into the TV age.

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