Daly Theatre

114 W. Water Street,
Plymouth, NC 27962

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Additional Info

Functions: Cafe

Previous Names: State Theatre, New (Old) Theatre, New Theatre

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The town of Plymouth was served in the silent era by its Majestic Theatre and The Tent Theatre in the 1910’s and then by the Almo Theatre from 1923 through April of 1930. But when the sound era began, the Almo Theatre wasn’t deemed appropriate for the presentation of talking pictures. A new theatre was created by owner Ambrose L. Owens: the new State Theatre. It launched October 6, 1930 after Owens tapped Hilton and Carlisle Gordon (the Gordon Brothers) to manage the new theatre. New projection equipment including a Taylor sound screen and Western Electric sound on film were among the features. The opening film shown at the new State Theatre was Jack Oakie in “Let’s Go Native".

The State Theatre was a money loser during the Depression and the Gordons defaulted on their $125 monthly rent closing the venue in August of 1932. On September 12, 1932, the venue reopened as the New Theatre with the feature film, “Unashamed” starring Helen Twelvetrees supported by Laurel and Hardy short, “County Hospital". The organist at Ahoskie’s Richard Theatre, A. Shepherd “Shep” Brinkley, soon contacted Owens deciding to run the State Theatre upon moving to town.

The New Theatre had many significant bookings in its short lifecycle. Plymouth’s Priscilla Lyon had moved to Hollywood to pursue an acting career and her film, “Draegerman Courage” opened on May 24, 1937 at the New Theatre. The New Theatre was a bit cramped so Brinkley then opened the Plymouth Theatre as the town’s “new” theatre on October 11, 1938 with “Vogues of 1938". He changed the New Theatre’s name – whimsically - to the New (Old) Theatre that same day.

Another Pricilla Lyon effort played at the New (Old) on February 13-14, 1939, in her unbilled role in “The Great Man Votes". Unfortunately, just hours after the local girl had made good on the big screen, the New (Old) became the New (Former) as the theatre suffered a major fire ending its run. Brinkley revealed immediate plans to rebuild a new theater. But those plans would wait until after World War II when he would refresh the Old (New Old) renaming it as the Daly Theatre. It was demolished between 2008 and 2013.

Contributed by dallasmovietheaters

Recent comments (view all 1 comments)

SethG
SethG on June 22, 2024 at 3:16 pm

Demolished between 2008 and 2016. The address is either wrong or was changed. Abandoned jewelry store at 110, 112 was a dumpy little one story thing, theater was a seedy gray painted wreck at 114.

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