Best Theatre

John B. Simon of J.B. Simon & Co. clothing store went bankrupt in 1913. Soon after closing, Simon contracted with Theo Sanders, Little Rock based architect, to convert the retail store to the new A-Muse-U Theatre. Marvick & Marvick were the contractors that had $8,000 for the conversion. Simon’s Best Theatre was located in the Theatre District of Downtown Pine Bluff with a group of theatre in a two-block radius around Second Avenue.

Professor Al Thurburn led the “competent high class orchestra” at the first movie show on September 13, 1913. The stuffy weather was no match for the 4 typhoon fans that circulated the air. Simon would go on to acquire the Orpheo Theatre a block away. He would publicize his trips to get the latest films for Pine Bluff patrons. But his run would be challenged. As was the case in cities around the United States, a major company came in to try and control all of the local movie theatres.

In this case, Saenger Amusement of New Orleans closed a deal to acquire the Best Theatre and the Orpheo Theatre from Simon in a deal announced in June of 1920 effective June 12, 1920. Otto C. Hauber’s Hauber Theatre ended up in Saenger’s hands just three months later. All of the Pine Bluff functioning theatres were in Saenger’s portfolio with this one renamed as Saenger’s Best Theatre.

After the Hauber / Saenger Theatre #1 burned in November 1922, the Best Theatre received a new pipe organ. It’s much more likely that Saenger Amusement took the insurance money on the Saenger #1 pipe organ following its fire and was able to salvage the organ from the old theater moving it quietly around the corner to Saenger’s Best Theatre. That said, when Saenger opened its new eponymous theatre on November 17, 1924, the “Saenger’s” was removed from the Best as clearly the new Saenger Theatre was now its “best” location.

In fact, Saenger did not equip the Best Theatre with sound and the theatre discontinued films in 1930 and had only sporadic live events before closing permanently in 1932. The building was converted back to retail purposes.

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