Ritz Theatre

New Albany, MS 38652

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Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on May 12, 2025 at 5:17 pm

The Ritz probably opened in 1928. It was mentioned in the January 8, 1929 Film Daily as one of the houses in the region that had been closed due to a flu epidemic. It was listed in the 1929 FDY but not in the 1928 or earlier editions. Previously, New Albany had been served by a house called the Dreamland Theatre which, the caption of a photo from circa 1920 says was a “tent show” near the west end of what is now Bankhead Street.

1928 was the Dreamland’s last FDY listing, so the Ritz most likely replaced it, possibly at the same location. The Dreamland was listed in the 1914-1915 AMPD, and a earth-floored structure labeled “Moving Pictures” appears at 43 Mills Street (now in the 100W block of Bankhead Street) on the 1913 Sanborn map, the newest available for New Albany.