Southgate Theatre

This was a well remembered suburban theater that had a surprisingly long 18-year run considering that ten different operators struggled with the venue. Southgate Shopping Center was announced in 1960 by National Food Stores Inc. which wanted an anchor spot for National’s Big Bear regional chain of grocery stores. George C. Connor, Jr. drew up the plans for Southgate Theatre which opened September 16, 1963.

The center announced an expansion in 1969. With the suburban luxury theatre exhibition period in high gear, Southgate was able to attract Chris McGuire of McGuire Cinemas to construct the new 500-seat theatre. McGuire was similar to franchised chains of that era including Jerry Lewis Theatres and National General. But Chris' operation would build theaters increasing risk and outlay.

The Southgate Theatre opened on December 25, 1970 with Kirk Douglas in “There Was a Crooked Man". It didn’t go well as the Southgate Theatre closed within two years on August 1, 1972. But, luckily, it found a new, second operator in Central Valley Theatres with a November 20, 1972 reopening with “Kansas City Bomber” and “Skyjacked”. That ended 11 months later on October 20, 1973. A third operator came in the next month but failed quickly.

1. Carlton Hayes became the fifth operator on June 14, 1974 starting with “Billy Jack”. He appears to have left on January 30, 1975. On April 17, 1975, a sixth operator featured unrated, XXX films that may have been a short-term four-wall agreement.

On September 30, 1975, the Southgate Theatre opened with a seventh operator. This operator was also using an adult policy with unrated films advertised as XXX titles starting with “Sometime Sweet Susan". That seemed to get a lot of protests and the Center sought a more family friendly operator.

It was December 25, 1975, the venue celebrated its Fifth Anniversary and had found its eighth operator willing to play the G-rated family oriented films. That seemed to work but only for a little over a year with that operator vacating on February 20, 1977. On March 17, 1978, it found new operators in Alan A. Leeke and Southern Booking Service, its ninth operator. It played mainstream Hollywood hits to mixed success.

The Southgate Theatre became a discount operation closing April 27, 1982. But it found its tenth and final operator who was also operating the Winchester Theatre on a sub-run, deep discount policy. The venue was down to three days a week operation for its final year plus stretch. The Southgate Theatre finally closed permanently on October 30, 1988 with the very ironically titled “Big Business”. This left the Southgate Shopping Center theatre-less. In the age of the multiplex, single screen theaters were quaint so the space was retrofitted for a tire shop. A newer tire shop appears to have knocked down the former theatre building.

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