Henn Theatre
38 Tennessee Street,
Murphy,
NC
28908
38 Tennessee Street,
Murphy,
NC
28908
1 person
favorited this theater
Related Websites
Henn Theater (Official)
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Henn Theatres
Functions: Movies (First Run)
Styles: Art Deco
Phone Numbers:
Box Office:
828.837.2618
Manager:
828.837.2618
Nearby Theaters
The Henn Theatre first opened on June 20, 1935 with Will Rogers in “Life Begins at 40”. It has been family owned ever since. Of the 23 theatres operated by P.J. Henn, this is the only one of two that survived the Great Depression. It has been at its current location since 1941.
On March 16, 2009, the Henn Theatre was damaged by a fire. The main auditorium and front of house sustained only smoke damage, but the stage and back stage areas were considerably damaged, putting the movie theatre out of use for a while. It reopened in May 2009.
Contributed by
Bill Grove, Richard Meer
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Recent comments (view all 12 comments)
I’m the new owner of the Henn. I have been a friend of the family for about 25 years. I am attempting to restore it, but it will take some time. The neon was taken out about 10 years ago, but the power supplies are still in place, and I would like to restore it as well. Anyway, I will try and get some pics to upload to the site for you.
Bill Grove
The correct address is 38 Tennessee Street, Murphy, NC 28906. We went through an e-911 readdessing a number of years ago, and many places still show the old address. I’ll check into the address in the yellow pages.
Bill
Bill, you bought the Henn Theater? Just when you think you’ve seen it all….
I can remember when the Henn was showing new features. That has been SO long. If anyone can get that place back in working order, it’s you. Best of luck!
Well thanks, Russ! I have already added new seats, new screen, new air conditioning, new carpet and expanded the concession area! I’m having a lot of fun with it. Hope to see you down there!
Bill
If it was being restored in October 2005, wouldn’t the work be done by now?
Fire at the Henn last week:
http://tinyurl.com/cev629
Yes, unfortunately it’s true. Some kids got into my fan house on top of the building and either intentionally or negligently set the fire, which burned a hole through the floor, dropped to the stage, and ignited the stage. It burned most of the stage, the screen, the curtains around the screen and some of the speakers. The smoke did the most damage. We are having to pull out all of the curtains, the carpets, the ceilings and much of the other things in the theater. We are trying to clean the seats. Luckily, I did have insurance, so they are working to get it repaired as quickly as possible.
Bill
As of March 2016 the Henn is under new ownership. The plans are in the works to get it up to date with digital projection. The former owners didn’t have the $50,000 to do so and in mid December they were hoping to get a film copy of Star Wars 7 but Disney backed out. The new owner intend to restore the theatre and also change the name. I wish them the best and like to talk with the new owners to see if they would want to book live shows. Murphy is pretty much a dead town and need some nightlife other than the new casino 4 miles up the road.
The Henn Theatre in Murphy opened on June 20, 1935. The opening day movie was “Life Begins At 40” with Will Rogers.
Andrew cinemas webpage still shows the Jenn theatre as part of a discount program