Jerry Theatre

2029 S. 3rd Street,
Philadelphia, PA 19148

Unfavorite 2 people favorited this theater

Additional Info

Previous Names: Great Southern Theatre, Morris Theatre

Nearby Theaters

JERRY THEATER 2029-2031 S 3RD ST

A small theatre located on S. 3rd Street in the Wharton district of South Philadelphia. The Great Southern Theatre was opened in 1913. In 1930 it was wired for sound and renamed Morris Theatre. It was closed in 1947, but reopened later that year as the Jerry Theatre. It was closed in 1971. After being vacant for several years it became a catering hall.

Best little place to spend Saturday and Sunday afternoons with your friends in the the early-1960’s – where else can you go to spend $.50 for admission and buy 25 cent popcorn. By June 2017 it had been converted into a church named the New Life Praise Center.

Contributed by Andy P

Recent comments (view all 5 comments)

FrankDeLorca
FrankDeLorca on June 11, 2005 at 11:55 am

My family lived across the street from this theatre when I was very young (too young to cross the street and get a good look at the posters!) One-Sheets were posted in a giant easel ouside the theatre and I still remember being scard to death by the posters from William Castle’s Macabre , I Was a Teenage Frankenstein, and Invasion of the Saucer-Men!
I saw my first movie there – Disney’s Pinocchio – but because I spent all my time watching a teenage couple “making out” instead of watching the film, my family was asked to leave! I have great memories of Saturday double-features there…and eventually saw all of Pinocchio, too!

FrankDeLorca
FrankDeLorca on December 29, 2007 at 3:57 pm

Thanks, Lost Memory, for the photo! I haven’t seen this theatre since the 50s and I even sort-of remember my family shopping at that Acme Market you can see down the street on the right. Do you have any idea when the photo was taken? The marquee’s blank, so I guess it was after the theatre closed, but the cars seem not of that time period.
Again, thanks for taking the time & effort to post the photo – I just emailed a copy of it to my older sister, who ‘baby-sat’ me through many a Saturday matinee double feature there!

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on June 20, 2009 at 10:07 pm

Using the 2029 S. 3rd address, this is what the theater looks like today:
http://tinyurl.com/l9ud7a

DavidZornig
DavidZornig on June 1, 2018 at 11:25 pm

Post 1971 photo added via Joel J. Reisteter‎. Above street view shows the Jerry Theater has been converted into New Life Church as of June 2017.

You must login before making a comment.

New Comment

Subscribe Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.