Actually, according to The Comet of Johnson City, the Edisonia dates back to as early as 1908 running both movies and vaudeville (which I presume that’s when it opened its doors).
The Criterion Theatre closed for the final time on October 13, 1934 with “Fighting Texan” and “Devil Horse” as its last films, and was erected later that November.
Actually, according to the Johnson City Staff, the Liberty Theatre opened sometime during the second quarter of 1918 running a mix of movies and special events, and was first managed by a guy simply known as Mr. Babb (despite some revenue I found, its opening date has been lost as of now).
After closing as a movie house for the final time in 1954, the theater was converted into a Vogue clothing store which opened in March 1955.
This theater was originally relocated a few blocks down, as this first opened as the City Theatre on May 30, 1932 with Jimmy Durante in “Passionate Plumber” along with the Vitaphone comedy “Pie, Pie Blackbird”, a short entitled “Fisherman’s Paradise”, and a newsreel. When the theater opened its doors, it was nearly in completion due to a shipping delay on carpets.
Information about the “second” City Theatre (later the Vergennes Theatre) goes as follows: The “first” City Theatre (opened as early as 1917) was relocated in April of 1932 for unknown reasons, and was the second out of 2 City Theatres in the city of Vergennes' history. The “second” City Theatre had a capacity of 400 with dark red semi-deluxe leather upholstered seats and was built and managed by George Roberts. It also has a ventilating system capable of clearing air in a total of 8 minutes, steam heat with thermostatic control, carpeted aisles with lights, and draw curtains and draperies. Over the front doors and extending to the edge of the sidewalk hangs a marquee with a row of electric lights bordering its outer edge and another parallel row on its under side. The entrance itself as of 1932 has two sets of double teal swinging doors with large glass window between it. But there is a foyer which was finished in firewood is the ticket office with three windows attached so that tickets may be sold to two lines of patrons all at once. Passing by contains the following: There were two doors, one contains the main 84x36 ft auditorium with an inclined floor. The walls and ceiling were deeply panel insulating board finished in cream down to about 3-4ft from the floor where the color commonly changed to slate, which shades into a cement, which the floor is made. The decorating of the interior was done by Foster Daigneault and John LeBoeuf took its supervision on the work (with plumbing and heating installed by J.W. & D.E. Ryan, and the main contraction was done by the Carey Brothers of Fletcher, Vermont). Like earlier, the aisles will be carpeted but although the carpets haven’t arrived yet in time due to shipping delay but lights for the aisles will be placed on the frames of five seats for each aisle arranged in stagger formation. The projection room is fireproof and contains Western Electric sound (like the former “first” City Theatre). And lastly, the stage has a depth of 10ft and there were 2 dressing rooms.
The City changed its name to the Vergennes Theatre more than a year later in October 1933.
The Vergennes Theatre closed for the final time on February 19, 1955 With “Tarzan’s Hidden Jungle” with no extra subjects.
The 65 Main Street building was built in 1924, and the Campus Theatre began constructing in 1936. The Campus Theatre opened its doors on March 27, 1937 with “That Girl From Paris” with no extra short subjects.
First planned by J. Coates Carter, and constructed by cinder block and bricks, the $100,000 552-Capacity colored Ritz Theatre opened its doors on December 14, 1946 and was first owned by Bernard Depkin Jr., and Rives Brown, both from Martinsville.
The Ritz closed for a time on September 2, 1954 for the installation of CinemaScope (I didn’t notice it until now), and reopened a few months later. It was closed in 1957.
The Ritz’s CinemaScope wasn’t mainly used very often, possible due to Danville’s dominant mainstream indoor theaters (the Capitol, North, and Lea) and secondary indoor mainstreamers (Rialto and Schoolfield) all had CinemaScope.
The 702-Capacity (540 for main auditorium and 162 for balcony) Dan Theatre opened its doors on December 19, 1939 with Arthur Lake in “Blondie Takes A Vacation” with no extra subjects. When the theater opened its doors, the nearby 690-capacity Broadway Theatre immediately closed permanently until being bought by R. Lea, and the Broadway Theatre changed its name to the Lea Theatre named after the operator.
The Dan was last owned by Wilby-Kincey and last managed by W.S. Shepherd Jr., and closed for the final time on March 27, 1954 with John Wayne in “Fort Apache” and Ann Sheridan in “Take Me To Town” with no extras. A S.S. Kresge store would later sit in the theater’s spot including extra expansion of floor space.
The Plaza Cinema Theatre had a very strange start at first. Opening as a single-screener on Christmas Day 1970 with “Tora! Tora! Tora!”, the Cinecom operated Cinema Plaza Theatre was constructed by the Delco Development Company of New York and contains the following: a capacity of 599 seats, RCA sound system, and Xenon lamp projection. A red, gold, and black interior decor has been used, and the drapes were flameproof burlop fabric.
After just 11 MONTHS of operation as a Cinecom theater, the Plaza Cinema ceased operations and closed its doors for a few months beginning on November 30, 1971 with “Going Home”. Exactly a few months later, the Plaza Cinema Theatre reopened under new local management by Wayne Petty, reopening with “The Godfather” on May 24, 1972. Wayne Petty is a 12-year veteran at the theater business who formerly worked as the manager of the popular Capitol Theatre for three years, and also worked at the North, Riverside, Lea, and Schoolfield Theatres. He was assisted by Dallas Riggan, a former disc jockey at Martinsville, Virginia radio station (now defunct since January 28, 2019) 1450 AM WMVA.
William West would later take over operations of the Plaza. It remained as a single-screener throughout the rest of the 1970s, with the only twin theater in Danville being the ABC Southeastern operated Riverside I & II which operated as a twin since Christmas Day 1974. The Plaza would later twinned in 1979.
The Rialto began life as the Bijou Theatre during the 1900s until around 20 to 25 years later. On May 5, 1926, nearly half of downtown Danville was devastated in the city’s historic fire of 1926, which destroyed the following: Gilmers, The Kaufman Store, Harnsburger’s, Woolworth’s 5/10 Cent Store, Crews Coffee Company, Dunford’s Studio And Local Armory, and the Bijou Theatre (which the Bijou after the fire was completely destroyed).
Exactly a month before the Capitol Theatre opened its doors, J.C. Hester, secretary of the Southern Amusement Company announced that a “new” Rialto Theatre would be constructed at the former Bijou on January 18, 1927. As for starters before construction: The original announced capacity for the Rialto is an estimate of 1,000 (with 750 on the lower floor and 250 in balcony) the floor considering an 8 foot drop so persons in any part of the house will have perfect viewing, and the seats will be arranged and heavily upholstered to allow complete comfort. The regulation stage brings tabloid shows and smaller productions, while the big road stuff continues at the Majestic and the mainstreamers at the “then new” Capitol. The entrance since being announced “will” occupied a 17ft frontage on Main Street leading back into an ornate lobby. Right at the end of the lobby could have major expansion to a width of 46ft cutting behind two stores which will be on both sides of the lobby. The wiring of the theater was done by the Stigall Electric Company of Danville which included a $3,000 automatic switchboard.
During construction on June 28, 1927, Hammond Staples of 714 Dame Street, a young employee of Carter And Son’s was severely injured after a falling brick struck him on the head while standing next to the constructed Rialto building. The 4½ pound brick fell at a distance of 60ft from the bricklayer’s scaffold, his scalp was split open and a fractured skull was resulted. He was taken to Edmunds hospital by ambulance and was later released where Dr. H.A. Wiseman reported that the outer plate of the skull was cracked but the physician did not believe that the brain had been penetrated as there was no pressure on the brain. After X-rays were taken in order to define more clearly the extent of the fracture, Wiseman said that he had “react very well though but the outcome could not be foretold.
Meanwhile on July 9, 1927, Rialto’s seats arrived by the American Seating Company of Richmond, Virginia. The original seats of the theater were Silverman’s “On The Corner” seats and it represents a soft sanitary Spanish leather. The cushion was 6 inches thick with full spring edges, doing away with any hard surface underneath a person’s knees, especially to smaller people or children whose feet not exactly reach the floor. The hinges are ball-bearing which makes it possible to raise or lower the seat bottom with ease. There is also a hat rack beneath as well. At the end of each row contains an aisle light, and with rows being placed at a distance separate apart sufficient enough to permit room to patrons sitting in cramped position. The theater was also equipped with Arctic Nu-Air Corp air conditioners.
After all that construction, the Rialto Theatre is ready to open its doors. The Rialto Theatre opened its doors to the public on September 19, 1927 with Lewis Stone in “The Prince Of Headwaiters” along with Francis X. Bushman in “The Flag” in “very early color”, and a newsreel. Including the following before showing: Performances by Alvin Eley, Chas. Shopland and the theater’s orchestra performing “My Maryland”, and Thelma Berger with the Rialto’s organ.
On January 25, 1929, G.H. Melson of Western Electric and a force of 10 men had announced that the Rialto would be installing talkies. It was the first theater in Danville to install talkies, with the Rialto installing Vitaphone equipment. On February 4, 1929, the theater ran its first sound film: Al Jolson’s “The Jazz Singer” along with a Laurel And Hardy short in “We Faw Down”, and Will Hayes' Address. It was originally scheduled to show “The Singing Fool” as its first sound film but was scrapped.
Danville Police on January 6, 1930 were investigating reports of many break-ins in various places, one of which is the Rialto Theatre where police investigated a rear door of the Rialto Theatre had been forced open when a robbery took place there. It was reported that Jack Moser of High Point, North Carolina, was charged at attempting to defraud two Danville theaters (the Broadway and the Rialto). He was sentenced to jail for 10 days until court. He was released on the 16th after Judge C.K. Carter declared that “there was no doubt in his mind that the man was guilty but evidence did not substantiate the charge”.
Vitaphone didn’t last for long at the Rialto as on Groundhog Day 1931 (February 2, 1931), Western Electric took over the Rialto.
The Rialto continued operations throughout World War II and into the Korean War, as the Rialto was the first theater in Danville to show 3-D films beginning with “Bwana Devil” on April 12, 1953. Right when 1954 came along, the Capitol, Lea, North, and Schoolfield Theatres were the only indoor theaters in Danville to have CinemaScope only in 1954. One year later in 1955, CinemaScope was then installed at the Rialto.
On February 26, 1967, it was announced that the Rialto Theatre would close for the final time later in March in connection of a remodeling project of a Glenmore store. The Rialto Theatre closed for the final time on March 12, 1967.
The Capitol Theatre was first operated by R.C. Frost, who had a wife and two children originated from Tampa, Florida. They moved to Danville a day prior to the Capitol’s grand opening.
The Capitol Theatre opened its doors to the public on February 21, 1927 with Pat O'Malley in “The Midnight Sun” along with an unnamed comedy and a newsreel. The Capitol’s original capacity is listed as 900.
R.C. Frost was formerly a member of the Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club, who was also actively interested in a Boy Scout movement. Since before World War I, Frost is a showman for years, having been operated theaters for Southern Enterprises, a S.A. Lynch operated organization and chain from Tampa, Florida and Dallas, Texas. However, his service was interrupted right when World War I struck the United States. It happened twice. Once when he secured to take his place in the combat division of the flying service in France, and again when he resigned to handle the state of Florida’s realty during the recent boom in the Peninsula State. Frost is a World War I veteran who survived the attacks, as he carries honorable of his service even after a bullet struck him in the leg, patched upper lip, and a long scalp wound securing in a skirmish with the Hun while at 5000ft in the air. His comrades replied that his laws of chance did not operate when he fell 5000ft and came out with his life intact. He was called “Luck Spot” since then. Frost has been in Danville since 1926.
However, after just more than 10 months, the theater immediately closed its doors on December 31, 1927 after reports of a merger of the Tribute Theatres Corporation and the Southern Amusement Company which was in course of negotiation but whether the closing of the Capitol is not indicated as a result of its development. From its opening in February until closing in December, it has been reported that the theater patronage provided a fair return on the investments. The cost of films and that of operating a more modern theater is considerably larger than it previously used. This left Danville with three other theaters by Southern, which were the Rialto, Broadway, and Majestic Theatres.
The Capitol Theatre those had a huge surprising return after more than a year as a vacant building under the leadership of Frank Garner, including former Rialto organist Harold Price who moved to the Capitol shortly right after the Rialto Theatre received sound on February 5, 1929. The Rialto is the first theater to install sound in Danville, which the installation of Western Electric.
The Capitol Theatre reopened its doors on February 11, 1929 with Colleen Moore in “Synthetic Sin” along with a performance by Garner’s own orchestra, Price’s own organ who also sings as well, an Our Gang short in “Growing Pains”, and a newsreel. Sound would later install at the Capitol later on.
The Capitol would later gain its strength as Danville’s dominant mainstream theater. The Capitol operated throughout World War II and into the Korean War era.
The Capitol was the first in Danville to receive CinemaScope as announced on January 5, 1954, and ran its first CinemaScope film “The Robe” on February 4, 1954.
Its first-run mainstream success continues into the 1960s and the first quarter of the 1970s. But on December 2, 1971, an announcement from Danville’s The Bee announces that the Capitol would temporarily close on December 4, 1971 (with Charlton Heston in “The Omega Man”) according to manager Paul Jones from the nearby ABC Southeastern operated Riverside Theatre. However, it was announced that there is a possibly of reopening by new management after its operation by Clements & Parker.
However, after closing throughout 1972 and most of 1973, the Capitol made a surprise fanfare and was refurbished by R-C Theatres of Fredericksburg. The Capitol reopened its doors on November 21, 1973 with “Cleopatra Jones”.
There were a handle of robberies in Danville throughout October 1976, one in case was the Capitol Theatre on October 3, 1976 when $4 was stolen from the cash register and entry was made by climbing the fire escape and prying open one of the doors.
The Capitol was still in operation as late as 1977, but its closing date hasn’t been found yet.
Opening Date Was Lost, But The Elite Closed In 1912 In Connection Of The Opening To The Columbia Theatre Nearby Which Operated For An Estimate 45½ Years In Total.
The Lakewood Cinema 15 (back as an Act III theater) made an appearance on an episode of COPS (Season 13, Episode 11, Airdate: November 25, 2000), which was shot almost or around a year the theater celebrated its first anniversary of operation.
The Lakewood 15’s building and sign were featured when Lakewood Police responded to a suspicious man being taken down in front of the marquee. Portions of it you can see the inside of the lobby by doors.
After A Decade, The State Theatre Began Construction And Opened Its Doors On February 17, 1938 With Bob Burns In “Mountain Music” Along With A Popeye Cartoon In “Never Kick A Woman”, With An Original Capacity Of 397.
The Bristol Mall 4 Began Construction On August 6, 1975 And Opened In 1976. AMC Would Later Operate The Theater Beginning Around 1981, And Two More Screens Were Added During The Same Year. 10 Years Later In 1991, Carmike Took Over The Bristol 6.
The Paramount-Publix Operated Paramount Theatre Opened On February 20, 1931 With “It Pays To Advertise” Along With A Talkartoons #17: Betty Boop And Bimbo In “Teacher’s Pest”, And Paramount News (Including Performances By Jean Van Arsdale In The Paramount’s Organ).
The Columbia First Opened On May 27, 1912 With The Following: Comedian Charles E. Mack Taking A Blackface Performance, Morse (Unclear If It Was The First Owner Lewis Morse) And Clark In A Piano Act, Performances By May Archer And Billy Carr, And An Unknown Amount Of PhotoPlays. After Showing, Guests Were Invited To Dinner At A Hotel In Bristol By Theater Operators And Owners.
The Columbia Closed Its Doors For The Final Time And Placed On Sale On November 3, 1957 With A One-Day Showing Of James Stewart In “Night Passage”, William Holden In “Proud And Profame”, And An Unnamed Cartoon, By The Last Owner Bill Wilson, Who Operated The Theater Since 1951 And Is A Production Manager At Radio Station 1490 AM WOPI (Now An ESPN Radio Affiliate As “ESPN Tri-Cities”).
The Johnson City Press-Chronicle Reports That Showings Were Still Running At The Skyline Throughout The 1983 Season, Including A Mix Of Fanfare From Disney To X. The Last Attractions The Skyline Ran On October 14, 1983 Was “Xtro” And “Deadly Force”. If You Look At Page 2 Of The March 27, 1984 Johnson City-Press Chronicle, It Demonstrates The Projection Booth Fire Story.
The Aerial Picture May Have Been Taking Shortly After The Projection Booth Fire In 1984, And The Aerial Shot May Have An Errored Year.
Actually, according to The Comet of Johnson City, the Edisonia dates back to as early as 1908 running both movies and vaudeville (which I presume that’s when it opened its doors).
The Criterion Theatre closed for the final time on October 13, 1934 with “Fighting Texan” and “Devil Horse” as its last films, and was erected later that November.
Actually, according to the Johnson City Staff, the Liberty Theatre opened sometime during the second quarter of 1918 running a mix of movies and special events, and was first managed by a guy simply known as Mr. Babb (despite some revenue I found, its opening date has been lost as of now).
After closing as a movie house for the final time in 1954, the theater was converted into a Vogue clothing store which opened in March 1955.
This theater was originally relocated a few blocks down, as this first opened as the City Theatre on May 30, 1932 with Jimmy Durante in “Passionate Plumber” along with the Vitaphone comedy “Pie, Pie Blackbird”, a short entitled “Fisherman’s Paradise”, and a newsreel. When the theater opened its doors, it was nearly in completion due to a shipping delay on carpets.
Information about the “second” City Theatre (later the Vergennes Theatre) goes as follows: The “first” City Theatre (opened as early as 1917) was relocated in April of 1932 for unknown reasons, and was the second out of 2 City Theatres in the city of Vergennes' history. The “second” City Theatre had a capacity of 400 with dark red semi-deluxe leather upholstered seats and was built and managed by George Roberts. It also has a ventilating system capable of clearing air in a total of 8 minutes, steam heat with thermostatic control, carpeted aisles with lights, and draw curtains and draperies. Over the front doors and extending to the edge of the sidewalk hangs a marquee with a row of electric lights bordering its outer edge and another parallel row on its under side. The entrance itself as of 1932 has two sets of double teal swinging doors with large glass window between it. But there is a foyer which was finished in firewood is the ticket office with three windows attached so that tickets may be sold to two lines of patrons all at once. Passing by contains the following: There were two doors, one contains the main 84x36 ft auditorium with an inclined floor. The walls and ceiling were deeply panel insulating board finished in cream down to about 3-4ft from the floor where the color commonly changed to slate, which shades into a cement, which the floor is made. The decorating of the interior was done by Foster Daigneault and John LeBoeuf took its supervision on the work (with plumbing and heating installed by J.W. & D.E. Ryan, and the main contraction was done by the Carey Brothers of Fletcher, Vermont). Like earlier, the aisles will be carpeted but although the carpets haven’t arrived yet in time due to shipping delay but lights for the aisles will be placed on the frames of five seats for each aisle arranged in stagger formation. The projection room is fireproof and contains Western Electric sound (like the former “first” City Theatre). And lastly, the stage has a depth of 10ft and there were 2 dressing rooms.
The City changed its name to the Vergennes Theatre more than a year later in October 1933.
The Vergennes Theatre closed for the final time on February 19, 1955 With “Tarzan’s Hidden Jungle” with no extra subjects.
It Was Unknown Why The Meadows Twin Closed In 2004, But Demolished A Year Later To Make Way For Mountain Top Financial And Extended Parking.
The 65 Main Street building was built in 1924, and the Campus Theatre began constructing in 1936. The Campus Theatre opened its doors on March 27, 1937 with “That Girl From Paris” with no extra short subjects.
The 1,800+ Capacity Cinemark North McKinney Not Just Runs First-Run Films, But Also Runs Foreign Films Sometimes.
Closed On November 1, 1970.
Actually, the Hi-Way Movie Drive-In opened its gates on August 13, 1949 with Randolph Scott in “Gunfighter” for one day only.
First planned by J. Coates Carter, and constructed by cinder block and bricks, the $100,000 552-Capacity colored Ritz Theatre opened its doors on December 14, 1946 and was first owned by Bernard Depkin Jr., and Rives Brown, both from Martinsville.
The Ritz closed for a time on September 2, 1954 for the installation of CinemaScope (I didn’t notice it until now), and reopened a few months later. It was closed in 1957.
The Ritz’s CinemaScope wasn’t mainly used very often, possible due to Danville’s dominant mainstream indoor theaters (the Capitol, North, and Lea) and secondary indoor mainstreamers (Rialto and Schoolfield) all had CinemaScope.
The 702-Capacity (540 for main auditorium and 162 for balcony) Dan Theatre opened its doors on December 19, 1939 with Arthur Lake in “Blondie Takes A Vacation” with no extra subjects. When the theater opened its doors, the nearby 690-capacity Broadway Theatre immediately closed permanently until being bought by R. Lea, and the Broadway Theatre changed its name to the Lea Theatre named after the operator.
The Dan was last owned by Wilby-Kincey and last managed by W.S. Shepherd Jr., and closed for the final time on March 27, 1954 with John Wayne in “Fort Apache” and Ann Sheridan in “Take Me To Town” with no extras. A S.S. Kresge store would later sit in the theater’s spot including extra expansion of floor space.
The Riverside became a twin on Christmas Day 1974.
The Plaza Cinema Theatre had a very strange start at first. Opening as a single-screener on Christmas Day 1970 with “Tora! Tora! Tora!”, the Cinecom operated Cinema Plaza Theatre was constructed by the Delco Development Company of New York and contains the following: a capacity of 599 seats, RCA sound system, and Xenon lamp projection. A red, gold, and black interior decor has been used, and the drapes were flameproof burlop fabric.
After just 11 MONTHS of operation as a Cinecom theater, the Plaza Cinema ceased operations and closed its doors for a few months beginning on November 30, 1971 with “Going Home”. Exactly a few months later, the Plaza Cinema Theatre reopened under new local management by Wayne Petty, reopening with “The Godfather” on May 24, 1972. Wayne Petty is a 12-year veteran at the theater business who formerly worked as the manager of the popular Capitol Theatre for three years, and also worked at the North, Riverside, Lea, and Schoolfield Theatres. He was assisted by Dallas Riggan, a former disc jockey at Martinsville, Virginia radio station (now defunct since January 28, 2019) 1450 AM WMVA.
William West would later take over operations of the Plaza. It remained as a single-screener throughout the rest of the 1970s, with the only twin theater in Danville being the ABC Southeastern operated Riverside I & II which operated as a twin since Christmas Day 1974. The Plaza would later twinned in 1979.
The Rialto began life as the Bijou Theatre during the 1900s until around 20 to 25 years later. On May 5, 1926, nearly half of downtown Danville was devastated in the city’s historic fire of 1926, which destroyed the following: Gilmers, The Kaufman Store, Harnsburger’s, Woolworth’s 5/10 Cent Store, Crews Coffee Company, Dunford’s Studio And Local Armory, and the Bijou Theatre (which the Bijou after the fire was completely destroyed).
Exactly a month before the Capitol Theatre opened its doors, J.C. Hester, secretary of the Southern Amusement Company announced that a “new” Rialto Theatre would be constructed at the former Bijou on January 18, 1927. As for starters before construction: The original announced capacity for the Rialto is an estimate of 1,000 (with 750 on the lower floor and 250 in balcony) the floor considering an 8 foot drop so persons in any part of the house will have perfect viewing, and the seats will be arranged and heavily upholstered to allow complete comfort. The regulation stage brings tabloid shows and smaller productions, while the big road stuff continues at the Majestic and the mainstreamers at the “then new” Capitol. The entrance since being announced “will” occupied a 17ft frontage on Main Street leading back into an ornate lobby. Right at the end of the lobby could have major expansion to a width of 46ft cutting behind two stores which will be on both sides of the lobby. The wiring of the theater was done by the Stigall Electric Company of Danville which included a $3,000 automatic switchboard.
During construction on June 28, 1927, Hammond Staples of 714 Dame Street, a young employee of Carter And Son’s was severely injured after a falling brick struck him on the head while standing next to the constructed Rialto building. The 4½ pound brick fell at a distance of 60ft from the bricklayer’s scaffold, his scalp was split open and a fractured skull was resulted. He was taken to Edmunds hospital by ambulance and was later released where Dr. H.A. Wiseman reported that the outer plate of the skull was cracked but the physician did not believe that the brain had been penetrated as there was no pressure on the brain. After X-rays were taken in order to define more clearly the extent of the fracture, Wiseman said that he had “react very well though but the outcome could not be foretold.
Meanwhile on July 9, 1927, Rialto’s seats arrived by the American Seating Company of Richmond, Virginia. The original seats of the theater were Silverman’s “On The Corner” seats and it represents a soft sanitary Spanish leather. The cushion was 6 inches thick with full spring edges, doing away with any hard surface underneath a person’s knees, especially to smaller people or children whose feet not exactly reach the floor. The hinges are ball-bearing which makes it possible to raise or lower the seat bottom with ease. There is also a hat rack beneath as well. At the end of each row contains an aisle light, and with rows being placed at a distance separate apart sufficient enough to permit room to patrons sitting in cramped position. The theater was also equipped with Arctic Nu-Air Corp air conditioners.
After all that construction, the Rialto Theatre is ready to open its doors. The Rialto Theatre opened its doors to the public on September 19, 1927 with Lewis Stone in “The Prince Of Headwaiters” along with Francis X. Bushman in “The Flag” in “very early color”, and a newsreel. Including the following before showing: Performances by Alvin Eley, Chas. Shopland and the theater’s orchestra performing “My Maryland”, and Thelma Berger with the Rialto’s organ.
On January 25, 1929, G.H. Melson of Western Electric and a force of 10 men had announced that the Rialto would be installing talkies. It was the first theater in Danville to install talkies, with the Rialto installing Vitaphone equipment. On February 4, 1929, the theater ran its first sound film: Al Jolson’s “The Jazz Singer” along with a Laurel And Hardy short in “We Faw Down”, and Will Hayes' Address. It was originally scheduled to show “The Singing Fool” as its first sound film but was scrapped.
Danville Police on January 6, 1930 were investigating reports of many break-ins in various places, one of which is the Rialto Theatre where police investigated a rear door of the Rialto Theatre had been forced open when a robbery took place there. It was reported that Jack Moser of High Point, North Carolina, was charged at attempting to defraud two Danville theaters (the Broadway and the Rialto). He was sentenced to jail for 10 days until court. He was released on the 16th after Judge C.K. Carter declared that “there was no doubt in his mind that the man was guilty but evidence did not substantiate the charge”.
Vitaphone didn’t last for long at the Rialto as on Groundhog Day 1931 (February 2, 1931), Western Electric took over the Rialto.
The Rialto continued operations throughout World War II and into the Korean War, as the Rialto was the first theater in Danville to show 3-D films beginning with “Bwana Devil” on April 12, 1953. Right when 1954 came along, the Capitol, Lea, North, and Schoolfield Theatres were the only indoor theaters in Danville to have CinemaScope only in 1954. One year later in 1955, CinemaScope was then installed at the Rialto.
On February 26, 1967, it was announced that the Rialto Theatre would close for the final time later in March in connection of a remodeling project of a Glenmore store. The Rialto Theatre closed for the final time on March 12, 1967.
The Capitol Theatre was first operated by R.C. Frost, who had a wife and two children originated from Tampa, Florida. They moved to Danville a day prior to the Capitol’s grand opening.
The Capitol Theatre opened its doors to the public on February 21, 1927 with Pat O'Malley in “The Midnight Sun” along with an unnamed comedy and a newsreel. The Capitol’s original capacity is listed as 900.
R.C. Frost was formerly a member of the Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club, who was also actively interested in a Boy Scout movement. Since before World War I, Frost is a showman for years, having been operated theaters for Southern Enterprises, a S.A. Lynch operated organization and chain from Tampa, Florida and Dallas, Texas. However, his service was interrupted right when World War I struck the United States. It happened twice. Once when he secured to take his place in the combat division of the flying service in France, and again when he resigned to handle the state of Florida’s realty during the recent boom in the Peninsula State. Frost is a World War I veteran who survived the attacks, as he carries honorable of his service even after a bullet struck him in the leg, patched upper lip, and a long scalp wound securing in a skirmish with the Hun while at 5000ft in the air. His comrades replied that his laws of chance did not operate when he fell 5000ft and came out with his life intact. He was called “Luck Spot” since then. Frost has been in Danville since 1926.
However, after just more than 10 months, the theater immediately closed its doors on December 31, 1927 after reports of a merger of the Tribute Theatres Corporation and the Southern Amusement Company which was in course of negotiation but whether the closing of the Capitol is not indicated as a result of its development. From its opening in February until closing in December, it has been reported that the theater patronage provided a fair return on the investments. The cost of films and that of operating a more modern theater is considerably larger than it previously used. This left Danville with three other theaters by Southern, which were the Rialto, Broadway, and Majestic Theatres.
The Capitol Theatre those had a huge surprising return after more than a year as a vacant building under the leadership of Frank Garner, including former Rialto organist Harold Price who moved to the Capitol shortly right after the Rialto Theatre received sound on February 5, 1929. The Rialto is the first theater to install sound in Danville, which the installation of Western Electric.
The Capitol Theatre reopened its doors on February 11, 1929 with Colleen Moore in “Synthetic Sin” along with a performance by Garner’s own orchestra, Price’s own organ who also sings as well, an Our Gang short in “Growing Pains”, and a newsreel. Sound would later install at the Capitol later on.
The Capitol would later gain its strength as Danville’s dominant mainstream theater. The Capitol operated throughout World War II and into the Korean War era.
The Capitol was the first in Danville to receive CinemaScope as announced on January 5, 1954, and ran its first CinemaScope film “The Robe” on February 4, 1954.
Its first-run mainstream success continues into the 1960s and the first quarter of the 1970s. But on December 2, 1971, an announcement from Danville’s The Bee announces that the Capitol would temporarily close on December 4, 1971 (with Charlton Heston in “The Omega Man”) according to manager Paul Jones from the nearby ABC Southeastern operated Riverside Theatre. However, it was announced that there is a possibly of reopening by new management after its operation by Clements & Parker.
However, after closing throughout 1972 and most of 1973, the Capitol made a surprise fanfare and was refurbished by R-C Theatres of Fredericksburg. The Capitol reopened its doors on November 21, 1973 with “Cleopatra Jones”.
There were a handle of robberies in Danville throughout October 1976, one in case was the Capitol Theatre on October 3, 1976 when $4 was stolen from the cash register and entry was made by climbing the fire escape and prying open one of the doors.
The Capitol was still in operation as late as 1977, but its closing date hasn’t been found yet.
Opening Date Was Lost, But The Elite Closed In 1912 In Connection Of The Opening To The Columbia Theatre Nearby Which Operated For An Estimate 45½ Years In Total.
The actual opening date is August 25, 1947 with Dick Haymes in “Carnival Of Costa Rica” with no extra subjects.
The Lakewood Cinema 15 (back as an Act III theater) made an appearance on an episode of COPS (Season 13, Episode 11, Airdate: November 25, 2000), which was shot almost or around a year the theater celebrated its first anniversary of operation.
The Lakewood 15’s building and sign were featured when Lakewood Police responded to a suspicious man being taken down in front of the marquee. Portions of it you can see the inside of the lobby by doors.
The Eagle Theatre Operated From 1910 Until 1927.
After A Decade, The State Theatre Began Construction And Opened Its Doors On February 17, 1938 With Bob Burns In “Mountain Music” Along With A Popeye Cartoon In “Never Kick A Woman”, With An Original Capacity Of 397.
The Bristol Mall 4 Began Construction On August 6, 1975 And Opened In 1976. AMC Would Later Operate The Theater Beginning Around 1981, And Two More Screens Were Added During The Same Year. 10 Years Later In 1991, Carmike Took Over The Bristol 6.
I Can’t Find The Closing Date To This One.
Opened On March 30, 1925.
Opened On January 7, 1917, Closed In 1931.
The Paramount-Publix Operated Paramount Theatre Opened On February 20, 1931 With “It Pays To Advertise” Along With A Talkartoons #17: Betty Boop And Bimbo In “Teacher’s Pest”, And Paramount News (Including Performances By Jean Van Arsdale In The Paramount’s Organ).
The Columbia First Opened On May 27, 1912 With The Following: Comedian Charles E. Mack Taking A Blackface Performance, Morse (Unclear If It Was The First Owner Lewis Morse) And Clark In A Piano Act, Performances By May Archer And Billy Carr, And An Unknown Amount Of PhotoPlays. After Showing, Guests Were Invited To Dinner At A Hotel In Bristol By Theater Operators And Owners.
The Columbia Closed Its Doors For The Final Time And Placed On Sale On November 3, 1957 With A One-Day Showing Of James Stewart In “Night Passage”, William Holden In “Proud And Profame”, And An Unnamed Cartoon, By The Last Owner Bill Wilson, Who Operated The Theater Since 1951 And Is A Production Manager At Radio Station 1490 AM WOPI (Now An ESPN Radio Affiliate As “ESPN Tri-Cities”).
The Family Closed In 1977, Which Later Announced That A Kmart (As Part Of A Shopping Center Project) Will Replace The Theater A Year Later.
The Johnson City Press-Chronicle Reports That Showings Were Still Running At The Skyline Throughout The 1983 Season, Including A Mix Of Fanfare From Disney To X. The Last Attractions The Skyline Ran On October 14, 1983 Was “Xtro” And “Deadly Force”. If You Look At Page 2 Of The March 27, 1984 Johnson City-Press Chronicle, It Demonstrates The Projection Booth Fire Story.
The Aerial Picture May Have Been Taking Shortly After The Projection Booth Fire In 1984, And The Aerial Shot May Have An Errored Year.