The Theatre Tokyo is one of the more popular older movie theaters during the CinemaScope and Cinerama eras. The Theatre Tokyo started life as an extension of “Theatre Ginza”, and opened its doors on November 3, 1955 with Marilyn Monroe in “The Seven Year Itch”. It has a total capacity of 1,150 seats and was operated by the Tokyo Kogyo Company chain. There is also a fine arts movie theater in the basement of the same building.
On November 29, 1962, the Theatre Tokyo began screening Cinerama films, and from May 5, 1965 until October 30, 1981, it was a 70mm cinema. A truckload of American smashes were screened there, some notable films the Theatre Tokyo ran over the years include “Ben-Hur”, “How The West Was Won”, “2001: A Space Odyssey”, “The Dirty Dozen”, and “Close Encounters Of The Third Kind” among others.
The Theatre Tokyo closed for the final time on October 31, 1981 with “Heaven’s Gate” and was last operated as a Dolby theater. The location of the theater is 1-11-2 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo.
The Starlite Drive-In opened its gates on August 24, 1950 with Dennis Morgan in “My Wild Irish Rose” along with the Bugs Bunny Merrie Melodie “Rebel Rabbit”, the specialty “Celebration Days” and the novelty “Sun Valley Fun”.
The Caprice Showcase Theatres opened the Caprice Twin Theatres' doors in late-1981 after several months of construction. Construction of the theater building began on May 15 of that same year.
It originally housed 668 seats when it opened (with 373 seats in Screen 1 and 295 seats in Screen 2), and Screen 1 features a Dolby sound system with 27 speakers installed around the auditorium. Their original seats were 38in seats and 22-23in width to prevent leg room.
It last operated with 622 seats (348 and 274) until its Spring 2006 closure.
The original Lake Theatre closed for the final time on June 15, 1974 with Walt Disney’s “Robin Hood” and “Napoleon And Samantha”. It was originally supposed to be converted into a mini mall but a restaurant named Pasta Palace was in-place instead.
The Lake Theatre originally had a 160-seat balcony but that part of the theater was shuttered for the remainder of its history for unknown reasons, with the walls being dark with tobacco stains. The theater’s management once got into trouble in 1964 after a woman who contended the theater broke her ankle after tripping over an empty popcorn box and later file a suit against them after.
The Town Theater closed for the final time on November 30, 1989 with a rerun of the Orion Pictures film “Jean De Florette” due to the retirement of its manager because of his health concerns.
The Beach Drive-In was lastly known as the Riviera Beach Drive-In, and closed for the final time on September 25, 1988 with “Humanoid” and “A Nightmare On Elm Street 4: The Dream Master”.
The Carefree Theatre later operated as a second-run dollar house from the late-1970s until the 1990s under independent ownership. The theater then ran foreign films, independent films, concert films, and special events as well as live concerts and performing arts until closure in 2005 due to the building in poor condition. Not just because of its condition but the roof was caving in.
United Artists last operated the Colonial until its closure on September 23, 1982 with “Tickled Pink”. The Colonial had a different policy during its final few weeks of operation due to the area’s other UA competitors.
The Center Theater opened its doors on June 12, 1937 with George Brent in “The Go-Getter” along with Walt Disney’s Silly Symphony “The Country Cousin” and the musical novelty “The Circus Comes To Town”, with opening ceremonies delivered on the air from radio station WEED-AM. It was first managed by Hal Orr and was built with an estimate $100,000.
The Center Theatre closed on October 25, 1979 with “Black Magic”.
The Salem Theatre began screening adult movies in July 1968 when it went under the ownership of W.R. McCoy, which left normal movie viewers to watch movies at either the Lee-Hi Drive-In or a few miles away in Roanoke.
The John W. Woods IMAX Dome Theater is the second IMAX theater to open in Alabama, featuring a capacity of 295 seats. This opened on July 12, 1998 with “Everest”.
The Fox Theatre opened its doors on February 14, 1930 with Charlotte Henry in “Harmony At Home” along with the Colortone Revue “A Night At The Shooting Gallery”, the Ub Iwerks Mickey Mouse cartoon “Mickey’s Choo-Choo”, a Fox Movietone Newsreel, and a local newsreel “Wisconsin Triumphant”. Off the screen is William Fox delivering personal messages to Green Bay under the name “The Voice Of The Theatre” and musical performances by the American Legion Band doing the National Anthem and organ novelty Jack Martin playing “The Perfect Song”, “Snake Hips”, and “Happy Days” with the Wurlitzer pipe organ. He also did the “Melody Diversion” before the ceremony as well as the “Exit March” afterward. During one part of the intermission is a fashion show of natural colors dedicating to the residents of Green Bay.
In August 1933, the Warner Bros Management chain took over the theater and did a major renovation. It was renamed the Bay Theatre on September 2, 1933, reopening with Joan Blondell in “Gold Diggers Of 1933” along with the Merrie Melodie “The Dish Ran Away With The Spoon”, Ted Husing Sport Thrills, and Warner News, featuring sound installations by Western Electric. The National Anthem was also played during the reopening ceremony as well as the salute to the flag with the assistance of the color guard furnished by Disabled American Veterans and Ms. Janette Merrill. James H. McGillan also gave special greetings to Warner Brothers during the ceremony, and Mayor John V. Diener also delivered a speech as well.
On August 18, 1978, the Bay Theatre was tripled and became the first triplex in Green Bay. It was later operated by Essaness Theatres, and then Excellence Theatres, and finally Carmike. For decades, it was a first-run mainstreamer, but flipped to second-run discount in 1996 due to the multiplex boom.
The Bay Theatre closed as a movie house on October 30, 1998 with “Knockoff” in Screen 1, “Armageddon” in Screen 2, and “Deadman On Campus” in Screen 3. A short time later in January 1999, the theater received a major renovation with an estimate $8,000,000. It took three years from January 1999 until February 2002. The theater reopened as the Meyer Theatre on February 27, 2002 as a performing arts and a live music venue.
The Lawrenceville Drive-In opened as early as 1955 judging by aerial views. It was closed in 1985 due to the multiplex boom according to a September 1989 interview with former mayor Rhodes Jordan, and the theater’s last operator is Jerry Woodall who operated the theater since 1970 alongside both the Commerce and Buford Drive-Ins.
FUN FACT: The longest running movie that ever played at the Lawrenceville Drive-In is Robert Mitchum’s “Thunder Road” in 1958 due to the film being shot in North Georgia. It ran there for many months, even some people who attended the theater actually did see the movie 10 to 15 times.
The Theatre Tokyo is one of the more popular older movie theaters during the CinemaScope and Cinerama eras. The Theatre Tokyo started life as an extension of “Theatre Ginza”, and opened its doors on November 3, 1955 with Marilyn Monroe in “The Seven Year Itch”. It has a total capacity of 1,150 seats and was operated by the Tokyo Kogyo Company chain. There is also a fine arts movie theater in the basement of the same building.
On November 29, 1962, the Theatre Tokyo began screening Cinerama films, and from May 5, 1965 until October 30, 1981, it was a 70mm cinema. A truckload of American smashes were screened there, some notable films the Theatre Tokyo ran over the years include “Ben-Hur”, “How The West Was Won”, “2001: A Space Odyssey”, “The Dirty Dozen”, and “Close Encounters Of The Third Kind” among others.
The Theatre Tokyo closed for the final time on October 31, 1981 with “Heaven’s Gate” and was last operated as a Dolby theater. The location of the theater is 1-11-2 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo.
First operated by Charles M. Lane of New Haven, who also operated the New Haven Drive-In nearby.
Still open in 1986, but was gone by the 1990s.
The Starlite Drive-In opened its gates on August 24, 1950 with Dennis Morgan in “My Wild Irish Rose” along with the Bugs Bunny Merrie Melodie “Rebel Rabbit”, the specialty “Celebration Days” and the novelty “Sun Valley Fun”.
The Starlite closed on September 23, 1973.
The Caprice Showcase Theatres opened the Caprice Twin Theatres' doors in late-1981 after several months of construction. Construction of the theater building began on May 15 of that same year.
It originally housed 668 seats when it opened (with 373 seats in Screen 1 and 295 seats in Screen 2), and Screen 1 features a Dolby sound system with 27 speakers installed around the auditorium. Their original seats were 38in seats and 22-23in width to prevent leg room.
It last operated with 622 seats (348 and 274) until its Spring 2006 closure.
Closed on August 17, 1998.
The actual closing date is February 18, 2001.
The original Lake Theatre closed for the final time on June 15, 1974 with Walt Disney’s “Robin Hood” and “Napoleon And Samantha”. It was originally supposed to be converted into a mini mall but a restaurant named Pasta Palace was in-place instead.
The Lake Theatre originally had a 160-seat balcony but that part of the theater was shuttered for the remainder of its history for unknown reasons, with the walls being dark with tobacco stains. The theater’s management once got into trouble in 1964 after a woman who contended the theater broke her ankle after tripping over an empty popcorn box and later file a suit against them after.
The Town Theater closed for the final time on November 30, 1989 with a rerun of the Orion Pictures film “Jean De Florette” due to the retirement of its manager because of his health concerns.
The Beach Drive-In was lastly known as the Riviera Beach Drive-In, and closed for the final time on September 25, 1988 with “Humanoid” and “A Nightmare On Elm Street 4: The Dream Master”.
The Carefree Theatre later operated as a second-run dollar house from the late-1970s until the 1990s under independent ownership. The theater then ran foreign films, independent films, concert films, and special events as well as live concerts and performing arts until closure in 2005 due to the building in poor condition. Not just because of its condition but the roof was caving in.
Last operated by United Artists Theater Circuit Inc.
Last operated by United Artists Theater Circuit Inc.
Last operated by United Artists Theater Circuit Inc.
United Artists last operated the Colonial until its closure on September 23, 1982 with “Tickled Pink”. The Colonial had a different policy during its final few weeks of operation due to the area’s other UA competitors.
The Center Theater opened its doors on June 12, 1937 with George Brent in “The Go-Getter” along with Walt Disney’s Silly Symphony “The Country Cousin” and the musical novelty “The Circus Comes To Town”, with opening ceremonies delivered on the air from radio station WEED-AM. It was first managed by Hal Orr and was built with an estimate $100,000.
The Center Theatre closed on October 25, 1979 with “Black Magic”.
Closed on May 14, 1977 with “At The Earth’s Core”.
The Salem Theatre began screening adult movies in July 1968 when it went under the ownership of W.R. McCoy, which left normal movie viewers to watch movies at either the Lee-Hi Drive-In or a few miles away in Roanoke.
The John W. Woods IMAX Dome Theater is the second IMAX theater to open in Alabama, featuring a capacity of 295 seats. This opened on July 12, 1998 with “Everest”.
The actual closing date is March 30, 1958.
The Fox Theatre opened its doors on February 14, 1930 with Charlotte Henry in “Harmony At Home” along with the Colortone Revue “A Night At The Shooting Gallery”, the Ub Iwerks Mickey Mouse cartoon “Mickey’s Choo-Choo”, a Fox Movietone Newsreel, and a local newsreel “Wisconsin Triumphant”. Off the screen is William Fox delivering personal messages to Green Bay under the name “The Voice Of The Theatre” and musical performances by the American Legion Band doing the National Anthem and organ novelty Jack Martin playing “The Perfect Song”, “Snake Hips”, and “Happy Days” with the Wurlitzer pipe organ. He also did the “Melody Diversion” before the ceremony as well as the “Exit March” afterward. During one part of the intermission is a fashion show of natural colors dedicating to the residents of Green Bay.
In August 1933, the Warner Bros Management chain took over the theater and did a major renovation. It was renamed the Bay Theatre on September 2, 1933, reopening with Joan Blondell in “Gold Diggers Of 1933” along with the Merrie Melodie “The Dish Ran Away With The Spoon”, Ted Husing Sport Thrills, and Warner News, featuring sound installations by Western Electric. The National Anthem was also played during the reopening ceremony as well as the salute to the flag with the assistance of the color guard furnished by Disabled American Veterans and Ms. Janette Merrill. James H. McGillan also gave special greetings to Warner Brothers during the ceremony, and Mayor John V. Diener also delivered a speech as well.
On August 18, 1978, the Bay Theatre was tripled and became the first triplex in Green Bay. It was later operated by Essaness Theatres, and then Excellence Theatres, and finally Carmike. For decades, it was a first-run mainstreamer, but flipped to second-run discount in 1996 due to the multiplex boom.
The Bay Theatre closed as a movie house on October 30, 1998 with “Knockoff” in Screen 1, “Armageddon” in Screen 2, and “Deadman On Campus” in Screen 3. A short time later in January 1999, the theater received a major renovation with an estimate $8,000,000. It took three years from January 1999 until February 2002. The theater reopened as the Meyer Theatre on February 27, 2002 as a performing arts and a live music venue.
Renamed the Sutter Theatre in January 1929.
Opened on November 17, 2006.
The Rialto last operated as an X-rated house from 1970 until its closure in January 1979.
The Lawrenceville Drive-In opened as early as 1955 judging by aerial views. It was closed in 1985 due to the multiplex boom according to a September 1989 interview with former mayor Rhodes Jordan, and the theater’s last operator is Jerry Woodall who operated the theater since 1970 alongside both the Commerce and Buford Drive-Ins.