The building’s entertainment roots date back to its origin as an opera house located on its second floor at opening. Banker William Brownsfield Thorpe’s Opera House is located at 467 D Street was built in 1889 launching December 24, 1889 with an opera by the Andrews Company. That venue was closed and its first floor was the retail home of a long-running Coast to Coast Hardware store. The store vacated and the ground floor space was remodeled as the State Theater launching with Dorothy Lamour in “On Our Merry Way” on October 10, 1948.
The State closed but got one final shot as an entertainment venue when, on October 8, 1965, Adolph Rozanek resumed operations at the State as the Astro Theater with “Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte.” He closed the Astro at the end of a 20-year lease in February 11, 1968 with Tony Curtis in “Don’t Make Waves.” It was purchased and remodeled for other purposes though at that time the unused opera house was still on the second floor. The building still is in use on the South Side of the Square as of 2020s and was undergoing renovation.
After the Gem closed in 1944, the town of Beemer was theatre-less. Rose Nebuda found a new spot for a new build facility launching after the War on May 1, 1946 as the Bee Theatre. It opened with Joan Leslie in “Cinderella Jones” supported by a cartoon short.
A. J. Weaver announced the new theatre in 1925 as Falls City new courthouse and new Hotel Weaver were completed. The two-story brick and reinforced concrete theatre cost $75,000 for Blaine Cook’s Cook Theatre Circuit. It was one of two Rivoli Theatres for the Circuit scheduled to open in 1926 along with the Beatrice location. During construction, George Monroe took over the Cook Circuit and the Rivoli launched in 1927.
The Besse Auditorium opened as an 840-seat venue at opening on May 3, 1920, and the special guest of honor was opera singer Frieda Hempel. In 1912 she had made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. 160 extra chairs were brought in for the performance and a crowd of 1,000. The $100,000 theatre impressed patrons. Motion pictures also were worked into the mix of live events.
Bert Beams took over the venue renaming it the Beams Auditorium in 1926 and the venue was more heavily used as a motion picture theatre. The big news at the 10th anniversary of the venue was installation of an air conditioning system as well as a refresh, reduction of seating to 500, and a name change to the Sunbeam Theatre under the operation of Harry Gould but still owned by Beams. The name was changed to the Auditorium Theatre in 1935. In 1945, Beams lowered the very high ceiling of the auditorium.
In June of 1947, Carl P. Knutson purchased the Auditorium renaming it the State Theatre with a new lobby and a new front. He also re-equipped the projection booth moving out the Simplex Acme projectors replacing it with Motiograph AA projection. A year later Marvin P Jones took on the State Theatre. It appears to have gone out of business at the end of its second, 20-year leasing period as the State Theatre on March 29, 1960 with Michael Callan in “The Flying Fontaines.”
Orrin W. Taber, already known for his pool hall, outfitted the first electric theatre in downtown Red Cloud in 1908. Credit Miss Ella Cook who won Taber’s “name the new electric theater contest” with her suggestion of “Tepee.” The Tepee launched on a ten-year lease on March with illustrated songs sung by Frank Wick, a short film, and a live act. The theatre went out of business on November 10, 1917 with screenings moved to the Orpheum which was doing vaudeville mixed in with films.
M.N Garber took over the store for his paint and wallpaper store in September of 1918.
AMC closed the AMC Classic Big Rapids 4 on March 16, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The circuit made the closure permanent that summer becoming one of many theatres closed by a circuit during the pandemic.
AMC closed the AMC Classic Middlesboro 4 on March 16, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The circuit made the closure permanent that summer becoming one of many theatres closed by a circuit during the pandemic.
AMC closed the AMC Parkway Pointe on March 16, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The circuit made the closure permanent that summer becoming one of many theatres closed by a circuit during the pandemic.
AMC closed the AMC Classic Plaza 8 on March 16, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The circuit made the closure permanent that summer becoming one of many theatres closed by a circuit during the pandemic.
AMC closed the AMC Classic Lorna Ridge 10 on March 16, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The circuit made the closure permanent that summer becoming one of many theatres closed by a circuit during the pandemic.
AMC closed the AMC Classic Colorado Springs 10 on March 16, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The circuit made the closure permanent that summer becoming one of many theatres closed by a circuit during the pandemic.
AMC closed the AMC Classic Pensacola 10 on March 16, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The circuit made the closure permanent that summer becoming one of many theatres closed by a circuit during the pandemic.
AMC closed the AMC Classic Harrison 8 on March 16, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The circuit made the closure permanent that summer becoming one of many theatres closed by a circuit during the pandemic.
AMC closed the AMC Classic Delmont 12 on March 16, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The circuit made the closure permanent that summer becoming one of many theatres closed by a circuit during the pandemic.
The Maltz Opera House launched November 10, 1879 with “The Rose of Auvergne” and “"Lischen and Fritzchen.” AMC closed its Classic State 3 just over 140 year later on March 16, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The circuit made the closure permanent at the end of July of 2020. It then sold off both the State and the Royal Knight to Jeff Konczak and his wife, Tina, who hoped to restore both venues from ‘plexed to single stage venues.
The theatre dates back to the late 19th Century. Olsen & Jensen converted it to full time motion pictures in the first decade of the 20th Century. Fred LaChase and Arthur VanHousen took it over in 1909 and it became the Favorite Theatre with Mrs. Dan Francis at the player piano. Omar Reed and L.A. Proskoveck transitioned the venue to the Talking BesTone Sound System from Omaha, new screen and seating as the Omar Theatre. Its relaunch was on February 13, 1930 with Edward Everett Horton in “The Hottentot” supported by the Harry Langdon short, “The Fighting Parson” and an animated short.
The Monsky Bros. Circuit of Omaha took on the venue and on August 14, 1930, it was renamed the New Schuyler Theatre with “A Lady of Scandal.” Joseph Svoboda took on the venue renaming it the Strand. The Strand closed with “Gone With the Wind” on April 27, 1940 to undergo a refresh under new operators Carl Mansfield and Harold B. Bowers of Weeping Water.
All new seating were installed under its new operators, with Mansfield and Bowers renaming the venue as the Colfax Theatre on October 24, 1940 with “My Love Came Back.” Mansfield and Bowers sold out to the competing Sky Theatre and Avalon owned by Neva L. Gannon in 1954. The Colfax Theatre closed on February 28, 1954 with Bob Hope in “Here Come the Girls” supported by a newsreel, a cartoon, and an El Brendel comes short with “His Wedding Scare.” They used throwback pricing on the final weekend with 10 cent admission for kids and 25 cents for adults.
As noted, the theatre reopened in 2006/7 and was operating in the 2020s.
The conversion to sound with associated name change to the Avalon took place on when Joseph F. Svoboda rebooting on October 7, 1930 with Jack Oakie in “The Social Lion.” For years, Svoboda had operated the neighboring tailor shop. The Avalon closed November 7, 1948 with “The Lady in Ermine” and had ostensibly been replaced by the new Sky Theatre on August 11, 1948. The former Avalon facility was remodeled as an office building in 1950.
The Columbus Drive-In closed after completing a second and final 20-year lease with a farewell dusk to dawn marathon of films on September 2, 1990 likely starting with “Days of Thunder” and “Die Hard 2” and continuing with some classic favorites. That’s closing with style.
Looks like the Rex may have opened June 23, 1917 with Florence La Badie starring in “Fear of Poverty.” It likely fulfilled a 10-year leasing contract. It then became the Allen Theatre in 1929. In February of 1930, the theatre purchased the Phone Film Talking Equipment converting to sound films.
Operator Rubel Hutchings sold Venron Wheeler in April of 1948. Wheeler refurbished the theatre and appears to have folded the Allen in the early 1950s as television took its toll on small town movie theaters.
The Harbor Cinema moved from 1937 Lakeshore Drive in Muskegon, MI after five years of operation to the former Plaza 1 & 2 location on December 28, 2018. The first-run theater also offered one-year memberships. However, the venue closed on March 15, 2020 after a magic show by Eric Yager due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The theatre “semi-opened” during the pandemic to sell popcorn and concessions hoping to ride out the issue. However, on August 14, 2020 it announced that the closure would be permanent making the Harbor one of many theaters which closed permanently during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Harbor Cinema management stated, “It is with a heavy heart that we announce that we are staying closed permanently…. We had tried to do a couple fundraisers that we had hoped would get us by but no one anticipated having to be closed for 6 plus months and we had hoped that Congress would have passed a new small business funding bill before they left for recess. We want to thank everyone for a great 7 years! It’s been quite a ride and this is not how we had intended or hoped to end things….”
The Harbor Theatre closed at this location on December 27, 2018 and moved to the former Plaza in nearby Norton Shores. They continued there until closing during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020.
The building’s entertainment roots date back to its origin as an opera house located on its second floor at opening. Banker William Brownsfield Thorpe’s Opera House is located at 467 D Street was built in 1889 launching December 24, 1889 with an opera by the Andrews Company. That venue was closed and its first floor was the retail home of a long-running Coast to Coast Hardware store. The store vacated and the ground floor space was remodeled as the State Theater launching with Dorothy Lamour in “On Our Merry Way” on October 10, 1948.
The State closed but got one final shot as an entertainment venue when, on October 8, 1965, Adolph Rozanek resumed operations at the State as the Astro Theater with “Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte.” He closed the Astro at the end of a 20-year lease in February 11, 1968 with Tony Curtis in “Don’t Make Waves.” It was purchased and remodeled for other purposes though at that time the unused opera house was still on the second floor. The building still is in use on the South Side of the Square as of 2020s and was undergoing renovation.
After the Gem closed in 1944, the town of Beemer was theatre-less. Rose Nebuda found a new spot for a new build facility launching after the War on May 1, 1946 as the Bee Theatre. It opened with Joan Leslie in “Cinderella Jones” supported by a cartoon short.
A. J. Weaver announced the new theatre in 1925 as Falls City new courthouse and new Hotel Weaver were completed. The two-story brick and reinforced concrete theatre cost $75,000 for Blaine Cook’s Cook Theatre Circuit. It was one of two Rivoli Theatres for the Circuit scheduled to open in 1926 along with the Beatrice location. During construction, George Monroe took over the Cook Circuit and the Rivoli launched in 1927.
The Besse Auditorium opened as an 840-seat venue at opening on May 3, 1920, and the special guest of honor was opera singer Frieda Hempel. In 1912 she had made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. 160 extra chairs were brought in for the performance and a crowd of 1,000. The $100,000 theatre impressed patrons. Motion pictures also were worked into the mix of live events.
Bert Beams took over the venue renaming it the Beams Auditorium in 1926 and the venue was more heavily used as a motion picture theatre. The big news at the 10th anniversary of the venue was installation of an air conditioning system as well as a refresh, reduction of seating to 500, and a name change to the Sunbeam Theatre under the operation of Harry Gould but still owned by Beams. The name was changed to the Auditorium Theatre in 1935. In 1945, Beams lowered the very high ceiling of the auditorium.
In June of 1947, Carl P. Knutson purchased the Auditorium renaming it the State Theatre with a new lobby and a new front. He also re-equipped the projection booth moving out the Simplex Acme projectors replacing it with Motiograph AA projection. A year later Marvin P Jones took on the State Theatre. It appears to have gone out of business at the end of its second, 20-year leasing period as the State Theatre on March 29, 1960 with Michael Callan in “The Flying Fontaines.”
Orrin W. Taber, already known for his pool hall, outfitted the first electric theatre in downtown Red Cloud in 1908. Credit Miss Ella Cook who won Taber’s “name the new electric theater contest” with her suggestion of “Tepee.” The Tepee launched on a ten-year lease on March with illustrated songs sung by Frank Wick, a short film, and a live act. The theatre went out of business on November 10, 1917 with screenings moved to the Orpheum which was doing vaudeville mixed in with films.
M.N Garber took over the store for his paint and wallpaper store in September of 1918.
The State opened with Jack Oakie in “Street Girl” in March of 1930.
A.W. Heyl and C.B Kelly opened this venue on September 8, 1934. The concession stand was subleased to Tom DeLuxe.
AMC closed the AMC Classic Big Rapids 4 on March 16, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The circuit made the closure permanent that summer becoming one of many theatres closed by a circuit during the pandemic.
AMC closed the AMC Classic Middlesboro 4 on March 16, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The circuit made the closure permanent that summer becoming one of many theatres closed by a circuit during the pandemic.
AMC closed the AMC Parkway Pointe on March 16, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The circuit made the closure permanent that summer becoming one of many theatres closed by a circuit during the pandemic.
AMC closed the AMC Classic Plaza 8 on March 16, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The circuit made the closure permanent that summer becoming one of many theatres closed by a circuit during the pandemic.
AMC closed the AMC Classic Lorna Ridge 10 on March 16, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The circuit made the closure permanent that summer becoming one of many theatres closed by a circuit during the pandemic.
AMC closed the AMC Classic Colorado Springs 10 on March 16, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The circuit made the closure permanent that summer becoming one of many theatres closed by a circuit during the pandemic.
AMC closed the AMC Classic Pensacola 10 on March 16, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The circuit made the closure permanent that summer becoming one of many theatres closed by a circuit during the pandemic.
AMC closed the AMC Classic Harrison 8 on March 16, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The circuit made the closure permanent that summer becoming one of many theatres closed by a circuit during the pandemic.
AMC closed the AMC Classic Delmont 12 on March 16, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The circuit made the closure permanent that summer becoming one of many theatres closed by a circuit during the pandemic.
The Maltz Opera House launched November 10, 1879 with “The Rose of Auvergne” and “"Lischen and Fritzchen.” AMC closed its Classic State 3 just over 140 year later on March 16, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The circuit made the closure permanent at the end of July of 2020. It then sold off both the State and the Royal Knight to Jeff Konczak and his wife, Tina, who hoped to restore both venues from ‘plexed to single stage venues.
The theatre dates back to the late 19th Century. Olsen & Jensen converted it to full time motion pictures in the first decade of the 20th Century. Fred LaChase and Arthur VanHousen took it over in 1909 and it became the Favorite Theatre with Mrs. Dan Francis at the player piano. Omar Reed and L.A. Proskoveck transitioned the venue to the Talking BesTone Sound System from Omaha, new screen and seating as the Omar Theatre. Its relaunch was on February 13, 1930 with Edward Everett Horton in “The Hottentot” supported by the Harry Langdon short, “The Fighting Parson” and an animated short.
The Monsky Bros. Circuit of Omaha took on the venue and on August 14, 1930, it was renamed the New Schuyler Theatre with “A Lady of Scandal.” Joseph Svoboda took on the venue renaming it the Strand. The Strand closed with “Gone With the Wind” on April 27, 1940 to undergo a refresh under new operators Carl Mansfield and Harold B. Bowers of Weeping Water.
All new seating were installed under its new operators, with Mansfield and Bowers renaming the venue as the Colfax Theatre on October 24, 1940 with “My Love Came Back.” Mansfield and Bowers sold out to the competing Sky Theatre and Avalon owned by Neva L. Gannon in 1954. The Colfax Theatre closed on February 28, 1954 with Bob Hope in “Here Come the Girls” supported by a newsreel, a cartoon, and an El Brendel comes short with “His Wedding Scare.” They used throwback pricing on the final weekend with 10 cent admission for kids and 25 cents for adults.
As noted, the theatre reopened in 2006/7 and was operating in the 2020s.
The conversion to sound with associated name change to the Avalon took place on when Joseph F. Svoboda rebooting on October 7, 1930 with Jack Oakie in “The Social Lion.” For years, Svoboda had operated the neighboring tailor shop. The Avalon closed November 7, 1948 with “The Lady in Ermine” and had ostensibly been replaced by the new Sky Theatre on August 11, 1948. The former Avalon facility was remodeled as an office building in 1950.
The Columbus Drive-In closed after completing a second and final 20-year lease with a farewell dusk to dawn marathon of films on September 2, 1990 likely starting with “Days of Thunder” and “Die Hard 2” and continuing with some classic favorites. That’s closing with style.
Addition: Previous Operator – Jollo Electric Theatre Company
Looks like the Rex may have opened June 23, 1917 with Florence La Badie starring in “Fear of Poverty.” It likely fulfilled a 10-year leasing contract. It then became the Allen Theatre in 1929. In February of 1930, the theatre purchased the Phone Film Talking Equipment converting to sound films.
Operator Rubel Hutchings sold Venron Wheeler in April of 1948. Wheeler refurbished the theatre and appears to have folded the Allen in the early 1950s as television took its toll on small town movie theaters.
Looks like it may have ceased operations in 1910 at that location.
The Harbor Cinema moved from 1937 Lakeshore Drive in Muskegon, MI after five years of operation to the former Plaza 1 & 2 location on December 28, 2018. The first-run theater also offered one-year memberships. However, the venue closed on March 15, 2020 after a magic show by Eric Yager due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The theatre “semi-opened” during the pandemic to sell popcorn and concessions hoping to ride out the issue. However, on August 14, 2020 it announced that the closure would be permanent making the Harbor one of many theaters which closed permanently during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Harbor Cinema management stated, “It is with a heavy heart that we announce that we are staying closed permanently…. We had tried to do a couple fundraisers that we had hoped would get us by but no one anticipated having to be closed for 6 plus months and we had hoped that Congress would have passed a new small business funding bill before they left for recess. We want to thank everyone for a great 7 years! It’s been quite a ride and this is not how we had intended or hoped to end things….”
The Harbor Theatre closed at this location on December 27, 2018 and moved to the former Plaza in nearby Norton Shores. They continued there until closing during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020.