The Morris LeGendre theater was his 11th opening April 2d, 1939 with “Topper Takes a Trip.” It had three ticket booths, one for Caucasian audiences who could sit in the 500 seat main floor and then 250 seats in a split balcony with 125 for Lumberton’s large American Indian population in the East Gallery and 125 for African Americans in the West Gallery. The exploitation film, “Mom and Dad” set records to that point for the theater with the sold-out shows snarling traffic, leading to ticket scalping, and having five women faint. J. Paul Lewis was the Riverside’s manager from 1939 until its temporary closure in 1976. He said that “Vanishing Point” was the theater’s highest grossing film along with “Patton” and “Gone with the Wind.”
Lewis would help launch and manage the Town & Country 1-2 when it opened in 1977. Lewis also was the independent operator of the Riverside from 1961-1964 when LeGendre dropped the theater. On June 1, 1964, H.B. Meiselman Circuit added the Riverside to its portfolio.Meiselman changed everything in the theater including marquee, screen, projection, and 400 new seats. The theater was the stepchild to the superior Carolina though superior to the Pastime which closed decades earlier.
Under Eastern Federal Theatres Circuit in the mid-1970s, the theater would go for adult films while launching a more family-centric twin screen theater. With a twin screen and a three-screen operation supplying plenty of nearby free parking, the writing was on the wall for the aging downtown theaters. The Riverside would close at the the end of March 1977 and the Carolina would shutter just two months later ending a long run of downtown cinema history. And while the Carolina would be saved as a live performance venue, the Riverside would be razed.
Newman Bower Architects designed the Town & Country 1-2 Theatres as a twin-screen theatre in which both 350-seat auditoria were identical and shared the same, automated projection booth. On April 6, 1977, the theater had its official Grand Opening for the Eastern Federal Theatre Circuit’s 41st theater. They launched with the films, “Rocky” and “The Crater Lake Monster.” J. Paul Lewis, the opening manager of the Riverside Theater when it opened in 1939 in downtown was the T&C’s first manager. At that point, the Riverside was in Eastern Federal control but closed where it would be reopened closing out as an adult venue. The Town & Country would become a four-screen operation and is still going into the mid-2010s as part of 701 Cinemas.
The 211 Drive-In Opened on April 24, 1952 with “Treasure of Lost Canyon.” It closed in early summer of 1985 for a good run of 33 years including 9 years of adult operation at the end and a brief turn back to family entertainment in its final months.
The Crosscreek Cinemas 1•2•3 in Greenwood Mall launched July 17, 1981 with “Stripes,” “The Great Muppet Caper” and “Endless Love.” Consolidated Theatres Inc. Circuit operated the theater likely on a 25-year lease. The 600-seat theater became part of Carmike in 1990 when Consolidated was purchased. The Carmike Triple Crosscreek Cinemas at Greenwood Mall closed Sept. 24, 2006 with “Jackass: Number Two,” “Flyboys,” and Everyone’s “Hero”. (Technically, this three screener – 200 seats per auditorium – was always three-screens and known as the Crosscreek Cinema and not the Greenwood Mall Cinemas. However, the generic Mall Cinema was what was above the exterior entrance door which could explain the entry’s title.)
Lyman A. Hamrick’s $60,000 “New Theatre” architected by Charles Collins Benton had 780 seats at its April 12, 1930 launch playing, “Fast Company” on its 19'x28' screen and Gaffney Mayor Victor Lipscomb dedicating the theatre. On June 10, 1930, the theatre began advertising as the Hamrick Theatre which it retained until closing on January 4, 1969. Many preservation efforts were made up until the theater’s demolition in May of 1988. But with a large hole in its roof, the building’s neglect for nearly twenty years was too extensive to overcome.
At opening, the cream colored deco building with green trim stood out with the bronze lettering spelling out “Comedy” and “Drama” at left (see photo) and “Music” and “Art” at right. The theater’s Spanish Renaissance interior had a rough quality to it. The theater was designed with Vitaphone sound in mind and would also feature Western Electric sound on film from the outset. The adjoining Chatterbox Soda Fountain was where snacks for the movie would be purchased until an interior concession stand was added in 1954. Also in 1954, the theater played its first 3D show in “The Creature from the Black Lagoon.”
The theater only had two managers with its second manager, G.G. Humphries managing it for more than 35 years and one employee in Jim Gibson who was there for almost the entire theater run of nearly 39 years. A festive last day on January 4, 1969 had films, “A Twist of Sand,” “Five Million Years to Earth,” and “The Viking Queen” along with live music on the stage of “The Fantastic Five.” The theater was neglected after its closing as the roof over the auditorium developed leaks that would hamper the many attempts to salvage the building. A desperate preservation plan was scuttled in April of 1988 and the building razed in May of 1988.
Architected at 1,000 seats by L. Cosby Bernard, the $65,000 Hohman Theater had a Christmas Day 1936 opening with a 20-year lease that it didn’t make it to the end of. First feature was “Laughing Irish Eyes”
Architected by L.L. Jensen, Williamson’s Hollywood Theatre by John Williamson was a $90,000 Spanish motif theater with Spanish chandeliers with a blue and gold color palette and gold curtain. The Hollywood was announced in 1924 and constructed in 1926 and 1927. It was Salem’s first suburban theater named after its area, the Hollywood District. It opened on 3 March 1927 with “Seven Days” followed by the legendary Oregon-shot feature by Buster Keaton, “The General.”
Mary Lebold was at the Wurlitzer organ over from the Capitol following a special free performance by T.S. Roberts. It seated 500 with 350 in the orchestra and 150 in the balcony. The projection was a short throw in the the tightly configured auditorium. The third floor of the structure contained 12 apartments while Davies Confectionary (later the Hollywood Sweet Shop) was on the main floor adjoining the theater. Labor problems occur almost from the outset with the manager of the theater quitting and taking out an ad saying he’s no longer associated with the theater; Williamson’s name disappears from ads, as well.
A fire on Feb. 4, 1929 caused by the switchboard ruined the Wurlitzer and closed the theater for months until it reopened with new management, Ray Strumbo. His improvements included the Hollywood’s first talking pictures. After the War, the theater changes hands a half dozen times and is closed in 1953 just two weeks after the State had closed. But the theater re-opened appealing mainly to children and defying the odds to make it to its 30th anniversary. The theater struggled as the decade of the 1950s closed but under owner Matt Knighton, the theater finally found its way in the early and late 1960s mixing in foreign films and art film offerings. General American Theaters Circuit of Portland (GAT) purchased the Hollywood in late July of 1969. The theater’s balcony was closed off and the seat count was down to 350.
The theater closed on May 25, 1971 as GAT would create a new theater in the Lancaster Mall and the Hollywood was razed as part of an urban renewal project. In nearly 45 years of service, the Hollywood proved itself to be a part of the community it served and a true survivor through the silent to talkie conversion, Depression, WW2 and onset of television. It was missed not so much for its architecture but for being Salem’s first suburban and part of the fabric of the Hollywood District.
Technically, the o-zoner’s correct name is the Hi-Way 26 Outdoor Theatre and was launched by the Badger Outdoor Theatre Company on June 21, 1949. On Historic Aerials, using 3024 Milton Ave., Janesville, WI 53545 and going back to Topos for 1964/72/77 shows the Drive-In.
By the way, the drive-in theater actually didn’t open on Nov. 8, 1947 as indicated in the contest. It actually was delayed for more than six months with its grand opening on July 30, 1948.
Reading your local paper, all reports indicate that this was the Nixon Theatre originated by J.A. Swaton exhibiting vaudeville and short films. The Nixon was purchased by Gus Crivello on Nov. 2, 1909 and renamed / advertised as the Nina Theatre. On Dec. 6, 1909 Jack Herman purchased the Nina continuing into 1910.
This part may be incorrect, but the paper indicates that on March 15, 1910, the theatre is changed to the Bijou Theatre showing films and with vaudeville acts. On April 29, 1910, the theater is closed by the city. Re-opens briefly as the Bijou until new owners take over in 1911.
On September 25, 1911, the Crescent Theater advertises at 210 W. Third St. In November of 1915, the theater changes hands again and is known as the “new” Crescent into 1916 before closing early in the year. An evangelist appears at the location but no more theatrical bookings appear at that location which becomes full-time retail.
Technically, the Twilite Drive-In. For those interested, you can go to historic aerials and enter the address 1538 Brightwood, New Philadelphia OH to see its spot that has the drive-ins footprint to 1985. Launched in 1947 and rebuilt/rebranded as the New Twilite beginning in 1967.
Architected by J. Lewis Ellis, the Marion was opened Oct. 20, 1914 with 700 seats. Its first film was, “My Official Wife.” The Marion Photo-Play Company was in charge. The Photo-Play Company got in financial difficulty in October of 1928 closing the Marion as the theater went into receivership. Its closing was just for ten days as there was a larger deal coming to get the theater in the hands of Paramount / Famous Players which operated the theater from 1929 to 1932. Not surprisingly, the theater would host “Paramount Week.” But the theater closed and was re-opened before being sold to Mid-Ohio Theaters Circuit. The Marion was surging in 1952 at 5,000 customers a week. But attendance would plummet in 1953 and – just three years after its high flying days – it would close for good in 1955. The nearby State Theater closed two years later.
The Oakland Theatre Building was architected by Fred D. Jacobs and completed with its grand opening in October of 1922 and named after the Oakland Height neighborhood in Marion. Eight operators would find out the hard way that neighborhood theater operation was tough sledding in Marion as the theater seemed closed as much as opened in a checkered 26 years of service. Though the theater’s address was at 764 Davids in the Oakland Heights neighborhood, the mixed retail/residential building had numerous addresses containing apartments on the second floor and a number of businesses on the main floor. It was described as a superstructure taking up an entire block at Belafontaine Ave. and Davids. The 400-seat theater appears to initially be under the ownership of the Marion Photo-Play Company which operated the Marion, Grand and Orpheum at some point. The Oakland shut down in the summers in its formative years. Benefit screenings and lectures were part of the theater’s apparently unsuccessful run.
Marion’s movie industry goes into financial tumult in the late 1920s. The Oakland Theatre closed and, in 1928, new owner Reuben Maxson who had three theaters in Celina signed a ten-year lease and arranged for an extensive $15,000 remodeling of the Oakland which included a Japanese tea room, the neighboring New Oakland Sweet Shop silver screen, upholstered seats and an electric Kilgen & Son Wonder Organ with hundreds of pipes to be played by Dorothy Wilson of WAIU radio. On May 28, 1928, the rebranded “New Oakland” launched with “The Gaucho.” The theater struggled and went into receivership though sold to W.C. Barry of Marion in early October of 1928. Maxson’s remaining two Celina theaters were closed as a result of the deal and the Sweet Shop was cut loose from the Oakland’s operation. The theater was rebranded as “The Oakland Theatre.” Two weeks later the Marion Photo-Play company closed the Marion and had to sell off its two remaining theaters, the Grand and Orpheum. The owner, John J. Huebner, would re-open the Marion later. The Oakland was retrofitted for sound showing “Abie’s Irish Rose” on July 19, 1929. Following the January 20, 1930 shows, the Oakland closes.
From 1931-1933, a news article states that the Oakland becomes the Mimes Playhouse presenting live stage plays before moving onward. On April 12, 1936, Harry A. Galenes the Oakland Theatre with “The Mighty Barnum” and “Air Hawks.” Soon after, the Oakland closed again. Then on August 14, 1936, the theater reopened with A. Milo DeHaven formerly of the Charkeres Theater Circuit. The theater’s re-re-re-re-opening film was Jack Benny’s “It’s in the Air.” The theater closes and reopens late in September of 1936 with “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town.” The theater closes again and under its sixth owner, E.A. Ballou is rebranded as “The Oak” opening with “The Roaring Twenties” on Feb. 29, 1940. That appears to last about one month.
The theater opened again in April of 1948 under owner C.E. Harvey who renamed it the Joy Theater. The theater went from 400 to 348 seats in the redesign. “Red Stallion” launched the Joy on April 14, 1948. But there was little joy for the Joy and the theater closed. The Oakland/Joy became a church identified as within the Oakland Theater Building until 1957. (So the entry can definitely stay as the Oakland Theater.) Foursquare Gospel is in the building until 1953 and Christ Gospel appears to be in the space until 1957. No further businesses listings, theatrical bookings or services appear at the location after that date.
Moxley & Moxley Theaters started the Starvue Drive-In launching with “Fury at Furnace Creek” on October 4, 1949. The Moxleys would sell out to the McCuthchens who had owned the Gem and still had the Roxy and Ritz Theaters in Blytheville. On May 29, 1969, the Malco Theater Circuit purchased the Roxy and Starvue from May McCutchen (the Ritz had closed at the end of 1966). Malco quickly drew ire for two X-rated features at the Starvue and pretty much stuck to the hits though running exploitation fare in 1977 if not beyond before closing, being demolished and becoming a car dealership.
The Home Theatre launched April 18, 1924 and got its name from a contest winner announced March 20, 1924 by H.S. Foster who received an annual pass to the theatre. A fire in December of 1931 at the neighboring Smith-Simon Building caused the city to inspect the Home Theatre which was condemned though officially not for fire damage. The fire led to a lawsuit to determine damages to both buildings ($30k for Simon and $10k for Home Theatre).
The Roxy Amusement Company repaired the Home Theatre and renamed it the Roxy but, according to the news article, only operated it for a few months before selling to the most well known local movie house operators in Mr. O.W. and Mrs. May McCutchen of the Gem and the Ritz (and, later, the Starvue Drive-In). During the summer months, the Roxy was closed due to lack of air conditioning and the McCutchens would overhaul the Roxy having a grand re-opening in 1933. They had some air cooling now in place and spent about $10,000 refurbishing the Roxy.
In 1956, the Roxy was retrofitted to play CinemaScope and VistaVision amongst it widescreen offerings. Following the Saturday midnight showings of “Sun Lovers Holiday” on Sept. 24, 1966, there are no more mentions or bookings for the Roxy. In 1967, an evangelist hosts a revival there and that appears to be it for the veteran theater space.
Giouse “Sony” Martini was a veteran movie theater operator in Galveston with his Martini Theatre as well as the Booker T. Washington and this theater, The George W. Carver Theater which played films beginning in 1940 for African American audiences. In 1959, Mateo Vela buys the Carver and switches to Hispanic films under its new name of the Rey Theater. Martini apparently uses the Booker T for a period of running African American films before returning mainstream until that theater’s apparent closure in 1968. Back at the Rey, Vela refines the theater’s name for Hispanic audiences as Teatro Rey and sometimes the redundant Teatro Rey Theatre from 1963 until he sold the Rey in 1973.
It runs under Teatro Rey for five more years. Likely under new and final ownership as a movie theater, on June 22, 1978, the theater changes names to La Plaza Theatre and continues with Hispanic films. Following an April 22, 1979 booking, the theater appears to have gone dark and is listed as for sale in classified listings soon after running from 1979 to 1981. An impressive 20-year Hispanic run and a nearly 40-year cinematic run for the Carver/Rey/La Plaza. The building is purchased in 1988 for the purpose of conversion to non-theater interests.
The Rex Theater opened on July 2, 1930 with “On with the Show” with both Vitaphone and Movietone sound equipment. The “New” Rex Theatre opened August 2, 1935 and the original Rex became the Lyric. The Lyric’s last movie listings were in 1962 before becoming a church later in the decade.
The “New” Rex Theatre opened August 2, 1935 with 500 seats downs stairs at 25 cents each and 350 in the balcony at 15 cents each. The 16’ by 20’ screen showed Will Rogers’ Judge Priest. The New Rex replaced the former Rex Theater which had just opened five years earlier on July 2, 1930 at 3503 W. 6th Ave. with “On with the Show” with both Vitaphone and Movietone sound equipment. It would become the Lyric which was open into the 1960s before becoming a church. On February 18, 1956, the newer Rex closed with “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” and “The Night Holds Terror.”
The grand opening for the Navarro Drive-In which launched with “Swiss Family Robinson” was on August 6, 1948. The 10-acre site was purchased by Maurice Cole of the Texas Drive-In Theatre Operators circuit. The Navarro would come close to delivering its twin screen in time for the 25th anniversary. It narrowly missed advertising as “Second Screen coming soon” in its ads. The Navarro hired Glenn Vaughn away from the Corsicana Twin Cinema – former Jerry Lewis Twin Cinema – giving the Navarro an experienced hand managing a dual-screen operation. Screen two / the Twin launched Sept. 20, 1973 with “Paper Moon” and “Bad Company” while a Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood double feature played on the original screen.
Architected by Hammond and Company, Charles A. Richter and Frederick Martin’s $75,000 Valley Drive-In was showy. The Spanish Colonial architecture, gaudy colors, neon, and landscaping made a nice backdrop for theater-goers and passers by, alike. Composed of brick, steel, concrete and glass brick with maroon accents, the theater tower was best remembered for its tropical palm mural. The 38x52 foot screen had a black matte and a sliver screen projection area. In addition to its 300 spaces, there is a long row of benches for people without cars (which can be seen in one of the photos). Richter claimed to have built the third ever drive-in in the USA. In 1948, Richter became president of the Independent Drive-In Theaters Association located in Austin, TX. The original co-owner of the Valley, Frederick Martin, is listed as its sole owner later that year.
Good call on the closing Drive-In 54: The year-round operation appears to have ceased operations just after its 15th anniversary celebration. The last showtimes advertised were on Feb. 22, 1960 with “The Diary of Anne Frank.” The land was leased from a local farmer which may indicate the end of a 15-year agreement.
The Harvey A. Jordan architected Chisholm Trail Drive-In was named after its owner, Mr. E. Chisholm who announced the project in March of 1959 and had a grand opening on May 21, 1959. The Chisholm Trail was at 3001 East Main Street bounded by railroad tracks and Main Street and getting additional traffic from Jefferson Avenue. Opening first features on the 40' by 80' screen were “Forest Rangers” and “Wells Fargo.” Chisholm veered the theater toward families and children. Competition was just down to the east with the Twin Drive-In and then further down to the east was the Jefferson D.I. Trains would constantly appear to blow through the Chisholm’s drive-in tower with loud noise and rumbling during screenings. The Chisholm struggled and Woodland Hills Mayor Arthur Avnsoe took over the theater in 1962. The theater’s view toward busy E. Main St. and noise and rumblings – not from the trains – but within the cars at the drive-in appears to have unseated the Chisholm.
Attention about a jury trial over the theater’s showing of “Europe in the Raw” on July 16, 1963 caused a chain reaction. Though the drive-in prevailed having not violated the 1961 anti-obscenity act, public furor didn’t subside. Chemline Inc. – operators of the nearby Twin Drive-In – decided to challenge the Constitutionality of the city’s ordinance which drew an overflow audience to the courtroom. A psychiatrist from Austin explained the dangers of screen leakage on drivers. The anti-obscenity act was upheld which gave residents some teeth in the matter. Not one but 15 petitions flowed to Grand Prairie Mayor C.P. Waggoner with over 1,000 signatures about lewd and obscene films showing at the Chisholm in 1964. Facing mounting public relations backlash for public nuisance and causing inattentive driving habits, the Chisholm’s operator had an opportunity.
First, Avnsoe would move to the newly built Country Squire Drive-In just south of Dallas' Redbird Airport on U.S. 67. As for the Chisholm, veteran theater operator J.J. Rodriguez of the Panamericano in Dallas was convinced by businessmen to convert his Spanish language Panamericano Theater to an art house/restaurant/night club called the Festival. This would require the Panamericano to shut down in early 1965 to convert the space. Rodriguez took on the Chisholm in March 1965 to continue his bookings of Spanish Language films. Rebranding the ozoner as the Auto Vista, Rodriguez opened March 29, 1965 with “La Bandida” and “Suenos de Oro.” Rodriguez operated the theater for one season but closed the theater not long after the Festival launched.
Charles Weisenburg added the Auto Vista the next season in his circuit of Weisenburg Theaters. He rebranded the Auto Vista as the East Main Drive-In and switched it back to English language films. Weisenburg dropped the East Main but the McLendon Theater Circuit would take over the East Main shortly thereafter in 1969 hoping to turn it in to a twin screener. McLendon had recently purchased the Downs Drive-In in Grand Prairie and would convert it to the renamed, multi-screen Century Drive-In in 1970. The circuit had also converted the single screen Garland Road Drive-In into the three-screen Apollo Drive-In. McClendon took over the Plano Drive-In retaining its name and converting it to a three-screen operation. McClendon’s ozone portfolio entering the 1970s was the Astro, Apollo, Gemini, Century, and East Main. That didn’t last long for one property and it was the East Main on the chopping block.
The East Main space was tight and McLendon decided to hold off on twinning the theater. As an underachiever for three previous owners, McLendon reduced the theater to discount status playing exploitation double and triple features or third-run major features to an admission price of just 99 cents per carload. The experiment ended in 1971 as McLendon quietly dropped the theater. A look at the theater at historical aerials.com in 1972 shows the first “bite” already removed from the theater with its demolition to follow. Three names, five owners and not much success for the Chisholm Trail /Auto Vista/ East Main in a 12-year period.
The Twin Hi-Ways Drive-In Theater opened in June 26, 1955 at 4800 E. Main St. in Grand Prairie. with “Duel in the Sun” and “The Long Wait” on its single screen. The Twin confusingly opened as a single-screen theater named after the two roadways that the drive-in was near in Loop 12 and Highway 80. Patrons could enter from Highway 80 / Main St. or Jefferson St.. that bounded both sides of the theater. Because the theater pre-dated the Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike during its first two years of operation, loads of traffic passed by the theater.
Its competition came from the Jefferson Drive-In about 2.5 miles to the east. In its first years of operation, the Twin played second-run double features. Unlike the Jefferson whose screen was shielded from ongoing cars, the Twin Hi-Ways had its screen facing the highway which led to myriad accidents including fatalities. This was an awful situation that just got worse. Two weeks after the Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike opened routing traffic to what is now Interstate 30, mother nature spoke. A wind storm knocked the Twin’s theater screen down on September 11, 1957. Unfortunately, the owners doubled down and created a two-screen theater rebuilding the “East Screen” with 750 spots and the new, “West Screen” opening July 18, 1958 with 500 spots. “Peyton Place” opened on East Screen and “God’s Little Acre” with “Across the Bridge to Mexico” inaugurated the West Screen. The theater’s official name was now Twin Drive-In Theatres often referred to as The Twin and both screens carried double-features with newer content on East Screen. Both screens faced Highway 80 making even more unsafe traffic conditions than before. And this nightmarish situation even got worse yet.
In 1959, new competition from the family-oriented Chisholm Trail Drive-In (renamed the Auto Vista and then the East Main) less than two miles to the west. With competition fierce, Chemline, the operators of the Twin. Chemline made a momentous decision late in 1962 to turn East Screen into an adult screen. People too afraid or cheap to buy a ticket parked on the shoulder or in the ditches along Highway 80 and, upon completion of viewing, would pull out slowly onto the highway. Drivers not expecting cars pulling from the shoulder or a ditch and possibly with their eyes on the drive-in screen faced myriad near misses, as well as serious and fatal accidents along the stretch. On December 4, 1962 police seized seven “girlie” films and would charge the operators with a “public showing” of lewd content. The operators were able to previal in a lower court decision as a First Amendment violation and appealed licensing fees as a tax upon the right of free communication. The Chisholm Drive-In would also experiment with adult content doing brisk business with “Europe in the Raw” in 1963 as Chemline’s case proceeded.
In 1964, 15 petitions were handed to Grand Prairie Mayor C.P. Waggoner with over 1,000 signatures. With a public relations disaster on their hands, the theaters went two different directions. The Chisholm operator moved away from Grand Prairie to Dallas and created a new drive-in to show adult fare. A new operator rebranded the Chisholm as the Autovista playing Hispanic-oriented films. The Twin’s Chemline, meanwhile went all in with a court battle drawing an overflow crowd and a psychiatrist from Austin explaining the dangers of screen leakage on drivers and youth, alike. Chemline got a big win and a slight loss in November of 1964 with the case appealed on both counts. On July 6, 1966, Chemline finally lost at the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in the case of Chemline v. City of Grand Prairie. But the four-year battle saw four more years of traffic problems.
Following its loss, the Twin appeared to have taken a low-key philosophy discontinuing show listings and advertising. Hopes to move away from anything other than adult films was challenged when the three-screen Astro moved in less than five miles away in 1968 near Loop 12 and the 303. According to the police blotter, adult films are stolen from the theater’s projection room in 1968 and 1970. Since incomplete reels were taken in the heists, it was apparent that the thieves didn’t want the theater playing adult content more than the thieves wanting incomplete copies of features. The Twin’s East Screen appears to have been retired toward the end of the theater’s run. The entire operation appears to have closed not long after two big robberies in November and December of 1970. That also times out with the end of a 15-year lease which likely was the end of Twin.
The Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike would become a “free” interstate in 1978 decimating traffic and property values around the Twin in the late 1970s. Today, the Twin’s East Screen has junked cars for an auto salvage yard and the West Screen has returned to vacancy as of the mid-2010s and can be found across from the Sunset Golf Club in Grand Prairie. A year after the Twin closed, its competition to the west – the East Main Drive-In which was playing super low-cost double-feature sub-runs and triple-feature sub-sub or exploitation runs (former Chisholm / former Autovista) closed after the 1971 season leaving just the Jefferson Drive-In along this stretch. The Jefferson would operate until 1990 with the Astro going all the way to 1998.
S.S. Dixon of Fayetteville was the theater’s architect.
The Morris LeGendre theater was his 11th opening April 2d, 1939 with “Topper Takes a Trip.” It had three ticket booths, one for Caucasian audiences who could sit in the 500 seat main floor and then 250 seats in a split balcony with 125 for Lumberton’s large American Indian population in the East Gallery and 125 for African Americans in the West Gallery. The exploitation film, “Mom and Dad” set records to that point for the theater with the sold-out shows snarling traffic, leading to ticket scalping, and having five women faint. J. Paul Lewis was the Riverside’s manager from 1939 until its temporary closure in 1976. He said that “Vanishing Point” was the theater’s highest grossing film along with “Patton” and “Gone with the Wind.”
Lewis would help launch and manage the Town & Country 1-2 when it opened in 1977. Lewis also was the independent operator of the Riverside from 1961-1964 when LeGendre dropped the theater. On June 1, 1964, H.B. Meiselman Circuit added the Riverside to its portfolio.Meiselman changed everything in the theater including marquee, screen, projection, and 400 new seats. The theater was the stepchild to the superior Carolina though superior to the Pastime which closed decades earlier.
Under Eastern Federal Theatres Circuit in the mid-1970s, the theater would go for adult films while launching a more family-centric twin screen theater. With a twin screen and a three-screen operation supplying plenty of nearby free parking, the writing was on the wall for the aging downtown theaters. The Riverside would close at the the end of March 1977 and the Carolina would shutter just two months later ending a long run of downtown cinema history. And while the Carolina would be saved as a live performance venue, the Riverside would be razed.
Newman Bower Architects designed the Town & Country 1-2 Theatres as a twin-screen theatre in which both 350-seat auditoria were identical and shared the same, automated projection booth. On April 6, 1977, the theater had its official Grand Opening for the Eastern Federal Theatre Circuit’s 41st theater. They launched with the films, “Rocky” and “The Crater Lake Monster.” J. Paul Lewis, the opening manager of the Riverside Theater when it opened in 1939 in downtown was the T&C’s first manager. At that point, the Riverside was in Eastern Federal control but closed where it would be reopened closing out as an adult venue. The Town & Country would become a four-screen operation and is still going into the mid-2010s as part of 701 Cinemas.
The 211 Drive-In Opened on April 24, 1952 with “Treasure of Lost Canyon.” It closed in early summer of 1985 for a good run of 33 years including 9 years of adult operation at the end and a brief turn back to family entertainment in its final months.
The Crosscreek Cinemas 1•2•3 in Greenwood Mall launched July 17, 1981 with “Stripes,” “The Great Muppet Caper” and “Endless Love.” Consolidated Theatres Inc. Circuit operated the theater likely on a 25-year lease. The 600-seat theater became part of Carmike in 1990 when Consolidated was purchased. The Carmike Triple Crosscreek Cinemas at Greenwood Mall closed Sept. 24, 2006 with “Jackass: Number Two,” “Flyboys,” and Everyone’s “Hero”. (Technically, this three screener – 200 seats per auditorium – was always three-screens and known as the Crosscreek Cinema and not the Greenwood Mall Cinemas. However, the generic Mall Cinema was what was above the exterior entrance door which could explain the entry’s title.)
Lyman A. Hamrick’s $60,000 “New Theatre” architected by Charles Collins Benton had 780 seats at its April 12, 1930 launch playing, “Fast Company” on its 19'x28' screen and Gaffney Mayor Victor Lipscomb dedicating the theatre. On June 10, 1930, the theatre began advertising as the Hamrick Theatre which it retained until closing on January 4, 1969. Many preservation efforts were made up until the theater’s demolition in May of 1988. But with a large hole in its roof, the building’s neglect for nearly twenty years was too extensive to overcome.
At opening, the cream colored deco building with green trim stood out with the bronze lettering spelling out “Comedy” and “Drama” at left (see photo) and “Music” and “Art” at right. The theater’s Spanish Renaissance interior had a rough quality to it. The theater was designed with Vitaphone sound in mind and would also feature Western Electric sound on film from the outset. The adjoining Chatterbox Soda Fountain was where snacks for the movie would be purchased until an interior concession stand was added in 1954. Also in 1954, the theater played its first 3D show in “The Creature from the Black Lagoon.”
The theater only had two managers with its second manager, G.G. Humphries managing it for more than 35 years and one employee in Jim Gibson who was there for almost the entire theater run of nearly 39 years. A festive last day on January 4, 1969 had films, “A Twist of Sand,” “Five Million Years to Earth,” and “The Viking Queen” along with live music on the stage of “The Fantastic Five.” The theater was neglected after its closing as the roof over the auditorium developed leaks that would hamper the many attempts to salvage the building. A desperate preservation plan was scuttled in April of 1988 and the building razed in May of 1988.
Architected at 1,000 seats by L. Cosby Bernard, the $65,000 Hohman Theater had a Christmas Day 1936 opening with a 20-year lease that it didn’t make it to the end of. First feature was “Laughing Irish Eyes”
Architected by L.L. Jensen, Williamson’s Hollywood Theatre by John Williamson was a $90,000 Spanish motif theater with Spanish chandeliers with a blue and gold color palette and gold curtain. The Hollywood was announced in 1924 and constructed in 1926 and 1927. It was Salem’s first suburban theater named after its area, the Hollywood District. It opened on 3 March 1927 with “Seven Days” followed by the legendary Oregon-shot feature by Buster Keaton, “The General.”
Mary Lebold was at the Wurlitzer organ over from the Capitol following a special free performance by T.S. Roberts. It seated 500 with 350 in the orchestra and 150 in the balcony. The projection was a short throw in the the tightly configured auditorium. The third floor of the structure contained 12 apartments while Davies Confectionary (later the Hollywood Sweet Shop) was on the main floor adjoining the theater. Labor problems occur almost from the outset with the manager of the theater quitting and taking out an ad saying he’s no longer associated with the theater; Williamson’s name disappears from ads, as well.
A fire on Feb. 4, 1929 caused by the switchboard ruined the Wurlitzer and closed the theater for months until it reopened with new management, Ray Strumbo. His improvements included the Hollywood’s first talking pictures. After the War, the theater changes hands a half dozen times and is closed in 1953 just two weeks after the State had closed. But the theater re-opened appealing mainly to children and defying the odds to make it to its 30th anniversary. The theater struggled as the decade of the 1950s closed but under owner Matt Knighton, the theater finally found its way in the early and late 1960s mixing in foreign films and art film offerings. General American Theaters Circuit of Portland (GAT) purchased the Hollywood in late July of 1969. The theater’s balcony was closed off and the seat count was down to 350.
The theater closed on May 25, 1971 as GAT would create a new theater in the Lancaster Mall and the Hollywood was razed as part of an urban renewal project. In nearly 45 years of service, the Hollywood proved itself to be a part of the community it served and a true survivor through the silent to talkie conversion, Depression, WW2 and onset of television. It was missed not so much for its architecture but for being Salem’s first suburban and part of the fabric of the Hollywood District.
Technically, the o-zoner’s correct name is the Hi-Way 26 Outdoor Theatre and was launched by the Badger Outdoor Theatre Company on June 21, 1949. On Historic Aerials, using 3024 Milton Ave., Janesville, WI 53545 and going back to Topos for 1964/72/77 shows the Drive-In.
By the way, the drive-in theater actually didn’t open on Nov. 8, 1947 as indicated in the contest. It actually was delayed for more than six months with its grand opening on July 30, 1948.
Reading your local paper, all reports indicate that this was the Nixon Theatre originated by J.A. Swaton exhibiting vaudeville and short films. The Nixon was purchased by Gus Crivello on Nov. 2, 1909 and renamed / advertised as the Nina Theatre. On Dec. 6, 1909 Jack Herman purchased the Nina continuing into 1910.
This part may be incorrect, but the paper indicates that on March 15, 1910, the theatre is changed to the Bijou Theatre showing films and with vaudeville acts. On April 29, 1910, the theater is closed by the city. Re-opens briefly as the Bijou until new owners take over in 1911.
On September 25, 1911, the Crescent Theater advertises at 210 W. Third St. In November of 1915, the theater changes hands again and is known as the “new” Crescent into 1916 before closing early in the year. An evangelist appears at the location but no more theatrical bookings appear at that location which becomes full-time retail.
Technically, the Twilite Drive-In. For those interested, you can go to historic aerials and enter the address 1538 Brightwood, New Philadelphia OH to see its spot that has the drive-ins footprint to 1985. Launched in 1947 and rebuilt/rebranded as the New Twilite beginning in 1967.
Architected by J. Lewis Ellis, the Marion was opened Oct. 20, 1914 with 700 seats. Its first film was, “My Official Wife.” The Marion Photo-Play Company was in charge. The Photo-Play Company got in financial difficulty in October of 1928 closing the Marion as the theater went into receivership. Its closing was just for ten days as there was a larger deal coming to get the theater in the hands of Paramount / Famous Players which operated the theater from 1929 to 1932. Not surprisingly, the theater would host “Paramount Week.” But the theater closed and was re-opened before being sold to Mid-Ohio Theaters Circuit. The Marion was surging in 1952 at 5,000 customers a week. But attendance would plummet in 1953 and – just three years after its high flying days – it would close for good in 1955. The nearby State Theater closed two years later.
The Oakland Theatre Building was architected by Fred D. Jacobs and completed with its grand opening in October of 1922 and named after the Oakland Height neighborhood in Marion. Eight operators would find out the hard way that neighborhood theater operation was tough sledding in Marion as the theater seemed closed as much as opened in a checkered 26 years of service. Though the theater’s address was at 764 Davids in the Oakland Heights neighborhood, the mixed retail/residential building had numerous addresses containing apartments on the second floor and a number of businesses on the main floor. It was described as a superstructure taking up an entire block at Belafontaine Ave. and Davids. The 400-seat theater appears to initially be under the ownership of the Marion Photo-Play Company which operated the Marion, Grand and Orpheum at some point. The Oakland shut down in the summers in its formative years. Benefit screenings and lectures were part of the theater’s apparently unsuccessful run.
Marion’s movie industry goes into financial tumult in the late 1920s. The Oakland Theatre closed and, in 1928, new owner Reuben Maxson who had three theaters in Celina signed a ten-year lease and arranged for an extensive $15,000 remodeling of the Oakland which included a Japanese tea room, the neighboring New Oakland Sweet Shop silver screen, upholstered seats and an electric Kilgen & Son Wonder Organ with hundreds of pipes to be played by Dorothy Wilson of WAIU radio. On May 28, 1928, the rebranded “New Oakland” launched with “The Gaucho.” The theater struggled and went into receivership though sold to W.C. Barry of Marion in early October of 1928. Maxson’s remaining two Celina theaters were closed as a result of the deal and the Sweet Shop was cut loose from the Oakland’s operation. The theater was rebranded as “The Oakland Theatre.” Two weeks later the Marion Photo-Play company closed the Marion and had to sell off its two remaining theaters, the Grand and Orpheum. The owner, John J. Huebner, would re-open the Marion later. The Oakland was retrofitted for sound showing “Abie’s Irish Rose” on July 19, 1929. Following the January 20, 1930 shows, the Oakland closes.
From 1931-1933, a news article states that the Oakland becomes the Mimes Playhouse presenting live stage plays before moving onward. On April 12, 1936, Harry A. Galenes the Oakland Theatre with “The Mighty Barnum” and “Air Hawks.” Soon after, the Oakland closed again. Then on August 14, 1936, the theater reopened with A. Milo DeHaven formerly of the Charkeres Theater Circuit. The theater’s re-re-re-re-opening film was Jack Benny’s “It’s in the Air.” The theater closes and reopens late in September of 1936 with “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town.” The theater closes again and under its sixth owner, E.A. Ballou is rebranded as “The Oak” opening with “The Roaring Twenties” on Feb. 29, 1940. That appears to last about one month.
The theater opened again in April of 1948 under owner C.E. Harvey who renamed it the Joy Theater. The theater went from 400 to 348 seats in the redesign. “Red Stallion” launched the Joy on April 14, 1948. But there was little joy for the Joy and the theater closed. The Oakland/Joy became a church identified as within the Oakland Theater Building until 1957. (So the entry can definitely stay as the Oakland Theater.) Foursquare Gospel is in the building until 1953 and Christ Gospel appears to be in the space until 1957. No further businesses listings, theatrical bookings or services appear at the location after that date.
Moxley & Moxley Theaters started the Starvue Drive-In launching with “Fury at Furnace Creek” on October 4, 1949. The Moxleys would sell out to the McCuthchens who had owned the Gem and still had the Roxy and Ritz Theaters in Blytheville. On May 29, 1969, the Malco Theater Circuit purchased the Roxy and Starvue from May McCutchen (the Ritz had closed at the end of 1966). Malco quickly drew ire for two X-rated features at the Starvue and pretty much stuck to the hits though running exploitation fare in 1977 if not beyond before closing, being demolished and becoming a car dealership.
The Home Theatre launched April 18, 1924 and got its name from a contest winner announced March 20, 1924 by H.S. Foster who received an annual pass to the theatre. A fire in December of 1931 at the neighboring Smith-Simon Building caused the city to inspect the Home Theatre which was condemned though officially not for fire damage. The fire led to a lawsuit to determine damages to both buildings ($30k for Simon and $10k for Home Theatre).
The Roxy Amusement Company repaired the Home Theatre and renamed it the Roxy but, according to the news article, only operated it for a few months before selling to the most well known local movie house operators in Mr. O.W. and Mrs. May McCutchen of the Gem and the Ritz (and, later, the Starvue Drive-In). During the summer months, the Roxy was closed due to lack of air conditioning and the McCutchens would overhaul the Roxy having a grand re-opening in 1933. They had some air cooling now in place and spent about $10,000 refurbishing the Roxy.
In 1956, the Roxy was retrofitted to play CinemaScope and VistaVision amongst it widescreen offerings. Following the Saturday midnight showings of “Sun Lovers Holiday” on Sept. 24, 1966, there are no more mentions or bookings for the Roxy. In 1967, an evangelist hosts a revival there and that appears to be it for the veteran theater space.
Giouse “Sony” Martini was a veteran movie theater operator in Galveston with his Martini Theatre as well as the Booker T. Washington and this theater, The George W. Carver Theater which played films beginning in 1940 for African American audiences. In 1959, Mateo Vela buys the Carver and switches to Hispanic films under its new name of the Rey Theater. Martini apparently uses the Booker T for a period of running African American films before returning mainstream until that theater’s apparent closure in 1968. Back at the Rey, Vela refines the theater’s name for Hispanic audiences as Teatro Rey and sometimes the redundant Teatro Rey Theatre from 1963 until he sold the Rey in 1973.
It runs under Teatro Rey for five more years. Likely under new and final ownership as a movie theater, on June 22, 1978, the theater changes names to La Plaza Theatre and continues with Hispanic films. Following an April 22, 1979 booking, the theater appears to have gone dark and is listed as for sale in classified listings soon after running from 1979 to 1981. An impressive 20-year Hispanic run and a nearly 40-year cinematic run for the Carver/Rey/La Plaza. The building is purchased in 1988 for the purpose of conversion to non-theater interests.
The Rex Theater opened on July 2, 1930 with “On with the Show” with both Vitaphone and Movietone sound equipment. The “New” Rex Theatre opened August 2, 1935 and the original Rex became the Lyric. The Lyric’s last movie listings were in 1962 before becoming a church later in the decade.
The “New” Rex Theatre opened August 2, 1935 with 500 seats downs stairs at 25 cents each and 350 in the balcony at 15 cents each. The 16’ by 20’ screen showed Will Rogers’ Judge Priest. The New Rex replaced the former Rex Theater which had just opened five years earlier on July 2, 1930 at 3503 W. 6th Ave. with “On with the Show” with both Vitaphone and Movietone sound equipment. It would become the Lyric which was open into the 1960s before becoming a church. On February 18, 1956, the newer Rex closed with “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” and “The Night Holds Terror.”
The grand opening for the Navarro Drive-In which launched with “Swiss Family Robinson” was on August 6, 1948. The 10-acre site was purchased by Maurice Cole of the Texas Drive-In Theatre Operators circuit. The Navarro would come close to delivering its twin screen in time for the 25th anniversary. It narrowly missed advertising as “Second Screen coming soon” in its ads. The Navarro hired Glenn Vaughn away from the Corsicana Twin Cinema – former Jerry Lewis Twin Cinema – giving the Navarro an experienced hand managing a dual-screen operation. Screen two / the Twin launched Sept. 20, 1973 with “Paper Moon” and “Bad Company” while a Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood double feature played on the original screen.
Architected by Hammond and Company, Charles A. Richter and Frederick Martin’s $75,000 Valley Drive-In was showy. The Spanish Colonial architecture, gaudy colors, neon, and landscaping made a nice backdrop for theater-goers and passers by, alike. Composed of brick, steel, concrete and glass brick with maroon accents, the theater tower was best remembered for its tropical palm mural. The 38x52 foot screen had a black matte and a sliver screen projection area. In addition to its 300 spaces, there is a long row of benches for people without cars (which can be seen in one of the photos). Richter claimed to have built the third ever drive-in in the USA. In 1948, Richter became president of the Independent Drive-In Theaters Association located in Austin, TX. The original co-owner of the Valley, Frederick Martin, is listed as its sole owner later that year.
Good call on the closing Drive-In 54: The year-round operation appears to have ceased operations just after its 15th anniversary celebration. The last showtimes advertised were on Feb. 22, 1960 with “The Diary of Anne Frank.” The land was leased from a local farmer which may indicate the end of a 15-year agreement.
Correction: April 29, 1949
Designed by Harvey A. Jordan, the architectural drawings for the Ruston Drive-In can be found in the University of Texas library.
The Harvey A. Jordan architected Chisholm Trail Drive-In was named after its owner, Mr. E. Chisholm who announced the project in March of 1959 and had a grand opening on May 21, 1959. The Chisholm Trail was at 3001 East Main Street bounded by railroad tracks and Main Street and getting additional traffic from Jefferson Avenue. Opening first features on the 40' by 80' screen were “Forest Rangers” and “Wells Fargo.” Chisholm veered the theater toward families and children. Competition was just down to the east with the Twin Drive-In and then further down to the east was the Jefferson D.I. Trains would constantly appear to blow through the Chisholm’s drive-in tower with loud noise and rumbling during screenings. The Chisholm struggled and Woodland Hills Mayor Arthur Avnsoe took over the theater in 1962. The theater’s view toward busy E. Main St. and noise and rumblings – not from the trains – but within the cars at the drive-in appears to have unseated the Chisholm.
Attention about a jury trial over the theater’s showing of “Europe in the Raw” on July 16, 1963 caused a chain reaction. Though the drive-in prevailed having not violated the 1961 anti-obscenity act, public furor didn’t subside. Chemline Inc. – operators of the nearby Twin Drive-In – decided to challenge the Constitutionality of the city’s ordinance which drew an overflow audience to the courtroom. A psychiatrist from Austin explained the dangers of screen leakage on drivers. The anti-obscenity act was upheld which gave residents some teeth in the matter. Not one but 15 petitions flowed to Grand Prairie Mayor C.P. Waggoner with over 1,000 signatures about lewd and obscene films showing at the Chisholm in 1964. Facing mounting public relations backlash for public nuisance and causing inattentive driving habits, the Chisholm’s operator had an opportunity.
First, Avnsoe would move to the newly built Country Squire Drive-In just south of Dallas' Redbird Airport on U.S. 67. As for the Chisholm, veteran theater operator J.J. Rodriguez of the Panamericano in Dallas was convinced by businessmen to convert his Spanish language Panamericano Theater to an art house/restaurant/night club called the Festival. This would require the Panamericano to shut down in early 1965 to convert the space. Rodriguez took on the Chisholm in March 1965 to continue his bookings of Spanish Language films. Rebranding the ozoner as the Auto Vista, Rodriguez opened March 29, 1965 with “La Bandida” and “Suenos de Oro.” Rodriguez operated the theater for one season but closed the theater not long after the Festival launched.
Charles Weisenburg added the Auto Vista the next season in his circuit of Weisenburg Theaters. He rebranded the Auto Vista as the East Main Drive-In and switched it back to English language films. Weisenburg dropped the East Main but the McLendon Theater Circuit would take over the East Main shortly thereafter in 1969 hoping to turn it in to a twin screener. McLendon had recently purchased the Downs Drive-In in Grand Prairie and would convert it to the renamed, multi-screen Century Drive-In in 1970. The circuit had also converted the single screen Garland Road Drive-In into the three-screen Apollo Drive-In. McClendon took over the Plano Drive-In retaining its name and converting it to a three-screen operation. McClendon’s ozone portfolio entering the 1970s was the Astro, Apollo, Gemini, Century, and East Main. That didn’t last long for one property and it was the East Main on the chopping block.
The East Main space was tight and McLendon decided to hold off on twinning the theater. As an underachiever for three previous owners, McLendon reduced the theater to discount status playing exploitation double and triple features or third-run major features to an admission price of just 99 cents per carload. The experiment ended in 1971 as McLendon quietly dropped the theater. A look at the theater at historical aerials.com in 1972 shows the first “bite” already removed from the theater with its demolition to follow. Three names, five owners and not much success for the Chisholm Trail /Auto Vista/ East Main in a 12-year period.
The Twin Hi-Ways Drive-In Theater opened in June 26, 1955 at 4800 E. Main St. in Grand Prairie. with “Duel in the Sun” and “The Long Wait” on its single screen. The Twin confusingly opened as a single-screen theater named after the two roadways that the drive-in was near in Loop 12 and Highway 80. Patrons could enter from Highway 80 / Main St. or Jefferson St.. that bounded both sides of the theater. Because the theater pre-dated the Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike during its first two years of operation, loads of traffic passed by the theater.
Its competition came from the Jefferson Drive-In about 2.5 miles to the east. In its first years of operation, the Twin played second-run double features. Unlike the Jefferson whose screen was shielded from ongoing cars, the Twin Hi-Ways had its screen facing the highway which led to myriad accidents including fatalities. This was an awful situation that just got worse. Two weeks after the Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike opened routing traffic to what is now Interstate 30, mother nature spoke. A wind storm knocked the Twin’s theater screen down on September 11, 1957. Unfortunately, the owners doubled down and created a two-screen theater rebuilding the “East Screen” with 750 spots and the new, “West Screen” opening July 18, 1958 with 500 spots. “Peyton Place” opened on East Screen and “God’s Little Acre” with “Across the Bridge to Mexico” inaugurated the West Screen. The theater’s official name was now Twin Drive-In Theatres often referred to as The Twin and both screens carried double-features with newer content on East Screen. Both screens faced Highway 80 making even more unsafe traffic conditions than before. And this nightmarish situation even got worse yet.
In 1959, new competition from the family-oriented Chisholm Trail Drive-In (renamed the Auto Vista and then the East Main) less than two miles to the west. With competition fierce, Chemline, the operators of the Twin. Chemline made a momentous decision late in 1962 to turn East Screen into an adult screen. People too afraid or cheap to buy a ticket parked on the shoulder or in the ditches along Highway 80 and, upon completion of viewing, would pull out slowly onto the highway. Drivers not expecting cars pulling from the shoulder or a ditch and possibly with their eyes on the drive-in screen faced myriad near misses, as well as serious and fatal accidents along the stretch. On December 4, 1962 police seized seven “girlie” films and would charge the operators with a “public showing” of lewd content. The operators were able to previal in a lower court decision as a First Amendment violation and appealed licensing fees as a tax upon the right of free communication. The Chisholm Drive-In would also experiment with adult content doing brisk business with “Europe in the Raw” in 1963 as Chemline’s case proceeded.
In 1964, 15 petitions were handed to Grand Prairie Mayor C.P. Waggoner with over 1,000 signatures. With a public relations disaster on their hands, the theaters went two different directions. The Chisholm operator moved away from Grand Prairie to Dallas and created a new drive-in to show adult fare. A new operator rebranded the Chisholm as the Autovista playing Hispanic-oriented films. The Twin’s Chemline, meanwhile went all in with a court battle drawing an overflow crowd and a psychiatrist from Austin explaining the dangers of screen leakage on drivers and youth, alike. Chemline got a big win and a slight loss in November of 1964 with the case appealed on both counts. On July 6, 1966, Chemline finally lost at the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in the case of Chemline v. City of Grand Prairie. But the four-year battle saw four more years of traffic problems.
Following its loss, the Twin appeared to have taken a low-key philosophy discontinuing show listings and advertising. Hopes to move away from anything other than adult films was challenged when the three-screen Astro moved in less than five miles away in 1968 near Loop 12 and the 303. According to the police blotter, adult films are stolen from the theater’s projection room in 1968 and 1970. Since incomplete reels were taken in the heists, it was apparent that the thieves didn’t want the theater playing adult content more than the thieves wanting incomplete copies of features. The Twin’s East Screen appears to have been retired toward the end of the theater’s run. The entire operation appears to have closed not long after two big robberies in November and December of 1970. That also times out with the end of a 15-year lease which likely was the end of Twin.
The Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike would become a “free” interstate in 1978 decimating traffic and property values around the Twin in the late 1970s. Today, the Twin’s East Screen has junked cars for an auto salvage yard and the West Screen has returned to vacancy as of the mid-2010s and can be found across from the Sunset Golf Club in Grand Prairie. A year after the Twin closed, its competition to the west – the East Main Drive-In which was playing super low-cost double-feature sub-runs and triple-feature sub-sub or exploitation runs (former Chisholm / former Autovista) closed after the 1971 season leaving just the Jefferson Drive-In along this stretch. The Jefferson would operate until 1990 with the Astro going all the way to 1998.