The Lyric Theatre opened during the week of July 22, 1935 by the husband-and-wife team of Mr. and Mrs. N.M. Burris of Bremen, Ohio, although its official opening date that week remains unknown.
The Lyric quietly closed on April 13, 1953 with Robert Taylor in “Above And Beyond” (unknown if extras added) for unknown reasons.
Actually, the Lyric Theatre is not the only movie theater in Scottsville. There’s another theater I recently found called the Center Theatre, which operated into as late as either the 1970s or 1980s. I cannot find any information about it, but someone out there can figure it out.
Actually, the 31 West Drive-In started construction earlier in 1969, and opened its gates on July 23, 1969 with Andy Griffith in “Angel In My Pocket” and Don Knotts in “The Shakiest Gun In The West”.
The nearby Franklin Drive-In, which opened in September 1949, either closed around the same time in connection of the opening of the 31 West or continued operating without any advertisements being demonstrated.
It was never known as the Franklin Drive-In, as that name belongs to the other drive-in.
The Westland opened with George Montgomery in “Dakota Lil” along with Walt Disney’s Silly Symphony “Funny Little Bunnies” and the short “Jungle Terrors”.
It was closed in either the late-1990s or early-2000s.
The Thunderbird Drive-In opened its gates on July 15, 1971 with John Wayne in “Big Jake”, featuring installations of automated projection with Xenon lamps, stereo speakers, and a 72x32ft terrazzo-tiled concession building.
The Carolina Theatre opened its doors as a 881-seat single-screener on Christmas Eve 1934 with Jeanette MacDonald in “The Merry Widow” along with the technicolor Merrie Melodie “Pop Goes Your Heart” and a newsreel, featuring sound installations by Western Electric.
Prior to the main show after the shorts and ceremonies, there is also a gala live show entitled “Varieties on Parade” which featured a half-dozen of acts. It was originally owned by John F. Miller and his localized Hickory Amusement Company, who took center stage on the grand opening ceremony.
Information about the Carolina as of 1934 goes as follows: The original marquee is rectangle-shaped with three sides of changeable letters, and the box office is located at the center of the entrance foyer which featured a silent ticket machine and money changer. The mezzanine floor features a ladies powder room at one side and Miller’s office on the other side. Also in the room is a drinking fountain, a Western Union clock, and a public telephone for the convenience of the patrons. According to Miller, he replied that the 881 seats were spring cushioned that was manufactured by the American Seating Company and were installed 32 inches apart to give the patron ample room for comfort. The aisles featured deep rich red carpeting, and features both heating and ventilating systems.
The original auditorium features stage equipment that was designed, furnished, and installed by the Lee Lash Studio of New York, the same studio that was furnished the equipped at Radio City. The curtains are heavy velour and trimmed with gold and has a large letter “C” in gold on each curtain. When drawn apart, the main house curtain reveals a valance if deep magenta with gold fringe. Those are draped on each side of the stage in crinkled gold velour, as well as an amber sateen cyclorama with a parting gold curtain which is used in front of the screen with presentation picture programs alongside short subjects. All those curtains are controlled from the projection room by an auto-drape machine, the same being used at Radio City. The border curtains and the drapes over the main grills at each main exit are of velour and deep magenta combination. Directly beneath the stage is a poster art studio and seven large steam heated dressing rooms with running water in each. The basement also houses the heating plant and the main electrical panels and switches. However, the dimmer banks sed for fading stage lights and effects in and out are operated from the large control panel which is located on the stage. The entirety of the stage equipment, including its Western Electric wide-range speakers, are counter-balanced so that they may be raised into the grid and drop almost instantly in order to present stage attractions. A modern steel pin-rall is also installed to handle special drops and scenic effects.
The original cabinets and the main projection room is fireproof with Super-Simplex 35mm projection, featuring installations of high intensity Peerless Magnarc lamps that furnished a powerful light beam rated at 60 amperes which will reflect the picture of the screen, and a large Hertner generator furnishing the direct current to the lamp house thus assuring a steady, even projected picture on the screen at all times. Lastly, other equipments the theater had inside the booth include ventilation, fire-shutter equipment, large spotlight, effect machine which carries color wheels, irises, dissolves, and other lighting effects for stage presentations, and sound-proofed equipment that was controlled under competent operators.
It was twinned in either the late-1970s or early-1980s.
The Kindair Corporation opened the Cinema 70’s doors on July 13, 1967 with Julie Andrews in “Hawaii”, and was a single-screener for more than two decades. United Artists operated the theater for most of its life.
After screening “Die Hard II” on August 16, 1990, the theater closed for the remainder of 1990 and into the first half of 1991 due to renovations. During that time, the theater was sextupled into a six-plex. The theater reopened by Century Cinemas as the Galaxy 6 Cinemas on May 3, 1991.
The West Drive-In was originally constructed by Carl Hatton. Unfortunately they had two attempts on building the drive-in because, on the morning hours of May 2, 1956, strong wind gusts ripped through the 45x95ft screen tower, and the screen collapsed onto its marquee, destroying both the screen and severely damaging the marquee. They managed to rebuild the theater very quickly.
After all the harsh work following the wind destruction, the West Drive-In opened its gates by Video Independent Theatres on June 15, 1956 with Joel McCrea in “Wichita” (unknown if extras added). Unfortunately, it appears that the West Drive-In did not last long at all.
The West Drive-In closed a few months later in 1956 possibly due to poor management, and the theater sat empty and abandoned for more than three decades, as a 1960 and 1983 aerial views shows the drive-in with its screen standing but the traces are in poor condition.
NOTE: This was never known as the Altus Drive-In. That name belongs to the East Drive-In.
The Ritz Theatre opened around 1936, and closed on July 31, 1955 when a projection room fire damaged the theater, causing an estimate $10,000 in damage.
The Pioneer Drive-In opened its gates on June 2, 1950 with Susan Hayward in “Tulsa” along with an unnamed cartoon and the half-hour intermission track “Twilight Serenade”.
Exactly ten days later on the evening of June 12, 1950, Harry Millard, one of the employees at the Pioneer, was changing lettering on the show’s marquee when he lost his footing around the marquee and slipped. He fell several feet to the ground, suffering a broken wrist, bruises, and a slight concussion. Millard replied that the show’s title was fairly long and he was concentrating on getting all the lettering in place when he slipped and fell to the ground.
The exact address is 1197 Old US Hwy 17 S, Elizabeth City, NC 27909. It was still open in the 1980s. The traces were gutted by 1993 but the screen was still standing. The screen was demolished a few years later judging by a 1998 aerial.
There’s another drive-in south of the city on Halstead Boulevard, which will have its own CT page soon.
The Lyric Theatre opened during the week of July 22, 1935 by the husband-and-wife team of Mr. and Mrs. N.M. Burris of Bremen, Ohio, although its official opening date that week remains unknown.
The Lyric quietly closed on April 13, 1953 with Robert Taylor in “Above And Beyond” (unknown if extras added) for unknown reasons.
This is the Franklin Drive-In that opened in September 1949. The 31 West nearby wasn’t constructed until almost 20 years later.
Actually, the Lyric Theatre is not the only movie theater in Scottsville. There’s another theater I recently found called the Center Theatre, which operated into as late as either the 1970s or 1980s. I cannot find any information about it, but someone out there can figure it out.
Edited from my June 10, 2022 (8:14 AM) comment:
Actually, the 31 West Drive-In started construction earlier in 1969, and opened its gates on July 23, 1969 with Andy Griffith in “Angel In My Pocket” and Don Knotts in “The Shakiest Gun In The West”.
The nearby Franklin Drive-In, which opened in September 1949, either closed around the same time in connection of the opening of the 31 West or continued operating without any advertisements being demonstrated.
Yeah, it was also not to be confused with the other Albemarle Drive-In in Albemarle around 270 miles away.
That is a really good guess. But I’m sure Kilgore or Kenmore can figure this out.
It never reopened. The Cinemas 8 sign was taken down sometime earlier this year.
Closed on September 4, 1986. Listed as “tentatively closed” the following year.
The Westland opened with George Montgomery in “Dakota Lil” along with Walt Disney’s Silly Symphony “Funny Little Bunnies” and the short “Jungle Terrors”.
It was closed in either the late-1990s or early-2000s.
Opened in December 1905.
Oops, I first thought it reopened by CinemaCal but accidentally didn’t include that. Thanks for the correction Mr. Neff!
Opened with Fred Astaire in “Three Little Words” with no extras.
The Thunderbird Drive-In opened its gates on July 15, 1971 with John Wayne in “Big Jake”, featuring installations of automated projection with Xenon lamps, stereo speakers, and a 72x32ft terrazzo-tiled concession building.
The Carolina Theatre opened its doors as a 881-seat single-screener on Christmas Eve 1934 with Jeanette MacDonald in “The Merry Widow” along with the technicolor Merrie Melodie “Pop Goes Your Heart” and a newsreel, featuring sound installations by Western Electric.
Prior to the main show after the shorts and ceremonies, there is also a gala live show entitled “Varieties on Parade” which featured a half-dozen of acts. It was originally owned by John F. Miller and his localized Hickory Amusement Company, who took center stage on the grand opening ceremony.
Information about the Carolina as of 1934 goes as follows: The original marquee is rectangle-shaped with three sides of changeable letters, and the box office is located at the center of the entrance foyer which featured a silent ticket machine and money changer. The mezzanine floor features a ladies powder room at one side and Miller’s office on the other side. Also in the room is a drinking fountain, a Western Union clock, and a public telephone for the convenience of the patrons. According to Miller, he replied that the 881 seats were spring cushioned that was manufactured by the American Seating Company and were installed 32 inches apart to give the patron ample room for comfort. The aisles featured deep rich red carpeting, and features both heating and ventilating systems.
The original auditorium features stage equipment that was designed, furnished, and installed by the Lee Lash Studio of New York, the same studio that was furnished the equipped at Radio City. The curtains are heavy velour and trimmed with gold and has a large letter “C” in gold on each curtain. When drawn apart, the main house curtain reveals a valance if deep magenta with gold fringe. Those are draped on each side of the stage in crinkled gold velour, as well as an amber sateen cyclorama with a parting gold curtain which is used in front of the screen with presentation picture programs alongside short subjects. All those curtains are controlled from the projection room by an auto-drape machine, the same being used at Radio City. The border curtains and the drapes over the main grills at each main exit are of velour and deep magenta combination. Directly beneath the stage is a poster art studio and seven large steam heated dressing rooms with running water in each. The basement also houses the heating plant and the main electrical panels and switches. However, the dimmer banks sed for fading stage lights and effects in and out are operated from the large control panel which is located on the stage. The entirety of the stage equipment, including its Western Electric wide-range speakers, are counter-balanced so that they may be raised into the grid and drop almost instantly in order to present stage attractions. A modern steel pin-rall is also installed to handle special drops and scenic effects.
The original cabinets and the main projection room is fireproof with Super-Simplex 35mm projection, featuring installations of high intensity Peerless Magnarc lamps that furnished a powerful light beam rated at 60 amperes which will reflect the picture of the screen, and a large Hertner generator furnishing the direct current to the lamp house thus assuring a steady, even projected picture on the screen at all times. Lastly, other equipments the theater had inside the booth include ventilation, fire-shutter equipment, large spotlight, effect machine which carries color wheels, irises, dissolves, and other lighting effects for stage presentations, and sound-proofed equipment that was controlled under competent operators.
It was twinned in either the late-1970s or early-1980s.
Closed on January 19, 1984 with “Gates Of Hell” and “Mausoleum”.
The Kindair Corporation opened the Cinema 70’s doors on July 13, 1967 with Julie Andrews in “Hawaii”, and was a single-screener for more than two decades. United Artists operated the theater for most of its life.
After screening “Die Hard II” on August 16, 1990, the theater closed for the remainder of 1990 and into the first half of 1991 due to renovations. During that time, the theater was sextupled into a six-plex. The theater reopened by Century Cinemas as the Galaxy 6 Cinemas on May 3, 1991.
The Galaxy 6 Cinemas closed on December 21, 2004.
Opened on August 6, 1926.
The West Drive-In was originally constructed by Carl Hatton. Unfortunately they had two attempts on building the drive-in because, on the morning hours of May 2, 1956, strong wind gusts ripped through the 45x95ft screen tower, and the screen collapsed onto its marquee, destroying both the screen and severely damaging the marquee. They managed to rebuild the theater very quickly.
After all the harsh work following the wind destruction, the West Drive-In opened its gates by Video Independent Theatres on June 15, 1956 with Joel McCrea in “Wichita” (unknown if extras added). Unfortunately, it appears that the West Drive-In did not last long at all.
The West Drive-In closed a few months later in 1956 possibly due to poor management, and the theater sat empty and abandoned for more than three decades, as a 1960 and 1983 aerial views shows the drive-in with its screen standing but the traces are in poor condition.
Opened on July 11, 1908.
The Ritz Theatre opened around 1936, and closed on July 31, 1955 when a projection room fire damaged the theater, causing an estimate $10,000 in damage.
The Buffalo Theatre opened during the final week of November 1921 by manager E.H. Rasberry.
The actual opening date is May 22, 1953 with Ronald Reagan in “The Last Outpost” and John Barrymore Jr. in “Quebec” with no extras.
The Pioneer Drive-In opened its gates on June 2, 1950 with Susan Hayward in “Tulsa” along with an unnamed cartoon and the half-hour intermission track “Twilight Serenade”.
It was still open in 1981.
Do you guys know the name of the drive-in? I cannot find the name anywhere.
The exact address is 1197 Old US Hwy 17 S, Elizabeth City, NC 27909. It was still open in the 1980s. The traces were gutted by 1993 but the screen was still standing. The screen was demolished a few years later judging by a 1998 aerial.