Comments from kencmcintyre

I didn’t have any confirmation that the theater was rebuilt after the fire. Apparently it was.

Here is a May 1958 photo from the Chicago Tribune:
http://tinyurl.com/ao3j8c

Here is an item from Boxoffice magazine in November 1956:

MANSFIELD, OHIO-The Eagles Lodge here has purchased the Ritz Theater near the Lodge’s headquarters in the business district for about $42,000. Lodge spokesmen said the theater building, vacated about two years ago, will be used for parking. They said it has not been determined whether the building will be razed or remodeled into a parking garage. The Ritz was opened as a movie house in 1927.

Here is a November 1956 item from Boxoffice magazine:

Val Mercier, Perryville, Mo., and his brother L.A. “Bud” Mercier of Frederickstown, Mo. are planning to build a drive-in theater near Ste. Genevieve, Mo. The only theater in Ste. Genevieve, the Orris, 500-seater, has been dark since August 30. It had been operated by Martin Operle for a number of years.

L.A. Mercier operates the Mercier Theater and the Hi-Y Drive-In at Frederickstown, while Val Mercier has the Mercier Theater in Perryville and the Hilltop Drive-In near St. Marys, Mo.

Here is a July 1961 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/au4bf6

Here is an item in Boxoffice magazine from June 1946:

EUGENE, ORE.-George Roys, one of the oldest theater operators in the Pacific Northwest, is retiring from the field after 40 years in show business. He has sold his State Theater here to West Johnson, who operates a circuit which includes the Mayflower, the Helig and the new Hawaii Theater, the latter now under construction.

Here are some photos from the LA Library, circa 1980s:
http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics34/00036935.jpg
http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics34/00036937.jpg

There was a story in Boxoffice magazine, June 1946, about the Varsity Theater being sold by the Luft family to Davis Theaters, Inc. The article mentioned that the Varsity had been operating for about 25 years at that time, which would put the opening around 1921. Since the listed Varsity opened in 1950, I’m wondering if there were two Varsitys or alternatively if the 1950 opening was not a new theater but some kind of remodel.

This is from Boxoffice magazine in June 1946:

PRAGUE-The Alfa Theater recently booked and advertised a program of four OWI documentaries. A Popeye short, “Seeing Red, White and Blue”, confused with OWI’s “Red, White and Blue” was among the documentaries.

At the first showing, the manager announced that another documentary would replace Popeye. Protests were riotous. Police were called. The next day, in response to public and press demand, Popeye was restored.

This is from Boxoffice magazine in September 1963:

The Hiland Theater in Highland Park, operated for years by William London and the Brooks Brothers, Leonard and Bernard, has closed.

Here is an ad that was Boxoffice magazine in September 1963:

Beautiful Theater built in 1950. A-1 condition, 426 seats, only theater in area of four towns and surrounding community. Reason for selling: recently widowed and in poor health. Anne Johnson, Galesville, Wis. 275R

Here is a Daily Herald article dated 11/6/86;

The four-screen Century Theater in Hoffman Estates, after slashing prices and removing first-run movies last month, has shut its doors, ending an eight-year stint in the village. Located in the Golf-Rose Shopping Center, the theater had been the subject of rumors that it would fold over the years, but as late as last month, Century officials denied that the theater would close. Essaness Theaters owned the Century.

With its closing, only one Essaness theater remains in the Chicago area. Earlier this year, Essaness sold its area business to Cineplex-Odeon, a Canadian parent company of Plitt Theatres. Officials at Essaness refused to return repeated phone calls about the Century closing, but village officials in Hoffman Estates confirmed that the theater closed Tuesday.

The news comes just a month after the theater decided to show second-run movies and reduce its admission price from $4 per ticket to $1.50. By doing so, the Century dropped out of competition with Woodfield Theaters and Statford Square for first-run moviegoers and pitted itself against the Barrington Square Six Theaters in Hoffman Estates.

Larry Hanson, an Essaness spokesman, said at the time that the move was only an experiment and he denied that the Century would close. The Century opened in 1978 with three theaters, replacing the old Thunderbird Theater, which closed in 1977. Century split the Thunderbird Theater in half and added on the third screen. Later, the third screen also was split, providing four screens.

With the closing of the Century, the Barrington Square Six is the only movie house in Hoffman Estates. Owners of that theater announced earlier this year, however, that they plan to add 10 more screens in the future.