Ambler Theatre
108 E. Butler Avenue,
Ambler,
PA
19002
108 E. Butler Avenue,
Ambler,
PA
19002
10 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 38 of 38 comments
The news of the Ambler Theater being fully restored is fantastic news and truly a refreshing step in the right direction! Now if only the same thing could be done with the old Pennypack Theater at Welsh Road and Frankford Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia, a beautiful old theater building that currently sits empty and all boarded up, its new owners seemingly not quite sure what to do with it. But with the highly oppressive and backwards leaning Philadelphia Councilwoman Joan Krajewski about to be retiring soon — and thank God for that! — bringing the old Pennypack Theater back to life could mark the start of an exciting new era for Northeast Philadelphia, for Northeast Philly’s Holmesburg community especially.
That’s not saying much for Budco and Sameric theatres. Most of the theatres are gone.
The Sameric Theatres chain was owned by Sam and Merton Shapiro. The name “Sameric” came from Sam Shapiro, and his grandson Eric, who died in 1971.
RKO Stanley Warner’s Midway theatre was owned by Sam Shapiro, so was RKO Stanley Warner’s Uptown Theatre.
Today, the legacy of Budco Theatres and Sam & Merton Shapiro’s Sameric Theatres lives on as AMC Theatres and Regal Entertainment Group Theatres.
Budco Theatres was a management company that really did not own any theatres. There is a small conection between Budco and S/W however. The father of one of the owners of Budco was with S/W theatres for years. Several S/W theatres were NOT owned by S/W, but operated by them. Budco did not group or advertise theatres like several other chains did. The ERIC name came from the grandson of one of the owners (SAM). For years Budco and Sharpio theatres were like two kids fighting over candy as to who had more theatres. rg
I never disputed the that this theatre was a Budco Theatre. Before 1974, The Inquirer didn’t list the Budco Theatres as “Budco xxxx”, they listed them as “xxxx”.
They didn’t do this for General Cinema until 1975, they were listed from 1970 to 1975 as “Cinema xxxx” or “xxxx Cinema”, but it confused someone who would think a particular theatre was owned by Budco Theatres or General Cinema Corporation.
The only reason the Sameric Theatres were listed as “Eric xxxx” is because they had the Eric name on the front of their theatre, with the exception of the King Theatre and the Terminal Theatre, not counting the center city theatres.
MikeRa: IT was managed, operated by Budco after S/W in the mid to late 60’s. It did have a standard Budco Theatre sign at the box office in the long outer lobby. The theatre was not in the best of condition and the owner did not want to put any real money into it. The theatre was for sale. This was one of the theatres in my district as manager. rg
If Budco operated this theatre, they why are newpaper ads from 1943 to 1963 has this listed as a Stanley Warner Theatre?
The Inquirer also has this theatre listed as shuttered in 1970, between the months of July and December.
Budco, along with General Cinema, Gulf States, and soon, Loews Cineplex (Loew’s, Cineplex Odeon, RKO Century Warner, Plitt, Walter Reade) are a part of AMC Entertainment Inc. (AKA Durwood Theatres, AMC Theatres)
MIKEra; The Ambler theatre in Ambler, Pa. WAS OPERATED BY THE BUDCO CHAIN. Budco operated it for the owner (remember BUDCO MANAGED, OPERATED AND BOOKED FILMS for several theatres in the Tri-state area. rg
MIKEra; The Ambler theatre in Ambler, Pa. WAS OPERATED BY THE BUDCO CHAIN. Budco operated it for the owner (remember BUDCO MANAGED, OPERATED AND BOOKED FILMS for several theatres in the Tri-state area. rg
The Ambler was never mentioned in the Philadelphia Inquirer from the 1970’s as a Budco theatre. It was always mentioned as a Stanley Warner or a RKO Stanley Warner theatre. I am not disputing what the Ambler’s website said.
The Ambler Theatre was never a Budco Theatre, nor was it ever a AMC Theatre. It was either a independent, or it it was a Stanley Warner Theatre. opened by Warner Brothers Theatres in 1928, became a Stanley Warner Theatre when Warner Brothers Theatres and The Stanley Company Of America were merged in 1930. I believed it closed as a RKO Century Warner Theatre.
This website is absolutely incredible.
Here is their photographic listing for the Ambler:
View link
The AMBLER group have done a great job on this theatre. This was once a Budco theatre. Well Budco operated it for the owner. It closed after AMC bought Budco. A minister who had operated the old Chelten theatre (800 seats) in Phila.showing religious films moved his operations to the Ambler. When he died the building was put up for sale. When all construction is completed it will have 3 screens.
2 of the screens are up and running. The third is in the front half of the orig. aud. with the stage. IT WILL BE GREAT