Newmarket once had two movie theaters during World War I, including the Strand, with the other being the Patricia, which will have its own CT page soon.
The Studio Theatre, on February 5, 1956, became national headlines after it became a scene of an unexpected tragedy that shook the entire movie theater world. On February 5, 1956, a 24-year-old 206-pound Montanan and apprentice embalmer employed in a Sacramento-based mortuary born in Miles City, Montana, partially raised in Grand Forks, North Dakota and Billings, Montana, named Thomas Lynn Johnston slashed a 7-year-old boy’s throat named Ronald Wendorf to death in the Studio Theatre’s men’s bathroom. Coroner’s deputies confirmed that Ronald suffered two stab wounds in his throat and gashes beneath his eyes.
At around 1:00 PM that afternoon, Ronnie left his seat and walked to the men’s restroom during a showing of. Johnston saw the boy leave, waited about 30 seconds, got up, and walked out. When he did not see the boy in the lobby, he went to the restroom as well. Johnston took the knife out of his pocket, opened it, and waited. When Ronnie opened the door of a stall, Johnston stepped up from behind, grabbed him, and with his left hand over the boy’s mouth dragged him to another stall. Johnston cut the youngster beneath his eyes and when Ronnie resisted and screamed slashed his throat to quiet him. The assistant manager, William B. Sanderson, heard the child and ran upstairs from the lobby to the restroom. He kicked the door open and saw Johnston with blood on his hand. Johnston slammed the door shut and locked it. Johnston peered beneath the door, saw blood on the floor, and ran downstairs, instructing its owner, Bert Silveria, to call the police.
Johnston descended the stairway and walked to the door which would take him back into the theater. Although considerably smaller, Sanderson grabbed Johnston while being armed with a night stick supplied by Silveria and held him until police arrived. Johnston, his clothing and hands stained with blood, readily admitted to officers who arrived on scene that he knifed the boy, but gave no reason at all rather than he must have gone out of his mind. He exhibited a cut on his hand when he closed the knife in the restroom. He withdrew the weapon from his pocket and handed it to police in the theater. Police recovered Johnston’s jacket a few rows behind where the boy sat. Johnston also told authorities that he was drunk after drinking a bottle of whiskey, with aspirin bottles and a package of cigarettes being recovered.
Thomas Lynn Johnston, the 24-year-old man was born in Miles City, Montana, but moved to Grand Forks, North Dakota during his childhood. Johnston moved to Billings, Montana in 1944 when he entered 8th grade at Lincoln Junior High School. After graduating from Billings High School in 1949, Johnston attended Montana State University before spending nine months in Los Angeles and a period in San Francisco before being employed in Sacramento. His employers described his work as satisfactory and had been on the job for only 13 months. Johnston’s father was an insurance firm owner based in Billings. Johnston also served nine weeks in the navy in 1952 but then received an honorable discharge after he was emotionally sick and needed trained help. The FBI asked the navy department in Washington for his service record.
After pleading guilty, he was sentenced to death despite seeking to escape the death penalty. The judge denies, and was immediately executed on June 28, 1957, at San Quentin’s gas chamber.
Closed on September 6, 1985. Screen 1 closed with “Gremlins” and “The Day Time Ended”, and Screen 2 closed with the triple feature of “Rambo II: First Blood”, “Missing In Action”, and “Road Warrior”.
First had a soft opening on July 14, 1955 with Burt Lancaster in “Crimson Pirate” and John Lund in “Five Guns West” (unknown if extras added), with its official grand opening held the following day on July 15, 1955 with the same movies.
Shortly after it opened, a small fire badly damaged the projection booth on May 10, 1936 caused by an electric lamp explosion that also set fire to film cement and a roll of film. This occurred while John Baskett, its projectionist, was splicing film for his upcoming schedule. The fire destroyed nine reels of film alongside Baskett’s “broken” film.
The Castle Theatre, named after manager E.L. Castle, also known as Pettit’s Castle Theatre, also named after original owner E.L. Pettit of Ava, opened its doors on December 6, 1939 with Ken Maynard in “Honor Of The Range” along with a Hawk Of The Wilderness serial chapter and an unnamed comedy.
The Uark’s original owner is Emil Sonneman of Waco, Texas, who also operated theaters in Springdale and Bentonville. As of 1941, the original layout of the theater features a unique blendings of grays, blues, and greens occasionally by a warm red against a background of stairs and silver-rails locally made of steel, with deep blues and steel grays from the outside. The floors are gray concrete with Eza-rug carpeting. The stairways, which are chief center of interest in the interior as well as outside, lead up to a roof garden on the upper floor and down to dressing rooms and restrooms, as well as a public lounge and a telephone booth.
The main auditorium as of 1941 housed 640 Haywood Wakefield spring-upholstered seats, unobstructed by a single upright and a sloping floor giving a complete view of the stage, and the original screen centering the stage measures 20x15ft in size. Huge circular murals, 10ft in diameter, depicting local Ozark scenery and painted by Mary Ellen Randolph of Fayetteville. Mary Ellen Randolph, product of the University of Arkansas’s art school reflects the blue, green, and gray color combination that is key to the entire decorative scheme. The main entrance is also designed by Sonneman himself (though Paul Young was the local architect and constructed under the supervision of Earl Bird and Sonneman). featuring the decorations, framed pictures, and tall mirrors. The floor covering is the letters UARK in red, centering a huge white circle.
The lights are fluorescent and entirely concealed under glass. The neon lighting came from Kansas City made especially to order. Most of the supply materials came from two major theater companies, the Oklahoma Theatre Supply Company of Oklahoma City, and the National Theatre Supply Company of Memphis.
Actual opening date is May 19, 1950 with Dan Dailey in “When Willie Comes Marching Home” along with an unnamed featurette and a few unnamed shorts.
Opened in September 1936.
Most likely closed on May 15, 2011 with “Water For Elephants”.
Closed on September 5, 1994 with “Natural Born Killers” and “Blown Away”.
Newmarket once had two movie theaters during World War I, including the Strand, with the other being the Patricia, which will have its own CT page soon.
The Studio Theatre, on February 5, 1956, became national headlines after it became a scene of an unexpected tragedy that shook the entire movie theater world. On February 5, 1956, a 24-year-old 206-pound Montanan and apprentice embalmer employed in a Sacramento-based mortuary born in Miles City, Montana, partially raised in Grand Forks, North Dakota and Billings, Montana, named Thomas Lynn Johnston slashed a 7-year-old boy’s throat named Ronald Wendorf to death in the Studio Theatre’s men’s bathroom. Coroner’s deputies confirmed that Ronald suffered two stab wounds in his throat and gashes beneath his eyes.
At around 1:00 PM that afternoon, Ronnie left his seat and walked to the men’s restroom during a showing of. Johnston saw the boy leave, waited about 30 seconds, got up, and walked out. When he did not see the boy in the lobby, he went to the restroom as well. Johnston took the knife out of his pocket, opened it, and waited. When Ronnie opened the door of a stall, Johnston stepped up from behind, grabbed him, and with his left hand over the boy’s mouth dragged him to another stall. Johnston cut the youngster beneath his eyes and when Ronnie resisted and screamed slashed his throat to quiet him. The assistant manager, William B. Sanderson, heard the child and ran upstairs from the lobby to the restroom. He kicked the door open and saw Johnston with blood on his hand. Johnston slammed the door shut and locked it. Johnston peered beneath the door, saw blood on the floor, and ran downstairs, instructing its owner, Bert Silveria, to call the police.
Johnston descended the stairway and walked to the door which would take him back into the theater. Although considerably smaller, Sanderson grabbed Johnston while being armed with a night stick supplied by Silveria and held him until police arrived. Johnston, his clothing and hands stained with blood, readily admitted to officers who arrived on scene that he knifed the boy, but gave no reason at all rather than he must have gone out of his mind. He exhibited a cut on his hand when he closed the knife in the restroom. He withdrew the weapon from his pocket and handed it to police in the theater. Police recovered Johnston’s jacket a few rows behind where the boy sat. Johnston also told authorities that he was drunk after drinking a bottle of whiskey, with aspirin bottles and a package of cigarettes being recovered.
Thomas Lynn Johnston, the 24-year-old man was born in Miles City, Montana, but moved to Grand Forks, North Dakota during his childhood. Johnston moved to Billings, Montana in 1944 when he entered 8th grade at Lincoln Junior High School. After graduating from Billings High School in 1949, Johnston attended Montana State University before spending nine months in Los Angeles and a period in San Francisco before being employed in Sacramento. His employers described his work as satisfactory and had been on the job for only 13 months. Johnston’s father was an insurance firm owner based in Billings. Johnston also served nine weeks in the navy in 1952 but then received an honorable discharge after he was emotionally sick and needed trained help. The FBI asked the navy department in Washington for his service record.
After pleading guilty, he was sentenced to death despite seeking to escape the death penalty. The judge denies, and was immediately executed on June 28, 1957, at San Quentin’s gas chamber.
Actual closing date is October 31, 1977.
Closed on September 6, 1985. Screen 1 closed with “Gremlins” and “The Day Time Ended”, and Screen 2 closed with the triple feature of “Rambo II: First Blood”, “Missing In Action”, and “Road Warrior”.
First had a soft opening on July 14, 1955 with Burt Lancaster in “Crimson Pirate” and John Lund in “Five Guns West” (unknown if extras added), with its official grand opening held the following day on July 15, 1955 with the same movies.
Closed on January 10, 1985 with “The Cotton Club”.
You can still see the hint of traces completely fading into the distance.
Also in the 1981 aerial, traces appeared to be fading as well, meaning that closing in the 1970s could be correct.
“Eh-Th-Th-Thiii-Th-Th-That’s All Folks!”
Brown’s Farm and Garden now occupy the former theater building.
Shortly after it opened, a small fire badly damaged the projection booth on May 10, 1936 caused by an electric lamp explosion that also set fire to film cement and a roll of film. This occurred while John Baskett, its projectionist, was splicing film for his upcoming schedule. The fire destroyed nine reels of film alongside Baskett’s “broken” film.
The Castle Theatre, named after manager E.L. Castle, also known as Pettit’s Castle Theatre, also named after original owner E.L. Pettit of Ava, opened its doors on December 6, 1939 with Ken Maynard in “Honor Of The Range” along with a Hawk Of The Wilderness serial chapter and an unnamed comedy.
This was the replacement of the GCC Solano Mall Cinema located less than a block away, which closed the previous day.
Oh. Gotcha. Thanks for taking care of that!
Please fix the spelling on the “Renamed the Ozark Theatre during the mid-1910s” sentence.
Renamed the Ozark Theatre during the mid-1910s.
The Uark’s original owner is Emil Sonneman of Waco, Texas, who also operated theaters in Springdale and Bentonville. As of 1941, the original layout of the theater features a unique blendings of grays, blues, and greens occasionally by a warm red against a background of stairs and silver-rails locally made of steel, with deep blues and steel grays from the outside. The floors are gray concrete with Eza-rug carpeting. The stairways, which are chief center of interest in the interior as well as outside, lead up to a roof garden on the upper floor and down to dressing rooms and restrooms, as well as a public lounge and a telephone booth.
The main auditorium as of 1941 housed 640 Haywood Wakefield spring-upholstered seats, unobstructed by a single upright and a sloping floor giving a complete view of the stage, and the original screen centering the stage measures 20x15ft in size. Huge circular murals, 10ft in diameter, depicting local Ozark scenery and painted by Mary Ellen Randolph of Fayetteville. Mary Ellen Randolph, product of the University of Arkansas’s art school reflects the blue, green, and gray color combination that is key to the entire decorative scheme. The main entrance is also designed by Sonneman himself (though Paul Young was the local architect and constructed under the supervision of Earl Bird and Sonneman). featuring the decorations, framed pictures, and tall mirrors. The floor covering is the letters UARK in red, centering a huge white circle.
The lights are fluorescent and entirely concealed under glass. The neon lighting came from Kansas City made especially to order. Most of the supply materials came from two major theater companies, the Oklahoma Theatre Supply Company of Oklahoma City, and the National Theatre Supply Company of Memphis.
Demolished in late-2022 or early-2023.
Function should be Nightclub.
Closed on September 3, 1990 with “Taking Care Of Business” and “Arachnophobia”.
Closed on October 15, 1978.