I saw tons of movies in the Tuscumbian in the late 60s and early 70s when I was in the area going to college. I remember before the movie started they had a color wheel that was aimed on the curtains that were closed over the screen, changing the color of the curtains as you listened to the music. They played an amazing selection of music. With its close proximity to Muscle Shoals, they played a lot of music recorded there at the time. Obscure stuff that only got played in the Muscle Shoals area. I would be totally amazed hearing “Where’s Eddie” by Lulu, “Making Love at the Dark End of the Street” by Clarence Carter, “Just Don’t Know What to Do With Myself” by the Mauds, and even some selections from Cher’s 3614 Jakcson Highway sessions before the showing of CHASTITY. We ALWAYS arrived early to hear what they were going to play and await the opening of the curtains for the movie to begin. I regret I never sought out the person who SELECTED the music….
I saw many movies in the Rialto. The sheer size and the magnificant decor made every visit an event. Portions of the film Stir of Echoes starring Kevin Bacon were filmed inside the Rialto.
These theatres were in a strip mall on the NW corner of 59th Avenue and Bethany home adjacent to the bowling alley and showed second run features. The main business at the strip mall during the theatre’s existance was a Smitty’s Supermarket/Discount store. The theatres closed in the 1990s and are now retail stores.
This theatre opened in 1981 as the Westridge Cinemas, first run theatres inside the brand new Westridge Mall on the west side of Phoenix. It had an exterior entrance and an entrance inside the mall. In the 90s, the mall changed its name to Desert Sky Mall and the theatre adopted the same name. In the 2000s the theatre became Cinema Latino. There is no longer mall acess to the theatre and only the exterior entrance.
Thanks for changing! This was a small town theatre that converted to adult movies in the early 70w and evidently made more money showing porn than family features.
Great theatre to see second run flicks for $1 or fifty cents on Tuesday. Theatres were inside the mall which opened in 1973. The major department stores moved out of the mall in 1993 but the theatres and mall remained open for a couple of more years. The 2002 film Eight Legged Freaks was filmed in the abandoned mall. The entire mall was demolished after the filming of the movie.
What an awesome job they did retoring the Princess! Saw many movies there in the 60s and 70s and would love to see it again. Most of the hot movies were shown at the Gateway Theatre during that time period, and the Princess showed a lot of family fare movies and more obscure new releases.
One correction: The mode didnt have a balcony. The second floor housed the theatre’s restrooms and projection booth. Right inside the door of the theatre was the lobby with the concession stand and you could smell the popcorn cooking about a block away.
The Orpheum was a good size theatre with a balcony and was across the street from the White Store Department Store on Chicago Street. I saw some cool double and triple feature horror movies there and believe it closed around 1959.
In the 60s, there were four indoor theaters in the Muscle Shoals area. Muscle Shoals area consisted of four cities, Florence, Sheffield, Tuscumbia, and the city of Muscle Shoals. In Florence you had the choice of the Shoals and the Norwood (which burnt down in 1968). The Shoals was the most expensive for struggling college students at $1.50 for admission; The Tucsumbian in Tucsumbia was only $1.00. The Colbert (named for the country in which Sheffield, Tuscumbia, and Muscle Shoals reside) was .75 and quite the bargain. In the 60s there was not an indoor movie theater in the actual city of Muscle Shoals. That was to come in the 70s.
When the Madison theatre opened in 1967, it was on the north end of the open strip shopping center known as Parkway City next to Montgomery Ward. It was state of the art and featured high back rocking chair seats. On the south end of the shopping center was a second department store, Pizitz, along with a GC Murphy dime store and a Hornbuckle’s Record Store. A major tornado hit Huntsville in 1974 demolishing most of the south end of the shopping center. The center was rebuilt in 1976 and became a one story enclosed mall with Wards still anchoring the south end, the Madison inside the mall and twinned, and Pizitz still anchoring the south end. The Pizitz store was a two story store. A Parisian department store was added at the south end of the mall. Many new stores were represented, including a Piccadilly Cafeteria, and a Camelot Music. The entire mall was demolished in 2002 and reopened as Parkway Place, an upscale two story enclosed mall with Dillards and Belk (which replaced the Parisian name). No theatres are in the new mall.
In its heyday in the late 50s and early 60s, the Mode was a great place to see movies. The building was and still is a three story structure. The second floor housed the balcony of the theatre and the third floor for many years housed Kelly’s School of Dance.
The Norwood was still going strong in the mid to late 60s. It did a good business with the college crowd as it was within walking distance from Florence State University (now University of North Alabama). The last movie I saw at the Norwood was in the Spring of 1968 and I believe it was Thoroughly Modern Millie. I went home from college for the summer, and when I returned in the Fall of 1968 the Norwood had burned down. It was torn down and never replaced.
I saw tons of movies in the Tuscumbian in the late 60s and early 70s when I was in the area going to college. I remember before the movie started they had a color wheel that was aimed on the curtains that were closed over the screen, changing the color of the curtains as you listened to the music. They played an amazing selection of music. With its close proximity to Muscle Shoals, they played a lot of music recorded there at the time. Obscure stuff that only got played in the Muscle Shoals area. I would be totally amazed hearing “Where’s Eddie” by Lulu, “Making Love at the Dark End of the Street” by Clarence Carter, “Just Don’t Know What to Do With Myself” by the Mauds, and even some selections from Cher’s 3614 Jakcson Highway sessions before the showing of CHASTITY. We ALWAYS arrived early to hear what they were going to play and await the opening of the curtains for the movie to begin. I regret I never sought out the person who SELECTED the music….
Great find, Mike. Thanks. This was one of my all time favorite theaters to see a movie in.
I saw many movies in the Rialto. The sheer size and the magnificant decor made every visit an event. Portions of the film Stir of Echoes starring Kevin Bacon were filmed inside the Rialto.
…that would be the pet hospital inside the PetSmart…the Bed Bath and Beyond is adjacent…
These theatres were in a strip mall on the NW corner of 59th Avenue and Bethany home adjacent to the bowling alley and showed second run features. The main business at the strip mall during the theatre’s existance was a Smitty’s Supermarket/Discount store. The theatres closed in the 1990s and are now retail stores.
This theatre opened in 1981 as the Westridge Cinemas, first run theatres inside the brand new Westridge Mall on the west side of Phoenix. It had an exterior entrance and an entrance inside the mall. In the 90s, the mall changed its name to Desert Sky Mall and the theatre adopted the same name. In the 2000s the theatre became Cinema Latino. There is no longer mall acess to the theatre and only the exterior entrance.
Thanks for changing! This was a small town theatre that converted to adult movies in the early 70w and evidently made more money showing porn than family features.
These theatres were inside the mall adjacent to the food court. Typical mall theatres.
Great theatre to see second run flicks for $1 or fifty cents on Tuesday. Theatres were inside the mall which opened in 1973. The major department stores moved out of the mall in 1993 but the theatres and mall remained open for a couple of more years. The 2002 film Eight Legged Freaks was filmed in the abandoned mall. The entire mall was demolished after the filming of the movie.
What an awesome job they did retoring the Princess! Saw many movies there in the 60s and 70s and would love to see it again. Most of the hot movies were shown at the Gateway Theatre during that time period, and the Princess showed a lot of family fare movies and more obscure new releases.
One correction: The mode didnt have a balcony. The second floor housed the theatre’s restrooms and projection booth. Right inside the door of the theatre was the lobby with the concession stand and you could smell the popcorn cooking about a block away.
The Orpheum was a good size theatre with a balcony and was across the street from the White Store Department Store on Chicago Street. I saw some cool double and triple feature horror movies there and believe it closed around 1959.
The Metro Center I II III were located inside the Metro Center Mall adjacent to the food court and ice skating rink on the second floor.
In the 60s, there were four indoor theaters in the Muscle Shoals area. Muscle Shoals area consisted of four cities, Florence, Sheffield, Tuscumbia, and the city of Muscle Shoals. In Florence you had the choice of the Shoals and the Norwood (which burnt down in 1968). The Shoals was the most expensive for struggling college students at $1.50 for admission; The Tucsumbian in Tucsumbia was only $1.00. The Colbert (named for the country in which Sheffield, Tuscumbia, and Muscle Shoals reside) was .75 and quite the bargain. In the 60s there was not an indoor movie theater in the actual city of Muscle Shoals. That was to come in the 70s.
When the Madison theatre opened in 1967, it was on the north end of the open strip shopping center known as Parkway City next to Montgomery Ward. It was state of the art and featured high back rocking chair seats. On the south end of the shopping center was a second department store, Pizitz, along with a GC Murphy dime store and a Hornbuckle’s Record Store. A major tornado hit Huntsville in 1974 demolishing most of the south end of the shopping center. The center was rebuilt in 1976 and became a one story enclosed mall with Wards still anchoring the south end, the Madison inside the mall and twinned, and Pizitz still anchoring the south end. The Pizitz store was a two story store. A Parisian department store was added at the south end of the mall. Many new stores were represented, including a Piccadilly Cafeteria, and a Camelot Music. The entire mall was demolished in 2002 and reopened as Parkway Place, an upscale two story enclosed mall with Dillards and Belk (which replaced the Parisian name). No theatres are in the new mall.
In its heyday in the late 50s and early 60s, the Mode was a great place to see movies. The building was and still is a three story structure. The second floor housed the balcony of the theatre and the third floor for many years housed Kelly’s School of Dance.
The Norwood was still going strong in the mid to late 60s. It did a good business with the college crowd as it was within walking distance from Florence State University (now University of North Alabama). The last movie I saw at the Norwood was in the Spring of 1968 and I believe it was Thoroughly Modern Millie. I went home from college for the summer, and when I returned in the Fall of 1968 the Norwood had burned down. It was torn down and never replaced.