Comments from Joe Vogel

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Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Esquire Theatre on Mar 4, 2023 at 12:06 am

The July 7, 1923 issue of Moving Picture World had this news about the Cameo Theatre:

“The rebuilding and enlarging of the old Frolic Theatre on Market street, San Francisco, will be commenced at an early date and plans have been made for reopening the house on August 15. It will be known as the Cameo Theatre in its new form and will be virtually a new house.”
An item in the August 18th issue of the same journal suggests that the project might have been behind schedule, saying that “William Clutts, general manager of theatres for Universal, is in San Francisco supervising construction work on the new Cameo Theatre.”

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Linda Lea Theatre on Mar 1, 2023 at 7:57 pm

Jim_C: I think the information got lost from the description at some point, as we’ve known for many years (since 2004, in fact) that the Arrow Theater dated to the 1920s. The notice that construction contracts had been let was published in October, 1924. The 1940 date is for a reopening under the new name Azteca Theatre. I don’t think we’ve ever discovered the original opening date, but it must have been either late 1924 or early 1925. The Arrow’s first appearance in the city directory was in the 1926 edition, so early 1925 is the most likely opening.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Delta Theatre on Feb 27, 2023 at 10:29 pm

The Delta Theatre was taken over by Hal J. Lyon in 1946, according to an article about Lyon in the December 3, 1955 issue of Boxoffice. Lyon took over the Elco Theatre at the same time, bringing his circuit, based in Franklin, Virginia, to six houses.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Elco Theater on Feb 27, 2023 at 10:27 pm

The Elco Theatre was taken over by Hal J. Lyon in 1946, according to an article about Lyon in the December 3, 1955 issue of Boxoffice. Lyon took over the Delta Theatre at the same time, bringing his circuit, based in Franklin, Virginia, to six houses.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about High Theatre on Feb 27, 2023 at 10:16 pm

Motion Picture Daily of January 19, 1945 reported that the Pix Theatre Company had opened its new High Theatre in Portsmouth, Virginia, giving the small circuit six houses. Two more were planned.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Lyon Theatre on Feb 27, 2023 at 9:49 pm

An article about theater owner Hal J. Lyon in the December 3, 1955 issue of <em<Boxoffice said that he opened the Lyon Theatre in Waverly on August 9, 1940. It was the fourth house in his small circuit, which began with the Franklin Theatre in Franklin, which he took over in 1929. It expanded with the Boykins Theatre at Boykins in 1935 and Lyon’s State Theatre at Franklin in 1937.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Boykins Theater on Feb 27, 2023 at 9:12 pm

An article about Hal J. Lyon in the December 3, 1955 issue of Boxoffice said that he opened the Boykins Theatre on November 10, 1935. It was his second theater, the first having been the Franklin Theatre in Franklin, which he took over in 1929.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Franklin Theatre on Feb 27, 2023 at 9:01 pm

An article about Hal J. Lyon in the December 3, 1955 issue of Boxoffice said that he had taken over operation of the Franklin Theatre under a lease in 1929, and later bought the house outright. He opened the Lyon’s State Theatre in 1937, after which the Franklin operated only intermittently, though Lyon still owned the house in 1964, as was noted in an issue of Boxoffice that year.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Lyon's State Theatre on Feb 27, 2023 at 8:53 pm

Hal J. Lyon had his Lyon’s State Theatre remodeled in 1964. An article about the project appearing in the December 26 issue of The Tidewater News said that the house had been built in 1937. Lyon was interviewed for the article, and said that the auditorium would be reseated with rows 42 inches apart, increased from 30 inches, so that total seating capacity would be reduced from 500 to 300. Lyon had been in the theater business at Franklin for 35 years. He also owned the Franklin Theatre, though it was closed at the time, as well as the Carrsville Drive-In and theaters in Boykins and Waverly.

Lyon was mentioned in the April 3, 1948 issue of Boxoffice (though that article gave his name as both Lyon and Lyons.) At that time he was operating six theaters: the State and Franklin in Franklin, the Boykins in Boykins, the Lyon’s in Waverly, and the Delta and Elco in Portsmouth.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Grace Theater on Feb 27, 2023 at 5:00 am

The 1916 opening date is a bit late. The Grace Opera House is listed in the 1913-1914 Cahn Guide. Page 17 of the book I linked to in my previous comment has a photo of Main Street dated “around 1913” and showing the Opera House already there.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Grace Theater on Feb 27, 2023 at 12:28 am

Photos of Bert Orr, owner of the Grace Opera House, and of the original building itself when it was nearing completion, can be seen on page 213 of a local history published by the Grace Literary Club in 1977.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Uptown Theatre on Feb 25, 2023 at 5:11 pm

The 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory lists a house called the Royal Theatre at 14th and Clay Street. Could be the same place.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Dreamland Theatre on Feb 25, 2023 at 5:09 pm

The Dreamland Theatre at Dubuque is mentioned in the May 24, 1913 issue of Moving Picture World.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Avon Theatre on Feb 25, 2023 at 1:38 pm

There was an earlier Princess Theatre in Dubuque, located on Court Street, which was mentioned in the May 29, 1909 issue of Moving Picture World.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Edwards Cinema Theatre on Feb 24, 2023 at 4:35 am

Repeating my earlier comment from 2010: A full-page item about the Edwards Cinema appeared in Boxoffice of October 19, 1964. The theater was designed by the Orange County firm of Schwager & Desatoff (Lester H. Schwager and Alex Desatoff.)

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Little Theatre on the Square on Feb 22, 2023 at 2:57 am

The Grand Theatre opened on Saturday, June 30, 1928, with Richard Dix in “Easy Come, Easy Go.” Sullivan had been home to several theaters before, but the last of those, the Illinois, closed its doors a little over a month before the Grand opened.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Jacob Burns Film Center on Feb 22, 2023 at 1:45 am

The September 26, 1925 issue of Motion Picture News published a line drawing of the proposed Rome Theatre at Pleasantville, drawn by the architect, Oscar Vatet. A copy of this drawing was uploaded to the theater’s photo page in 2018.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Plaza Theater on Feb 22, 2023 at 1:01 am

The Plaza Theatre at Bayonne was mentioned in the trade journal Motion Picture News in September, 1925, and it was listed in the 1926 FDY, though with only 500 seats.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Embassy Theatre on Feb 22, 2023 at 12:46 am

The 700-seat Embassy Theatre first appears in the 1929 FDY. Earlier editions featured a 700-seat house called the Empire Theatre, which was last listed in 1928, so it might have been a case of renaming, but this is unconfirmed.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Boyd Theatre on Feb 21, 2023 at 4:03 am

The actual opening date of the New Pergola Theatre was December 6, 1926.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Johnsonville Theatre on Feb 19, 2023 at 3:37 pm

Prosser’s Theatre first appears in the FDY in 1931. It had 200 seats. 200 continues to be the capacity listed in later editions. Johnsonville wasn’t listed in 1930, but in 1929 it had a 450-seat house called the Princess Theatre, which was also listed in 1926. So far I haven’t found any web pages but this one mentioning a Ritz Theatre either, not even CinemaTour, which lists only the New and Prosser’s.

I did find a color version of a post-fire photo from 1957 on a Johnsonville Facebook page. The marquee is leaning against the side wall of the ruined building, mostly obscured, but it does look like it has a large W on it, so the house might have been called the New Theatre throughout its history. I’ve uploaded it to the photo page.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Johnsonville Theatre on Feb 17, 2023 at 7:57 pm

A Prosser’s Theatre is listed in the 1938 FDY, but with only 200 seats.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Dixie Theater on Feb 17, 2023 at 3:21 am

Frazier Associates, the firm designing the renovations for the Staunton Performing Arts Center, has this web page with a description of the project and a brief slide show that includes renderings, a floor plan, and a couple of historic photographs.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Rex Theatre on Feb 16, 2023 at 4:03 am

The Bijou Theatre at Tioga is listed in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about AMC Classic Salem Valley 8 on Feb 15, 2023 at 2:04 pm

Architect Bill Murphy, firm Brookbank, Murphy & Shields.