This venue was known as Hayes' Opera House when Ella M. “Momma” Hayes built the facility and operated it under that name from 1909 to 1919. “Mother” Morgan operated the adjoining candy shop which served as the venue’s de facto concession stand. The theatre mixed in short films and live acts. In 1914, Hayes became the town’s first female movie theater operator changing the venue over to full-time film operation with Hayes training two other female employees to help her run the operation.
Hayes retired from her Hayes' Opera House at an event on May 9, 1919, likely at the end of a 10-year leasing period, selling it to Lewen Pizor. Pizor renamed the venue beginning on May 12, 1919 as the Palace Theatre beginning with D.W. Griffith’s “The Greatest Thing in Life.” Competition from the new Apollo Theatre that opened the next year combined with unruly patrons - perhaps encouraged by the Apollo Theatre management - seems to have unseated the Palace Theatre which closed early in 1922.
The Opera House (this entry’s title) / Gloucester Opera House operated at 6th Street and Water Street . It was part of the Gloucester City horse racing days of the early 1890s, a foreshadowing to the similarly-themed Havre de Grace racing area that would rise up in Maryland. Gloucester City’s version included an Opera House at the center of an entertainment area situated by the Delaware Riverfront featuring Gloucester’s Track, taverns, the Thompson Hotel, the Beachfront Hotel, and McGlade’s Hotel. Getting folks to come over from Pennsylvania and, particularly, nearby Philadelphia worked as Pennsylvania prohibited gambling on the ponies back in 1820.
The track scratched just four years in to its operation due to local ordinances aimed at reducing gambling and the concept failed. The flight of some 700 people along with the $1.4 million in revenues in 1893 dollars all but destroyed the entertainment district and forever changed the trajectory of Gloucester City along with its fledgling Opera House.
Sadly, the project was just about 15 years ahead of its time as the infamous Hart–Agnew anti-gambling law in New York State led to a bonanza in gambling activity across state lines after its passage in 1908 that the city might have welcomed. Unfortunately, the Gloucester City waterfront area - cheaply built - was already in decay by that time. The land was offered up during World War I to the government by its owner, J.H. McNally in 1917. That plan didn’t fully solidify and the Opera House there was vacant until its demolition in January of 1929. A different approach took place for the riverfront moving solidly away from its entertainment and tourist past to becoming home for the Delaware River Dredging Company.
This entry, by the way, should be the Palace Theatre - also known as Hayes' Opera House. The former Hayes'/Palace building continued to be a vibrant gathering area serving as a long-standing home to a fraternal lodge for the local VFW into the 2020s. I hope that answers some questions, contributor TC.
The theater should be also known as the Fox Theatre for its “Little Detroit Fox” movie and live concert programming era that began on October 2, 1960 after a $30,000 refresh. The era ended some three months later under new operators returning to the Michigan moniker. There went $30,000.
The theater is purchased by Nathan Scwartz who stages wrestling events, concerts and mostly burlesque shows through the theater’s end as the Michigan Theatre Auditorium. The final films screened at the Michigan Theatre were the adult films, “Kitty Galore” and “Smorgasbord” on August 22, 1965 - just after the 35th Anniversary of the joint.
Schwartz wanted to continue there but was evicted by the operators of a neighboring food store who bought the theatre and unceremoniously evicted Schwartz who took his films to the Royal. Demolition plans scheduled for late 1965… were scrapped. The venue became home to the short-lived Good Shepherd Cathedral before boarding up and remaining vacant until its demolition in 1975.
It was one of them days. The Pohatcong multiplex closed at what Regal said was the expiry of its lease on March 9, 2025. The last showtimes were for the film, “One of Them Days.”
Opened November 30, 1949 with “Grapes of Wrath.” Appears to have closed July 9, 1956 with “Far Country” and “House of Terrors.” This information is not from “A History of Film Exhibition in Caldwell County” by Gary R. Boye but is from the daily newspaper.
Fred Powell and L.C. Sipe renamed the Imperial as the Catawba Theatre on March 4, 1938 with the “Merry-Go-Round of 1938.” The theatre was gutted by fire on April 30, 1949 ending its run.
The New-Con Drive-In Theatre was built in late 1948 opening by Judge Fred Hasty, Elmer Rouzer, and Bennie Alexander on Feb. 12, 1949 with “Trail of the Vigilantes.” It operated until 1967 when it was merged with the Springs Road Drive-In to create a new drive-in.
Moyer Theatres Circuit closed here on January 7, 1992 giving both the movie attendees and the venue the “Hook.” Moyer would then hook its Cascade Twin Cinema also in The Dulles in November of that same year with it being taken over by a local operator..
The Town and Country Shopping Plaza was proposed in 1961 and opened theatre-lessly in 1967. That changed when George Leipold opened the 322-seat, suburban luxury cinema, the Holiday Theatre, there on July 8, 1971. Opening film was “Escape from Planet of the Apes” with an in-person appearance by The Space Ape.
In November of 1971, the policy changed to Spanish language films on weekdays and porno chic x-rated films on weekends. In 1973, the Spanish films were replaced with Blaxploitation films. The theatre then went second-run Hollywood beginning in April of 1973 and closing Aug. 2, 1973. New operators, Venus Cinemas takes the Holiday mostly with Spanish films and art films. It. closes finding new operators in the Summer of 1973 who fail and the Holiday took a holiday for more than a year.
New operator Lou Weisntock then gives the theatre traction taking it on in November of 1974. After a refresh, he reopened it as a second-run, dollar discount venue and taking part of the plaza’s name as the Town Theatre. He opened on January 31, 1975 with “The Longest Yard.” Weinstock decided to add a midnight X-rated double feature on weekends in April of 1980 which riled up locals who protested. The town of Lake Worth banned the films almost immediately with Weinstock reversing course.
Weinstock is present and virtually every show of nearly 15 years - likely his leasing term. He personally screened and went over each new film with projectionist Frank Kelliher before approving it for proper presentation. The $1 price point remains from 1975 to 1988. In 1989, he raised the price to $1.50 and experimented with $3 art titles. The Town operated to closure November 30, 1989 with “Jean De Florette.” Mayor Ronald Exline thanked Weinstock for his service and sent regrets on the closure.
The Towne Plaza Shopping Center was announced in 1963 and opened theatre-lessly anchored by a small Sears catalog order store. In 1968, that changed when a $250,000 suburban luxury theater was added to the center. The Towne Plaza Theatre opened on Thursday, February 27, 1969 with The Beatles in “Yellow Submarine.“The venue was then twinned by 1975.
The Loehmann’s Plaza held its groundbreaking on December 10, 1981 with General Cinema and Loehmann’s discount store ready to hit the fairway. A&E Design Inc. of Tampa were the architects of the course. General Cinema teed up the 1,380-seat PGA Cinema VI in the Plaza on March 18th, 1983. GCC left the market on September 28, 2000 triple bogeying into Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the near future.
On June 1, 2001, Carmi Djiji’s BMC Cinemas took a mulligan restarting the venue on a new 15-year leasing agreement as the BMC PGA Cinema 6 playing a combination of art films and Hollywood hits. Landing in the sand trap, BMC left the PGA tour on March 21, 2010.
Playing on the Senior Tour circuit, the venue came back against all odds as the PGA Gardens Cinemax 6 playing foreign and independent films beginning April 23, 2010. That lasted until the operator had used the last ball in the bag closing on September 5, 2011. Slated for demolition for a big box store in 2011, city regulations thwarted the deal so the theater had closed for no reason and the struggling Loehmann Plaza continued operations well over par.
And, speaking of no reason, the theater was rebooted once again - 5 years later (!) as duffers tried to operate in an almost impossible business environment teeing off on March 3, 2016 independently with “titles to be announced.” It is believed that only two auditoriums were in operation that day with showing “Aftermath” and “Safety Not Guaranteed.” This iteration outperformed all sports betters predictions lasting all the way to the “over” before closing in November of 2016 when the electric golf cart ran out of electricity. A Facebook message said - perhaps in humor - “closed temporarily.” For film lovers, it was time to head to the 19th hole.
New operators decided to buy a new set of clubs and use two auditoria for live stage plays. That began on February 2, 2017 as the PGA Arts Center. With winter rules in effect, the Center was closed for the season on November 18, 2018. I decided to reopen the venue as a movie house in October of 2024 - because why not? But I arrived only to see the former cinema being demolished; so I headed to the club house to drown my sorrows in six Arnold Palmers in final memory of each auditorium. The PGA Cinema had been forcibly and permanently removed from further tour play dates.
The Paramount closed as an adult film theater on July 10, 1976. It was purchased the next year and converted into Galeria International, a shopping mall. That appears to have ended in 1993.
This venue was known as Hayes' Opera House when Ella M. “Momma” Hayes built the facility and operated it under that name from 1909 to 1919. “Mother” Morgan operated the adjoining candy shop which served as the venue’s de facto concession stand. The theatre mixed in short films and live acts. In 1914, Hayes became the town’s first female movie theater operator changing the venue over to full-time film operation with Hayes training two other female employees to help her run the operation.
Hayes retired from her Hayes' Opera House at an event on May 9, 1919, likely at the end of a 10-year leasing period, selling it to Lewen Pizor. Pizor renamed the venue beginning on May 12, 1919 as the Palace Theatre beginning with D.W. Griffith’s “The Greatest Thing in Life.” Competition from the new Apollo Theatre that opened the next year combined with unruly patrons - perhaps encouraged by the Apollo Theatre management - seems to have unseated the Palace Theatre which closed early in 1922.
The Opera House (this entry’s title) / Gloucester Opera House operated at 6th Street and Water Street . It was part of the Gloucester City horse racing days of the early 1890s, a foreshadowing to the similarly-themed Havre de Grace racing area that would rise up in Maryland. Gloucester City’s version included an Opera House at the center of an entertainment area situated by the Delaware Riverfront featuring Gloucester’s Track, taverns, the Thompson Hotel, the Beachfront Hotel, and McGlade’s Hotel. Getting folks to come over from Pennsylvania and, particularly, nearby Philadelphia worked as Pennsylvania prohibited gambling on the ponies back in 1820.
The track scratched just four years in to its operation due to local ordinances aimed at reducing gambling and the concept failed. The flight of some 700 people along with the $1.4 million in revenues in 1893 dollars all but destroyed the entertainment district and forever changed the trajectory of Gloucester City along with its fledgling Opera House.
Sadly, the project was just about 15 years ahead of its time as the infamous Hart–Agnew anti-gambling law in New York State led to a bonanza in gambling activity across state lines after its passage in 1908 that the city might have welcomed. Unfortunately, the Gloucester City waterfront area - cheaply built - was already in decay by that time. The land was offered up during World War I to the government by its owner, J.H. McNally in 1917. That plan didn’t fully solidify and the Opera House there was vacant until its demolition in January of 1929. A different approach took place for the riverfront moving solidly away from its entertainment and tourist past to becoming home for the Delaware River Dredging Company.
This entry, by the way, should be the Palace Theatre - also known as Hayes' Opera House. The former Hayes'/Palace building continued to be a vibrant gathering area serving as a long-standing home to a fraternal lodge for the local VFW into the 2020s. I hope that answers some questions, contributor TC.
The theater should be also known as the Fox Theatre for its “Little Detroit Fox” movie and live concert programming era that began on October 2, 1960 after a $30,000 refresh. The era ended some three months later under new operators returning to the Michigan moniker. There went $30,000.
The theater is purchased by Nathan Scwartz who stages wrestling events, concerts and mostly burlesque shows through the theater’s end as the Michigan Theatre Auditorium. The final films screened at the Michigan Theatre were the adult films, “Kitty Galore” and “Smorgasbord” on August 22, 1965 - just after the 35th Anniversary of the joint.
Schwartz wanted to continue there but was evicted by the operators of a neighboring food store who bought the theatre and unceremoniously evicted Schwartz who took his films to the Royal. Demolition plans scheduled for late 1965… were scrapped. The venue became home to the short-lived Good Shepherd Cathedral before boarding up and remaining vacant until its demolition in 1975.
It was one of them days. The Pohatcong multiplex closed at what Regal said was the expiry of its lease on March 9, 2025. The last showtimes were for the film, “One of Them Days.”
Opened on October 14, 1927 with “We’re All Gamblers” with Thomas Meighan.
Opened May 9, 1940 with “Two Girls on Broadway.” Discontinued showtimes following March 13, 1966 showings.
Opened November 30, 1949 with “Grapes of Wrath.” Appears to have closed July 9, 1956 with “Far Country” and “House of Terrors.” This information is not from “A History of Film Exhibition in Caldwell County” by Gary R. Boye but is from the daily newspaper.
Opened May 13, 1950 with Devil on Wheels
Fred Powell and L.C. Sipe renamed the Imperial as the Catawba Theatre on March 4, 1938 with the “Merry-Go-Round of 1938.” The theatre was gutted by fire on April 30, 1949 ending its run.
Closed permanently October 1, 1972 and was demolished.
Opened Oct. 18, 1948 with “Wild West.”
The New-Con Drive-In Theatre was built in late 1948 opening by Judge Fred Hasty, Elmer Rouzer, and Bennie Alexander on Feb. 12, 1949 with “Trail of the Vigilantes.” It operated until 1967 when it was merged with the Springs Road Drive-In to create a new drive-in.
Opened as the Friendly Drive-In Theatre on May 2, 1947 by J.C. Bynum, Jr. and F.B Grigg.
Moyer Theatres Circuit closed here on January 7, 1992 giving both the movie attendees and the venue the “Hook.” Moyer would then hook its Cascade Twin Cinema also in The Dulles in November of that same year with it being taken over by a local operator..
Goes by Cinemark East Montana and XD
Goes by Cinemark West El Paso XD and ScreenX
Actual name is: Cinemark Tinseltown Las Palmas XD and ScreenX
Closed permanently by B&B on February 26, 2025 likely at the expiry of a second 20-year leasing period.
The Summerfield Cinmeas announced its closure to take place on March 9, 2025.
The Town and Country Shopping Plaza was proposed in 1961 and opened theatre-lessly in 1967. That changed when George Leipold opened the 322-seat, suburban luxury cinema, the Holiday Theatre, there on July 8, 1971. Opening film was “Escape from Planet of the Apes” with an in-person appearance by The Space Ape.
In November of 1971, the policy changed to Spanish language films on weekdays and porno chic x-rated films on weekends. In 1973, the Spanish films were replaced with Blaxploitation films. The theatre then went second-run Hollywood beginning in April of 1973 and closing Aug. 2, 1973. New operators, Venus Cinemas takes the Holiday mostly with Spanish films and art films. It. closes finding new operators in the Summer of 1973 who fail and the Holiday took a holiday for more than a year.
New operator Lou Weisntock then gives the theatre traction taking it on in November of 1974. After a refresh, he reopened it as a second-run, dollar discount venue and taking part of the plaza’s name as the Town Theatre. He opened on January 31, 1975 with “The Longest Yard.” Weinstock decided to add a midnight X-rated double feature on weekends in April of 1980 which riled up locals who protested. The town of Lake Worth banned the films almost immediately with Weinstock reversing course.
Weinstock is present and virtually every show of nearly 15 years - likely his leasing term. He personally screened and went over each new film with projectionist Frank Kelliher before approving it for proper presentation. The $1 price point remains from 1975 to 1988. In 1989, he raised the price to $1.50 and experimented with $3 art titles. The Town operated to closure November 30, 1989 with “Jean De Florette.” Mayor Ronald Exline thanked Weinstock for his service and sent regrets on the closure.
Indeed - April 15, 2025 is the last day with the lease terminated.
The Towne Plaza Shopping Center was announced in 1963 and opened theatre-lessly anchored by a small Sears catalog order store. In 1968, that changed when a $250,000 suburban luxury theater was added to the center. The Towne Plaza Theatre opened on Thursday, February 27, 1969 with The Beatles in “Yellow Submarine.“The venue was then twinned by 1975.
For those who are curious, it became an indoor pickleball facility.
The Loehmann’s Plaza held its groundbreaking on December 10, 1981 with General Cinema and Loehmann’s discount store ready to hit the fairway. A&E Design Inc. of Tampa were the architects of the course. General Cinema teed up the 1,380-seat PGA Cinema VI in the Plaza on March 18th, 1983. GCC left the market on September 28, 2000 triple bogeying into Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the near future.
On June 1, 2001, Carmi Djiji’s BMC Cinemas took a mulligan restarting the venue on a new 15-year leasing agreement as the BMC PGA Cinema 6 playing a combination of art films and Hollywood hits. Landing in the sand trap, BMC left the PGA tour on March 21, 2010.
Playing on the Senior Tour circuit, the venue came back against all odds as the PGA Gardens Cinemax 6 playing foreign and independent films beginning April 23, 2010. That lasted until the operator had used the last ball in the bag closing on September 5, 2011. Slated for demolition for a big box store in 2011, city regulations thwarted the deal so the theater had closed for no reason and the struggling Loehmann Plaza continued operations well over par.
And, speaking of no reason, the theater was rebooted once again - 5 years later (!) as duffers tried to operate in an almost impossible business environment teeing off on March 3, 2016 independently with “titles to be announced.” It is believed that only two auditoriums were in operation that day with showing “Aftermath” and “Safety Not Guaranteed.” This iteration outperformed all sports betters predictions lasting all the way to the “over” before closing in November of 2016 when the electric golf cart ran out of electricity. A Facebook message said - perhaps in humor - “closed temporarily.” For film lovers, it was time to head to the 19th hole.
New operators decided to buy a new set of clubs and use two auditoria for live stage plays. That began on February 2, 2017 as the PGA Arts Center. With winter rules in effect, the Center was closed for the season on November 18, 2018. I decided to reopen the venue as a movie house in October of 2024 - because why not? But I arrived only to see the former cinema being demolished; so I headed to the club house to drown my sorrows in six Arnold Palmers in final memory of each auditorium. The PGA Cinema had been forcibly and permanently removed from further tour play dates.
Sadly - closed
The Paramount closed as an adult film theater on July 10, 1976. It was purchased the next year and converted into Galeria International, a shopping mall. That appears to have ended in 1993.