The Corral Drive-In opened its gates on June 11, 1949 with Jon Hall in “The Vigilantes Return” (unclear if any short subjects were added) featuring an original capacity of 350 cars, a 40x50ft screen constructed on 70ft poles and 25 tons worth of materials, and a Pioneer Chief miniature train set.
On April 23, 1968, the screen was partially damaged by wind gusts during severe thunderstorms, but managed to continue running movies since the damage only destroyed the northwest section of the screen.
Information about the Capitol as of 1939 goes as follows (including comparisons between the 1920 look and the 1939 look): The exterior of the Capitol building featured a yellow primrose and black vitrolite plates while mirrors of weather resisting qualities will gleam from recesses in the wall. There are poster frames located both inside and outside the theater, as well as a shadow box lighting process. The marquee was updated in the 1939 remodel featuring neon lighting supplemented with lamps that flicker far and wide the name of the then-current attractions.
The foyer, deep carpets, floor lamps, and chesterfields were dipped in the colors of blue, yellow, and white, while gold neon lighting reflected the fluorescent type spread into a soft glow over the ceiling. Until the 1939 remodel, the Capitol’s box office was located inside the theater, but was relocated placed in the edge of the sidewalk in the 1939 remodel featuring a large bluish mirror fronting the lower part of the box office. The walls are made out of acoustic celetox board with finishing shades of terra cotta with fancy design enhancing the Neo Classic scheme, which is the ideal substance for perfect acoustics.
The ventilation system is a large fan sweeping no less than 30,000 cubic feet of fresh air a minute into the auditorium and the exhaust fan sucks it out again so quickly that the auditorium has a complete change of air every three minutes. The bathrooms for both genders are also updated in the 1939 remodel featuring blue carpet gracing the women’s room where the walls featured decorations of yellow blending in with green and blue furniture as well as costmetic sets. The men’s room featured a black and white vitrous tile with a mosaic tile floor.
There were no changes in the auditorium in the 1939 remodel. The original 1920 Adam-architectural Neo Classic scheme and designs were still attached. The stage is built up in steps all across the front. However, the screen was updated and was designed to eliminate glare and give perfect vision surrounded with heavy gold tassel curtains on the sides.
Some information about the Lincoln as of 1939 goes as follows: The original marquee is semi-circular topped by the light-up “Lincoln” letters. The front of the theater featured shiny vitrolite and glassy plates of multiple colors. The lobby featured green-neon showcases and thick wine-colored carpet leading into a spacious foyer. There were single indirect lights built into the ceiling. In a large basin is a fountain, aglow with hidden lights. One of the most unusual and unique things about the Lincoln Theatre is a small pond with several goldfish swimming unconcernedly located on the opposite side of the fountain and the restrooms.
Famous Players closed the Lincoln Theatre in January 1981, but reopened days later under independent operator. It ran a mix of various movie functions throughout the remainder of the early-1980s, but in early 1983, it was briefly renamed “Lincoln Cinema”. It closed in April 1983 and reopened in November 1983 by new ownership, and the theater’s original Lincoln Theatre returned.
The Lincoln closed for the final time on April 28, 1984 with “Strange Brew”.
It was named the Atlantic Theatre in April 1922. It reopened as the Iowa Theatre after reconstruction from the December 1929 fire. The theater was renamed back the Atlantic Theatre in 1941.
The Atlantic Theatre started life as the “Opera House” in 1885 under the management of H.E. Bacon (it was originally supposed to be an adjacent to the Bacon Stock Company next door), but the building was rebuilt in April 1922 with an estimate $45,000 led by Mr. and Mrs. R.W. Steen of Seattle, Washington. It reopened that same month.
On May 24, 1922 at approximately 7:30 PM CT, original doorkeeper Frank Beckman checked around the theater until everyone started to panic inside the auditorium after a shorted circuit on the electric sign outside the theater caught on fire. When Beckman went outside and discovered that the sign was on fire, he did not used the telephone. Instead he quietly walked to the fire department and told the boys at Station 1 to bring up the wagon. The engine responded and the fire was quickly extinguished in a landslide. Only several people left the theater but were quickly re-seated on being informed that there was no danger.
On December 1, 1929 at approximately 7:30 PM CT, nearly 1,000 people attended to see Colleen Moore in “Footlights And Fools” along with Pathe’s Aesop’s Fables and a Fox Movietone Newsreel when all of the sudden, everyone immediately evacuated without a single scratch or injury after people smelled burning odor. The auditorium was destroyed, the entire roof was gone and parts of its front wall were heavily damaged, all by a massive fire. The fire was discovered from the furnace beneath the auditorium (possibly coming from a hot air plant that was installed when the building was remodeled the previous year in 1928). The fire also caused very minor damage to other places, including the Buckley Cleaning Establishment, the Eustus Insurance Office, the Lanoil Beauty Shop, the Photofinishing Company, and the Un-U-Rite Inn. Clarence Ray, the projectionist, staying inside his booth and ran out the last of his reel when the flames were licking it up, He was rescued from his booth by Halton Fox of Des Moines who was also an employee of the Fox Film Company (later 20th Century Fox). Robert A. Booth, the janitor of the theater, gave special credit to his hard work fighting the flames but gave up as it had gained too much headway. The Atlantic Fire Department witnessed too much trouble when their fire hydrants were frozen. Although nobody in the theater was injured, two firefighters were killed after a comice fell on them while fighting the flames in the west side of the building (identified as Otto Rogge and Fred Auerbach of the Atlantic Fire Department). The loss in the blaze was around $65,000 estimate.
NOTE: Boxoffice placed the December 1929 fire story in its March 4, 1950 issue on accident. And yes there was a Strand Theatre during both the silent and early sound era.
The former Atlantic Theatre was then rebuilt and reopened as the Iowa Theatre on March 28, 1930 with William Powell in “Street Of Chance” along with Our Gang in “Bear Shooters” and an unnamed cartoon (with sound installations of Bestone Sound System). The Iowa Theatre name lasted until 1941 when it went back to its original Atlantic Theatre name. CinemaScope was installed there in June 1954.
In late-October 1981, the Atlantic Theatre is twinned and was renamed “Frederick 2 Cinemas” after Fridley Theatres took over operations of the theater. On March 30, 1998, the theater was renamed Atlantic 1 & 2 after major renovation.
On November 1, 2019, the theater was renamed Atlas Atlantic Cinema, and closed in December 2022.
The Corral Drive-In opened its gates on August 19, 1949 with Abbott and Costello in “Keep ‘Em Flying” along with some unnamed cartoons and short subjects and a special appearance by then-Mayor Robert Wilburn, featuring a 1,300ft entrance and 5,000ft of lighting. The original screen measures 47x37ft mounted on a 70ft tower formed by five poles set on a concrete piers in a 20ft deep pit.
In 1969, the theater was renamed Atlantic Drive-In, and closed after the 1979 season.
Cinemark opened the “Cinema III” during the second week of December 1979 with “Star Trek The Motion Picture” at Screen 1, “Rocky II” at Screen 2, and “Starting Over” at Screen 3, marking the first movie house to operate in Commerce since the closures of the Palace Theatre and the Commerce Drive-In.
Prior to grand opening, the movie “10” was originally supposed to be the grand opening feature at Screen 3, but turned it down for unknown reasons. Instead, “Starting Over” was the replacement for the originally scheduled “10” as its grand opening feature.
Despite starting life as a Cinemark theater, Cinemark operated the Cinema 3 for only a few months. Plitt Theatres then took the Cinema III’s ownership over from Cinemark in June 1980. Plitt operated the Cinema III until mid-1986 when Cinemark brought back its original ownership of Cinema III. The theater was renamed “Commerce 3” in February 1987.
In 1988, Front Row Joe never made it to Commerce after Trans-Texas Theatres took over ownership from Cinemark. The theater was renamed “Dollar Movies 3” and became a $1 house, retaining its first-run policy.
On the evening of June 19, 1989 at approximately 8:00 PM, three men entered one of the three auditoriums in a middle of a movie and began beating up a 21-year-old Channelview man with wooden sticks. The man immediately rushed out of the theater after receiving only minor injuries and was taken to Citizens Hospital of Commerce where he was treated and released. The three men were caught in the landslide and were all charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Trans-Texas Theatres operated the theater until 1995 when Hollywood Theaters took the operation over. It was renamed “Dollar Cinema 3”. This lasted until November 1999 when the theater became a $2 house, and was renamed Commerce Cineplex under an independent operator.
The Commerce Cineplex closed for the final time on August 31, 2005.
The Palace Theatre opened its doors on December 31, 1929 with “The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu” (unclear if any short subjects were added) with sound installations of RCA Photophone. The Palace Theatre was a replacement of the nearby Hippodrome Theatre which closed a day prior due to lack of sound. Former Hippodrome manager L.O. Boggetts was the first manager of the Palace.
The Palace Theatre changed its name to the Cinema Theatre in 1972 after Rowlett United Theatres sold the theater to the Texas Cinema Corporation chain (alongside the Commerce Drive-In).
The theater closed for the final time on America’s 200th Independence Day (July 4, 1976) with Walt Disney’s “Ride A Wild Pony” and “Dumbo”.
The Commerce Drive-In opened its gates on July 29, 1952 with John Lund in “Steel Town” with no extra short subjects featuring original installations of Simplex projectors and a 32x45ft Johns-Manville Flexboard screen covered with a special cement type paint.
The Lilly’s who operated both the Palace and the Commerce Drive-In sold their theaters to Rowley United Theatres in 1965. Rowley then sold both theaters to the Texas Cinema Corporation in 1972.
The Commerce Drive-In closed for the final time on January 2, 1977 with the 1976 version of “King Kong” due to the theater failing to attract a suitable turnout.
This left Commerce without a movie house until Plitt Theatres launched the Cinema 3 almost three years later.
NOTE: I don’t see any information of the drive-in being known as the High View Drive-In judging by archives of the Commerce Journal.
The Los Altos Drive-In closed for the final time on September 9, 1996 with “The Stupids” and “Escape From L.A.” at Screen 1, “Tin Cup” and “Carpool” at Screen 2, and “A Very Brady Sequel” and “Alaska” at Screen 3.
The Kmart opened two-and-a-half years later on November 17, 1999. It closed on April 18, 2021, and AtHome now currently occupies both the former Kmart and drive-in.
This is one out of two Owen Theatres in the city of Branson, the name Owen was named after Branson’s then-mayor and famous “king of the Ozarks” Jim M. Owens (1904-1972).
The older and first Owen Theatre started life as the Gayety Theatre, but was renamed the Owen Theatre in the early-1930s.
In mid-August 1935, Mr. N.E. Morrison of St. James, Missouri wrote a letter to mayor Owen, asking for his support and advice in connection with a proposal to construct a newer movie house in a special way, saying that he have been “informed that there is a real need for a good showhouse in Branson”. After receiving his letter, not just he wrote a letter back to Morrison but he also wrote a letter to Glen Dickinson of the Dickinson Theatres chain. After a successful agreement, construction of the newer Owen Theatre began in March 1936.
The newer and second Owen Theatre opened its doors on June 5, 1936 as a replacement of the older Owen Theatre which closed the previous day. Its grand opening attraction is not found yet at this time. Since opening, Dickinson Theatres was the main operator of the theater, and remained like that for nearly 40 years of its operation.
The Owen was Branson’s first-run movie house for the longest time, but when the Table Rock Twin Cinema opened nearby in September 1975, it began a little competition. The Owen Theatre closed as a first-run movie house in the late-1970s.
A short time later, the Owen reopened as a popular venue for live performances, concerts, performing arts, and special events (plus additional movies for rare occasions).
The Tablerock Twin Cinema started life as a locally-owned theater, but in mid-1977, the Dickinson Theatres chain (who also operated both the Owen Theatre and the Shepherd Of The Hills Drive-In) leased the theater and purchased the firm in 1979.
The Tablerock Twin Cinema expanded to a four-screen theater on June 1, 1985 after Dickinson added two more 200-seat auditoriums in the west side of the building, bringing a grand total to 876 seats, and became known as the Tablerock Cinema 4.
The Sage was probably one of the last drive-in theaters to open in Oklahoma. I cannot spot the theater anywhere in both the 1955, 1964 and 1977 aerial views. A 1979 aerial view however shows the drive-in under construction, meaning that this may’ve open in 1980.
Edited from my August 28, 2023 (9:53 pm) comment:
The Corral Drive-In opened its gates on June 11, 1949 with Jon Hall in “The Vigilantes Return” (unclear if any short subjects were added) featuring an original capacity of 350 cars, a 40x50ft screen constructed on 70ft poles and 25 tons worth of materials, and a Pioneer Chief miniature train set.
On April 23, 1968, the screen was partially damaged by wind gusts during severe thunderstorms, but managed to continue running movies since the damage only destroyed the northwest section of the screen.
The Corral Drive-In closed after the 1989 season.
Information about the Capitol as of 1939 goes as follows (including comparisons between the 1920 look and the 1939 look): The exterior of the Capitol building featured a yellow primrose and black vitrolite plates while mirrors of weather resisting qualities will gleam from recesses in the wall. There are poster frames located both inside and outside the theater, as well as a shadow box lighting process. The marquee was updated in the 1939 remodel featuring neon lighting supplemented with lamps that flicker far and wide the name of the then-current attractions.
The foyer, deep carpets, floor lamps, and chesterfields were dipped in the colors of blue, yellow, and white, while gold neon lighting reflected the fluorescent type spread into a soft glow over the ceiling. Until the 1939 remodel, the Capitol’s box office was located inside the theater, but was relocated placed in the edge of the sidewalk in the 1939 remodel featuring a large bluish mirror fronting the lower part of the box office. The walls are made out of acoustic celetox board with finishing shades of terra cotta with fancy design enhancing the Neo Classic scheme, which is the ideal substance for perfect acoustics.
The ventilation system is a large fan sweeping no less than 30,000 cubic feet of fresh air a minute into the auditorium and the exhaust fan sucks it out again so quickly that the auditorium has a complete change of air every three minutes. The bathrooms for both genders are also updated in the 1939 remodel featuring blue carpet gracing the women’s room where the walls featured decorations of yellow blending in with green and blue furniture as well as costmetic sets. The men’s room featured a black and white vitrous tile with a mosaic tile floor.
There were no changes in the auditorium in the 1939 remodel. The original 1920 Adam-architectural Neo Classic scheme and designs were still attached. The stage is built up in steps all across the front. However, the screen was updated and was designed to eliminate glare and give perfect vision surrounded with heavy gold tassel curtains on the sides.
Some information about the Lincoln as of 1939 goes as follows: The original marquee is semi-circular topped by the light-up “Lincoln” letters. The front of the theater featured shiny vitrolite and glassy plates of multiple colors. The lobby featured green-neon showcases and thick wine-colored carpet leading into a spacious foyer. There were single indirect lights built into the ceiling. In a large basin is a fountain, aglow with hidden lights. One of the most unusual and unique things about the Lincoln Theatre is a small pond with several goldfish swimming unconcernedly located on the opposite side of the fountain and the restrooms.
Famous Players closed the Lincoln Theatre in January 1981, but reopened days later under independent operator. It ran a mix of various movie functions throughout the remainder of the early-1980s, but in early 1983, it was briefly renamed “Lincoln Cinema”. It closed in April 1983 and reopened in November 1983 by new ownership, and the theater’s original Lincoln Theatre returned.
The Lincoln closed for the final time on April 28, 1984 with “Strange Brew”.
Closed on July 17, 1978 with “The Greek Tycoon” and “The Other Side Of The Mountain Part 2”.
The Capitol Theatre closed with “The Love-Ins” and “Frontier Hellcat” as a double feature.
The Keck Theatre opened as early as January 1920 and was first operated by W.E. Herrick. The theater was renamed the Wapello Theatre in 1941.
Its closing date has not yet to be found.
It was named the Atlantic Theatre in April 1922. It reopened as the Iowa Theatre after reconstruction from the December 1929 fire. The theater was renamed back the Atlantic Theatre in 1941.
The Atlantic Theatre started life as the “Opera House” in 1885 under the management of H.E. Bacon (it was originally supposed to be an adjacent to the Bacon Stock Company next door), but the building was rebuilt in April 1922 with an estimate $45,000 led by Mr. and Mrs. R.W. Steen of Seattle, Washington. It reopened that same month.
On December 1, 1929 at approximately 7:30 PM CT, nearly 1,000 people attended to see Colleen Moore in “Footlights And Fools” along with Pathe’s Aesop’s Fables and a Fox Movietone Newsreel when all of the sudden, everyone immediately evacuated without a single scratch or injury after people smelled burning odor. The auditorium was destroyed, the entire roof was gone and parts of its front wall were heavily damaged, all by a massive fire. The fire was discovered from the furnace beneath the auditorium (possibly coming from a hot air plant that was installed when the building was remodeled the previous year in 1928). The fire also caused very minor damage to other places, including the Buckley Cleaning Establishment, the Eustus Insurance Office, the Lanoil Beauty Shop, the Photofinishing Company, and the Un-U-Rite Inn. Clarence Ray, the projectionist, staying inside his booth and ran out the last of his reel when the flames were licking it up, He was rescued from his booth by Halton Fox of Des Moines who was also an employee of the Fox Film Company (later 20th Century Fox). Robert A. Booth, the janitor of the theater, gave special credit to his hard work fighting the flames but gave up as it had gained too much headway. The Atlantic Fire Department witnessed too much trouble when their fire hydrants were frozen. Although nobody in the theater was injured, two firefighters were killed after a comice fell on them while fighting the flames in the west side of the building (identified as Otto Rogge and Fred Auerbach of the Atlantic Fire Department). The loss in the blaze was around $65,000 estimate.
The former Atlantic Theatre was then rebuilt and reopened as the Iowa Theatre on March 28, 1930 with William Powell in “Street Of Chance” along with Our Gang in “Bear Shooters” and an unnamed cartoon (with sound installations of Bestone Sound System). The Iowa Theatre name lasted until 1941 when it went back to its original Atlantic Theatre name. CinemaScope was installed there in June 1954.
In late-October 1981, the Atlantic Theatre is twinned and was renamed “Frederick 2 Cinemas” after Fridley Theatres took over operations of the theater. On March 30, 1998, the theater was renamed Atlantic 1 & 2 after major renovation.
On November 1, 2019, the theater was renamed Atlas Atlantic Cinema, and closed in December 2022.
The Corral Drive-In opened its gates on August 19, 1949 with Abbott and Costello in “Keep ‘Em Flying” along with some unnamed cartoons and short subjects and a special appearance by then-Mayor Robert Wilburn, featuring a 1,300ft entrance and 5,000ft of lighting. The original screen measures 47x37ft mounted on a 70ft tower formed by five poles set on a concrete piers in a 20ft deep pit.
In 1969, the theater was renamed Atlantic Drive-In, and closed after the 1979 season.
Once operated by Gulf States Theatres.
Once operated by Gulf States Theatres.
Cinemark opened the “Cinema III” during the second week of December 1979 with “Star Trek The Motion Picture” at Screen 1, “Rocky II” at Screen 2, and “Starting Over” at Screen 3, marking the first movie house to operate in Commerce since the closures of the Palace Theatre and the Commerce Drive-In.
Despite starting life as a Cinemark theater, Cinemark operated the Cinema 3 for only a few months. Plitt Theatres then took the Cinema III’s ownership over from Cinemark in June 1980. Plitt operated the Cinema III until mid-1986 when Cinemark brought back its original ownership of Cinema III. The theater was renamed “Commerce 3” in February 1987.
In 1988, Front Row Joe never made it to Commerce after Trans-Texas Theatres took over ownership from Cinemark. The theater was renamed “Dollar Movies 3” and became a $1 house, retaining its first-run policy.
On the evening of June 19, 1989 at approximately 8:00 PM, three men entered one of the three auditoriums in a middle of a movie and began beating up a 21-year-old Channelview man with wooden sticks. The man immediately rushed out of the theater after receiving only minor injuries and was taken to Citizens Hospital of Commerce where he was treated and released. The three men were caught in the landslide and were all charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Trans-Texas Theatres operated the theater until 1995 when Hollywood Theaters took the operation over. It was renamed “Dollar Cinema 3”. This lasted until November 1999 when the theater became a $2 house, and was renamed Commerce Cineplex under an independent operator.
The Commerce Cineplex closed for the final time on August 31, 2005.
Opened as early as 1950.
The Palace Theatre opened its doors on December 31, 1929 with “The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu” (unclear if any short subjects were added) with sound installations of RCA Photophone. The Palace Theatre was a replacement of the nearby Hippodrome Theatre which closed a day prior due to lack of sound. Former Hippodrome manager L.O. Boggetts was the first manager of the Palace.
The Palace Theatre changed its name to the Cinema Theatre in 1972 after Rowlett United Theatres sold the theater to the Texas Cinema Corporation chain (alongside the Commerce Drive-In).
The theater closed for the final time on America’s 200th Independence Day (July 4, 1976) with Walt Disney’s “Ride A Wild Pony” and “Dumbo”.
The Commerce Drive-In opened its gates on July 29, 1952 with John Lund in “Steel Town” with no extra short subjects featuring original installations of Simplex projectors and a 32x45ft Johns-Manville Flexboard screen covered with a special cement type paint.
The Lilly’s who operated both the Palace and the Commerce Drive-In sold their theaters to Rowley United Theatres in 1965. Rowley then sold both theaters to the Texas Cinema Corporation in 1972.
The Commerce Drive-In closed for the final time on January 2, 1977 with the 1976 version of “King Kong” due to the theater failing to attract a suitable turnout.
This left Commerce without a movie house until Plitt Theatres launched the Cinema 3 almost three years later.
Update: The Kmart operated from July 17, 1980 until June 2, 2002.
The Kmart operated from October 14, 1965 until 1999.
The Los Altos Drive-In closed for the final time on September 9, 1996 with “The Stupids” and “Escape From L.A.” at Screen 1, “Tin Cup” and “Carpool” at Screen 2, and “A Very Brady Sequel” and “Alaska” at Screen 3.
The Kmart opened two-and-a-half years later on November 17, 1999. It closed on April 18, 2021, and AtHome now currently occupies both the former Kmart and drive-in.
Definitely looks like an early-1970s Chilly Willy short.
This is one out of two Owen Theatres in the city of Branson, the name Owen was named after Branson’s then-mayor and famous “king of the Ozarks” Jim M. Owens (1904-1972).
The older and first Owen Theatre started life as the Gayety Theatre, but was renamed the Owen Theatre in the early-1930s.
In mid-August 1935, Mr. N.E. Morrison of St. James, Missouri wrote a letter to mayor Owen, asking for his support and advice in connection with a proposal to construct a newer movie house in a special way, saying that he have been “informed that there is a real need for a good showhouse in Branson”. After receiving his letter, not just he wrote a letter back to Morrison but he also wrote a letter to Glen Dickinson of the Dickinson Theatres chain. After a successful agreement, construction of the newer Owen Theatre began in March 1936.
The newer and second Owen Theatre opened its doors on June 5, 1936 as a replacement of the older Owen Theatre which closed the previous day. Its grand opening attraction is not found yet at this time. Since opening, Dickinson Theatres was the main operator of the theater, and remained like that for nearly 40 years of its operation.
The Owen was Branson’s first-run movie house for the longest time, but when the Table Rock Twin Cinema opened nearby in September 1975, it began a little competition. The Owen Theatre closed as a first-run movie house in the late-1970s.
A short time later, the Owen reopened as a popular venue for live performances, concerts, performing arts, and special events (plus additional movies for rare occasions).
Demolished in Early 1970.
The Tablerock Twin Cinema started life as a locally-owned theater, but in mid-1977, the Dickinson Theatres chain (who also operated both the Owen Theatre and the Shepherd Of The Hills Drive-In) leased the theater and purchased the firm in 1979.
The Tablerock Twin Cinema expanded to a four-screen theater on June 1, 1985 after Dickinson added two more 200-seat auditoriums in the west side of the building, bringing a grand total to 876 seats, and became known as the Tablerock Cinema 4.
It appears that it was demolished right after closure.
The Sage was probably one of the last drive-in theaters to open in Oklahoma. I cannot spot the theater anywhere in both the 1955, 1964 and 1977 aerial views. A 1979 aerial view however shows the drive-in under construction, meaning that this may’ve open in 1980.
Looks like an average 150-to-200-car drive-in. I don’t see any ads right after the 1958 season, so that is just my guess.