Local memory of the opening date of this house is apparently wrong. Not only does the Barton Theatre make its first appearance in the 1928 FDY, but this item is from the October 16, 1926 issue of The Billboard: “STROUD, Okla. -The Barton Theater, Stroud’s most modern movie house, constructed at a cost of $50,000, has been opened for business.”
I’ve found the house referred to as the Ritz as early as the July, 1931 issue of Theatre Engineering.
This bit of information about the Barton building is from the City of Stroud’s web site: “Built in 1920, it was the Ritz Theater in the 1930’s and 40’s. The Bartons owned both the Ritz and the Cozy Theater, which building was at 407 W. Main.”
The 200-seat Barton Theatre first appears in the 1928 FDY. The 1926 and 1927 editions both list the 200-seat Cozy and a New, with no seating capacity given. The New might have been the Barton, not yet named. Both the Cozy and the Barton are mentioned in the February, 1928 issue of Theatre Management, which says the houses, previously booked by Griffith Brothers, had been purchased by W. S. Spearman.
The Ritz was closed for a time in the summer of 1939, according to this item from Boxoffice, August 12, 1939: “Lewis Barton, the mayor of Stroud, is all set to reopen his Ritz Theatre there…”
The Cozy Theatre was at 407 W. Main Street. It has been demolished, and a small park now occupies the site. This Facebook post has a photo of the Cozy, probably from 1957, but two comments in the thread indicate that the house was later called the Time Theatre. One commenter recalls seeing “Jaws” at the house, so it must have been open at least until 1975.
One interesting bit of information from the February 17, 1940 issue of Boxoffice suggests that the Cozy had to be rebuilt twice in less than a year.: “STROUD, OKLA.—Mayor Louis Barton will rebuild the Cozy, destroyed by fire a few days ago. The house was built about four months ago.” I haven’t found any references to this fire, or an earlier rebuilding, anywhere else.
This item is from the December 22, 1927 Kenedy Advance: “Ken Tex Theatre announces as a vaudeville feature tonight The Dancing Demons. The cast is composed of Verne Gibson, Jimmy Bates, Cyril Durette and Frne Barbay. This a clever bunch of dancers and singers, introducing the latest dance crazes throughout the country.”
Here’s an interesting tidbit from the December 24, 1953 issue of Boxoffice: “We have been informed that Dave Smason, owner-manager of the Vic Theatre, Karnes City, is anxious to start a stage show policy at his house.” Given that the house ran Spanish language movies, I would imagine that the stage shows were in Spanish as well, perhaps featuring some of the Mexican vaudeville acts which often toured the southwest into the 1960s.
This house was also known (at least as early as September, 1906) as the Messenger Theatre. Here is a notice about the name change and reopening from the December 19, 1908 issue of The Billboard: “The Meseenger Theatre at Corry, Pa., has been leased for a term of years by J. J. Desmond and will be remodeled into a handsome playhouse. The name will be changed to the Library Theatre and will be under the management of Mr. Harry W. Parker. The house will open Januay 4, with The Lion and the Mouse.”
The current Corry armory is an NRHP listed building opened in December, 1907. The old armory was converted into a theater in 1908. A history of Erie County published in 1909 gives this brief account of Corry’s theaters up until then:
“In the matter of amusements, Corry has had its experiences. The earliest theatre was Wright’s, which was burned a good many years ago. To supply the need in the seventies the second and third floors of the Ajax building on Centre street were transformed into a handsome little theatre and called the Harmon Opera House. This was needed for other purposes in time, when the Corry Opera House took it place for a short while, until the Weeks Theatre, a thoroughly modern and complete playhouse was erected. This was buried [burned] in 1898. The city was then without any theatre facilities worthy the name until 1908, when the old Armory building was taken by Harry Parker and rebuilt into an admirable theatre, with a well equipped stage and seating capacity for 700. It is heated by steam, lighted by electricity, is well furnished, handsomely decorated, and is provided with eleven dressing rooms.”
I checked Historic Aerials, where the most recent view available was 1959, and there were still a couple of small buildings to the north, so I’d guess the intended expansion was south. Most likely the expansion didn’t happen, as I doubt they’d expand a building and then demolish only that half of it for new construction thirty years later.
The only mention of the Grand I’ve found in the trade journals so far is this item from the August 28, 1925 issue of Moving Picture World: “C. R. Rogers has purchased from Mrs. Anna Shuss two frame buildings on North Center street, Corry, Pa., and later will raze them to afford space for an addition to the Grand Theatre, at present a picture house. When remodeled the house will be used for legitimate attractions.” I’ve been unable to discover if Mr. Rogers' rather ambitious plans were carried out.
Here is a closing notice from The New York Dramatic Mirror of December 18, 1909: “C. N. Waters has closed the Continuous Theatre at Corry, Pa., moved to a new location and opened the New Lyric, which is one of the neatest in this section, handsomely equipped with all latest improvements, with six threefoot aisles and plenty of fire escapes. The opening occurred Dec. 2 to capacity business and souvenirs were given to all on the opening night.”
I don’t think the New Lyric mentioned in this item could have been the one at 36-38 W. Main, given the description of “…six threefoot aisles….” etc.
A 1913 trade journal item that mentioned C. N. Waters said that he had been in the movie business at Corry for seven years, so the Continuous might have opened as early as 1906.
There was a Lyric Theatre operating in Corry in 1913, as I found this item in the November 8 issue of Moving Picture World that year: “WATERS BUILDS NEW HOUSE.
“C. N. Waters, of Corry, Pa., who has been in the picture show business for the past seven years, is building a new picture house in that city. The new theater, which will have 350 seats, is expected to be ready about the first of January next. In the meanwhile Mr. Waters will conduct his Lyric theater.”
According to an item in The New York Dramatic Mirror of December 18, 1909, a house called the New Lyric Theatre had opened at Corry on December 2, but from its description I don’t think it could have been this house. So far it’s a complete mystery.
The theater Waters was building in 1913 was probably a house called the Family Theatre, which opened that December. I haven’t been able to find its location or any details about it.
Seth, the 1914-1915 Gus Hill directory says that the Library Theatre “Plays R. V. P.” meaning Road Shows, Vaudeville, and Pictures. They also had concerts, as I came across a listing of a matinee performance there by the John Philip Sousa band in 1913.
Here is an item from the April 19, 1919 issue of The American Contractor: “Punxsutawney, Pa. -М. Р. Theater: $18,000. 1 sty. 40x150. Archt. H. S. Bair, Vandergrift bldg., Pittsburgh, Pa. Owner James Crivello, Punxsutawney. Sketches.”
If the project was still at the sketch stage in April, 1919, the house probably wasn’t opened for several months. Mr. Crivello didn’t get to run his theater for long, as ill health forced him to lease the Alpine to his rivals McCartney and Johnson about a year after the above notice appeared.
Could the Majestic have moved in 1918? This item appeared in the June 8 issue of Moving Picture World that year: “PUNXSUTAWNEY, PA. — Drummond building will be converted into moving picture theater to be known as the Majestic.” As the house was reported being renovated in 1917 it seems extravagant to move, unless they badly needed more space, for example. I’ve found nothing else about the event though, so perhaps it fell through, or the item was simply mistaken.
The Eden Palace is also mentioned in the December 7, 1907 Billboard. The problem is that the 1906 and 1912 Sanborn maps of Punxsutawney show a wood framed building occupied by a dwelling and three small spaces serving as stores or (one of them in 1912) an office. Perhaps a theater could have been installed in some part of this odd space, but if so it didn’t last for long.
The April, 1911 issue of Motography said “[t]he Gem moving picture theater was recently opened at Punxsutawney under the management of Harry P. Hillard.” As no other unidentified theaters appear on the 1912 Sanborn map, The house at 109 E. Mahoning must have been the Gem.
Seth, the April, 1911 issue of Motogrpahy notes the opening of the Gem Theatre at Punxsutawney, so if this address was a wooden house in 1912, the Gem was somewhere else.
The June 13, 1925 issue of Moving Picture World said that the Majestic and Jefferson theaters at Punxsutawney had been added to the Rowland & Clark chain. They were among four houses purchased from McCartney, Johnson and Kurtz, the other two being the Strand at Ridgeway and the Ritz at Indiana.
Additional information appeared in the October 13, 1917 Dramatic Mirror: “PUNXSUTAWNEY, PA. (Special). -Peter Johnson recently acquired a part ownership in the Majestic Theater with W. Penn McCartney. McCartney had been the sole owner and manager for a number of years. Since the partnership was formed the Majestic has been entirely renovated both inside and out, and a new pipe organ has been installed at considerable expense, and as a result business has been on the boom. Now that these two have bought the Jefferson Theater, with a seating capacity of 1,300, they are assured of getting the theatrical business of Punxsutawney.”
The June 13, 1925 issue of Moving Picture World said that the Majestic and Jefferson theaters at Punxsutawney had been added to the Rowland & Clark chain.
As the house that opened as the Vernon theatre was reported to be under construction in the April 9, 1938 issue of Film Daily, the Lyric had to have been closed and demolished by early 1938 or maybe late 1937. The editors of Film Daily’s Year Books were not very good at keeping their lists up-to-date, though that might have been at least partly the fault of the theater owners, who certainly had the option of informing the publishers of any changes.
After General Cinema, this drive-in was operated by Cinemette, but for only two years. The August 9, 1976 issue of Boxoffice said that manager Gary E. Witt had taken over as an independent operator.
I wonder what delayed the opening of the Cinemette South? The November 19, 1973 issue of Boxoffice said that the Cinemette South was completed and equipped, and ready for opening. Yet the grand opening ad in the Post-Gazette did not appear until June 26, 1974, about seven months later.
I got turned around when checking the map for my earlier comment. The Lyric and Vernon were at the southwest corner of the square, of course, not the southeast, and the Grand was on the east side of the square at the corner of High Street, not Main.
Thanks to r1zr1z1 for confirming the complete demolition of the old Lyric. It deserves its own Cinema Treasures page.
Local memory of the opening date of this house is apparently wrong. Not only does the Barton Theatre make its first appearance in the 1928 FDY, but this item is from the October 16, 1926 issue of The Billboard: “STROUD, Okla. -The Barton Theater, Stroud’s most modern movie house, constructed at a cost of $50,000, has been opened for business.”
I’ve found the house referred to as the Ritz as early as the July, 1931 issue of Theatre Engineering.
This bit of information about the Barton building is from the City of Stroud’s web site: “Built in 1920, it was the Ritz Theater in the 1930’s and 40’s. The Bartons owned both the Ritz and the Cozy Theater, which building was at 407 W. Main.”
The 200-seat Barton Theatre first appears in the 1928 FDY. The 1926 and 1927 editions both list the 200-seat Cozy and a New, with no seating capacity given. The New might have been the Barton, not yet named. Both the Cozy and the Barton are mentioned in the February, 1928 issue of Theatre Management, which says the houses, previously booked by Griffith Brothers, had been purchased by W. S. Spearman.
The Ritz was closed for a time in the summer of 1939, according to this item from Boxoffice, August 12, 1939: “Lewis Barton, the mayor of Stroud, is all set to reopen his Ritz Theatre there…”
The Cozy Theatre was at 407 W. Main Street. It has been demolished, and a small park now occupies the site. This Facebook post has a photo of the Cozy, probably from 1957, but two comments in the thread indicate that the house was later called the Time Theatre. One commenter recalls seeing “Jaws” at the house, so it must have been open at least until 1975.
One interesting bit of information from the February 17, 1940 issue of Boxoffice suggests that the Cozy had to be rebuilt twice in less than a year.: “STROUD, OKLA.—Mayor Louis Barton will rebuild the Cozy, destroyed by fire a few days ago. The house was built about four months ago.” I haven’t found any references to this fire, or an earlier rebuilding, anywhere else.
This item is from the December 22, 1927 Kenedy Advance: “Ken Tex Theatre announces as a vaudeville feature tonight The Dancing Demons. The cast is composed of Verne Gibson, Jimmy Bates, Cyril Durette and Frne Barbay. This a clever bunch of dancers and singers, introducing the latest dance crazes throughout the country.”
Here’s an interesting tidbit from the December 24, 1953 issue of Boxoffice: “We have been informed that Dave Smason, owner-manager of the Vic Theatre, Karnes City, is anxious to start a stage show policy at his house.” Given that the house ran Spanish language movies, I would imagine that the stage shows were in Spanish as well, perhaps featuring some of the Mexican vaudeville acts which often toured the southwest into the 1960s.
This house was also known (at least as early as September, 1906) as the Messenger Theatre. Here is a notice about the name change and reopening from the December 19, 1908 issue of The Billboard: “The Meseenger Theatre at Corry, Pa., has been leased for a term of years by J. J. Desmond and will be remodeled into a handsome playhouse. The name will be changed to the Library Theatre and will be under the management of Mr. Harry W. Parker. The house will open Januay 4, with The Lion and the Mouse.”
The Billboard desperately needed spellcheck.
The current Corry armory is an NRHP listed building opened in December, 1907. The old armory was converted into a theater in 1908. A history of Erie County published in 1909 gives this brief account of Corry’s theaters up until then:
I checked Historic Aerials, where the most recent view available was 1959, and there were still a couple of small buildings to the north, so I’d guess the intended expansion was south. Most likely the expansion didn’t happen, as I doubt they’d expand a building and then demolish only that half of it for new construction thirty years later.
The only mention of the Grand I’ve found in the trade journals so far is this item from the August 28, 1925 issue of Moving Picture World: “C. R. Rogers has purchased from Mrs. Anna Shuss two frame buildings on North Center street, Corry, Pa., and later will raze them to afford space for an addition to the Grand Theatre, at present a picture house. When remodeled the house will be used for legitimate attractions.” I’ve been unable to discover if Mr. Rogers' rather ambitious plans were carried out.
Here is a closing notice from The New York Dramatic Mirror of December 18, 1909: “C. N. Waters has closed the Continuous Theatre at Corry, Pa., moved to a new location and opened the New Lyric, which is one of the neatest in this section, handsomely equipped with all latest improvements, with six threefoot aisles and plenty of fire escapes. The opening occurred Dec. 2 to capacity business and souvenirs were given to all on the opening night.”
I don’t think the New Lyric mentioned in this item could have been the one at 36-38 W. Main, given the description of “…six threefoot aisles….” etc.
A 1913 trade journal item that mentioned C. N. Waters said that he had been in the movie business at Corry for seven years, so the Continuous might have opened as early as 1906.
There was a Lyric Theatre operating in Corry in 1913, as I found this item in the November 8 issue of Moving Picture World that year: “WATERS BUILDS NEW HOUSE.
“C. N. Waters, of Corry, Pa., who has been in the picture show business for the past seven years, is building a new picture house in that city. The new theater, which will have 350 seats, is expected to be ready about the first of January next. In the meanwhile Mr. Waters will conduct his Lyric theater.”
According to an item in The New York Dramatic Mirror of December 18, 1909, a house called the New Lyric Theatre had opened at Corry on December 2, but from its description I don’t think it could have been this house. So far it’s a complete mystery.
The theater Waters was building in 1913 was probably a house called the Family Theatre, which opened that December. I haven’t been able to find its location or any details about it.
Seth, the 1914-1915 Gus Hill directory says that the Library Theatre “Plays R. V. P.” meaning Road Shows, Vaudeville, and Pictures. They also had concerts, as I came across a listing of a matinee performance there by the John Philip Sousa band in 1913.
From the May 15, 1910 issue of The Nickelodeon: “CORRY, PA.-The Amuse-U, a new moving picture theater, has been opened in this city by I. Davis.”
Here is an item from the April 19, 1919 issue of The American Contractor: “Punxsutawney, Pa. -М. Р. Theater: $18,000. 1 sty. 40x150. Archt. H. S. Bair, Vandergrift bldg., Pittsburgh, Pa. Owner James Crivello, Punxsutawney. Sketches.”
If the project was still at the sketch stage in April, 1919, the house probably wasn’t opened for several months. Mr. Crivello didn’t get to run his theater for long, as ill health forced him to lease the Alpine to his rivals McCartney and Johnson about a year after the above notice appeared.
The Gem was still open in 1919, when it was mentioned in the March 1 issue of Moving Picture World.
Could the Majestic have moved in 1918? This item appeared in the June 8 issue of Moving Picture World that year: “PUNXSUTAWNEY, PA. — Drummond building will be converted into moving picture theater to be known as the Majestic.” As the house was reported being renovated in 1917 it seems extravagant to move, unless they badly needed more space, for example. I’ve found nothing else about the event though, so perhaps it fell through, or the item was simply mistaken.
The Eden Palace is also mentioned in the December 7, 1907 Billboard. The problem is that the 1906 and 1912 Sanborn maps of Punxsutawney show a wood framed building occupied by a dwelling and three small spaces serving as stores or (one of them in 1912) an office. Perhaps a theater could have been installed in some part of this odd space, but if so it didn’t last for long.
The April, 1911 issue of Motography said “[t]he Gem moving picture theater was recently opened at Punxsutawney under the management of Harry P. Hillard.” As no other unidentified theaters appear on the 1912 Sanborn map, The house at 109 E. Mahoning must have been the Gem.
Seth, the April, 1911 issue of Motogrpahy notes the opening of the Gem Theatre at Punxsutawney, so if this address was a wooden house in 1912, the Gem was somewhere else.
The June 13, 1925 issue of Moving Picture World said that the Majestic and Jefferson theaters at Punxsutawney had been added to the Rowland & Clark chain. They were among four houses purchased from McCartney, Johnson and Kurtz, the other two being the Strand at Ridgeway and the Ritz at Indiana.
Additional information appeared in the October 13, 1917 Dramatic Mirror: “PUNXSUTAWNEY, PA. (Special). -Peter Johnson recently acquired a part ownership in the Majestic Theater with W. Penn McCartney. McCartney had been the sole owner and manager for a number of years. Since the partnership was formed the Majestic has been entirely renovated both inside and out, and a new pipe organ has been installed at considerable expense, and as a result business has been on the boom. Now that these two have bought the Jefferson Theater, with a seating capacity of 1,300, they are assured of getting the theatrical business of Punxsutawney.”
The June 13, 1925 issue of Moving Picture World said that the Majestic and Jefferson theaters at Punxsutawney had been added to the Rowland & Clark chain.
As the house that opened as the Vernon theatre was reported to be under construction in the April 9, 1938 issue of Film Daily, the Lyric had to have been closed and demolished by early 1938 or maybe late 1937. The editors of Film Daily’s Year Books were not very good at keeping their lists up-to-date, though that might have been at least partly the fault of the theater owners, who certainly had the option of informing the publishers of any changes.
After General Cinema, this drive-in was operated by Cinemette, but for only two years. The August 9, 1976 issue of Boxoffice said that manager Gary E. Witt had taken over as an independent operator.
I wonder what delayed the opening of the Cinemette South? The November 19, 1973 issue of Boxoffice said that the Cinemette South was completed and equipped, and ready for opening. Yet the grand opening ad in the Post-Gazette did not appear until June 26, 1974, about seven months later.
I got turned around when checking the map for my earlier comment. The Lyric and Vernon were at the southwest corner of the square, of course, not the southeast, and the Grand was on the east side of the square at the corner of High Street, not Main.
Thanks to r1zr1z1 for confirming the complete demolition of the old Lyric. It deserves its own Cinema Treasures page.