A 27-year-old Canton man was shot and killed by a 20-year-old Jackson Township man inside the Stadium 12 last night. The 20-year-old is in custody as of this afternoon.
The Airdome was originally planned four years prior to its 1914 construction. On April 19, 1910, E.N. Bell of Centralia was contemplating building an airdome on his lots in the east part of town between both Centralia and Mexico. While he has not fully decided upon building but the plans he has in contemplation would make a large convenient showplace. He contemplates making the enclosure in a circle with the stage and the box office located both at opposite sides. The stage will be made to accommodate standard size scenery with both drops and flats and the general plan of the building for convenience and comfort, including lots being located convenient to the business and central portion of Centralia.
It took at approximately four years for them to make a discussion. Finally on the morning hours of June 23, 1914, erection was made and the construction starts for the airdome led by C.E. Shock and Ross McVey of St. Louis after giving permission to erect on the Odd Fellows lots. The building though was rushed, and the airdome’s original name was given by the management as the “Princess Airdome”.
The Princess Airdome (or the Princess Theatre) on the Odd Fellow Lots in the northeast corner square of Centralia opened its doors on July 7, 1914 with Ford Sterling in “In the Clutches of the Gang” along with two drama shorts (films unlisted on grand opening advertisement), and had a total capacity of 650 seats. The management replied to the Centralia Fireside Guard that they had billed the opening very strongly but up to 7:30 PM that evening is when the electricians had not gotten the juice up to the projection owing to a defect in the new rheostat so they decided that they would not open up the film until the following evening. Both Rafferty and Shock were able to work with the projector until they finally got it working. The lights had not been wired up to the piano and it was impossible to give any music but the crowd was interested in the program without its entirety of the piano player. It was a success for the patrons despite having a very harsh start for the management.
Unfortunately, the 650-seat Princess Airdome did not last long at all. After two full months of operation, Shock and McVey closed the theater on September 11, 1914 with a Kaiser & Lucas attraction following severe weather in the area but was then determined that the theater closed for good due to poor management despite having good business. They managed to put the picture up in the town’s Opera House (which Centralia also already had the operating Gem Theatre at the time). The Princess Airdome was demolished the following week and portions of the steel walls were given to the farmers.
On the very early morning hours of January 23, 1945, the entirety of the then-1,100-seat Central Theater building was completely destroyed by a massive fire, causing an estimate $125,000 to $150,000 in damage (including $75,000 in sound and projection equipment). According to manager George F. Friary, the fire apparently started at 2:57 AM that morning in the furnace room right after both Friary and box office worker Raymond Davis left the theater for the night. District Manager George Carroll of the M&P Theaters' circuit chain following conference with Acting Chief Frank Cantara and other officials reported that they indicated that the total loss would likely reach $150,000.
Other business were also devastated, including a jewelry store operated by Louis A. Menards, the A. Turcotte barber shop, and a quarter shop used by J. Hervey Salvas. Luckily enough, they managed to rescue some of the jewelry in the store. While various neighboring departments (Wells, Biddeford, Saco and Old Orchard Beach just to name a few) fight the blaze, only one hot-air explosion was reported. Eleven lines of hose were used by three departments from other areas.
Because of World War II started to die out later that year, reconstruction of the theater was halted multiple times. They managed to fully-reconstructed the theater right after the death of the war. After all the waiting and reconstruction, the M&P chain reopened the Central Theater on May 23, 1946 with Alan Ladd in “The Blue Dahlia” along with a few short subjects and a newsreel. Then-Mayor Louis B. Lausier was the first person to turn the key to open the theater.
Some of these installations include a larger inner lobby lighted by chandeliers, as well as updated restrooms and the refreshment booth located off the inner lobby. A gradually sloping arrangement of the seats from the three-quarters of the way back section, forward to the stage, which runs parallel with Foss Street, assures an unobstructed view of the stage. The seats (all metal-framed upholstered in soft leather with corduroy backs) from the three-quarters division line back to the sectional wall housing the projection booths have also been placed on a graduated slope all the way back to the rear of the theater which faces Alfred Street. Natural wood in polished panels were used on the lower part of the walls in the lobby and in the auditorium, and the walls above have been tinted in two contrasting colors. The facade/marquee was also updated and the use of an abundance of the vari-typed lights in all parts of the theater and throughout the lobby is apparent to those inspecting the new structure.
The Central Theater closed for the final time on May 14, 1972.
The Wells Beach Theatre opened in August 1931 and was constructed by the Island Ledge Casino company. It was originally planned to be built with a capacity of 522 seats, but was unknown yet.
The Wells Beach Theatre was later operated by Loew’s Inc., but on May 30, 1961, an early evening fire damaged the theater which caused a short closure. It reopened less than several weeks later and was renamed the Wells Beach Casino Theatre a short time later. It was closed in the late-1970s.
Once known as “Ellis Theatre 1 & 2” when it was twinned in 1983. The Ellis name lasted for many years until it was renamed back the Springfield Theatre in 2004.
First managed by William H. Crosby of Concord, the Vogue Theater opened its doors on February 20, 1948 with Dennis O'Keefe in “T-Men” along with the musical short “Champagne For Two”, the short “Teed Lightning”, the Barney Bear cartoon “The Bear and the Bean”, and a newsreel.
On February 7, 1969, the Vogue Theater began screening Spanish movies.
The theater was located at 34.234074, -86.174210, which smacks it at around 2647 AL-205 (or Baltimore Ave). It appears that the Shadyside Drive-In appears operational throughout the remainder of the 1980s judging by aerials, but the theater was completely wiped by the remainder of the 1990s.
Video Independent Theaters opened the Corral Drive-In’s gates on April 28, 1951 with a one-day showing of Audie Murphy in “Sierra” along with two Disney cartoons (an unnamed Donald Duck cartoon and an unnamed Pluto cartoon) before the feature and a fireworks show after the feature. It was first managed by Fred Brewer.
On April 11, 1956, the Corral Drive-In became statewide headlines following an unexpected attempted robbery. Two armed men (one armed with a sawed-up shotgun and the other armed with a German Luger pistol) drove up in a stolen car to the ticket booth where employee Bud Curry was inside. The man with the shotgun got out of the car and ordered Curry to give him the theater’s receipts, while the man with the pistol remained inside the car while pointing his pistol to the employees. As the man on foot reached inside the opening in the box office window to seize $10 to $20, he accidentally tripped and his weapon discharged on the bandit, wounding his left arm. The wounded man ran back to his car and took off, but it wasn’t long until two deputies shot out the rear window of the stolen car they were in. The car was found abandoned near a Ralston cemetery with its front seat being completely saturated with blood, as both men were believed to be headed across the fields to the Arkansas River bottoms. Various departments from Osage, Pawnee, and Kay Counties joined the search, including K9s being sent out.
The Corral Drive-In was still open in the 1980s and was still standing in the 1990s, but the screen was removed by the early-2000s. As of 2024, the concession stand/projection booth still stands, and Google Earth view still demonstrates its traces but was faded.
Actually, the Roxy did not end its run with the 1953 fire.
After the fire, part owner and manager Roy D. Tidwell announced four days later that he would rebuild the theater and will start work as soon as settlement is made with insurance companies. The then-650-seat Roxy in the early morning hours of May 3, 1953 was preparing to show its first out of a three-day run of “Everything I Have Is Yours” plus an unnamed comedy and newsreel when the fire was discovered around 3:00 AM that morning, causing an estimate $100,000 in damage. Former Roxy owners Mr. and Mrs. Robert O. Edwards also traveled all the way to Barnsdall from their home in Puento, California, to clean up the damage.
When Cleveland, Oklahoma resident John C. Sanders leased the theater building during construction, Sanders and manager Ed Burlson (also from Cleveland) reopened the Roxy Theatre’s doors on November 24, 1953 with Bing Crosby in “Little Boy Lost” (unknown if extras added). It had 450 seats in total which was 200 seats less than the older 650-seat Roxy, and features a unique spun glass hung ceiling as well as green plastered walls. Sanders also knew about the popularity of 3D and widescreen formats at the time, and the theater ran its first 3D feature the following week. CinemaScope was installed there in March 1955.
It ran seven-days-a-week, but in May 1955 only, the Roxy ran only four days a week (except Sundays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays), until closing with John Payne in “Silver Lode” along with an unnamed Donald Duck cartoon on May 17, 1955 due to extensive remodeling, major renovation, and the theater being purchased by ex-Barnsdall and then-Bismarck, North Dakota resident Gene E. Thompson from Tulsa resident D. McGlumphy, who purchased the theater also during 1953 reconstruction. McGlumphy also helped rebuild the theater and leased it over to Sanders. Sanders only operated the Roxy for a few months before Joel Johnson took the Roxy in 1954. Thompson on June 16, 1955 traveled to Oklahoma City to sign contracts and also to make arrangement for a theatrical engineer to Barnsdall and equip the theater for showing features.
The Roxy Theatre was renamed the Thompson Theatre and reopened its doors on July 1, 1955 with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in “3 Ring Circus” along with an unnamed comedy, unnamed cartoon, and a newsreel. The Thompson Theatre did had a full-year closure from late-1959 until reopening on July 5, 1961 with Elvis in “The Flaming Star” following Thompson’s retirement from the Air Force in North Dakota and him returning to his home in Barnsdall. It was still open in the early-1970s.
Loews Cineplex took over the Cherry Tree in October 1996, although showtimes from the Indianapolis Star continued to show the Cherry Tree being listed as a Sony theater into as late as April 1999.
You’re right. I recently did see later advertisements of the Gerald. After its July 30, 1957 showing of “The Giant” has a note written by the manager saying that the theater “will be closed until further notice”. It did had a full-year closure though, but it wasn’t until during the first week of October 1958 when Mr. Cleo Brame of Van Buren, Missouri, told his plans to resume the showing of films at the Gerald Theater only six nights a week (except Tuesdays). The business men there said that they would be glad to see the show open again and a number of them pledged to chip in $2 a month for $10 attended prizes to be awarded at the show each Saturday evening providing the scheme could be made to comply with the state’s lottery laws.
The Gerald Theater reopened its doors on October 17, 1958 with “The Kettles On Old McDonald’s Farm” and “Joe Dakota” (unknown if any short subjects added). Unfortunately this did not last long at all. The Gerald Theater closed again on August 31, 1959 with “A Certain Smile” due to theater manager Roy Wheeler said that he had too much things to do. He also didn’t have much time to operate his cafe as well. This was all due to his wife’s surgery the previous week at the Lutheran Hospital in St. Louis and won’t be able to help both the theater and the cafe at the time. I cannot find any listings of any showtimes later on.
It closed because of the Wehrenberg chain’s bankruptcy. Wehrenberg Theatres began operating the Battlefield Mall 6 in late-1989 after General Cinema operated the theater for its first seven years of operation.
A 27-year-old Canton man was shot and killed by a 20-year-old Jackson Township man inside the Stadium 12 last night. The 20-year-old is in custody as of this afternoon.
Opened in Spring 1979, closed on August 21, 2012.
A 1981 aerial view shows the theater appearing to be in operation, but was completely gone by 1988.
The Airdome was originally planned four years prior to its 1914 construction. On April 19, 1910, E.N. Bell of Centralia was contemplating building an airdome on his lots in the east part of town between both Centralia and Mexico. While he has not fully decided upon building but the plans he has in contemplation would make a large convenient showplace. He contemplates making the enclosure in a circle with the stage and the box office located both at opposite sides. The stage will be made to accommodate standard size scenery with both drops and flats and the general plan of the building for convenience and comfort, including lots being located convenient to the business and central portion of Centralia.
It took at approximately four years for them to make a discussion. Finally on the morning hours of June 23, 1914, erection was made and the construction starts for the airdome led by C.E. Shock and Ross McVey of St. Louis after giving permission to erect on the Odd Fellows lots. The building though was rushed, and the airdome’s original name was given by the management as the “Princess Airdome”.
The Princess Airdome (or the Princess Theatre) on the Odd Fellow Lots in the northeast corner square of Centralia opened its doors on July 7, 1914 with Ford Sterling in “In the Clutches of the Gang” along with two drama shorts (films unlisted on grand opening advertisement), and had a total capacity of 650 seats. The management replied to the Centralia Fireside Guard that they had billed the opening very strongly but up to 7:30 PM that evening is when the electricians had not gotten the juice up to the projection owing to a defect in the new rheostat so they decided that they would not open up the film until the following evening. Both Rafferty and Shock were able to work with the projector until they finally got it working. The lights had not been wired up to the piano and it was impossible to give any music but the crowd was interested in the program without its entirety of the piano player. It was a success for the patrons despite having a very harsh start for the management.
Unfortunately, the 650-seat Princess Airdome did not last long at all. After two full months of operation, Shock and McVey closed the theater on September 11, 1914 with a Kaiser & Lucas attraction following severe weather in the area but was then determined that the theater closed for good due to poor management despite having good business. They managed to put the picture up in the town’s Opera House (which Centralia also already had the operating Gem Theatre at the time). The Princess Airdome was demolished the following week and portions of the steel walls were given to the farmers.
Opened with “Jenny” and “Hell In The Pacific”.
On the very early morning hours of January 23, 1945, the entirety of the then-1,100-seat Central Theater building was completely destroyed by a massive fire, causing an estimate $125,000 to $150,000 in damage (including $75,000 in sound and projection equipment). According to manager George F. Friary, the fire apparently started at 2:57 AM that morning in the furnace room right after both Friary and box office worker Raymond Davis left the theater for the night. District Manager George Carroll of the M&P Theaters' circuit chain following conference with Acting Chief Frank Cantara and other officials reported that they indicated that the total loss would likely reach $150,000.
Other business were also devastated, including a jewelry store operated by Louis A. Menards, the A. Turcotte barber shop, and a quarter shop used by J. Hervey Salvas. Luckily enough, they managed to rescue some of the jewelry in the store. While various neighboring departments (Wells, Biddeford, Saco and Old Orchard Beach just to name a few) fight the blaze, only one hot-air explosion was reported. Eleven lines of hose were used by three departments from other areas.
Because of World War II started to die out later that year, reconstruction of the theater was halted multiple times. They managed to fully-reconstructed the theater right after the death of the war. After all the waiting and reconstruction, the M&P chain reopened the Central Theater on May 23, 1946 with Alan Ladd in “The Blue Dahlia” along with a few short subjects and a newsreel. Then-Mayor Louis B. Lausier was the first person to turn the key to open the theater.
Some of these installations include a larger inner lobby lighted by chandeliers, as well as updated restrooms and the refreshment booth located off the inner lobby. A gradually sloping arrangement of the seats from the three-quarters of the way back section, forward to the stage, which runs parallel with Foss Street, assures an unobstructed view of the stage. The seats (all metal-framed upholstered in soft leather with corduroy backs) from the three-quarters division line back to the sectional wall housing the projection booths have also been placed on a graduated slope all the way back to the rear of the theater which faces Alfred Street. Natural wood in polished panels were used on the lower part of the walls in the lobby and in the auditorium, and the walls above have been tinted in two contrasting colors. The facade/marquee was also updated and the use of an abundance of the vari-typed lights in all parts of the theater and throughout the lobby is apparent to those inspecting the new structure.
The Central Theater closed for the final time on May 14, 1972.
The Wells Beach Theatre opened in August 1931 and was constructed by the Island Ledge Casino company. It was originally planned to be built with a capacity of 522 seats, but was unknown yet.
The Wells Beach Theatre was later operated by Loew’s Inc., but on May 30, 1961, an early evening fire damaged the theater which caused a short closure. It reopened less than several weeks later and was renamed the Wells Beach Casino Theatre a short time later. It was closed in the late-1970s.
Now known as “Flagship Premium Cinemas Wells”.
Correction: This is July 27, 2007, not July 21.
Once known as “Ellis Theatre 1 & 2” when it was twinned in 1983. The Ellis name lasted for many years until it was renamed back the Springfield Theatre in 2004.
First managed by William H. Crosby of Concord, the Vogue Theater opened its doors on February 20, 1948 with Dennis O'Keefe in “T-Men” along with the musical short “Champagne For Two”, the short “Teed Lightning”, the Barney Bear cartoon “The Bear and the Bean”, and a newsreel.
On February 7, 1969, the Vogue Theater began screening Spanish movies.
Closed on October 15, 1960 with “The Story Of Ruth”, “Our Man In Havana”, and “Dog Of Flanders” as a triple feature.
The Starlight opened as early as 1952, and was short-lived. It was closed by the end of the decade.
Any info about the fire? It probably had a very short-closure because it was still operating throughout the entirety of 1961.
The Circle Drive-In is a later drive-in, which probably opened either around or after the M&O Drive-In nearby closed in 1969.
The indoor theater was called Rainbow Cinemas, which became Rainbow Cinemas 8. It has its own page on Cinema Treasures.
The theater was located at 34.234074, -86.174210, which smacks it at around 2647 AL-205 (or Baltimore Ave). It appears that the Shadyside Drive-In appears operational throughout the remainder of the 1980s judging by aerials, but the theater was completely wiped by the remainder of the 1990s.
Video Independent Theaters opened the Corral Drive-In’s gates on April 28, 1951 with a one-day showing of Audie Murphy in “Sierra” along with two Disney cartoons (an unnamed Donald Duck cartoon and an unnamed Pluto cartoon) before the feature and a fireworks show after the feature. It was first managed by Fred Brewer.
The Corral Drive-In was still open in the 1980s and was still standing in the 1990s, but the screen was removed by the early-2000s. As of 2024, the concession stand/projection booth still stands, and Google Earth view still demonstrates its traces but was faded.
Opened on December 12, 1914 with Annette Kellerman in “Neptune’s Daughter”. First managed by C.E. Parker.
Opened on June 7, 1910.
Actually, the Roxy did not end its run with the 1953 fire.
After the fire, part owner and manager Roy D. Tidwell announced four days later that he would rebuild the theater and will start work as soon as settlement is made with insurance companies. The then-650-seat Roxy in the early morning hours of May 3, 1953 was preparing to show its first out of a three-day run of “Everything I Have Is Yours” plus an unnamed comedy and newsreel when the fire was discovered around 3:00 AM that morning, causing an estimate $100,000 in damage. Former Roxy owners Mr. and Mrs. Robert O. Edwards also traveled all the way to Barnsdall from their home in Puento, California, to clean up the damage.
When Cleveland, Oklahoma resident John C. Sanders leased the theater building during construction, Sanders and manager Ed Burlson (also from Cleveland) reopened the Roxy Theatre’s doors on November 24, 1953 with Bing Crosby in “Little Boy Lost” (unknown if extras added). It had 450 seats in total which was 200 seats less than the older 650-seat Roxy, and features a unique spun glass hung ceiling as well as green plastered walls. Sanders also knew about the popularity of 3D and widescreen formats at the time, and the theater ran its first 3D feature the following week. CinemaScope was installed there in March 1955.
It ran seven-days-a-week, but in May 1955 only, the Roxy ran only four days a week (except Sundays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays), until closing with John Payne in “Silver Lode” along with an unnamed Donald Duck cartoon on May 17, 1955 due to extensive remodeling, major renovation, and the theater being purchased by ex-Barnsdall and then-Bismarck, North Dakota resident Gene E. Thompson from Tulsa resident D. McGlumphy, who purchased the theater also during 1953 reconstruction. McGlumphy also helped rebuild the theater and leased it over to Sanders. Sanders only operated the Roxy for a few months before Joel Johnson took the Roxy in 1954. Thompson on June 16, 1955 traveled to Oklahoma City to sign contracts and also to make arrangement for a theatrical engineer to Barnsdall and equip the theater for showing features.
The Roxy Theatre was renamed the Thompson Theatre and reopened its doors on July 1, 1955 with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in “3 Ring Circus” along with an unnamed comedy, unnamed cartoon, and a newsreel. The Thompson Theatre did had a full-year closure from late-1959 until reopening on July 5, 1961 with Elvis in “The Flaming Star” following Thompson’s retirement from the Air Force in North Dakota and him returning to his home in Barnsdall. It was still open in the early-1970s.
Loews Cineplex took over the Cherry Tree in October 1996, although showtimes from the Indianapolis Star continued to show the Cherry Tree being listed as a Sony theater into as late as April 1999.
You’re right. I recently did see later advertisements of the Gerald. After its July 30, 1957 showing of “The Giant” has a note written by the manager saying that the theater “will be closed until further notice”. It did had a full-year closure though, but it wasn’t until during the first week of October 1958 when Mr. Cleo Brame of Van Buren, Missouri, told his plans to resume the showing of films at the Gerald Theater only six nights a week (except Tuesdays). The business men there said that they would be glad to see the show open again and a number of them pledged to chip in $2 a month for $10 attended prizes to be awarded at the show each Saturday evening providing the scheme could be made to comply with the state’s lottery laws.
The Gerald Theater reopened its doors on October 17, 1958 with “The Kettles On Old McDonald’s Farm” and “Joe Dakota” (unknown if any short subjects added). Unfortunately this did not last long at all. The Gerald Theater closed again on August 31, 1959 with “A Certain Smile” due to theater manager Roy Wheeler said that he had too much things to do. He also didn’t have much time to operate his cafe as well. This was all due to his wife’s surgery the previous week at the Lutheran Hospital in St. Louis and won’t be able to help both the theater and the cafe at the time. I cannot find any listings of any showtimes later on.
It closed because of the Wehrenberg chain’s bankruptcy. Wehrenberg Theatres began operating the Battlefield Mall 6 in late-1989 after General Cinema operated the theater for its first seven years of operation.
The screen was removed in 2020 and an O'Reilly Auto Parts was built at the former theater site in 2022.