The short-lived Sunshine Mine Drive-In is the first drive-in theater to operate in Centerville since the closure of the Town & Country Drive-In in June 1986. The Sunshine Mine Drive-In was originally planned on October 17, 2002 by Nina Finch and Phil Radosevich (who are the then-current managers of the Majestic Theatre).
After a very slow start of construction beginning in January 2005, the Sunshine Mine Drive-In then opened its gates on August 7, 2005 with “Star Wars: Revenge of The Sith”, and the theater operated for only a few seasons. Unfortunately I cannot find its closing date.
The Majestic is the city’s longtime first-run movie house for 92 years until it closed as a first-run movie house on December 22, 2005. The Majestic would then become a special events theater a short time later.
After a two-year renovation which forced a two-year closure for the Majestic in July 2010, the Majestic relaunched again as a special events theater (which also screens classic movies) on May 11, 2012.
The Lake Center Twin opened its doors on April 14, 1995 with “Jury Duty” at Screen 1 and “Little Women” at Screen 2, featuring an original twin capacity of 581 seats (with 251 seats at Screen 1 and 292 seats at Screen 2). Screen 1 was equipped with Dolby Surround while Screen 2 was equipped with Dolby Digital. Two more screens were added in November 2004 and it became the Cinema 4.
The 475-seat Monte Theatre opened its doors on June 21, 1934 with an all-star cast in “Hollywood Party”, along with a Universal Newsreel, a technicolor short “Fine Feathers”, and the Our Gang short “Bedtime Worries”, featuring installations of Simplex projection.
Information about the Monte Theatre as of 1934 goes as follows: The original marquee contains a three-color flashing border. The word “Monte” appears on the front of the sign while on either side in the center appears the letters “MT” in colors, and below it is the attraction title.
The lobby entrance of the theatre is decorated in silver and black, featuring a green and black rubberized tile floor. The ticket window is situated to the left of the main entrance and is also decorated with the same color motif. The foyer is carpeted with a heavy red, yellow, and black modernistic design, and to the right of the foyer in the basement are restrooms for both genders. A separate lavatory for men is situated at the foot of a short flight of stairs, while the women’s lavatory adjoins the lounge. Both lavatories are painted bright red and black, and includes settees and easy chairs for the convenience of patrons. No matter what the temperature is outside, it also contains air conditioners inside the theater as well as the auditorium.
Inside the auditorium featured walls covered with two-tone Nu-wood in tans and browns. Upon entering comes lighting facilities which were five modernistic lights decorated across the ceiling. Each are 9ft6in long and carries three colors of lights from which it is possible to make 27 different color combinations from the switchboard in the operator’s booth. Aside from the glass in the lights were fixtures being manufactured by the proprietors of the theater. They have been the directing head in the erection of the theatre during the previous two months in both April and May 1934. The lights also wall lights that also carry the unusual color combination to be had in the upper lights. The 475 seats in the auditorium are heavily padded leather carrying deep springs. There are three sizes of seats which come with 22in, 20in, and 19in. Lastly, the stage in front of the auditorium is 9ft depth.
The Monte Theatre was first operated by Charles Lambert who had previous theater experiences since he joined the business in 1916.
The Monte Theatre closed for the final time on April 25, 1982 with “Taps” due to the theater failed to gain adult audience. It was last operated by Gerald Peterson of Waverly who was the owner of Peterson Theaters Incorporated. Peterson said in the statement that they were able to get the kids to attend, but not the adults.
The Franklin Theatre opened on July 25, 1946 with Judy Garland in “The Harvey Girls” with no extra short subjects, and closed on April 1, 1968 with Audrey Hepburn in “Wait Until Dark”.
Cocoon didn’t came out until a month, a week, and three days after the Oakridge Center 3 launched their THX system. So I’m pretty sure that rivest266 is right.
Found it! The Adair Drive-In opened its gates on May 21, 1952 with Betty Hutton in “Annie Get Your Gun” along with two cartoons (unlisted on grand opening ad).
It was first owned by F.X. Merkley and Alvin Willis, before being taken over by O.G. Roden a few years later. Roden operated the Adair County Drive-In for a little more than 25 years until his death on May 2, 1983.
Opened on February 6, 1942 with “The Shadow Of The Thin Man” (unknown if short subjects were added). First operated by Mr. Troy Thompson and his son Mr. Robert S. Stevens. Still opened in the 1970s.
Is this the first THX theater in Canada? I know the first THX theaters were in Los Angeles, Dallas, and Orlando, but I’m pretty sure that this could be the first in Canada.
Correction: The Airvue Drive-In opened its gates on May 15, 1951 with Kathryn Grayson in “That Midnight Kiss” with no extra short subjects, not March 13, 1952. This replaced the 4th Street Drive-In which closed a month prior.
March 13, 1952 is the Airvue’s start of its second year of operation.
This autoscope drive-in has two names throughout its short history.
This started life as the “Circle 1 Drive-In” (or Circle One Drive-In). It was named after their company that was formed in January 1971 by Don Bowin, the manager of the Waterloo Theater and former state representative who had previous theater experiences since 1948, known as the Circle One Incorporation.
The Circle One opened its gates on December 9, 1971 with Clint Eastwood’s “Paint Your Wagon” and Barbra Streisand’s “On A Clear Day You Can See Forever”, featuring 120 individual 3x5ft screens in a circle, and closed for the 1971 season way later than usual on January 7, 1972 with “Jenny” and “The Baby Maker”.
At the start of the 1972 season, the theater is renamed “Cinema 360”, and dropped its short-lived “nearly” normal run policy for adult features. However, this didn’t last long at all, not even a single month. The Cinema 360 only operated for five days at the start of the 1972 season, with the only films shown that week are “Vanishing Point” and “The Notorious Cleopatra” (both X-rated features). During its third day of the five-day 1972 season, major disturbances from neighbors began picketing with the theater on April 28, 1972. According to reports saying that neighbors can see immediately see the mature features from the back porch of several homes nearby. Parents had to tell their children to stay away from the porches because of the projection. However, it managed to operate for two more days after it closed for good on April 30.
They started a petition calling for the Cinema 360 either to be restrained from showing anymore adult features or build a high fence around the screens. The management of the theater did not receive any comment after its unexpected closure.
Opened on March 26, 1970 as a twin (with “The Secret Of Santa Vittoria” at Screen 1 and “Marooned” at Screen 2), became a triplex on December 20, 1978, a quad in mid-December 1984, four more added on May 21, 2004 bringing a total to eight, and four more in 2008 bringing a total to 12.
The older Hillcrest Drive-In was located on Hudson Road, not University Avenue (but very close to the intersection of University Avenue and Hudson Road), which now houses a Physical Plant.
The original Hillcrest Drive-In opened its doors on May 4, 1951 with “Blue Grass Of Kentucky” and “Blonde Dynamite” along with an unnamed cartoon and a newsreel, and closed on May 22, 1966 with “The Sandpiper” and “Bunny Lake Is Missing”. At the time, the original Hillcrest had a capacity of 575 cars and a 70x30ft CinemaScope screen.
The “new” Hillcrest Drive-In opened its gates down the street on May 27, 1966 with “The Great Spy Mission” and “36 Hours”, featuring an original car capacity of 775 cars (which later downgraded to 500 throughout time) and a 100x40ft screen.
The Hillcrest closed for the final time on September 3, 2000 with “Dinosaur”, “Gone In 60 Seconds” and “Shanghai Noon” as a triple feature.
The short-lived Sunshine Mine Drive-In is the first drive-in theater to operate in Centerville since the closure of the Town & Country Drive-In in June 1986. The Sunshine Mine Drive-In was originally planned on October 17, 2002 by Nina Finch and Phil Radosevich (who are the then-current managers of the Majestic Theatre).
After a very slow start of construction beginning in January 2005, the Sunshine Mine Drive-In then opened its gates on August 7, 2005 with “Star Wars: Revenge of The Sith”, and the theater operated for only a few seasons. Unfortunately I cannot find its closing date.
The Majestic is the city’s longtime first-run movie house for 92 years until it closed as a first-run movie house on December 22, 2005. The Majestic would then become a special events theater a short time later.
After a two-year renovation which forced a two-year closure for the Majestic in July 2010, the Majestic relaunched again as a special events theater (which also screens classic movies) on May 11, 2012.
The Lake Center Twin opened its doors on April 14, 1995 with “Jury Duty” at Screen 1 and “Little Women” at Screen 2, featuring an original twin capacity of 581 seats (with 251 seats at Screen 1 and 292 seats at Screen 2). Screen 1 was equipped with Dolby Surround while Screen 2 was equipped with Dolby Digital. Two more screens were added in November 2004 and it became the Cinema 4.
A teenaged boy is recently injured in a shooting at the parking lot of the theater a few hours ago.
The 475-seat Monte Theatre opened its doors on June 21, 1934 with an all-star cast in “Hollywood Party”, along with a Universal Newsreel, a technicolor short “Fine Feathers”, and the Our Gang short “Bedtime Worries”, featuring installations of Simplex projection.
Information about the Monte Theatre as of 1934 goes as follows: The original marquee contains a three-color flashing border. The word “Monte” appears on the front of the sign while on either side in the center appears the letters “MT” in colors, and below it is the attraction title.
The lobby entrance of the theatre is decorated in silver and black, featuring a green and black rubberized tile floor. The ticket window is situated to the left of the main entrance and is also decorated with the same color motif. The foyer is carpeted with a heavy red, yellow, and black modernistic design, and to the right of the foyer in the basement are restrooms for both genders. A separate lavatory for men is situated at the foot of a short flight of stairs, while the women’s lavatory adjoins the lounge. Both lavatories are painted bright red and black, and includes settees and easy chairs for the convenience of patrons. No matter what the temperature is outside, it also contains air conditioners inside the theater as well as the auditorium.
Inside the auditorium featured walls covered with two-tone Nu-wood in tans and browns. Upon entering comes lighting facilities which were five modernistic lights decorated across the ceiling. Each are 9ft6in long and carries three colors of lights from which it is possible to make 27 different color combinations from the switchboard in the operator’s booth. Aside from the glass in the lights were fixtures being manufactured by the proprietors of the theater. They have been the directing head in the erection of the theatre during the previous two months in both April and May 1934. The lights also wall lights that also carry the unusual color combination to be had in the upper lights. The 475 seats in the auditorium are heavily padded leather carrying deep springs. There are three sizes of seats which come with 22in, 20in, and 19in. Lastly, the stage in front of the auditorium is 9ft depth.
The Monte Theatre was first operated by Charles Lambert who had previous theater experiences since he joined the business in 1916.
The Monte Theatre closed for the final time on April 25, 1982 with “Taps” due to the theater failed to gain adult audience. It was last operated by Gerald Peterson of Waverly who was the owner of Peterson Theaters Incorporated. Peterson said in the statement that they were able to get the kids to attend, but not the adults.
Opened in March 1911.
The actual opening date is January 25, 1932.
The Franklin Theatre opened on July 25, 1946 with Judy Garland in “The Harvey Girls” with no extra short subjects, and closed on April 1, 1968 with Audrey Hepburn in “Wait Until Dark”.
Cocoon didn’t came out until a month, a week, and three days after the Oakridge Center 3 launched their THX system. So I’m pretty sure that rivest266 is right.
Found it! The Adair Drive-In opened its gates on May 21, 1952 with Betty Hutton in “Annie Get Your Gun” along with two cartoons (unlisted on grand opening ad).
It was first owned by F.X. Merkley and Alvin Willis, before being taken over by O.G. Roden a few years later. Roden operated the Adair County Drive-In for a little more than 25 years until his death on May 2, 1983.
Its closing date remains unknown at this time.
Opened on February 6, 1942 with “The Shadow Of The Thin Man” (unknown if short subjects were added). First operated by Mr. Troy Thompson and his son Mr. Robert S. Stevens. Still opened in the 1970s.
First known as the Mystic Theatre, renamed Plaza Theatre on October 26, 1940.
Opened on November 3, 1930 with Joe Cook in “Rain or Shine” (unknown if any short subjects were added), featuring installations of RCA sound.
Once known as the State Theatre. It was renamed the Emmaus Theatre on May 23, 1941.
Is this the first THX theater in Canada? I know the first THX theaters were in Los Angeles, Dallas, and Orlando, but I’m pretty sure that this could be the first in Canada.
Correction: The Airvue Drive-In opened its gates on May 15, 1951 with Kathryn Grayson in “That Midnight Kiss” with no extra short subjects, not March 13, 1952. This replaced the 4th Street Drive-In which closed a month prior.
March 13, 1952 is the Airvue’s start of its second year of operation.
This autoscope drive-in has two names throughout its short history.
This started life as the “Circle 1 Drive-In” (or Circle One Drive-In). It was named after their company that was formed in January 1971 by Don Bowin, the manager of the Waterloo Theater and former state representative who had previous theater experiences since 1948, known as the Circle One Incorporation.
The Circle One opened its gates on December 9, 1971 with Clint Eastwood’s “Paint Your Wagon” and Barbra Streisand’s “On A Clear Day You Can See Forever”, featuring 120 individual 3x5ft screens in a circle, and closed for the 1971 season way later than usual on January 7, 1972 with “Jenny” and “The Baby Maker”.
At the start of the 1972 season, the theater is renamed “Cinema 360”, and dropped its short-lived “nearly” normal run policy for adult features. However, this didn’t last long at all, not even a single month. The Cinema 360 only operated for five days at the start of the 1972 season, with the only films shown that week are “Vanishing Point” and “The Notorious Cleopatra” (both X-rated features). During its third day of the five-day 1972 season, major disturbances from neighbors began picketing with the theater on April 28, 1972. According to reports saying that neighbors can see immediately see the mature features from the back porch of several homes nearby. Parents had to tell their children to stay away from the porches because of the projection. However, it managed to operate for two more days after it closed for good on April 30.
They started a petition calling for the Cinema 360 either to be restrained from showing anymore adult features or build a high fence around the screens. The management of the theater did not receive any comment after its unexpected closure.
Opened on March 26, 1970 as a twin (with “The Secret Of Santa Vittoria” at Screen 1 and “Marooned” at Screen 2), became a triplex on December 20, 1978, a quad in mid-December 1984, four more added on May 21, 2004 bringing a total to eight, and four more in 2008 bringing a total to 12.
The older Hillcrest Drive-In was located on Hudson Road, not University Avenue (but very close to the intersection of University Avenue and Hudson Road), which now houses a Physical Plant.
The exact address for the old HIllcrest was located on 3166 Hudson Rd, Cedar Falls, IA 50613
Opened on June 16, 1972 with “Living Free” at Screen 1 and “Cabaret” at Screen 2. The Gamecock closed in late-1993.
Yes its demolished. Forgot to add that.
Google Earth 1995
Correction: The old Hillcrest was located where the Physical Plant is on Hudson Road, next to the intersection of University Avenue.
The original Hillcrest Drive-In opened its doors on May 4, 1951 with “Blue Grass Of Kentucky” and “Blonde Dynamite” along with an unnamed cartoon and a newsreel, and closed on May 22, 1966 with “The Sandpiper” and “Bunny Lake Is Missing”. At the time, the original Hillcrest had a capacity of 575 cars and a 70x30ft CinemaScope screen.
The “new” Hillcrest Drive-In opened its gates down the street on May 27, 1966 with “The Great Spy Mission” and “36 Hours”, featuring an original car capacity of 775 cars (which later downgraded to 500 throughout time) and a 100x40ft screen.
The Hillcrest closed for the final time on September 3, 2000 with “Dinosaur”, “Gone In 60 Seconds” and “Shanghai Noon” as a triple feature.