The Plaza West Cinemas opened its doors by TOI Theatres on May 4, 1984 with “Romancing The Stone” at Screen 1 and “Sixteen Candles” at Screen 2. The theater’s building was constructed by the Kinlani Builders Incorporation of Flagstaff.
The actual opening date is June 27, 1980 with Walt Disney’s “Herbie Goes Bananas” and the reissue of “Bedknobs And Broomsticks”. Prior to its grand opening, it had a VIP night a day prior.
The Durant Twin Cinema was the first theater to operate in Durant and all of Bryan County since the closure of the Plaza Theatre in January 1991.
The Briarwood Shopping Center opened theater-less in March 1972, some of which include a Corner Drug store and a Mitchell’s Department Store just to name a few. At the time, Durant slowly gave growth in the city.
Jerry and Ann Wann of Durant, after opening their then-new (now-defunct) Durant Bowling Center in 1993 with 12 lanes before expanding to 20 lanes a short time later at the Briarwood Shopping Center, had plans to build a theater in Durant since Durant was left without a theater after the closure of the Plaza.
The original equipment at the Durant Twin includes the installations of two Marble 7000 Stereo Sound Systems and two Simplex JL projectors. As information as I can find as a twin when it opened on July 1, 1994, Screen #1 has an original capacity of 220 seats while Screen #2’s original capacity is unrecognizable.
Now this section is where confusion comes to mind. In 1995, the Durant Twin Cinema became the “Durant 4 Cinema” after both auditoriums split. But what’s completely shocking about it is that they kept the original twin name on the sign and on newspapers, and people all across Durant went completely confused on the name of the theater.
The Durant 4 Cinema closed for the final time in December 2011, yet again leaving Durant without a movie theater for three-and-a-half years until the launch of the 6-screen District Cinema in September 2015.
Yes Kenmore, and Dallas is wrong actually. The Sky Vu was still in operation into the 1980s along with the Ship. However during its last few years of operation, the Ship Drive-In is the only “appropriate fare” drive-in in Durant, as both the Plaza Theatre and the Ship Drive-In screened first-run films. The Sky Vu however in the other hand screened adult films during its last few years of operation.
Both the Ship and the Sky Vu closed for the final time in August 1985 within a week apart. The Ship closed on August 4, 1985, and the Sky Vu closed on August 11, 1985.
After the closures of both theaters, the Plaza Theatre became the only movie house in town until January 1991.
Actually, you’re wrong. The Ship Drive-In continued sailing through into the 1980s until the Ship Drive-In ceased operations on August 4, 1985 with Chevy Chase in “Fletch”.
After the Ship Drive-In’s closure, the Plaza Theatre became the only first-run movie house in Durant and all of Bryan County until closing for the final time in January 1991.
In its later years, the Plaza Theatre went through some ups-and-downs.
The Plaza Theatre became the only first-run movie house in Durant after the other first-run theater in Durant, the Ship Drive-In, closed its gates for the final time on August 4, 1985.
In April 1986, the Plaza Theatre closed its doors for only a single year due to extensive remodeling and new installations, leaving Durant and Bryan County without a theater for the first time since 1910.
Surprisingly, this only lasted for a year until former Ardmore Tivoli Theatre operator Glen Smith reopened Durant’s Plaza Theatre on April 24, 1987 with “Firewalker” as a 3-day test run, before the Plaza held its grand reopening on May 1, 1987 with “Crocodile Dundee”, which went under the name “New Plaza Theatre”. Smith said that the “New” Plaza will only open initially on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays instead of the usual seven-days-a-week, with a dollar per ticket. Smith only operated the theater for a short time before Thelma Pearl Scribner took over the theater a short time later.
There were major changes compared to the original and the 1987 remodel. The capacity in the remodel was downgraded from the original 721 seats to just 271 seats in the 1987 remodel, due to Smith wanting people to have more leg room. The remodel received new carpets and a new projection and the walls and drapes were carefully restored.
Since then, the theater went into a string of robberies but nothing too severe. Only a couple goes as follows: On the evening of June 6, 1987, a person broke into the theater and stole $430 in cash without damaging the property, and after closing for the night on September 25, 1988, Thelma told Durant Police one week later that a microwave, a light-up CocaCola wall clock, $50 of both money and candies, and a dark yellow Trimline telephone were all stolen. A north door on the west side of the theater was discovered wide-open and the total estimate of missing items was $300 in total.
New management took over the Plaza Theatre in September 1990 after a short closure. One month later on October 7, 1990, damage was reported after a group of poor spelling vandals vandalized on the walls and caused other damage, estimating $500 in property damage. According to owners, the screen was ripped and misspelled obscenities were painted on both the walls and the popcorn machine at the concession stand. The suspects got away by going on the roof through a door and making their way down. Before leaving, they took assorted candy from the lobby with a value of $150. It was repaired and reopened but unfortunately it didn’t do well in business.
The Plaza Theatre closed its doors for the final time as a movie house on January 6, 1991 with “Rocky V” (However, the Plaza continued operating as a special events house until the 2000s). This left Durant without a movie theater for the next three years until the launch of the Durant Twin Cinema (later the Durant 4 Cinemas) in July 1994.
This just came in a hour ago: The Apollo Theatre AC is now closed due to a roof and marquee collapse from damaging winds while all of Boone County at the time was under a Tornado Warning, along with Northern DeKalb and Western McHenry Counties. Multiple people were reported injured when the Apollo’s roof collapsed during a Morbid Angel concert, while the marquee suddenly falls to its side on the sidewalk possibly undamaged from the gust.
Update from my September 14, 2022 comment: The McKinney Drive-In was demolished in the late-1970s or early-1980s. A 1981 aerial view shows either the screen being removed or severely damaged and traces from the theater were overgrown, but the concession/projection booth was still there.
Correction: I made a huge mistake! The Branson Movies 4 continued running movies until early 2005, and closed its doors as a movie theater at that same time. It reopened as a live performance theater a short time later as the “Nova Theatre”, and in early 2007, it changed its name to the “God and Country Theatres”.
The 53 Drive-In opened its gates on April 29, 1960 with Yul Brynner in “Solomon And Sheba” and Van Johnson in “Subway In The Sky” along with an unnamed cartoon.
During most of the 53 Drive-In’s life, the 53 plays nearly everything such as X films, Z films, art films, and other random content. But right when the early-1980s rolled along, the 53 Drive-In began slowly focusing towards first-run films. It was also a site of the Swap-O-Rama Flea Market at the time, along with four other drive-ins in the Chicago Metropolitan Area.
The 53 Drive-In closed for the final time after the 1986 season, and was actually demolished in either 1989 or 1990 to make way for its current UPS facility. I can tell judging by a 1988 aerial view does show almost the entire theater still standing.
This theater first opened as the “Table Rock Twin Cinema” in September 1975 as a twin with a capacity of 476 seats. It was first operated under the manager of Dennis Schafer, a local resident. The theater expanded to four screens in 1986, renaming it the “Table Rock Cinemas 4”. In early 1999, the theater was renamed “Branson Movies 4” after being taken over by Dickinson Theatres.
The theater was later taken over by Nova Theatres and later by Goodrich Quality Theatres. Goodrich last operated the theater, before the Branson Movies 4 closed for the final time on May 16, 2002 with “Star Wars: Episode II” playing in all four auditoriums as a stunt.
I don’t think so. I think it was the same fault as other places in America that had 2+ drive-in theaters close to each other. For example in Lexington, South Carolina, there were two drive-ins very close to each other (probably in a 100 to 200-foot radius), but unfortunately, it does not have a mention involving them close to each other as I am aware of judging by various papers in Columbia.
Taken over by Wehrenberg Theatres in early 1986.
Taken over by Wehrenberg Theatres in early 1986.
The Plaza West Cinemas opened its doors by TOI Theatres on May 4, 1984 with “Romancing The Stone” at Screen 1 and “Sixteen Candles” at Screen 2. The theater’s building was constructed by the Kinlani Builders Incorporation of Flagstaff.
Actually, movies continue to run at the Elk’s Opera House until 1982.
The actual opening date is June 27, 1980 with Walt Disney’s “Herbie Goes Bananas” and the reissue of “Bedknobs And Broomsticks”. Prior to its grand opening, it had a VIP night a day prior.
The Durant Twin Cinema was the first theater to operate in Durant and all of Bryan County since the closure of the Plaza Theatre in January 1991.
The Briarwood Shopping Center opened theater-less in March 1972, some of which include a Corner Drug store and a Mitchell’s Department Store just to name a few. At the time, Durant slowly gave growth in the city.
Jerry and Ann Wann of Durant, after opening their then-new (now-defunct) Durant Bowling Center in 1993 with 12 lanes before expanding to 20 lanes a short time later at the Briarwood Shopping Center, had plans to build a theater in Durant since Durant was left without a theater after the closure of the Plaza.
The original equipment at the Durant Twin includes the installations of two Marble 7000 Stereo Sound Systems and two Simplex JL projectors. As information as I can find as a twin when it opened on July 1, 1994, Screen #1 has an original capacity of 220 seats while Screen #2’s original capacity is unrecognizable.
Now this section is where confusion comes to mind. In 1995, the Durant Twin Cinema became the “Durant 4 Cinema” after both auditoriums split. But what’s completely shocking about it is that they kept the original twin name on the sign and on newspapers, and people all across Durant went completely confused on the name of the theater.
The Durant 4 Cinema closed for the final time in December 2011, yet again leaving Durant without a movie theater for three-and-a-half years until the launch of the 6-screen District Cinema in September 2015.
Yes Kenmore, and Dallas is wrong actually. The Sky Vu was still in operation into the 1980s along with the Ship. However during its last few years of operation, the Ship Drive-In is the only “appropriate fare” drive-in in Durant, as both the Plaza Theatre and the Ship Drive-In screened first-run films. The Sky Vu however in the other hand screened adult films during its last few years of operation.
Both the Ship and the Sky Vu closed for the final time in August 1985 within a week apart. The Ship closed on August 4, 1985, and the Sky Vu closed on August 11, 1985.
After the closures of both theaters, the Plaza Theatre became the only movie house in town until January 1991.
Actually, you’re wrong. The Ship Drive-In continued sailing through into the 1980s until the Ship Drive-In ceased operations on August 4, 1985 with Chevy Chase in “Fletch”.
After the Ship Drive-In’s closure, the Plaza Theatre became the only first-run movie house in Durant and all of Bryan County until closing for the final time in January 1991.
In its later years, the Plaza Theatre went through some ups-and-downs.
The Plaza Theatre became the only first-run movie house in Durant after the other first-run theater in Durant, the Ship Drive-In, closed its gates for the final time on August 4, 1985.
In April 1986, the Plaza Theatre closed its doors for only a single year due to extensive remodeling and new installations, leaving Durant and Bryan County without a theater for the first time since 1910.
Surprisingly, this only lasted for a year until former Ardmore Tivoli Theatre operator Glen Smith reopened Durant’s Plaza Theatre on April 24, 1987 with “Firewalker” as a 3-day test run, before the Plaza held its grand reopening on May 1, 1987 with “Crocodile Dundee”, which went under the name “New Plaza Theatre”. Smith said that the “New” Plaza will only open initially on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays instead of the usual seven-days-a-week, with a dollar per ticket. Smith only operated the theater for a short time before Thelma Pearl Scribner took over the theater a short time later.
There were major changes compared to the original and the 1987 remodel. The capacity in the remodel was downgraded from the original 721 seats to just 271 seats in the 1987 remodel, due to Smith wanting people to have more leg room. The remodel received new carpets and a new projection and the walls and drapes were carefully restored.
Since then, the theater went into a string of robberies but nothing too severe. Only a couple goes as follows: On the evening of June 6, 1987, a person broke into the theater and stole $430 in cash without damaging the property, and after closing for the night on September 25, 1988, Thelma told Durant Police one week later that a microwave, a light-up CocaCola wall clock, $50 of both money and candies, and a dark yellow Trimline telephone were all stolen. A north door on the west side of the theater was discovered wide-open and the total estimate of missing items was $300 in total.
New management took over the Plaza Theatre in September 1990 after a short closure. One month later on October 7, 1990, damage was reported after a group of poor spelling vandals vandalized on the walls and caused other damage, estimating $500 in property damage. According to owners, the screen was ripped and misspelled obscenities were painted on both the walls and the popcorn machine at the concession stand. The suspects got away by going on the roof through a door and making their way down. Before leaving, they took assorted candy from the lobby with a value of $150. It was repaired and reopened but unfortunately it didn’t do well in business.
The Plaza Theatre closed its doors for the final time as a movie house on January 6, 1991 with “Rocky V” (However, the Plaza continued operating as a special events house until the 2000s). This left Durant without a movie theater for the next three years until the launch of the Durant Twin Cinema (later the Durant 4 Cinemas) in July 1994.
The tornado was confirmed as an EF1. There were now 40 reported injuries.
I’m pretty sure that this first went under the name “Airway Drive-In” before becoming the “Razorback Drive-In” by 1953.
This just came in a hour ago: The Apollo Theatre AC is now closed due to a roof and marquee collapse from damaging winds while all of Boone County at the time was under a Tornado Warning, along with Northern DeKalb and Western McHenry Counties. Multiple people were reported injured when the Apollo’s roof collapsed during a Morbid Angel concert, while the marquee suddenly falls to its side on the sidewalk possibly undamaged from the gust.
https://www.mystateline.com/news/local-news/first-responders-called-to-belvideres-apollo-theater-on-reports-of-collapsed-roof-due-to-powerful-storm/
Edited from my July 1, 2019 comment: The cartoon shown here is “Slicked-Up Pup” (1951).
Update from my September 14, 2022 comment: The McKinney Drive-In was demolished in the late-1970s or early-1980s. A 1981 aerial view shows either the screen being removed or severely damaged and traces from the theater were overgrown, but the concession/projection booth was still there.
Correction: It was last operated by Nova Cinemas. Nova took over from Goodrich a few years later after purchase.
The fire occurred on the actual date of January 11, 1943.
It was completely gone by 1971, so it may’ve closed in the mid-1960s.
Correction: I made a huge mistake! The Branson Movies 4 continued running movies until early 2005, and closed its doors as a movie theater at that same time. It reopened as a live performance theater a short time later as the “Nova Theatre”, and in early 2007, it changed its name to the “God and Country Theatres”.
The 53 Drive-In opened its gates on April 29, 1960 with Yul Brynner in “Solomon And Sheba” and Van Johnson in “Subway In The Sky” along with an unnamed cartoon.
During most of the 53 Drive-In’s life, the 53 plays nearly everything such as X films, Z films, art films, and other random content. But right when the early-1980s rolled along, the 53 Drive-In began slowly focusing towards first-run films. It was also a site of the Swap-O-Rama Flea Market at the time, along with four other drive-ins in the Chicago Metropolitan Area.
The 53 Drive-In closed for the final time after the 1986 season, and was actually demolished in either 1989 or 1990 to make way for its current UPS facility. I can tell judging by a 1988 aerial view does show almost the entire theater still standing.
This theater first opened as the “Table Rock Twin Cinema” in September 1975 as a twin with a capacity of 476 seats. It was first operated under the manager of Dennis Schafer, a local resident. The theater expanded to four screens in 1986, renaming it the “Table Rock Cinemas 4”. In early 1999, the theater was renamed “Branson Movies 4” after being taken over by Dickinson Theatres.
The theater was later taken over by Nova Theatres and later by Goodrich Quality Theatres. Goodrich last operated the theater, before the Branson Movies 4 closed for the final time on May 16, 2002 with “Star Wars: Episode II” playing in all four auditoriums as a stunt.
I don’t think so. I think it was the same fault as other places in America that had 2+ drive-in theaters close to each other. For example in Lexington, South Carolina, there were two drive-ins very close to each other (probably in a 100 to 200-foot radius), but unfortunately, it does not have a mention involving them close to each other as I am aware of judging by various papers in Columbia.
The theater was completely gone in a 1983 aerial, so it was either short-lived or it operated for a decade or two.
Opened on February 6, 2002, the Holiday Village 4 replaced the Holiday Village 3 which operated from February 1, 1980 until July 22, 2001.
Actual opening date is January 16, 2004.
There is another small drive-in theater just north of the Wakea Drive-In called the Gay Drive-In. It would have its own page soon.