Those two are both in Middle Tennessee, as is the Valley Drive In in Waverly, which is even closer to Camden. West Tennessee means west of the Tennessee River. When I was growing up in West Tennessee there was at least one drive-in in virtually every county, but all had closed except for the Summer 4 in Memphis. Drive-ins survived much better in Middle and East Tennessee.
Thanks for sharing some great information! Mr Baumann must be a fantastic man to talk to. I no longer live in Knoxville, but was there last about 3 years ago. Now I’m anxious for my next visit to go by some of these sites now that I know a little more about their histories. The Horne would be the only walk in theater in South Knoxville that I had ever been aware of. Do you know if there were ever any others? I spent a lot of time on the Vestal community, and had always wondered if there had ever been a theater there.
I remember that house being on the left as you drove into the theater after you went through ticket booth, so it was not part of the screen tower. The screen was free standing and the back of the screen was very close to the bridge.
However, for a great photo of a screen tower house, go to listing for the Sunset Drive In in Shinnston WV to see an example in a still open 60 year old drive in.
The pool hall I remember was on the south side of Tennesse Ave, so obviously is not the same building. Probably had been torn down, as there were not many commercial buildings left on Tennesse Ave by the 70’s. Thanks for the information!
Thanks for the correction! Was there also a Horne walk in theater on Chapman Highway? The source that said the Horne Drive In was open from 1955 to 1975 indicated there was a Horne Theater from 1950 to 1955, but obviously they are not completely accurate. For what it’s worth, the same source states the Sunset Drive In was open from 1955 to 1961.
In the mid 1980’s, the Gem Theatre’s lobby was briefly opened as a video store, and one of the workers there let me take a look in at the auditorium. The seats had all been removed, but the huge screen was still intact. After the video store closed, the building has remained empty. The city of Cairo purchased the theater in 1995 with the intent to renovate it, but about all they have managed to do to this point is to restore the marquee.
The Cocomo was open as late as 1995, when I saw JURY DUTY with Paulie Shore there. I believe it was closed by 1997 or 1998, and still stands empty, though from the outside the building looks to be in good shape. It was an interesting little theatre.
Do you remember if the building was still standing and/or which side of Tennesse Avenue it was on? In the 70’s, there was a pool hall on Tennessee Avenue I went to a few times which was big enough to have been an old theater. I don’t remember exactly where on Tennessee Avenue it was, but it was on the left as you were driving towards Western Avenue.
The Osage Village 5 does not have stadium seating nor curtains that open and close before and after each show. It does have very good sound, and is well kept up, but otherwise is fairly plain looking.
The Lake Theater opened on August 25, 1950, and the first feature was SANDS OF IWO JIMA. It was advertised in the local newspaper as having “Colorama -The Magic Screen of the Future”. The newspaper noted it was “on the east side of the square between Kirby Cafe and the law office of E.O. Claiborne”. It was a “new cinderblock building with a stucco exterior 38 ½ feet wide and 100 feet in length”. It had large neon sign out front with LAKE spelled vertically above the entrance. I’m not sure when it closed as a movie theater, but was being used for a country music show for some time before it became a mattress store. The country music show had closed before the first photo above was taken.
The Lodge of the Four Seasons is located in Lake Ozark. There is no such town as Lake Osage although Lake Ozark and Osage Beach are adjoining towns. The Four Seasons Cine is not operated by Wehrenberg though they do oprate the Osage Village Theatres in Osage Beach,
The Grand Theater at 216 S. Central was an theater for African American audiences that was open from 1945 to 1950. The address is on the east side of Central, between Vine and Commerce. It was located in close proximity to the Gem Theater on Vine.
The Shop City Drive In was open as late as 1979, as an article in BOXOFFICE magazine notes that the kung fu movie THE MASTER KILLS opened there on August 31, 1979.
I went to the Desert 5 Drive In a year or two before it closed. At that time, that section of Las Vegas was growing so fast, and there were so many lights in the neigborhood outside the theater that it was actually difficult to see the movie on the screen. It’s a shame, because it was a very nice drive in.
According to Ron Allen’s web page AFRICAN AMERICAN THEATERS IN KNOXVILLE, The DAWN THEATER was located at the corner of Ailor and Seventeenth Street, a block south of Western Ave. The DAWN was an all white theater while the nearby SUNSET began as a segregated theater (whites on the main floor, and blacks in the balcony), which later became the African American RITZ/SAVOY/BOOKER T Theater.
More information about the RITZ from Ron Allen’s web page AFRICAN AMERICAN THEATERS IN KNOXVILLE:
The RTTZ THEATER was located at 1301 Western Avenue, at the corner of Deaderick. The RITZ was opened as a theater for African Americans in the same building that previously had been the SUNSET THEATER. To accomodate the area’s African American patrons, the balcony at the original SUNSET THEATER was designated for black patrons. After the SUNSET closed, the same black population later provided the clientele that resulted in the opening of the RITZ THEATER. THe RITZ was later renamed the SAVOY THEATER, then the name was again changed to the BOOKER T THEATER. By then, both movies and occasional live entertainment were being offered at the theater before it closed in the early 1950’s. During those years, the surrounding communities were known as Western Heights and McAnnally Flats—the entire section today having again assumed the original nineteenth century name, Mechanicsville. THe RITZ~SAVOY~BOOKER T theater was the only Africna American theater that ever existed in what today is known as the Mechanicsville community…"
The Broadway Theatre is listed as being open from about 1940 to 1955. That location is just about a block from Fulton High School, and a few blocks from St. Mary’s Hospital.
The Capitol Theatre is listed as being open in 1950. 810 N Central is located right at the intersection of Central and Broadway, which would have been a major crossroads of Knoxville at the time.
Ailor Avenue is located just off Western Avenue close to University Avenue in the Mechanicsville neighborhood. This theatre was apparently was open between 1950 and 1955. The exact address does not seem to exist anymore, but Mechanicsville was pretty much decimated by the construction of I-40. From the location, it is possible that this was an African American theatre.
The French Village Drive In was actually opened through about 1989, as I saw THE FLY II and I’M GONNA GET YOU SUCKA there is what I believe was its last year of operation. BAC had pulled out, and it was operated as an independent in its last year. It was never actually an X-rated theatre, but during the it’s later years with BAC, they ran X-rated features at midnight on Saturday night after the regular features had ended. They cleared the field before letting you in for the X rated show, and if you had been there earlier, you had to come back in and pay a second time (and obviously prove you were over 18!)
Even in its last year, The French Village was impressive though worse for the wear after so many years. It broke my heart to see it decay after it closed. I seem to remember that in the late 90’s, there was talk about it being reopened, but nothing ever came of it. A church bought the property, and plans to build a new church building there.
For many years, the French Village was the last active movie theatre in East St Louis, and there have been no theatres at all in East St Louis since it closed.
When I moved to Knoxville in 1972, this theatre was known as the New Riviera. I don’t know what was “new” about it. From the front, it was much plainer looking than the Tennessee Theatre just up the street both inside and outside. It did have an impressively large auditoriun, and I remember you had to go downstairs to go to the restrooms. As I recall, however, there was a painting on the back of the theatre building of Charlie Chaplin (I think) that you could see from what is now called James White Parkway, which has just been built. At that time, the New Riviera was run by the Simpson chain. The Tennessee was still showing movies also at the time, but they tended to show “bigger” movies than the Riviera, which specialized in horror and blaxploitation movies. Since I was a fan of both of these, I went to the Riviera a lot! The Simpson chain closed the New Riviera in 1975. The last movie there was ironically ADIOS AMIGOS with Fred Williamson and Richard Pryor. The next year, there was a brief attempt to reopen it, but it only lasted a few weeks before closing again. I understand the building was torn down in 1988.
However, the Riviera appears to be rising from the dead. According to the Regal Theatres website, the Regal Riviera Stadium 8 is “coming soon” to 510 South Gay St:
Since I no longer live in Knoxville, I don’t know if this is a new building, or a renovation of a building that was built there after the original Riviera was demolished. Either way, I am glad that movies are returning to downtown Knoxville.
Do you know if the Horne Theatre and Horne Drive In were open at the same time or did the drive in open after the walk in theatre closed?
This theater is still open with all 6 screens, and is the last remaining theater in Martin. It is located near the Univwersity of Tennessee at Martin.
Those two are both in Middle Tennessee, as is the Valley Drive In in Waverly, which is even closer to Camden. West Tennessee means west of the Tennessee River. When I was growing up in West Tennessee there was at least one drive-in in virtually every county, but all had closed except for the Summer 4 in Memphis. Drive-ins survived much better in Middle and East Tennessee.
Thanks for sharing some great information! Mr Baumann must be a fantastic man to talk to. I no longer live in Knoxville, but was there last about 3 years ago. Now I’m anxious for my next visit to go by some of these sites now that I know a little more about their histories. The Horne would be the only walk in theater in South Knoxville that I had ever been aware of. Do you know if there were ever any others? I spent a lot of time on the Vestal community, and had always wondered if there had ever been a theater there.
I remember that house being on the left as you drove into the theater after you went through ticket booth, so it was not part of the screen tower. The screen was free standing and the back of the screen was very close to the bridge.
However, for a great photo of a screen tower house, go to listing for the Sunset Drive In in Shinnston WV to see an example in a still open 60 year old drive in.
The pool hall I remember was on the south side of Tennesse Ave, so obviously is not the same building. Probably had been torn down, as there were not many commercial buildings left on Tennesse Ave by the 70’s. Thanks for the information!
Thanks for the correction! Was there also a Horne walk in theater on Chapman Highway? The source that said the Horne Drive In was open from 1955 to 1975 indicated there was a Horne Theater from 1950 to 1955, but obviously they are not completely accurate. For what it’s worth, the same source states the Sunset Drive In was open from 1955 to 1961.
In the mid 1980’s, the Gem Theatre’s lobby was briefly opened as a video store, and one of the workers there let me take a look in at the auditorium. The seats had all been removed, but the huge screen was still intact. After the video store closed, the building has remained empty. The city of Cairo purchased the theater in 1995 with the intent to renovate it, but about all they have managed to do to this point is to restore the marquee.
The Cocomo was open as late as 1995, when I saw JURY DUTY with Paulie Shore there. I believe it was closed by 1997 or 1998, and still stands empty, though from the outside the building looks to be in good shape. It was an interesting little theatre.
Do you remember if the building was still standing and/or which side of Tennesse Avenue it was on? In the 70’s, there was a pool hall on Tennessee Avenue I went to a few times which was big enough to have been an old theater. I don’t remember exactly where on Tennessee Avenue it was, but it was on the left as you were driving towards Western Avenue.
The Osage Village 5 does not have stadium seating nor curtains that open and close before and after each show. It does have very good sound, and is well kept up, but otherwise is fairly plain looking.
The Lake Theater opened on August 25, 1950, and the first feature was SANDS OF IWO JIMA. It was advertised in the local newspaper as having “Colorama -The Magic Screen of the Future”. The newspaper noted it was “on the east side of the square between Kirby Cafe and the law office of E.O. Claiborne”. It was a “new cinderblock building with a stucco exterior 38 ½ feet wide and 100 feet in length”. It had large neon sign out front with LAKE spelled vertically above the entrance. I’m not sure when it closed as a movie theater, but was being used for a country music show for some time before it became a mattress store. The country music show had closed before the first photo above was taken.
The Lodge of the Four Seasons is located in Lake Ozark. There is no such town as Lake Osage although Lake Ozark and Osage Beach are adjoining towns. The Four Seasons Cine is not operated by Wehrenberg though they do oprate the Osage Village Theatres in Osage Beach,
The Grand Theater at 216 S. Central was an theater for African American audiences that was open from 1945 to 1950. The address is on the east side of Central, between Vine and Commerce. It was located in close proximity to the Gem Theater on Vine.
The drive in does not have a website, but there is a good picture of screen at:
http://i_love_drive_ins.tripod.com/id17.html
The Shop City Drive In was open as late as 1979, as an article in BOXOFFICE magazine notes that the kung fu movie THE MASTER KILLS opened there on August 31, 1979.
I went to the Desert 5 Drive In a year or two before it closed. At that time, that section of Las Vegas was growing so fast, and there were so many lights in the neigborhood outside the theater that it was actually difficult to see the movie on the screen. It’s a shame, because it was a very nice drive in.
According to Ron Allen’s web page AFRICAN AMERICAN THEATERS IN KNOXVILLE, The DAWN THEATER was located at the corner of Ailor and Seventeenth Street, a block south of Western Ave. The DAWN was an all white theater while the nearby SUNSET began as a segregated theater (whites on the main floor, and blacks in the balcony), which later became the African American RITZ/SAVOY/BOOKER T Theater.
More information about the RITZ from Ron Allen’s web page AFRICAN AMERICAN THEATERS IN KNOXVILLE:
The RTTZ THEATER was located at 1301 Western Avenue, at the corner of Deaderick. The RITZ was opened as a theater for African Americans in the same building that previously had been the SUNSET THEATER. To accomodate the area’s African American patrons, the balcony at the original SUNSET THEATER was designated for black patrons. After the SUNSET closed, the same black population later provided the clientele that resulted in the opening of the RITZ THEATER. THe RITZ was later renamed the SAVOY THEATER, then the name was again changed to the BOOKER T THEATER. By then, both movies and occasional live entertainment were being offered at the theater before it closed in the early 1950’s. During those years, the surrounding communities were known as Western Heights and McAnnally Flats—the entire section today having again assumed the original nineteenth century name, Mechanicsville. THe RITZ~SAVOY~BOOKER T theater was the only Africna American theater that ever existed in what today is known as the Mechanicsville community…"
The Broadway Theatre is listed as being open from about 1940 to 1955. That location is just about a block from Fulton High School, and a few blocks from St. Mary’s Hospital.
The Capitol Theatre is listed as being open in 1950. 810 N Central is located right at the intersection of Central and Broadway, which would have been a major crossroads of Knoxville at the time.
Ailor Avenue is located just off Western Avenue close to University Avenue in the Mechanicsville neighborhood. This theatre was apparently was open between 1950 and 1955. The exact address does not seem to exist anymore, but Mechanicsville was pretty much decimated by the construction of I-40. From the location, it is possible that this was an African American theatre.
Between 1950 and 1955, apparently, it was called the Center Theatre, and I think it was still open in 1955. Don’t know how long after that it closed.
The French Village Drive In was actually opened through about 1989, as I saw THE FLY II and I’M GONNA GET YOU SUCKA there is what I believe was its last year of operation. BAC had pulled out, and it was operated as an independent in its last year. It was never actually an X-rated theatre, but during the it’s later years with BAC, they ran X-rated features at midnight on Saturday night after the regular features had ended. They cleared the field before letting you in for the X rated show, and if you had been there earlier, you had to come back in and pay a second time (and obviously prove you were over 18!)
Even in its last year, The French Village was impressive though worse for the wear after so many years. It broke my heart to see it decay after it closed. I seem to remember that in the late 90’s, there was talk about it being reopened, but nothing ever came of it. A church bought the property, and plans to build a new church building there.
For many years, the French Village was the last active movie theatre in East St Louis, and there have been no theatres at all in East St Louis since it closed.
Bob Brown
When I moved to Knoxville in 1972, this theatre was known as the New Riviera. I don’t know what was “new” about it. From the front, it was much plainer looking than the Tennessee Theatre just up the street both inside and outside. It did have an impressively large auditoriun, and I remember you had to go downstairs to go to the restrooms. As I recall, however, there was a painting on the back of the theatre building of Charlie Chaplin (I think) that you could see from what is now called James White Parkway, which has just been built. At that time, the New Riviera was run by the Simpson chain. The Tennessee was still showing movies also at the time, but they tended to show “bigger” movies than the Riviera, which specialized in horror and blaxploitation movies. Since I was a fan of both of these, I went to the Riviera a lot! The Simpson chain closed the New Riviera in 1975. The last movie there was ironically ADIOS AMIGOS with Fred Williamson and Richard Pryor. The next year, there was a brief attempt to reopen it, but it only lasted a few weeks before closing again. I understand the building was torn down in 1988.
However, the Riviera appears to be rising from the dead. According to the Regal Theatres website, the Regal Riviera Stadium 8 is “coming soon” to 510 South Gay St:
View link
Since I no longer live in Knoxville, I don’t know if this is a new building, or a renovation of a building that was built there after the original Riviera was demolished. Either way, I am glad that movies are returning to downtown Knoxville.
Bob Brown