Though I’ve been unable to discover when the Osage Theatre closed, I did find a reminiscence by someone who saw the 1964 release “Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte” there. It seems likely that the Osage would have managed to hang on at least until after the Eastland Twin opened in 1968.
This item is found in the July 9, 1940 issue of Film Daily:
“ The New Colony, formerly the Cinema, was opened by Adolph C. Johnson, of the Strand, Hamden, and Albert Poulton, for showing of exploitation pictures. ‘Ecstasy’ is being held a second week.”
The July 2, 1940 issue of The Film Daily said that the Beck circuit had closed the Pastime Theatre in the Loop for wrecking, but intended to replace it with a new house. It didn’t say where the new theater would be located.
The Neighborhood Theaters circuit took over operation of the Eaco and Lee theaters in 1940, according to an item in the July 11 issue of The Film Daily that year. The September 6 issue of the same journal said that “[t]he remodeled Eaco Theater will reopen this month under the name of State. Russell Williams is manager for Neighborhood Theater, Inc.”
Here is an item from the July 11, 1940 issue of The Film Daily:
Neighborhood Theaters Gets Farmville Houses
“Farmville, Va. — William Rippard, manager and partner in the Eaco and Lee Theaters, has announced that Neighborhood Theaters, Inc., with home office in Richmond, will take over the two theaters Aug. 1. Russell Williams, of Pulaski, will be resident manager for the circuit.”
The 1942 fire was the second major conflagration in the Princess’s history. The July 6, 1918 issue of Moving Picture World reported that the house had burned to the ground on Monday, June 10. A booth fire was the cause, and though the projectionist was burned slightly, the audience filed out calmly and no one else was injured. The loss to building and equipment was estimated at $17,000.
A second item in the same issue of MPW said that the Crescent Amusement Company, operators of the house, had moved scheduled shows to their second Hopkinsville house, the Rex Theatre, and that the owner of the building, L.H. Davis, said tat the Princess would be rebuilt immediately, and that Crescent would continue as operators when it reopened.
A March 4, 1950 Boxoffice article about the Strand said that the recent rebuilding of the house had been so extensive that only two walls of the original building remained. The owner of the theater, Nick Johnson, had come to Manitowoc in 1935 to manage the Strand for Fox Wisconsin Theatres, and had taken over the house as an independent operator in 1945. The rebuilding included removing a stage, so the theater probably dated from the 1920s at the latest.
The building is now occupied by a place called Strand Adventures, which bills itself as a “family entertainment complex,” featuring a rock climbing wall, a laser tag arena, batting cages, a room full of bounce houses, a toddler area, something they call a “ninja gym” and a section of arcade games. Judging from photos on their web site, nothing remains of the theater’s interior.
Paramount subsidiary Florida State Theatres controlled the Beach Theatre under a lease from 1941 until 1950, according to an item in the March 4, 1950 issue of Boxoffice. The Item said that FST had just cancelled the 10-year lease and that operation of the house would be taken over by the building’s owner, Stephen S. Girard.
This article about the Beach Theatre says that the house was only active intermittently during the 1940s, so it seems likely that FST leased the place primarily in order to prevent a competitor from getting control of it.
During the 1940s the Ninth Street Theatre was operated by Florida State Theatres, who bought the house in 1946 after leasing it for several years, according to Boxoffice of March 4, 1950. They disposed of the theater in 1950, selling it to the independent operators who would later rename it the Sun Theatre. It had been closed for several months at the time of the sale. Florida State also gave up their lease on the Beach Theatre at the same time.
The March 4, 1950 issue of Boxoffice ran a short article about the Village Theatre, saying it had opened recently. The house featured a stage, orchestra pit, Hammond organ with chimes, and two pianos, one on the stage and one in the pit. Management intended to present vaudeville as well as movies.
The article is on page 68 of this issue of the magazine.
The Globe Theatre was originally opened by Herman Fichtenberg, whose theater chain merged with the smaller Saenger chain in 1917. Fichtenberg was actually the largest single shareholder in the new Saenger Amusements Company, but the two Saenger brothers each owned slightly more than half as much stock as Fichtenerg and so together had the larger stake. The February 3, 1917 issue of The Moving Picture World ran this item about the Globe:
“Recently another Fichtenberg house was opened in New Orleans, the Globe being added to the Dreamland, Alamo, Picto and Plaza. To celebrate the opening a four-page special supplement was gotten out by one of the Sunday papers. There was plenty about the house and a lot of advertising from those who had supplied material for the building. The sheet has red ink ears and tabbed ‘Fichtenberg Section’ and there is more stuff in the regular motion picture section.”
The Globe’s neighbor, the Tudor Theatre, was originally owned by Fichtenberg’s principal competitor in the New Orleans market, J. Eugene Pearce.
The Brooklyn Opera House is open, at least intermittently. Here is the official web site, although it is not updated as frequently as their Facebook page. Upcoming events include a production of “The Odd Couple” and the last two entries in their summer movie series, for which there is no admission charge.
The October 30, 1915 issue of Moving Picture World has an item datelined Alameda saying “[t]he Bay Station theater has been renovated throughout and several new features added.”
The 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory does not list a theater at this address, which makes 1915 the most likely opening year for this house.
The new Illiopolis Theatre opened in 1951 was designed by the Decatur firm Burgener-Chastain & Associates (Harry J. Burgener and Homer L. Chastain) as noted in the August 6, 1951 issue of The Decatur Daily Review.
From 1945 until closing in 1963, the Illiopolis Theatre was operated by Ed and Louella Griesheim, who from 1959 on also operated a drive-in restaurant in Illiopolis, according to an article in the August 23, 1982 issue of the Decatur Herald and Review. The theater building was later converted into medical offices, but I’ve been unable to discover if it is still standing or, if so, what it now is used for.
The Opera House at Hopkinsville was listed in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory, with the cryptic notation “Box 280.” A mailing address, perhaps?
According to a history of Kentucky published in 1922, R. H. Holland retired in 1916 and ceased renting the Opera House for performances. It doesn’t say why. He still owned the place in 1922.
I don’t know if this link will work or not, due to the grotesque way Facebook is set up, but this Facebook post makes a pretty good argument that the Star Theatre was in a building at 104 W. Washington Street. There are some vintage photos. Real estate web sites say that the building there now was built in 1949. With this address Google street view defaults to the building around the corner on Lee Street, but that’s better than the default we’ve got now, which is Harrington Road out in the boondocks between Rockingham and Ellerbe.
This page at Sandusky History says that the original Star Theatre on Market Street opened in 1907. The two Stars were apparently under the same management.
The October 16, 1909 issue of The Moving Picture World had this item about the Sandusky Theatre:
“The Sandusky Theater, with a seating capacity of 1,300, was reopened for the season of 1909-10 on September 20 with high class vaudeville, consisting of eight acts weekly, and three reels of motion pictures.”
As the Columbus Avenue Star opened in 1914, the item in the May 8, 1909 issue of The Moving Picture World must pertain to the Market Street Star, which the item said had recently shown three reels of “The Great Wolf Hunt” for an admission of five cents. The July 10 issue of MPW says “[t]he Star Theater, Sandusky, Ohio, under management of Bumgartner & Franklin, has been closed for the Summer months.” The Star and other Sandusky movie houses are mentioned frequently in the MPW in 1909.
There was an earlier Gem in Oxford, per this item from the June 3, 1916 issue of Moving Picture World which says “Oxford, Neb. — J. B. Reed has purchased the Gem theater.”
The Bethel Theatre was listed in the 1951 FDY with 360 seats. A house called the Bethel Theatre is listed in the 1928 and 1929 FDYs, but no seating capacity is given. The house at 7406 Main might or might not have been the same theater updated and reopened. The south side wall of this building as seen in this photo has been painted, but is clearly old brick and looks like it was extended upward from a common wall it once shared with an adjacent building which has since been demolished. Evidence of a similar common wall can be seen at the front of the building on the north end. This building could well have housed the Bethel Theatre of 1829-29.
Though I’ve been unable to discover when the Osage Theatre closed, I did find a reminiscence by someone who saw the 1964 release “Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte” there. It seems likely that the Osage would have managed to hang on at least until after the Eastland Twin opened in 1968.
From The Film Daily, July 17, 1940:
This item is found in the July 9, 1940 issue of Film Daily:
The July 2, 1940 issue of The Film Daily said that the Beck circuit had closed the Pastime Theatre in the Loop for wrecking, but intended to replace it with a new house. It didn’t say where the new theater would be located.
The Neighborhood Theaters circuit took over operation of the Eaco and Lee theaters in 1940, according to an item in the July 11 issue of The Film Daily that year. The September 6 issue of the same journal said that “[t]he remodeled Eaco Theater will reopen this month under the name of State. Russell Williams is manager for Neighborhood Theater, Inc.”
Here is an item from the July 11, 1940 issue of The Film Daily:
The 1942 fire was the second major conflagration in the Princess’s history. The July 6, 1918 issue of Moving Picture World reported that the house had burned to the ground on Monday, June 10. A booth fire was the cause, and though the projectionist was burned slightly, the audience filed out calmly and no one else was injured. The loss to building and equipment was estimated at $17,000.
A second item in the same issue of MPW said that the Crescent Amusement Company, operators of the house, had moved scheduled shows to their second Hopkinsville house, the Rex Theatre, and that the owner of the building, L.H. Davis, said tat the Princess would be rebuilt immediately, and that Crescent would continue as operators when it reopened.
A March 4, 1950 Boxoffice article about the Strand said that the recent rebuilding of the house had been so extensive that only two walls of the original building remained. The owner of the theater, Nick Johnson, had come to Manitowoc in 1935 to manage the Strand for Fox Wisconsin Theatres, and had taken over the house as an independent operator in 1945. The rebuilding included removing a stage, so the theater probably dated from the 1920s at the latest.
The building is now occupied by a place called Strand Adventures, which bills itself as a “family entertainment complex,” featuring a rock climbing wall, a laser tag arena, batting cages, a room full of bounce houses, a toddler area, something they call a “ninja gym” and a section of arcade games. Judging from photos on their web site, nothing remains of the theater’s interior.
Paramount subsidiary Florida State Theatres controlled the Beach Theatre under a lease from 1941 until 1950, according to an item in the March 4, 1950 issue of Boxoffice. The Item said that FST had just cancelled the 10-year lease and that operation of the house would be taken over by the building’s owner, Stephen S. Girard.
This article about the Beach Theatre says that the house was only active intermittently during the 1940s, so it seems likely that FST leased the place primarily in order to prevent a competitor from getting control of it.
During the 1940s the Ninth Street Theatre was operated by Florida State Theatres, who bought the house in 1946 after leasing it for several years, according to Boxoffice of March 4, 1950. They disposed of the theater in 1950, selling it to the independent operators who would later rename it the Sun Theatre. It had been closed for several months at the time of the sale. Florida State also gave up their lease on the Beach Theatre at the same time.
The March 4, 1950 issue of Boxoffice ran a short article about the Village Theatre, saying it had opened recently. The house featured a stage, orchestra pit, Hammond organ with chimes, and two pianos, one on the stage and one in the pit. Management intended to present vaudeville as well as movies.
The article is on page 68 of this issue of the magazine.
The Globe Theatre was originally opened by Herman Fichtenberg, whose theater chain merged with the smaller Saenger chain in 1917. Fichtenberg was actually the largest single shareholder in the new Saenger Amusements Company, but the two Saenger brothers each owned slightly more than half as much stock as Fichtenerg and so together had the larger stake. The February 3, 1917 issue of The Moving Picture World ran this item about the Globe:
The Globe’s neighbor, the Tudor Theatre, was originally owned by Fichtenberg’s principal competitor in the New Orleans market, J. Eugene Pearce.The Brooklyn Opera House is open, at least intermittently. Here is the official web site, although it is not updated as frequently as their Facebook page. Upcoming events include a production of “The Odd Couple” and the last two entries in their summer movie series, for which there is no admission charge.
The October 30, 1915 issue of Moving Picture World has an item datelined Alameda saying “[t]he Bay Station theater has been renovated throughout and several new features added.”
The 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory does not list a theater at this address, which makes 1915 the most likely opening year for this house.
The new Illiopolis Theatre opened in 1951 was designed by the Decatur firm Burgener-Chastain & Associates (Harry J. Burgener and Homer L. Chastain) as noted in the August 6, 1951 issue of The Decatur Daily Review.
From 1945 until closing in 1963, the Illiopolis Theatre was operated by Ed and Louella Griesheim, who from 1959 on also operated a drive-in restaurant in Illiopolis, according to an article in the August 23, 1982 issue of the Decatur Herald and Review. The theater building was later converted into medical offices, but I’ve been unable to discover if it is still standing or, if so, what it now is used for.
The Opera House at Hopkinsville was listed in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory, with the cryptic notation “Box 280.” A mailing address, perhaps?
According to a history of Kentucky published in 1922, R. H. Holland retired in 1916 and ceased renting the Opera House for performances. It doesn’t say why. He still owned the place in 1922.
I don’t know if this link will work or not, due to the grotesque way Facebook is set up, but this Facebook post makes a pretty good argument that the Star Theatre was in a building at 104 W. Washington Street. There are some vintage photos. Real estate web sites say that the building there now was built in 1949. With this address Google street view defaults to the building around the corner on Lee Street, but that’s better than the default we’ve got now, which is Harrington Road out in the boondocks between Rockingham and Ellerbe.
A timeline of events in Tishomingo says that the rebuilt Thompson Theatre opened on July 20, 1939.
Boxoffice of September 18, 1978 said that Joe, Midge, and Jim King had sold their King Theatre in Tishomingo to Gary Gill.
The Westend Theatre was at 3312 W. Broadway.
This page at Sandusky History says that the original Star Theatre on Market Street opened in 1907. The two Stars were apparently under the same management.
This page at Sandusky History says that the second Star Theatre closed at the end of the silent movie era.
The October 16, 1909 issue of The Moving Picture World had this item about the Sandusky Theatre:
As the Columbus Avenue Star opened in 1914, the item in the May 8, 1909 issue of The Moving Picture World must pertain to the Market Street Star, which the item said had recently shown three reels of “The Great Wolf Hunt” for an admission of five cents. The July 10 issue of MPW says “[t]he Star Theater, Sandusky, Ohio, under management of Bumgartner & Franklin, has been closed for the Summer months.” The Star and other Sandusky movie houses are mentioned frequently in the MPW in 1909.
There is no Pine Street on the map of Oxford.
There was an earlier Gem in Oxford, per this item from the June 3, 1916 issue of Moving Picture World which says “Oxford, Neb. — J. B. Reed has purchased the Gem theater.”
The Bethel Theatre was listed in the 1951 FDY with 360 seats. A house called the Bethel Theatre is listed in the 1928 and 1929 FDYs, but no seating capacity is given. The house at 7406 Main might or might not have been the same theater updated and reopened. The south side wall of this building as seen in this photo has been painted, but is clearly old brick and looks like it was extended upward from a common wall it once shared with an adjacent building which has since been demolished. Evidence of a similar common wall can be seen at the front of the building on the north end. This building could well have housed the Bethel Theatre of 1829-29.