On January 4, 1996, 24-year-old James Rincker (born August 1971) entered the KOIN Tower where he took hostages and shot two people. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison (300 years as the judge said with almost 78 years minimum) in November 1996. He’s currently serving his sentence at the Two Rivers Correctional Institution in Umatilla.
The actual grand opening date is June 16, 1950 with John Wayne in “Tycoon” with no extra short subjects. Unlike most drive-in openings, the Fulton Drive-In opened while the theater was still under construction.
W.M. Turner opened the Linn Theatre on June 29, 1940 with Alice Faye in “Hollywood Cavalcade” (unknown if extras added), and was the first movie theater to operate in Linn since the closure of the St. George’s Theatre in 1929.
The Linn Theatre closed for the final time on April 12, 1970 with Paul Newman in “Winning”, and the former theater was converted into a clothing emporium owned by Betty Mantle in June 1970. The clothing store would later open on July 10, 1970.
Correction: Although Boonville has once left without any indoor movie business in the late-1970s and early-1980s until the launch of the Cocomo in 1982, I just recently found out that Boonville still has movie theater business during the period. Shortly after the Lyric Theatre (later the Thespian Hall Theatre) ended its movie business on July 27, 1976, the Starlite Drive-In became the only movie theater in Boonville until its closure in 1982 (which occurred around the same time the Cocomo Cinemas opened).
Another Correction: The theater never existed in the 1960s. It only operated from 1982 until 1998.
Once operated by Fox Midwest Theatres and was once known as the Fox Lyric Theatre.
The Lyric Theatre closed as a first-run movie house on July 27, 1976 with “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest”, and reopened as both a concerts and performing arts house on August 25 of that same year. It was renamed the Thespian Hall Theatre a short time later.
The short-lived Gulf Winds Drive-In opened its gates on October 3, 1948 with “In Old Sacramento” (unknown if extras added). It was first operated by O.W. Philpott who also operates theaters in Clearwater and Winter Haven. It is an all-year drive-in.
In August 1949, the Gulf Winds Drive-In was closed for a single month due to damaging winds destroying the surrounding fence. It reopened on September 23, 1949.
Last managed by Larry Long, the Gulf Winds Drive-In closed for the final time on March 12, 1955. It was originally scheduled to close due to repairs but it appears that the theater never reopened at all afterward.
The entire history is wrong. Here’s the real story (edited from the previous comment from February 5, 2024):
Boonville was once left without a movie theater for seven years after the Thespian Hall stopped running movies in 1975. People were demanded to see movies in Columbia despite its short 25-mile distance across the Missouri River on Interstate 70.
Movies returned to Boonville when 59-year-old Johnnie Griggs of Appleton City renovated the low-slung brick structure that was once a cavernous National Guard Armory store and opened the twin-screen CoCoMo Cinemas in 1982 with an estimate $125,000. The theater name itself was named after the county where Boonville sits, which is Cooper County, Missouri. It had a total capacity of 386 seats (with 211 seats in one screen and 175 seats in the other).
Griggs was a longtime movie operator across much of mid-Missouri, mainly in Columbia. Griggs' theater career started right at the age of 12 when he began working at the Plaza Theatre in Appleton City in 1939. He literally knew everything about being a projectionist because he did saw the headline involving the Lowry City incident where a 14-year-old projectionist died in an explosion caused by the theater’s projector during World War II. While he was in high school, Griggs began operating several other theaters across Henry and St. Clair Counties throughout the remainder of World War II. Not just one job, but he took almost every single job a theater had.
In the 1950s, Griggs began working right at the heart of Columbia. He once operated the Missouri Theatre throughout much of the 1950s and 1960s and would later help demolish the Parkade Drive-In in 1961 and insert the car speakers at the Sky-Hi Drive-In in 1965. Unfortunately he left the movie business for a short period of time afterward due to concerns over the rise of explicit content in movies. He did make a comeback though and would later purchase the Grand Theatre in Fayette in 1978. A short time after, he began operating two more theaters in Muscatine, Iowa, but came back to Missouri a short time later. That’s when he spent the $125,000 to bring back Boonville’s movie business.
Despite being a small twin-screener, it did receive Hollywood fame on August 30, 1991 when “Child’s Play 3” (which was partially filmed in Boonville) held one of its premieres at the Cocomo. Its first showing wasn’t successful, but its second showing grew massively big time overloading one of the two screens. Griggs reported that it was a hell of hard work and negotiation.
The 110 closed for the final time on July 20, 1976 with “Food Of The Gods” and “The Land That Time Forgot”. The theater’s flea market also closed that same day.
The Kingston was twinned as early as November 1983, and indeed it had stereo sound in both auditoriums. It was tripled in June 1989, and became a five-screen theater in Spring 1993.
Closed on October 24, 1982.
The building was once damaged by a fire in 1964.
On January 4, 1996, 24-year-old James Rincker (born August 1971) entered the KOIN Tower where he took hostages and shot two people. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison (300 years as the judge said with almost 78 years minimum) in November 1996. He’s currently serving his sentence at the Two Rivers Correctional Institution in Umatilla.
Opened in September 1982.
B&B opened the Fulton Cinema 8 in June 2006 as a replacement of the downtown Fulton Cinema.
B&B closed the Fulton Cinema in June 2006 when the chain opened the Fulton Cinema 8 that same month.
The Fulton Theatre became part of the Commonwealth Theatres chain on February 21, 1948 after a short remodeling.
The actual grand opening date is June 16, 1950 with John Wayne in “Tycoon” with no extra short subjects. Unlike most drive-in openings, the Fulton Drive-In opened while the theater was still under construction.
W.M. Turner opened the Linn Theatre on June 29, 1940 with Alice Faye in “Hollywood Cavalcade” (unknown if extras added), and was the first movie theater to operate in Linn since the closure of the St. George’s Theatre in 1929.
The Linn Theatre closed for the final time on April 12, 1970 with Paul Newman in “Winning”, and the former theater was converted into a clothing emporium owned by Betty Mantle in June 1970. The clothing store would later open on July 10, 1970.
Correction: Although Boonville has once left without any indoor movie business in the late-1970s and early-1980s until the launch of the Cocomo in 1982, I just recently found out that Boonville still has movie theater business during the period. Shortly after the Lyric Theatre (later the Thespian Hall Theatre) ended its movie business on July 27, 1976, the Starlite Drive-In became the only movie theater in Boonville until its closure in 1982 (which occurred around the same time the Cocomo Cinemas opened).
Once operated by Fox Midwest Theatres and was once known as the Fox Lyric Theatre.
The Lyric Theatre closed as a first-run movie house on July 27, 1976 with “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest”, and reopened as both a concerts and performing arts house on August 25 of that same year. It was renamed the Thespian Hall Theatre a short time later.
Closed in 1982.
Closed in December 1976.
The short-lived Gulf Winds Drive-In opened its gates on October 3, 1948 with “In Old Sacramento” (unknown if extras added). It was first operated by O.W. Philpott who also operates theaters in Clearwater and Winter Haven. It is an all-year drive-in.
In August 1949, the Gulf Winds Drive-In was closed for a single month due to damaging winds destroying the surrounding fence. It reopened on September 23, 1949.
Last managed by Larry Long, the Gulf Winds Drive-In closed for the final time on March 12, 1955. It was originally scheduled to close due to repairs but it appears that the theater never reopened at all afterward.
On March 1, 2024, the Beach Theatre has sold again and will reopen back as a movie house later this year.
The entire history is wrong. Here’s the real story (edited from the previous comment from February 5, 2024):
Boonville was once left without a movie theater for seven years after the Thespian Hall stopped running movies in 1975. People were demanded to see movies in Columbia despite its short 25-mile distance across the Missouri River on Interstate 70.
Movies returned to Boonville when 59-year-old Johnnie Griggs of Appleton City renovated the low-slung brick structure that was once a cavernous National Guard Armory store and opened the twin-screen CoCoMo Cinemas in 1982 with an estimate $125,000. The theater name itself was named after the county where Boonville sits, which is Cooper County, Missouri. It had a total capacity of 386 seats (with 211 seats in one screen and 175 seats in the other).
Griggs was a longtime movie operator across much of mid-Missouri, mainly in Columbia. Griggs' theater career started right at the age of 12 when he began working at the Plaza Theatre in Appleton City in 1939. He literally knew everything about being a projectionist because he did saw the headline involving the Lowry City incident where a 14-year-old projectionist died in an explosion caused by the theater’s projector during World War II. While he was in high school, Griggs began operating several other theaters across Henry and St. Clair Counties throughout the remainder of World War II. Not just one job, but he took almost every single job a theater had.
In the 1950s, Griggs began working right at the heart of Columbia. He once operated the Missouri Theatre throughout much of the 1950s and 1960s and would later help demolish the Parkade Drive-In in 1961 and insert the car speakers at the Sky-Hi Drive-In in 1965. Unfortunately he left the movie business for a short period of time afterward due to concerns over the rise of explicit content in movies. He did make a comeback though and would later purchase the Grand Theatre in Fayette in 1978. A short time after, he began operating two more theaters in Muscatine, Iowa, but came back to Missouri a short time later. That’s when he spent the $125,000 to bring back Boonville’s movie business.
Despite being a small twin-screener, it did receive Hollywood fame on August 30, 1991 when “Child’s Play 3” (which was partially filmed in Boonville) held one of its premieres at the Cocomo. Its first showing wasn’t successful, but its second showing grew massively big time overloading one of the two screens. Griggs reported that it was a hell of hard work and negotiation.
The Cocomo Cinemas closed in mid-1998.
Closed on September 18, 1977 with “Walker Tall: Final Chapter” and “Happy Hooker Goes To Washington”.
The Missouri Theatre closed as a first-run movie-house on January 7, 1988 with “Empire Of The Sun”. It reopened a few months later as a concert venue.
Commonwealth took over the Campus Twin in November 1984, and later by United Artists in November 1988, and by Crown Theatres in November 1990.
Right after Dickinson Theatres opened the Forum 8 Theatres in June 1992, the Campus Twin dropped its mainstream fare and became an art house.
The Campus Twin closed for the final time on November 30, 1999.
The actual closing date is September 14, 1985.
The Campus originally housed 1,350 seats when it opened, marking it one of the largest small-town movie houses in all of Texas at the time.
Closed on July 25, 1979 with “Hometown USA”.
The Bayshore-Sunrise closed for the final time on April 10, 1991 with “Career Opportunities” at Screen 1 and “Warlock” at Screen 2.
The 110 closed for the final time on July 20, 1976 with “Food Of The Gods” and “The Land That Time Forgot”. The theater’s flea market also closed that same day.
The Kingston was twinned as early as November 1983, and indeed it had stereo sound in both auditoriums. It was tripled in June 1989, and became a five-screen theater in Spring 1993.