The Park Theatre originally opened as a single-screen theater with a capacity of 637 seats (with installations of “Whistler’s Mother” rocking seats), 52x24ft curved screen, ultravision projection, and a stereophonic sound system, owned by Charles Abercrombie Sr. and was managed by his brother Charles Abercrombie Jr. The senior Abercrombie was also the owners of their own Abercrombie Oil Company, Durham, North Carolina’s Carolina Theatre, and his farming business near Milton, North Carolina. In his role, he selects what’s best for the Park to pick up and keeps the ratings appropriately enough for the audience (G, M and R).
Charles Sr., a native of Alabama who graduated from both Georgia Military Academy and had an attendance at the University of Alabama, the senior Abercrombie during his university years would later began managing theaters in the Triangle (both Greensboro and Winston-Salem) until moving to Danville in 1935 and soon thereafter married Rosalind Lea.
Charles Jr., at the time of the Park Theatre opening is a 26-year-old man who previously served as the 1st Lieutenant for the U.S. Army and was later employed at Burlington Mills as a textile supervisor in Raeford, North Carolina. At one time, he worked at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company for only a year. He also owns and pilots three airplanes but was currently concentrating his energies on raising cattle on a farm in Milton. At the time of the theater’s opening, he worked as manager for his father’s Abercrombie Oil Company.
The Moonlite was constructed by Concord, North Carolina native T.D. Field, who also operated both the Clinch Theatre in Tazewell and the Valley Theatre in North Tazewell since taken over from W.W. Thompson on November 1, 1942.
Does anybody know any info about the Tazewell Twin Cinema located across the street from the Sunset Drive-In at the Fourways Shopping Center in North Tazewell? There was not a lot of info that I can find rather than where the theater is located and a July 1994 picture of close-eye view of both the doors and the Now Showing poster.
Closed on May 18, 1963 with “Drums Of Africa”, and was last operated by the Pennsylvania Paramount Corporation (also known as the local division for the Paramount Pictures Incorporated chain).
The husband-and-wife team of Willie and Julie Greco reopened the Skylark for the first time since the theater’s September 2, 1984 closure on May 5, 2000. Indeed, it closed after the 2012 season because of the same reason.
Correction: Both the Skylark and the Soo closed on September 2, 1984. The Soo closed with “Beat Street”, “The Corsican Brothers”, “Easy Money”, and “Up The Creek” as a quad dusk-to-dawn show.
The Princess Theatre opened its doors on February 12, 1917 with the photoplay “The Measure of a Man” along with a comedy reel and performances by both its five-piece orchestra and Toronto natives Will J. White and Jules Brazil (plus a couple of delays during programming process due to technical difficulties).
For the first 65 years in operation, the Princess Theatre was a single-screen movie house, and around that period, the Princess was operated by Odeon. It wasn’t until October 12, 1981 when the Princess Theatre closed as a single-screener with “The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia” due to twinning, and the Princess Theatre reopened as a twin-screen theater on November 27, 1981 with “Pursuit of D.B. Cooper” at Screen 1 and “Halloween II” at Screen 2.
On March 4, 1989, the Princess Theatre became local headlines after reports of multiple assaults were reported inside the theater, denying people to see “Dream A Little Dream” at one of the screens. The employee refused o allow a 14-year-old student at Mount St. Joseph College to enter although the student did show the identification card. She did allow one student in because she was wearing “that” jacket and another due to her birth certificate. Parents did receive reaction to the assaults the employee was made but gave them consequential discussions.
The Princess Theatre closed for the final time on March 15, 1990 with “Madhouse” at Screen 1 and “Tango And Cash” at Screen 2.
The Skylark Drive-In is the second drive-in theater to open in the Canadian side of Sault Sainte Marie, the only drive-in in the area being locally operated, and was the first in Northern Ontario to have widescreen installation in a drive-in theater, opening on July 5, 1954 with Dan Dailey in “Meet Me At The Fair” along with two shorts “Get Rich Quick” and “Mad About Moonshine”, an unnamed cartoon, and a newsreel. Exactly two days after the grand opening, the management of the Skylark apologizes in front of the Sault Star due to possible shorter attendance than what they’re expecting but they still continued with its run of the grand opening attraction for one more day.
Both the Skylark Drive-In and the nearby Soo Drive-In closed for the final time on September 5, 1984.
The Grand Bay Drive-In opened in the early-1950s. What’s unique about the Grand Bay Drive-In is that according to a May 30, 1953 article of the National Post, the Grand Bay Drive-In installed 300 seats to attract small boat traffic.
This replaced an older 1,746-seat Avalon Mall Cinema that operated from 1967 until 1999. St. John’s in Newfoundland had a grand total of 17 theaters (16 indoors and a drive-in) throughout its history.
Does anybody know about the two drive-ins that served Halifax as well? There was the 426-capacity Bay Street Drive-In and the 1,473-capacity Triple Drive-In, but I cannot find a lot of information about those two.
Hmm, so Thompson closed the downtown Stone Theatre right at the same time the Stone Drive-In began its operation? I don’t know why, but did someone had a chance to reopen the Stone Theatre later on or did it close for the final time?
Correction: It is the second oldest drive-in in the Lehigh Valley and in the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton area behind the Shankweiler’s within less than 10 miles.
Does anybody know about the other few theaters that served Mountain View throughout its history, including the Stone Theatre and the Ozark Theatre there?
Closed on October 1, 1978 with “Amuck” and “Mansion of The Doomed”.
Either closed or last advertisement on February 8, 1978 with “Black Agent Lucky King” and “Double Possession”.
The Park Theatre originally opened as a single-screen theater with a capacity of 637 seats (with installations of “Whistler’s Mother” rocking seats), 52x24ft curved screen, ultravision projection, and a stereophonic sound system, owned by Charles Abercrombie Sr. and was managed by his brother Charles Abercrombie Jr. The senior Abercrombie was also the owners of their own Abercrombie Oil Company, Durham, North Carolina’s Carolina Theatre, and his farming business near Milton, North Carolina. In his role, he selects what’s best for the Park to pick up and keeps the ratings appropriately enough for the audience (G, M and R).
Charles Sr., a native of Alabama who graduated from both Georgia Military Academy and had an attendance at the University of Alabama, the senior Abercrombie during his university years would later began managing theaters in the Triangle (both Greensboro and Winston-Salem) until moving to Danville in 1935 and soon thereafter married Rosalind Lea.
Charles Jr., at the time of the Park Theatre opening is a 26-year-old man who previously served as the 1st Lieutenant for the U.S. Army and was later employed at Burlington Mills as a textile supervisor in Raeford, North Carolina. At one time, he worked at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company for only a year. He also owns and pilots three airplanes but was currently concentrating his energies on raising cattle on a farm in Milton. At the time of the theater’s opening, he worked as manager for his father’s Abercrombie Oil Company.
The Moonlite was constructed by Concord, North Carolina native T.D. Field, who also operated both the Clinch Theatre in Tazewell and the Valley Theatre in North Tazewell since taken over from W.W. Thompson on November 1, 1942.
Does anybody know any info about the Tazewell Twin Cinema located across the street from the Sunset Drive-In at the Fourways Shopping Center in North Tazewell? There was not a lot of info that I can find rather than where the theater is located and a July 1994 picture of close-eye view of both the doors and the Now Showing poster.
Nice shot!
Closed on May 18, 1963 with “Drums Of Africa”, and was last operated by the Pennsylvania Paramount Corporation (also known as the local division for the Paramount Pictures Incorporated chain).
The husband-and-wife team of Willie and Julie Greco reopened the Skylark for the first time since the theater’s September 2, 1984 closure on May 5, 2000. Indeed, it closed after the 2012 season because of the same reason.
Last operated by Cineplex Odeon.
Correction: Both the Skylark and the Soo closed on September 2, 1984. The Soo closed with “Beat Street”, “The Corsican Brothers”, “Easy Money”, and “Up The Creek” as a quad dusk-to-dawn show.
Correction: The Skylark closed on September 2, 1984, not September 5. The Soo Drive-In also closed that same day.
Closed on July 27, 1979 with “The Champ”.
Last operated by Famous Players, and closed on March 22, 1987 with “Lethal Weapon”.
The Princess Theatre opened its doors on February 12, 1917 with the photoplay “The Measure of a Man” along with a comedy reel and performances by both its five-piece orchestra and Toronto natives Will J. White and Jules Brazil (plus a couple of delays during programming process due to technical difficulties).
For the first 65 years in operation, the Princess Theatre was a single-screen movie house, and around that period, the Princess was operated by Odeon. It wasn’t until October 12, 1981 when the Princess Theatre closed as a single-screener with “The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia” due to twinning, and the Princess Theatre reopened as a twin-screen theater on November 27, 1981 with “Pursuit of D.B. Cooper” at Screen 1 and “Halloween II” at Screen 2.
On March 4, 1989, the Princess Theatre became local headlines after reports of multiple assaults were reported inside the theater, denying people to see “Dream A Little Dream” at one of the screens. The employee refused o allow a 14-year-old student at Mount St. Joseph College to enter although the student did show the identification card. She did allow one student in because she was wearing “that” jacket and another due to her birth certificate. Parents did receive reaction to the assaults the employee was made but gave them consequential discussions.
The Princess Theatre closed for the final time on March 15, 1990 with “Madhouse” at Screen 1 and “Tango And Cash” at Screen 2.
The Skylark Drive-In is the second drive-in theater to open in the Canadian side of Sault Sainte Marie, the only drive-in in the area being locally operated, and was the first in Northern Ontario to have widescreen installation in a drive-in theater, opening on July 5, 1954 with Dan Dailey in “Meet Me At The Fair” along with two shorts “Get Rich Quick” and “Mad About Moonshine”, an unnamed cartoon, and a newsreel. Exactly two days after the grand opening, the management of the Skylark apologizes in front of the Sault Star due to possible shorter attendance than what they’re expecting but they still continued with its run of the grand opening attraction for one more day.
Both the Skylark Drive-In and the nearby Soo Drive-In closed for the final time on September 5, 1984.
The Grand Bay Drive-In opened in the early-1950s. What’s unique about the Grand Bay Drive-In is that according to a May 30, 1953 article of the National Post, the Grand Bay Drive-In installed 300 seats to attract small boat traffic.
Capacity of 500.
This replaced an older 1,746-seat Avalon Mall Cinema that operated from 1967 until 1999. St. John’s in Newfoundland had a grand total of 17 theaters (16 indoors and a drive-in) throughout its history.
Does anybody know about the two drive-ins that served Halifax as well? There was the 426-capacity Bay Street Drive-In and the 1,473-capacity Triple Drive-In, but I cannot find a lot of information about those two.
Closed in 1992.
Hmm, so Thompson closed the downtown Stone Theatre right at the same time the Stone Drive-In began its operation? I don’t know why, but did someone had a chance to reopen the Stone Theatre later on or did it close for the final time?
Once known as Shea’s Midway Drive-In.
Correction: The Royal Drive-In managed to continue into the rest of the mid-1970s, but was closed before the late-1970s.
Correction: It is the second oldest drive-in in the Lehigh Valley and in the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton area behind the Shankweiler’s within less than 10 miles.
Does anybody know about the other few theaters that served Mountain View throughout its history, including the Stone Theatre and the Ozark Theatre there?