Paradise Theater
1719 5th Avenue,
Moline,
IL
61265
1719 5th Avenue,
Moline,
IL
61265
2 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Brotman, M. B. & A
Architects: William H. Schulzke
Styles: Atmospheric
Previous Names: Cine Paradise
Nearby Theaters
The Paradise Theater opened on September 14, 1929 with John Breeden in “Fox Movietone Follies of 1929”. It was owned by Brotman, M. & Sons. The theater seated 720 in its Atmospheric style auditorium, complete with ‘twinkling stars’ in the ceiling. It was located in the 1700 block of 5th Avenue with the Illini Theatre in the next block one way and the Le Claire Theatre in the next block the other way. It was the smaller of the the three theaters on 5th Avenue.
Last known as the Cine Paradise, it closed on October 25, 1981 screening Spanish language movies. It was demolished in 1983 and the site remains a vacant lot in 2019.
Contributed by
Chuck
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Recent comments (view all 13 comments)
Another day in Paradise.
Thank you,CINEJAM your work in the booth with hundreds of other men made theatre managers lives a lot easier.i appreciate the work and alway keeping a white hot picture on the screen with Carbons,not a light bulb.
I remember taking a date to the Paradise in 1969 or 1970. The Boston Strangler was playing (after showing at two other theaters on its first and second runs). I can still feel the nail marks in my arm, where my date gripped it whenever a violent scene was on the screen. The theater was run down even then, but downtown was still fairly safe to walk in. The YMCA wasn’t far from there, if I remember correctly, nor was the New York Store and Walgreens.
1935 photo added, credit Roberta Fertel via the Retro Quad Cities Facebook page. Original marquee featuring “The Last Days Of Pompeii”, released in the U.S. October 18, 1935.
Opened September 14th, 1929 and closed in 1981. Grand opening ad:
Paradise theatre opening Fri, Sep 13, 1929 – 30 · The Dispatch (Moline, Illinois) · Newspapers.com
The Paradise closed October 25, 1981 with two Hispanic films, “Un Quijote Sin Mancha” and “Ilegales y mojados.” It was known very briefly as Cine Paradise.
Also opened with “Aesops Fables in sound”.
I think the site is now a house?
Street view still shows it as a vacant lot, in between the neighboring buildings in the Overview photo.
Address on the 1957 map is 1719. 1717 is the barbershop to the west.