State Theatre

201 W. Main Street,
Pawhuska, OK 74056

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50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES on May 8, 2024 at 1:25 am

Opened on June 7, 1910.

50sSNIPES
50sSNIPES on October 23, 2020 at 3:59 pm

Closed In 1958, Demolished In March 1963.

Will Dunklin
Will Dunklin on July 8, 2014 at 10:39 pm

First rate detective work Joe!

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on July 8, 2014 at 5:11 pm

A list of movie theaters in the July 28, 1917, issue of The Billboard has only the Constantine Theatre listed for Pawhuska, with Albert Jackson as the manager of the 715-seat house. A list in the February 22, 1919, issue of The Billboard has only the Jackson Theatre in Pawhuska, and gives its seating capacity as 715. Again, Albert Jackson is the manager. I’m wondering if the identical seating capacities were a coincidence, or if the magazine conflated one theater with another one year, or if the names of theaters in Pawhuska did actually get shifted about during this period.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on July 8, 2014 at 8:25 am

This house was called the Jackson theater for many years before being remodeled and renamed the State in 1928. Here is an item about the reopening from the July 21, 1928, issue of Motion Picture News:

“The Jackson Theatre at Pawhuska, Oklahoma, which has been closed for several weeks undergoing extensive repairs, re-opened last Monday night, under the new name of The State Theatre with Fred Cosman as Manager. This theatre is owned by the Pawhuska Theatre Company, Inc., A. B. Momand, Secretary-Treasurer, and is one of a number of theatres controlled and operated by Mr. Momand.”
Albert Jackson had sold the Jackson Theatre to A. B. Momand and his partners in 1926. Albert Jackson of Pawhuska is listed in the November 8, 1913, issue of The Moving Picture World as one of the movie exhibitors who had attended a recent convention in Oklahoma City. Given that the fire insurance map cited in an earlier comment by Lauren Durbin showed that there was a theater at the State’s location at least as early as 1912, it seems pretty likely that it was this house that Albert Jackson was operating in 1913.

The house probably goes back even farther. The December 24, 1910, issue of The Moving Picture World has an ad for movies of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, and it says that the Oklahoma and Kansas rights to the films had been sold to Albert Jackson, Jackson Theatre, Pawhuska.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on July 8, 2014 at 6:44 am

Will, the theater in which Mr. Pickrell (or Pickrel, as Motion Picture News spelled it) installed the organ in 1926 was probably the Constantine. See my comment of today on that page for more details.

Will Dunklin
Will Dunklin on July 8, 2014 at 2:33 am

I’ve been following the trail of Reproduco organs (photoplayer) mentioned in an ad from 1926. There are two references to Pawhuska OK in that ad. One is for the Jackson Theatre and there is a suggestion that the Jackson might have been owned by one Albert Jackson. The other reference in the ad is the sale of photoplayer to F.B. Pickrell also of Pawhuska. Any thoughts which hall Mr. Pickrell owned? If the State was around in 1924, it would be a candidate. (Of course, Reproducos other market was funeral homes, so for all we know Mr. Pickrell might have been a mortician!)

rayrod39
rayrod39 on January 18, 2014 at 7:43 am

Joe you were right about the location of the State theater…NW corner of Main and Grandview. It was still there when I moved to Oklahoma City after PHS graduation in class of 39. I have never seen a box office line as shown in a pic above. Gone with the Wind opened at the Kihekah with a “Whopping 25 cent ticket price.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on June 9, 2012 at 5:15 am

The last paragraph of this weblog post by Stevie Joe Payne says that the State Theatre was south of the courthouse, so it must have been on or near the northwest corner of Main and Grandview. As the Constantine Theatre is at 110 W. Main and is across the street and a bit farther east, 121 W. Main sounds about right for the State Theatre’s address.

109 W. Main must have been the lot between Kihekah Avenue and Grandview Avenue. As the building was listed as vacant on the 1927 insurance map, I’m thinking that it might have housed the Jackson Theatre.

Lauren Durbin
Lauren Durbin on June 8, 2012 at 2:16 am

My apologies – upon looking at the various years again, it appears that 201 was an older address and there seems to be some flip-flopping of the official/posted address. Here is what I found –

June 1912 – 201 W. Main – Motion Pictures/School 2nd/Elks Club 3rd July 1916 – 113 W. Main – Picture Theater/Lodging 2nd/Elks Club 3rd Jan 1920 – 201 W. Main – Picture Theater/Lodging 2nd/Elks Club 3rd July 1927 – 109 W. Main – Movies/Rooming 2nd & 3rd July 1927 (update) – 109 W. Main – Vacant (but has a dotted line outline of a v-shaped marquee protruding from the building)

Joe – Nice resource with the phone books. The 1945 phone book shows the State Theatre at 121 W. Main. http://files.usgwarchives.net/ok/osage/misc/pwhsk445.txt

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on June 7, 2012 at 10:50 pm

Also, I’ve found two theaters listed at Pawhuska in the July 25, 1908, issue of The Billboard:

“PAWHUSKA.— Pastime Theatre (R. J. Woodring, mgr.) Dubinsky Brothers furnished the best repertoire of the season week of 12; good houses. The Casino Stock Co. week of 19.

“Lyric Theatre (Mr. Streator, mgr.) The Dell Boy played to packed houses here week of July 12.”

These appear to all have been live acts. The Dubinsky Brothers were an act made up of Edward, Maurice, and Barney Dubinsky. Edward later changed his surname to Durwood and went into the theater business. His his son Stanley Durwood went on to found the AMC circuit of multiplex theaters.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on June 7, 2012 at 10:31 pm

A July, 1936 Pawhuska telephone directory here lists a Skelly Filling Station at 201 W. Main. The State Theatre is also listed in the directory as being on West Main Street, but the street number is not given. The State and the Kihekah (also listed only as being on West Main) are the only theaters listed.

Lauren, what year was the latest insurance map showing the theater building published? If it was from 1922 or earlier, the theater at 201 W. Main might have been the Jackson Theatre, which is known to have advertised as late as 1922 but no later. It could have been demolished about that time.

Lauren Durbin
Lauren Durbin on June 7, 2012 at 12:52 am

Fire insurance maps show a three story building housing a theater at 201 W Main (NW corner of Main & Grandview). The building is listed as a theater (with other uses of the third floor) as early as 1912. I believe this building most likely housed the State Theater. The building is now demolished.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on June 6, 2012 at 5:57 am

This house was operated by Video Independent Theatres for at least part of its history. The July 25, 2000, obituary of lifelong Pawhuska resident Betty Jean Moore said: “Betty worked 38 years for The Video Theatres, beginning at The State Theater and becoming Manager over The Kihekah, The State and The Circle A Theaters and Corral Drive-In Theater in Pawhuska.”

seymourcox
seymourcox on July 18, 2010 at 10:21 pm

These vintage photos are photos of the State Theatre, Pawhuska, OK,
http://www.roadsideoklahoma.com/node/589

Rodney
Rodney on September 11, 2007 at 1:39 am

These vintage photos from OHS are not of the Pawhuska State Theatre. Anyone know the actual location of this movie house?
http://www.tulsalibrary.org/JPG/C1494.jpg
and
http://www.tulsalibrary.org/JPG/C1493.jpg

seymourcox
seymourcox on August 27, 2007 at 8:15 pm

View period exterior photos of this ugly little cinema by typing in word “pawhuska” -
View link