Nile Theatre

1721 19th Street,
Bakersfield, CA 93301

6 people favorited this theater

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Related Websites

JMAX Productions (Official)

Additional Info

Previously operated by: Fox West Coast Theatres

Architects: Simeon Charles Lee

Functions: Live Performances

Styles: Streamline Moderne

Previous Names: Bakersfield Opera House

Nearby Theaters

The Nile Theatre opened in 1906 as the Bakersfield Opera House. In 1924 it was renamed the Nile Theatre and then remodeled in 1927.

In 1937 it received a new marquee and an Art Moderne renovation designed by S. Charles Lee.

By the time the building was vacated in 1994, it had been divided into a twin. In July of 2006, the former Nile Theatre was reopened as the Nile Bar & Grill. By September 2017 it was in use as a church. It reopened in early-January as a live performance venue.

Contributed by Ron Pierce

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Recent comments (view all 39 comments)

plinfesty on November 27, 2010 at 3:21 am

1973 bookings:
3/21/73: Travels With My Aunt; Skyjacked
3/28/73: Jeremiah Johnson; Sometimes a Great Notion
4/18/73: The Train Robbers; The Doberman Gang
5/02/73: The Great Waltz; When the Legends Die
5/09/73: The Thief Who Came To Dinner; 2nd feature
5/16/73: Slither; Criminal Affair
5/23/73: Soylent Green; Lolly-Madonna
6/06/73: Class of ‘44;; The Young Graduates
6/20/73: The Emigrants; Shoot-out
6/27/73: Cahill, unites States Marshall; The Great Northfield, Minnesota Raid
7/18/73: Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid; Two Lane Blacktop
8/02/73: Scarecrow; Ulazanna’s Raid
8/16/73: The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing; Red Sky At Morning
9/05/73: White Lightning; Scorpio
9/12/73: The Legend of Hell House; Night of the Living Dead
9/19/73: The Last of Sheila; Pancho Villa
9/26/73: The Mackintosh Man; Trader Horn
10/10/73: Blume in Love; I Love My…Wife
10/17/73: Enter the Dragon; Boot Hill
11/07/73: Oh, Lucky Man; Badge 373
11/14/73: Scarecrow; The Last of Sheila
11/21/73: The Deadly Trackers; Fear is the Key
12/05/73: A Touch of Class; Showdown
12/12/73: The Sacred Knives of Vengeance; Five Fingers of Death
12/19/73: A Fiklm About Jimi Hendrix; Celebration at Big Sur
12/25/73: Magnum Force; Moonfire

plinfesty on November 27, 2010 at 6:48 am

1974 bookings:
2/13/74: Dead Pigeon on Beethoven Street; Joe Kidd
2/20/74: The New Land; The Culpepper Cattle Co.
2/27/74: McQ; Bad Company
3/13/74: Blazing Saddles; The Train Robbers
3/29/74: The Exorcist
6/07/74: Black Eye; Cleopatra Jones
6/14/74: Badlands; The Deadly Trackers
6/21/74: Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry; Emperor of the North
6/28/74: Mame
7/05/74: Mame; Just Like a Woman
7/10/74: Mame; Take the Money and Run
7/17/74: Our Time; Head of the Family
7/24/74: The Terminal Man; Bad Man’s River
7/31/74: Zandy’s Bride; Young Rounders
8/07/74: Uptown Saturday Night; Pocket Money
8/28/74: Cold Sweat; Captain Apache
9/11/74: Black Sampson; 2nd feature
9/18/74: Little Fauss and Big Halsey; 2nd feature
9/25/74: The Godfather; Santee
10/02/74: The Groove tube; Taste of Death
10/16/74: It’s Alive; The Grovve Tube
11/01/74: The Abdication; The Public Eye
11/08/74: Uptown Saturday Night; The Public Eye
11/13/74: Shanghai Lil and the Sun Luck Kid; Man of Iron
11/20/74: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre; Return of the Dragon
11/27/74: The Klansman; High Plains Drifter
(12/06/74: Sneak preview)
12/11/74: Don’t Turn the Other Cheek; Kid Blue
12/18/74: The Teacher; Policewomen
12/25/74: Freebie and the bean; Macho Callahan

plinfesty on December 3, 2010 at 9:07 pm

1975-76 Bookings:
2/19/75: Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins; A Man For Hanging
3/05/75: Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore; Summertime Killer
3/21/75: Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore; Our Time
3/26/75: My Pleasure is My Business; Little Laura and Big John
4/02/75: The Yakuza; Hot Rock
4/09/75: The Streetfighter; Hard Contract
4/23/75: Chinatown; The Conversation
4/30/75: The Prisoner of Second Avenue; C.C. and Company
5/07/75: Dirty Harry; Mahgnum Force
5/28/75: Enter the Dragon; Red Sun
6/04/75: Gone With the Wind
6/11/75: Lepke; McQ
6/18/75: Bug; SSSSSSS
6/25/75: The Drowning Pool; The 7-Ups
7/02/75: The Drowning Pool; Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins
7/09/75: Mandingo; The Klansman
7/16/75: The 7th Voyage of Sinbad; Mysterious Island of Captain Nemo
7/23/75: Return To Macon County; Mr. Majestyk
7/30/75: Night Moves; Sheila Levine Is Dead and Living in New York
8/06/75: Doc Savage; Westworld
8/13/75: White Line Fever; The Stepford Wives
8/20/75: Black Christmas; The Bird With the Crystal Plumage
8/27/75: Black Christmas; Enter the Devil
9/03/75: Tidal Wave; Cooley High
9/10/75: The Wild McCullochs; Macon County Line
9/17/75: The Exorcist; Zardoz
(9/19-9/20/75: Midnight: Journey Through the Past; Jimi Plays Berkeley; Rock n Roll Your __________)
10/01/75: Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold; Capone
10/08/75: A Clockwork Orange; Deliverence (added: Ali vs. Frazier Superfight III)
10/15/75: Coonskin; Return of the Dragon
10/22/75: Let’s Do It Again; Brannigan
11/05/75: Crazy Mama; 2nd feature
11/12/75: Lisztomania; 5 Fingers of Death
(11/14-11/15/75: Midnight: Yessongs; Fillmore; Gimme Shelter)
11/19/75: Gone In 60 Seconds; Outer Space Connection
11/26/75: Gone in 60 Seconds; Return To Macon County
12/10/75: Wild Heritage; George!
12/17/75: Lenny; Last Tango in Paris
(12/24/75: Theatre closed)
12/25/75: Dog Day Afternoon; The Drowning Pool
1/21/76: Dog Day Afternoon; Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
2/04/76: Dog Day Afternoon; Born Losers
2/11/76:The Sunshine Boys; Kotch
(2/18/75: Theatre closed for TWINNING)

plinfesty on December 3, 2010 at 9:09 pm

That should be
(2/18/76: Theatre closed for TWINNING)
The theatre would reopen on Friday, March 26 with Theatre 1 showing BARRY LYNDON and theatre 2 showing I WILL, I WILL…FOR NOW and WHIFFS

Mike Rogers on December 3, 2010 at 10:01 pm

Two VERY different types of Films,Wouldn’t get much walk over in one sells out!

milanp on May 13, 2011 at 1:46 pm

Some of those double-features are positively surreal!
Thanks for posting thjem, Plinfesty.
This sounds like the perfect neighborhood theater—if your neighborhood is on Mars.
I positively love it!

DavidZornig on November 30, 2015 at 3:59 am

Photo as Bakersfield Opera House 1910 added.

Also original facade photo circa 1928 added. Courtesy of Mark Mcgowan. Possibly the same from the 2008 post, but the link no longer reaches the photo.