Cozy Theatre
W. Gentry Avenue and NW 1st Street,
Checotah,
OK
74426
W. Gentry Avenue and NW 1st Street,
Checotah,
OK
74426
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Following information comes courtesy of Joe Vogel,
"Checotah had a population of a little over 2,000 when the Gentry Theatre opened as the town’s second house in the spring of 1941, according to the May 31 issue of Boxoffice Magazine that year.
The Cozy Theatre was opened on April 16, 1913, but soon closed. A new Cosy Theatre opened on May 16, 1917. The only theatre in town at the time the 600-seat theatre was offered ‘For Sale’ on January 7, 1930. It was purchased by Johnny Jones. He then hastily remodeled an existing building into yet another theatre. Called the State Theatre, this 300-seat house lasted only a few months before being destroyed in a fire that also claimed five other businesses, according to the August 16, 1941, issue of Boxoffice.
In 1950, Jones partnered in the construction of the 69 Drive-In with Dick and David Crumpler, then operators of the Gentry Theatre. The Crumplers took over operation of all three theatres in 1952 when Jones moved to Arkansas." The Cozy Theatre closed on March 29, 1955 with Donald O'Connor in “Francis Joins the WACS”.
A People’s National Bank now stands on the site.
Contributed by
Jeff Chapman
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Recent comments (view all 6 comments)
I’ve been told that this is a view of the former Cozy Theatre,
View link
The street view posted by raybradley is not correct based on what I was told. The buildings in view are too small for a theater anyway. I was told the Cozy was located in what is now People’s National Bank at the corner of Gentry and Broadway.
The Cecil B. DeMille production The Affairs of Anatol would be showing at the Cozy Theatre on Wednesday and Thursday, October 12th and 13th, according to the theater’s advertisement in the October 7, 1921, issue of the Checotah Times.
The Feb 16, 1917 Checotah Times reported that Charles Branch was constructing the Cozy Theatre at Gentry and 1st, with frontage on Gentry. The dimensions of the Theatre were 50x94, with 700 seats. It opened on May 16, 1917, with a comedy troupe, The Us Border Girls. A picture of the Cozy, ca 1942, can be seen here:
https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1552342/m1/1/
Strike the link. Wrong Cozy. The rest of the post is accurate.
The Cozy Theatre launched April 16, 1913. It closed but a new operator was identified and the Cozy tried again beginning December 24, 1913. A new-build Cozy Theatre was constructed in 1917 at 300 West Gentry Avenue opening May 16, 1917. The Cozy installed RCA Photophone sound to stay current on April 13, 1930 with “Broadway Scandals.” The Cozy went out of business on March 29, 1955 with “Francis Joins the WACs.” Its top was lopped off when People’s National Bank established its long-running financial institution there.