Gem Theatre
781 E Street,
Snyder,
OK
73566
781 E Street,
Snyder,
OK
73566
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The Gem Theatre was opened sometime after 1914. It had closed by 1930. It had reopened by 1945, but closed again, only to reopen on February 1, 1948. It was still open in 1952, but had closed by 1955. The descriptive passage that follows is courtesy of Roadside Oklahoma page;
"The Gem Theatre is now a vacant lot with only the frame of the facade remaining. The rest of the theatre has either collapsed with age or was the victim of fire. The plain facade still remains, though, with the word "Gem" appearing at the top."
Contributed by
Cactus Jack
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Recent comments (view all 6 comments)
It must have been a mom & pop operation.I couldn’t find it in my 1956 Motion Picture Almanac under theatre circuits.I could have missed it.
PLEASE CHANGE ADDRESS TO:
781 E STREET
No Main Street is in Snyder.
Need more info and more photos.
Only the Gem Theatre white facade remains (photo left),
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From looking at fire insurance maps, it seems that this theatre opened sometime after 1914 and closed before 1930. It is only present on the 1924 map.
I went to the GEM once when I was about 10 years old with my brother who was on a date with the daughter of a local banker (somewhere around 1947). It was a matinee and as I remember, and we three were just about the entire audience. A short time later, the banker ran my brother off with a shotgun. His name was Blaine as I remember, and my brother went peacably. The girl was a real beauty!
Boxoffice of January 24, 1948, had an item about the reopening of the Gem Theatre, slated for February 1. Bryan Burns “…was a showman in Snyder many years ago….” and was reopening the house, the item said. The Gem had been listed in the 1945 FDY, but not in the 1940 or 1942 editions. I haven’t checked other editions.