Strand Theatre

dallasmovietheaters on April 20, 2026 at 1:41 pm

The Strand Theater’s site was formerly occupied by a livery stable that evolved into the Bijou, then the Star, and later the Royal Theater under Saxe Amusement Enterprises. The Royal burned down during showtimes on May 12, 1920. Saxe rebuilt it as the all-new Strand Theatre, which opened on May 7, 1921, and served as the circuit’s “A” theater. The big story that night was movie star Clara Kimball Young appearing at all three of the Strand’s opening showings of Constance Talmadge in “Dangerous Business.“ The visit was captured on film (and the timing of her visit was sheer coincidence as she was in town for other business) and shown on the theater’s third night of operation. The Strand didn’t disappoint. Its $10,000 pipe organ, ivory and bronze ornaments, mahogany doors, and carved cornices gave it a notably elegant character. Harry W. Carr was its architect.

The Strand installed sound on May 26, 1928, to remain viable. However, the opening of the neighboring Fox (later the Bay Theatre) led to the Strand becoming a second-run house. Standard Theatres operated the Strand through its final showtimes on November 9, 1952. It then closed for a three-day refresh, reopening as the Time Theater on November 13, 1952, with Ivanhoe. Standard closed the Time on March 20, 1955, after which it became a short-lived church.

Marcus Theatres decided to remodel the nearby Orpheum in the fall of 1957. The Time was refreshed, and its bookings were moved to the newly updated “Time Theatre,” now equipped with widescreen, reopening on October 26, 1957, with “The Devil’s Hairpin” and “Short Cut to Hell.” It closed again on June 21, 1959.

L.F. Gran Circuit and former Time Theater manager George Hannon took over the venue and restored its Strand Theatre name on September 27, 1961, reopening with “The Young Doctors.” Hannon introduced “Uncle George’s” weekend matinee shows for children at a quarter admission price and also offered filmed operas through a season pass. Struggling to find a steady audience, the Strand hired Uwe “Skip” Jark in 1962, operating under the moniker “Strand: The House of Hits.” The L.F. Gran Circuit then sold the Strand to its final operator, Prudential Theatres Inc., which chose to close it following the June 14, 1962, showings of “Murder She Said…” and “The Broken Land.” Its final bookings were transferred to the Vic Theatre.

The venue had a final run as a community theater beginning in 1966. Used only sporadically in the 1970s, it eventually suffered a roof collapse that led to its demolition in 1982. The original blue and cream-colored frieze was salvaged during the demolition in September 1982 and donated to a local museum. The remainder of the compromised structure offered little resistance during demolition.

BTW: It was never named the Orpheum.

LeslieB on August 16, 2016 at 9:08 am

Does anyone know if the Strand had the word Time on the front of it while it was still the Strand? I have a 1946 picture (I know this is correct because of the films showing) that I believe is of the Strand—-but it has the word TIME on the front.

Joe Vogel on November 26, 2014 at 11:12 pm

The May 7, 1921, issue of The Moving Picture World ran this article about the Strand Theatre the day it was scheduled to open:

“THE Saxe Amusement Enterprises, of Milwaukee, franchise holder in the Associated First National Pictures, Inc., for the Wisconsin territory, has announced May 7 as the opening date for its new theatre in Green Bay. The date was set on the same day that the contractors who are constructing the new house announced a definite time for the conclusion of their work.

“The new theatre has already been christened the Strand. In architecture and interior finish as well as appointments it is one of the finest in the Middle West. The seating capacity is 1,000 and roomy over-size concert chairs have been selected. The interior color scheme is an original conception with rose, crimson and gold predominating. The aisles will be Wilton carpeted. and the drapes and other furnishings have been specially selected to harmonize with the interior color scheme.

“The stage is twelve feet deep, eighteen high and twenty-four wide. The ventilation provides for 2,500,000 cubic feet of fresh air an hour. Simplex machines are being installed and a screen of the latest type as well as a $10,000 organ.

“It is the intention of the Saxe Amusement Enterprises to conduct the Green Bay theatre on the same lavish scale as it conducts its Strand in Milwaukee. E. J. Weisfeldt, whose arrangements of prologues and general presentation for the Milwaukee Strand, has made Weisfeldt synonymous with the best in picture shows in the Middle West, will perform the same duties for the Green Bay Strand.”