Waverly Theatre

The Idle Hour Theatre was a vaudeville house in downtown Franklinton. A competing motion picture theatre movie theatre, the No-Name Theatre, launched in 1913. Under economic pressure, the Idle Hour Theatre added short films before going out of business. When the No-Name Theatre burned down in 1916, it moved into this location before closing, itself, in 1918.

Apparently, movie fans had to drive to Bogalusa for films. Tired of the commute, the popular Waverly Club - which had hosted some screenings at the former No-Name Theatre - was convinced by the community to relaunch movie operations in the space twice a week beginning in 1920. It ceased operations in 1930.

The Waverly Theatre appears to be wired for sound in the 1930’s.

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Joe Vogel on September 28, 2017 at 9:53 pm

The January 3, 1953, issue of Motion Picture Herald mentions both the Rose Theatre and the Welsh Theatre in this item:

“M. F. Welsh, who recently purchased the Rose in Franklinton, La., from O. D. Myles, has put up a ‘closed’ sign, which leaves the town with one theatre, the Welsh, which has been operating for many years.”

Mentions of Franklinton are sparse in the trade journals. I found two in Boxoffice, one from December 27, 1952, saying that O. D. Myles had closed the Rose Theatre until further notice, and one in the February 2, 1957, issue mentioning a Hollywood Theatre in Franklinton, operated by an E. P. Dubuisson.

50sSNIPES on June 13, 2024 at 9:48 am

Corrections: The Waverly Theatre was never home to Welsh’s or Welch’s or Welsh Theatre. The Welsh name belongs to the Elroy Theatre nearby.

• The Elroy Theatre nearby was renamed the Welsh Theatre following ownership changes on June 30, 1950. The Welsh name didn’t last long at all, as Roy L. Saxon returned back to the theater alongside his partner E.E. McMillan who took over the theater ownership in late-January 1955 alongside a successful CinemaScope installation and was renamed the McRoy Theatre two months later.

It was also not renamed the Rose Theatre because the Rose Theatre is on Greenlaw Street and not Main. The Rose Theatre only operated for a short period of time in the early-1950s.