Woodstock Theatre

The Miller Theatre Was Named After Ms. Helen Miller, Mr. John C. Miller and Mrs. John C. Miller. When The Theater Opened, The Main Theater Had Organist Of Barton Studios And An Organ Broadcaster Off Of Chicago’s WLS-AM Al Malgard, Who Played His Barton 23-Styled And 6 Rank Organ For A Half-Hour Before The Opening Of Their First Program On 35mm. The First Program Is Beljean’s 11-Piece Band (With Unknown Origination) Playing The National Anthem, Or The Star Spangled Banner With The Camera Showing The US Flag.

After The Anthem Ended, The Camera Continued To Show The Flag Fluttering In The Breeze As The Band Played “My Country Tis Of Thee” After A Moment Of Silence. The Theater Opened With A Gala Event And “A Festive Occasion For Woodstock And Vicinity” And Was Known To Be The Biggest Event For The City Of Woodstock And All Of McHenry County. Although I Can’t Find It First Attraction. I’ll Keep Looking Soon.

Here’s A December 19th, 1939 Ad Of The Miller Theatre: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/191684714/

Here’s A March 25th, 1931 Ad Of The Miller Theatre: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/192222545/

Here’s An April 28th, 1972 Ad Of The Miller And A Few Others Surrounding Illinois: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/192129603/

I’ve Been To The Classic Cinemas Woodstock Theatre A Few Years Ago To See “Finding Dory” In 2016, And It Has 8 Screens When I Went There. I Actually Don’t Know Why They Decreased It To 4 For Something Unorganizable. There Are TV Screens With Dasani/Coca-Cola/Coke/Diet Coca-Cola And A Few Others When I Went To The Ticket Booth With Pictures Of Classic Movie Posters From The 30s/40s On The Walls. I Also Remember Watching A Coca-Cola Commercial During The Intermission Including A Trivia With A Yellow Background And The Classic Cinemas Logo Somewhere On The Screen. The Rest Of It Is Unknown Inside My Memory Bank.

Updated website link: http://www.classiccinemas.com/location.aspx?house=2263

August 2015 article below.

http://mchenrycountyliving.com/new-woodstock-theatre/

The dome has survived and the theater is being restored. http://www.thewoodstockindependent.com/August-2013/Cinema-restores-original-Woodstock-theater/

The Woodstock Theatre can be seen in the 1993 film “Groundhog Day” with Bill Murray. The theatre name was changed to The Alpine for the film.

The Woodstock Theatre currently operates 4 screens with 595 seats.

Update from the Classic Cinemas website at www.classiccinemas.com:
Classic Cinemas acquired the Woodstock Theatre in 1988. Immediate renovations included installing larger screens, Dolby surround stereo sound and decorative aisle lights. In late 1991 a new marquee was created to resemble an historic marquee. It now casts a golden glow over the street at night, contributing to the ambiance of Woodstock’s historic downtown.

More improvements were made by Classic Cinemas in late 1998. Wider and more comfortable seats were added to both auditoriums, reducing the total number of seats to 462. Other improvements included new carpeting, floor tile and wall decor in auditoriums as well as lobby décor.

One of the highlights of the theatre’s history was the filming of Groundhog Day, a romantic comedy starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. The theatre was used as a film location — the Alpine at which the character played by Murray attended a movie. Each year the theatre helps the City of Woodstock celebrate Groundhog Day with free screenings of the film. The theatre also is featured on tours of the film’s locations. On Sunday, February 4, 2001, a plaque was dedicated to the theatre, honoring it as one of the sites used in the movie.

On May 23, 2002, the Woodstock Theatre opened two additional screens by expanding into the building next door which turned out to be the Beverly Theatre from 1912. At the same time, the restrooms were completely redone and enlarged. The box office now has two ticketing stations. All auditoriums have been equipped with digital sound and HPS-4000® sound systems.

Here’s the link to their website:

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