Keizer Cinemas 3

The Keizer Theatre project was first announced in 1972 and then was revised from a quadplex to a triplex by Tom Moyer’s General American Theatres (GAT) and its partnership with Jerry Proctor’s Luxury Theatres in 1975. The triplex was supposed to have opened prior to GAT’s Southgate Cinema triplex. The architect for both projects was Dick Ebeling & Associates of Portland. Though the Southgate Cinema Center opened on June 16, 1976, Keizer would have to wait more than three years for its venue.

The Keizer Cinemas finally launched for Proctor’s Luxury Theatres and GAT on July 27, 1979 with Glenda Jackson in “Lost and Found", Frank Oz in “The Muppet Movie” and Karl Malden in “Beyond the Poseidon Adventure". (The previous night had featured a charity opening of “Muppets".) The building was upsized from the 1975 plans to a 550-seat main auditorium and two, 300-seat auditoriums.

The building was constructed by S.M. Anderson of Portland. Its projection booth featured 70mm capability. It also featured a larger lobby after complaints about outside lines at the Southgate and two ticket windows instead of one. In November of 1988, Act III Circuit took on all of the Moyer Luxury Theatres including the Keizer and the Southgate. Act III then merged with Regal Theatres in 1998.

The launch of the Santiam 11 inched Salem from the multiplex to the megaplex era. Regal began shedding aging complexes around the United States. The circuit closed both the Keizer and the Southgate in 1999. The Keizer closed with “The Thomas Crown Affair", “Mickey Blue Eyes", and “The Iron Giant” splitting a screen with “The Blair Witch Project” on September 26, 1999. A week later, the land was sold by Regal to a local Ford dealer for an auto dealership which included a $2.5 million updating of the cinema facility.

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