Corlee Theatre
701 E. Main Street,
Cumberland,
KY
40823
701 E. Main Street,
Cumberland,
KY
40823
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“Sheriff” Auburn Lee P. Corder and M.K. Murphy opened a multi-purpose Streamline Moderne style building at the edge of town with easy highway access to the tri-city residents of Cumberland, Benham and Lynch, as well as Whitesburg. The theatre contained a beauty shop, a diner, and the Corlee Theatre that opened in September of 1947. The $250,000 building had its own parking lot and had the area’s only seating for African American patrons - in its balcony.
The Corlee Theatre was used for live events including wrestling in 1956 and was converted to retail in 1957. New operaors took over in 1962 and it finally closed on March 30, 1963 with Yul Brynner & Sal Mineo in “Escape from Zahrain”. Safety concerns at the building were raised in 1970 indicative of a building in jeopardy. The building has since been demolished.
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dallasmovietheaters
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Recent comments (view all 1 comments)
Correction in ‘graph 2: It was used for live events including wrestling in 1956. Isaac Theatres / Cumberland Amusement of the competing Novo Theatre took it over in 1962. The last advertised show was March 30, 1963 with Yul Bryner in “Zahrain.”
Sorry!