DeLuxe Theater

The town had two movie theaters in the silent period - only one of which made it into the 1920’s and beyond. This entry will cover both. The Olympic Theatre launched on February 1, 1913. The early movie house was open four nights a week screening films on Tuesday, Thursday-Saturday. Mason J. Foft took on the venue and moved it to new digs on October 10, 1914 and it would become various names including the Amusu Theatre, the Amuse-u Theater under George Schaefer, and the Reliance Theatre on June 15, 1916.

This venue also found new operators reopening as the Hoops Theatre in 1915. Schneider’s Pharmacy served as the de facto concession stand for the theatre. Jesse Schofield took on the venue in 1917. He renamed it as the Casino Theatre on December 24, 1917. Schofield sold to J.E. Cahill who, in turn, sold it to R.O. Brownwell effective September 1, 1920. He installed Arctic Nu-Air just as the warm months were starting in 1927.

Sound was added to keep the Casino Theatre commercially viable in 1929. It was taken on by new operators Lew Ross & Ray Null closing briefly in 1932. It emerged as the New Casino Theatre opening with improved sound on film technology on September 25, 1932 with James Cagney in “The Crowd Roars”. They sold out on February 16, 1933 to L.W. Woude who sold it to a H.H. Thomas in October 13, 1933. He changed names to the DeLuxe Theatre with the film, “Central Airport” starring Richard Barthelmess.

In 1934, he gave the venue all new projection with Cinephor lenses, new screen, new lamps and washed air cooling beginning May 13, 1934 with Katherine Hepburn in “Little Women”. Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Wulf took on the venue. They would sell it to Lee Bainbridge in January of 1952.

Bainbridge sublet it to Dan Page in 1959. The theatre struggled closing on February 28, 1961. But it was reopened on weekend only operation by Mr. and Mrs. Gary Amick on another subleasing agreement on March 20, 1964 with “40 Pounds of Trouble”. It closed February 7, 1966 with The Beatles in “Help!”.

The Kingsley Town Council bought the the DeLuxe Theatre in 1966 from Bainbridge. The theatre is operation for a period of 1967, 1969 and then finally found some footing under Phil Krogman who reopened it on May 28, 1971 for its last major run with “Airport”. Don Yoerger carried it forward into 1975 closing with Walt Disney’s “Bambi” at Thanksgiving-time on November 23, 1975 ending its run.

The theatre was auctioned off in January of 1979 by the City of Kingsley. It brought $5,400. The former DeLuxe Theatre building was used for decades as storage for a flooring company next door. It was still standing in the 2020’s.

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