Opened as the Dickinson Theatre. Glen Klock took over in 1932 changing it to the Klock Theatre. The Klock closed in 1961with seats sold in a classified ad and the theatre repurposed for other retail ventures.
Opened as the Lincoln Theatre in 1914 likely on a 15-year lease by Heny Gauding. He neither renews nor converts the theatre to sound. New operator – likely on a 25-year lease – changes the theatre to an African American sound theatre, the Washington Theatre closing in 1949. The building is repurposed for other retail including a fruit stand by the mid-1950s. Even if it were the Glade briefly, the theatre should be known as the long-running African American house, the Washington Theatre.
The Fair Ground Drive-In Theatre’s grand opening pictures are in photos. Architect was Meyer VeShancey and built by Branna Construction. The $500,000 facility had space for 1,000 cars at opening. The theatre had 70mm capability with Bauer-NTS projectors with Ashcraft Super Cinex lamps with pole-mounted stereo speakers. The tower measured 120' wide by 75' high. “Ask Any Girl” was the first movie for the Gabriel G. Rubin-led Fair Ground D-I.
Built in 1907 and launched June 9, 1907 as the Wizard Theatre with A. Lowther Forrest as architect. The Wizard lasts just two years in this location before moving to its third location. This theater is advertised simply as the 31 West Lexington Theatre briefly in 1910 before becoming the Picture Garden Theater. At just over ten years, the Picture Garden was the longest-running theater operation in the location.
In July of 1938, Max Cohen – former operator of the Leader Theatre – and Buddy Silverberg open the 31 Lexington facility as the Lexway Theatre showing exploitation and independent films. In December of 1941, the Lexway is sold to Sam Soltz for $90,000 where it shows second and third run films. In May of 1942, Sherrill Cohen purchases the Lexway from Soltz and it’s converted to the Newsreel Theatre during the War years. It appears to be the lesser of Baltimore’s two newsreel theaters. After the newsreel interest wains following the war, Newsreel Corp. Circuit changes it briefly to the Vogue Theatre.
An auspicious moment for the Vogue occurs in May of 1946 when manager Helen Ford is up in the projection booth only to fall through the rotting floor and onto the ledge of the balcony. Just inches more and Ford would have fallen on top of patrons seated on the main floor. She quit the theatre. When the Vogue struggles to find an audience, Newsreel Circuit subleases it to the fledgling Laffmovie Circuit of James Mage in 1946 which had just three theaters in New York, Boston, and Baltimore.This was a circuit targeting a children’s audience showing comedies from the 1930s and cartoons continuously as a grindhouse. The lobby had distorting mirrors often found in amusement parks to get interest. It begins in March of 1947. When that fails, it likely reverts to the previous operator which labels it first the World Theatre and then the Fine Arts Theatre, an arthouse that appears to the final curtain.
The theater’s downturn and general business district malaise led the Committee for Downtown and the Greater Baltimore Committee to adopt an urban development plan called the Charles Center. The 50-year old 31 West Lexington property was targeted. The west Lexington street was blocked off to vehicular traffic, and the Wizard Theatre / 31 West Lexington Theatre / Picture Garden Theater / Lexway Theater / Newsreel Theatre / Vogue Theatre / Laffmovie / World Theatre / Fine Arts Theatre was demolished.
Launched as the single-screen theatre Fox Theatre on April 16, 1969 at the bustling Woodville Mall. The theatre was twinned and sometimes referred to as the Fox Theatres although the exterior sign retained singular form. Trouble for the Woodville Mall came from competition from newer malls and an Interstate system that challenged some motorists traveling on one side of the highway to easily get to the shopping center.
The video era and population/shopping shift was tough on the Fox and its encompassing mall. The theatre was finally closed in 1992 and one wouldn’t blame anyone if the Fox was down for the count. But it was quickly taken on by J.R. Denniston Circuit. Denniston twinned the twins making it a quad-plex to get more life out of the property. Denniston ran the theater almost continuously much of its life post 1992 (closing briefly in 2009).
The theater’s final months were without gas service. Lacking heat and with the temperature inside the auditoriums at 38 degrees F (46 degrees reported inside the mall – an unofficial record low at that point), a few brave, huddled T-Town area citizens showed up on December 13, 2011 for filmed entertainment. Some ceiling tiles came crashing down in one auditorium attributed to melting snow and previous precipitation; the shivering movie attendees simply moved to a different part of the theater. The show must go on… and did until local officials condemned the theater later that day preventing further shows on December 14th or beyond. On a blustery, grey snowy day, the theatre and mall were razed in March of 2014.
If remembered at all, the Fox should be labeled as a fighter in a league with the Forum 6 Cinema at Arlington, the Nova 6 Cinemas in Moline and many, many others like it. These are the theaters that locals would have contended had gone out of business years earlier but the operators fought on against shifting populations in ghost-town retail strips and shopping centers. We salute you, Fox Theatre(s).
The genesis of this theatre is found in the National Theatre that opened October 29, 1914 for the National Amusement Company. With World War I in progress, Uncle Sam was outside and the patriotic first films was “America”. The $150,000 theater was architected by Aaron H. Gould and struggled to find an audience past its opening.
On March 19 1916, the National – purchased by S. Morton Cohn and the Strand Theatre Co – changed to the Strand Theatre to do more live programming. That fails quickly and the Strand becomes a full-time movie house. The Stark/Park corner location is deemed to be part of the problem. A major change occurs when architect Martin Schacht is brought in to create an entrance from busier Washington Street through the four-year old Columbia Building . Converting a storeroom on the main floor, Schacht created a pass through entrance connecting the National/Strand Theatre and converted its former entrance to fire exits.
The next owner of the Strand, Marshall Taylor, decided to retrofit and rebrand the theater becoming the Rivoli Theatre launching January 14, 1920. The theater had a brief go as the Pix Theatre. But in October of 1941 with world tensions on the rise, the location became the Newsreel Theatre and found an audience. When newsreels faded, the theater struggled again to find an audience and changed to the Roxy Theatre. Prospects were dim in the TV era and the Roxy eventually closed.
The theater has been demolished and the building housing its entry has also been demolished.
This theatre was home to the long-running Rogers Theatre that served African American audiences from 1930 until the end of 1959. It was also home to the second silent-era Detroit Hippodrome from 1913 into the 1920s.
The original Hippodrome project on Woodward was a quick failure lasting from July of 1912 and folding within eight months. Though one can’t be sure, these theatre operators very likely bought the failed Hippodrome fixtures at the Woodward location and repurposed them in this silent-era Hippodrome whose address was 1128 Warren West until the Detroit address updating took place (location remaining the same with its new 3646 West Warren address). The theater launched in 1913 and after ten years it likely got a new owner and a new policy switching to an African American theater.
The theatre is put up for sale in 1929 likely because the operator doesn’t want to covert to sound. Under new operators (Gus Greening managing), the theater gets a facelift, is fitted for sound and rebranded as the Rogers Theatre. The Rogers goes for the next thirty years. Two ceiling collapses injure many with the collapses caused by melting snow.
Future Motown record producer Harry Balk was an operator until 1954 selling out to Moe Teiter, the final manager of the theater. The Rogers likely closes at the end of a 30-year leasing agreement with ads ceasing around Thanksgiving of 1959 likely closing November 22, 1959 with “The Five Pennies” and “Bend of the River”.
Rialto owner James C. Ritter announced that the Rivola would be built in 1920. The $150,000 Rivola was constructed in 1921 and would launch on January 1, 1922. Advertisements run regularly and cease on May 17, 1959 likely ending the Rivola’s run.
The Piccadilly Theatre initially closed June 10, 1951 after eight months as an art film concept that failed. But the theater had a last run as the Abbey Playhouse beginning with art and repertory films on November 9, 1954 under Sol Krim’s management (of the Krim Theatre). In February of 1956, the Abbey Playhouse became a short-lived legit, live stage show concept which appears to be the end of the line. Appears to have closed in April of 1956.
The 1600 seat DeLuxe Theatre with its Adam architecture and terra cotta front opened in November of 1918. Advertising runs consistently from November of 1918 ceasing on March 1, 1955. A high profile murder involving a teenager leaving the theatre early in 1955 appears to lead to the neighborhood theater’s demise. The DeLuxe was demolished along with the Hollywood Theatre (4801 W. Fort) in April of 1963 as the city underwent urban redevelopment.
Probably one of the most intriguing theaters in Arkansas was the Bauxite Theatre built in 1917 and opened in 1918 on property owned by the bauxite mining interests. The head of the mine, J.R. Gibbons felt that entertaining employees would lead to happier employees. From what can be gathered, Gibbons fronted the cost of the $26,000 theater and found veteran theatre operator John Parsons to run it on a ten-year lease.
The 900-seat theatre was built not on a main street but in a wooded area convenient to the mine. Parsons had a challenge to identify patrons who might be willing to drive 30 or more miles to attend. He did so with intriguing marketing materials and a mailing list of 1,800 residents. He created weekly programs mailed out and personally spoke with each crowd before shows. Also booked were traveling vaudeville shows and wrestling events.
Operating for a full ten-year lease cycle, Parsons likely did not renew because of the conversion costs to sound. The theatre was dark for the next ten years. But relaunching in 1939, Wallace and Lena Kauffman retrofitted the Bauxite for sound and the theatre along with their Imp in Benton ran under the Robb & Rowley Circuit. The Bauxite also had a day in court over clearance issues with 20th Century Fox.
In 1956, a labor walkout at the mines leads to the end of theatrical operations as the Kaufmanns couldn’t keep the theatre going. And thus ended one of the most interesting theatre in Arkansas history.
L.D. Joel launched his $50,000 New Casino Theatre on November 3, 1918. Despite a clear name, patrons reportedly referred to the theatre as the Bay Street Theatre. The theatre was across the street from the busy Florida Motor Lines Bus Terminal / later Greyhound Bus Terminal which was good visibility for a theatre with less resources.
Joel operated the Casino until his death October 3, 1944 at which time he was called the oldest film operator in the southeast. The theatre soldiered on into the television age without him before closing with both the bus terminal and the Casino being demolished.
The Civic Theatre replaced the Jonesville Theatre after it burned in 1932. The project by Alfred Lane who owned the original theater didn’t launch until 1935 likely due to the economic conditions during the Depression. The Civic ran continuously to 1959 closing briefly that February due to lack of patronage. The theatre is then taken on by two different owners who likely try to complete the leasing period ending its theatrical film days on December 31, 1964 timing out with a 30-year lease. The final film appears to be “How the West Was Won.” The Civic is taken on in 1972 for live stage shows retaining its name initially and then later renamed.
Opened as the Dickinson Theatre. Glen Klock took over in 1932 changing it to the Klock Theatre. The Klock closed in 1961with seats sold in a classified ad and the theatre repurposed for other retail ventures.
My error – “Daytime Wives” is the feature
Opened as the Lincoln Theatre in 1914 likely on a 15-year lease by Heny Gauding. He neither renews nor converts the theatre to sound. New operator – likely on a 25-year lease – changes the theatre to an African American sound theatre, the Washington Theatre closing in 1949. The building is repurposed for other retail including a fruit stand by the mid-1950s. Even if it were the Glade briefly, the theatre should be known as the long-running African American house, the Washington Theatre.
The Fair Ground Drive-In Theatre’s grand opening pictures are in photos. Architect was Meyer VeShancey and built by Branna Construction. The $500,000 facility had space for 1,000 cars at opening. The theatre had 70mm capability with Bauer-NTS projectors with Ashcraft Super Cinex lamps with pole-mounted stereo speakers. The tower measured 120' wide by 75' high. “Ask Any Girl” was the first movie for the Gabriel G. Rubin-led Fair Ground D-I.
Architect John J. McNamara handled the 1959 modernization. Some interior shots are in photos from the December 17, 1959 reboot of the Astor.
John and Drew Eberson architectural sketch circa 1955 in photos.
Became the Liberty Theatre at the end of WWI in 1918.
Built in 1907 and launched June 9, 1907 as the Wizard Theatre with A. Lowther Forrest as architect. The Wizard lasts just two years in this location before moving to its third location. This theater is advertised simply as the 31 West Lexington Theatre briefly in 1910 before becoming the Picture Garden Theater. At just over ten years, the Picture Garden was the longest-running theater operation in the location.
In July of 1938, Max Cohen – former operator of the Leader Theatre – and Buddy Silverberg open the 31 Lexington facility as the Lexway Theatre showing exploitation and independent films. In December of 1941, the Lexway is sold to Sam Soltz for $90,000 where it shows second and third run films. In May of 1942, Sherrill Cohen purchases the Lexway from Soltz and it’s converted to the Newsreel Theatre during the War years. It appears to be the lesser of Baltimore’s two newsreel theaters. After the newsreel interest wains following the war, Newsreel Corp. Circuit changes it briefly to the Vogue Theatre.
An auspicious moment for the Vogue occurs in May of 1946 when manager Helen Ford is up in the projection booth only to fall through the rotting floor and onto the ledge of the balcony. Just inches more and Ford would have fallen on top of patrons seated on the main floor. She quit the theatre. When the Vogue struggles to find an audience, Newsreel Circuit subleases it to the fledgling Laffmovie Circuit of James Mage in 1946 which had just three theaters in New York, Boston, and Baltimore.This was a circuit targeting a children’s audience showing comedies from the 1930s and cartoons continuously as a grindhouse. The lobby had distorting mirrors often found in amusement parks to get interest. It begins in March of 1947. When that fails, it likely reverts to the previous operator which labels it first the World Theatre and then the Fine Arts Theatre, an arthouse that appears to the final curtain.
The theater’s downturn and general business district malaise led the Committee for Downtown and the Greater Baltimore Committee to adopt an urban development plan called the Charles Center. The 50-year old 31 West Lexington property was targeted. The west Lexington street was blocked off to vehicular traffic, and the Wizard Theatre / 31 West Lexington Theatre / Picture Garden Theater / Lexway Theater / Newsreel Theatre / Vogue Theatre / Laffmovie / World Theatre / Fine Arts Theatre was demolished.
Closed January 14, 1958 with its final film, “The Tin Star.”
Launched as the single-screen theatre Fox Theatre on April 16, 1969 at the bustling Woodville Mall. The theatre was twinned and sometimes referred to as the Fox Theatres although the exterior sign retained singular form. Trouble for the Woodville Mall came from competition from newer malls and an Interstate system that challenged some motorists traveling on one side of the highway to easily get to the shopping center.
The video era and population/shopping shift was tough on the Fox and its encompassing mall. The theatre was finally closed in 1992 and one wouldn’t blame anyone if the Fox was down for the count. But it was quickly taken on by J.R. Denniston Circuit. Denniston twinned the twins making it a quad-plex to get more life out of the property. Denniston ran the theater almost continuously much of its life post 1992 (closing briefly in 2009).
The theater’s final months were without gas service. Lacking heat and with the temperature inside the auditoriums at 38 degrees F (46 degrees reported inside the mall – an unofficial record low at that point), a few brave, huddled T-Town area citizens showed up on December 13, 2011 for filmed entertainment. Some ceiling tiles came crashing down in one auditorium attributed to melting snow and previous precipitation; the shivering movie attendees simply moved to a different part of the theater. The show must go on… and did until local officials condemned the theater later that day preventing further shows on December 14th or beyond. On a blustery, grey snowy day, the theatre and mall were razed in March of 2014.
If remembered at all, the Fox should be labeled as a fighter in a league with the Forum 6 Cinema at Arlington, the Nova 6 Cinemas in Moline and many, many others like it. These are the theaters that locals would have contended had gone out of business years earlier but the operators fought on against shifting populations in ghost-town retail strips and shopping centers. We salute you, Fox Theatre(s).
Launched November 2, 1930 as the New Olympic Theatre. It likely procured some of the fixtures from the former Olympic Theatre on Fifth Avenue.
The El Dorado launched on May 30, 1921 with “Deception.” It competed against the Gem Theatre, Eris Theatre, Belmont/Palace, and the Royal theatres
The genesis of this theatre is found in the National Theatre that opened October 29, 1914 for the National Amusement Company. With World War I in progress, Uncle Sam was outside and the patriotic first films was “America”. The $150,000 theater was architected by Aaron H. Gould and struggled to find an audience past its opening.
On March 19 1916, the National – purchased by S. Morton Cohn and the Strand Theatre Co – changed to the Strand Theatre to do more live programming. That fails quickly and the Strand becomes a full-time movie house. The Stark/Park corner location is deemed to be part of the problem. A major change occurs when architect Martin Schacht is brought in to create an entrance from busier Washington Street through the four-year old Columbia Building . Converting a storeroom on the main floor, Schacht created a pass through entrance connecting the National/Strand Theatre and converted its former entrance to fire exits.
The next owner of the Strand, Marshall Taylor, decided to retrofit and rebrand the theater becoming the Rivoli Theatre launching January 14, 1920. The theater had a brief go as the Pix Theatre. But in October of 1941 with world tensions on the rise, the location became the Newsreel Theatre and found an audience. When newsreels faded, the theater struggled again to find an audience and changed to the Roxy Theatre. Prospects were dim in the TV era and the Roxy eventually closed.
The theater has been demolished and the building housing its entry has also been demolished.
This theatre was home to the long-running Rogers Theatre that served African American audiences from 1930 until the end of 1959. It was also home to the second silent-era Detroit Hippodrome from 1913 into the 1920s.
The original Hippodrome project on Woodward was a quick failure lasting from July of 1912 and folding within eight months. Though one can’t be sure, these theatre operators very likely bought the failed Hippodrome fixtures at the Woodward location and repurposed them in this silent-era Hippodrome whose address was 1128 Warren West until the Detroit address updating took place (location remaining the same with its new 3646 West Warren address). The theater launched in 1913 and after ten years it likely got a new owner and a new policy switching to an African American theater.
The theatre is put up for sale in 1929 likely because the operator doesn’t want to covert to sound. Under new operators (Gus Greening managing), the theater gets a facelift, is fitted for sound and rebranded as the Rogers Theatre. The Rogers goes for the next thirty years. Two ceiling collapses injure many with the collapses caused by melting snow.
Future Motown record producer Harry Balk was an operator until 1954 selling out to Moe Teiter, the final manager of the theater. The Rogers likely closes at the end of a 30-year leasing agreement with ads ceasing around Thanksgiving of 1959 likely closing November 22, 1959 with “The Five Pennies” and “Bend of the River”.
Rialto owner James C. Ritter announced that the Rivola would be built in 1920. The $150,000 Rivola was constructed in 1921 and would launch on January 1, 1922. Advertisements run regularly and cease on May 17, 1959 likely ending the Rivola’s run.
The Rivoli opened at 1131 Mack on May 23, 1920. The 8225 Mack address for the Rivoli is used beginning in March of 1921.
The Piccadilly Theatre initially closed June 10, 1951 after eight months as an art film concept that failed. But the theater had a last run as the Abbey Playhouse beginning with art and repertory films on November 9, 1954 under Sol Krim’s management (of the Krim Theatre). In February of 1956, the Abbey Playhouse became a short-lived legit, live stage show concept which appears to be the end of the line. Appears to have closed in April of 1956.
Architect Maurice H. Finkel’s drawing of the Victory Theatre – which opened in 1920 – is in photos.
The 1600 seat DeLuxe Theatre with its Adam architecture and terra cotta front opened in November of 1918. Advertising runs consistently from November of 1918 ceasing on March 1, 1955. A high profile murder involving a teenager leaving the theatre early in 1955 appears to lead to the neighborhood theater’s demise. The DeLuxe was demolished along with the Hollywood Theatre (4801 W. Fort) in April of 1963 as the city underwent urban redevelopment.
Ads cease after April 12, 1954’s showing of “I Dream of Jeannie” likely spelling the end of the theater.
Launched by Scherer Bros. Circuit on October 19, 1935 with the film, “The Irish In Us”
Probably one of the most intriguing theaters in Arkansas was the Bauxite Theatre built in 1917 and opened in 1918 on property owned by the bauxite mining interests. The head of the mine, J.R. Gibbons felt that entertaining employees would lead to happier employees. From what can be gathered, Gibbons fronted the cost of the $26,000 theater and found veteran theatre operator John Parsons to run it on a ten-year lease.
The 900-seat theatre was built not on a main street but in a wooded area convenient to the mine. Parsons had a challenge to identify patrons who might be willing to drive 30 or more miles to attend. He did so with intriguing marketing materials and a mailing list of 1,800 residents. He created weekly programs mailed out and personally spoke with each crowd before shows. Also booked were traveling vaudeville shows and wrestling events.
Operating for a full ten-year lease cycle, Parsons likely did not renew because of the conversion costs to sound. The theatre was dark for the next ten years. But relaunching in 1939, Wallace and Lena Kauffman retrofitted the Bauxite for sound and the theatre along with their Imp in Benton ran under the Robb & Rowley Circuit. The Bauxite also had a day in court over clearance issues with 20th Century Fox.
In 1956, a labor walkout at the mines leads to the end of theatrical operations as the Kaufmanns couldn’t keep the theatre going. And thus ended one of the most interesting theatre in Arkansas history.
L.D. Joel launched his $50,000 New Casino Theatre on November 3, 1918. Despite a clear name, patrons reportedly referred to the theatre as the Bay Street Theatre. The theatre was across the street from the busy Florida Motor Lines Bus Terminal / later Greyhound Bus Terminal which was good visibility for a theatre with less resources.
Joel operated the Casino until his death October 3, 1944 at which time he was called the oldest film operator in the southeast. The theatre soldiered on into the television age without him before closing with both the bus terminal and the Casino being demolished.
The Civic Theatre replaced the Jonesville Theatre after it burned in 1932. The project by Alfred Lane who owned the original theater didn’t launch until 1935 likely due to the economic conditions during the Depression. The Civic ran continuously to 1959 closing briefly that February due to lack of patronage. The theatre is then taken on by two different owners who likely try to complete the leasing period ending its theatrical film days on December 31, 1964 timing out with a 30-year lease. The final film appears to be “How the West Was Won.” The Civic is taken on in 1972 for live stage shows retaining its name initially and then later renamed.
The projection booth was specked by Edwin S. Porter, legendary director of “The Great Train Robbery” (see photos)