Comments from dallasmovietheaters

Showing 3,826 - 3,850 of 4,055 comments

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters commented about Elmwood Skyline Drive-In on Jun 2, 2015 at 3:28 pm

Located just a half mile from McMurry College was the Abilene’s first drive-in theater, the Skyline Drive-In launching April 1, 1947. Two veterans, Carroll Jones (656th Tank Destroyer Battalion) and Chuck L. Williams (Army Air Force) opened the Skyline at 3300 S. 14th Abilene 79605. On the the 46' high tower with its 30x40' screen was John Wayne’s “Tall in the Saddle.” At its opening, the drive-in had one central speaker system and could hold 400 cars. Closing November 23, 1947 for the winter season, the theater rethought the central sound system.

When it opened for season two, it had new ownership of George and Ruth Likins on May 10, 1948, it had two-way speakers which allowed you to either listen to the movie or to talk to the concession stand to order food. The Theater would be knowns as the South 14th Street Elmwood-Skyline Drive-In and switched to year-round operation with 400 watt in-car heaters from 1948 to 1953. In 1953, the theater name was trimmed to the Elmwood Skyline Drive-in. The Likins would also build a new wide-screen red brick tower to keep the theater vibrant in a highly-competitive market. Ruth Likins would sell the property for $225,000 showing her last film on Feburary 14, 1965. Advertisements counted down to the final day’s showing of “Yellowstone Kelly” and “Wind Across the Everglades.”

The Elmwood Skyline would be raised in January of 1966 for the Bank of Commerce Building which as of the mid-2010s was still standing.

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters commented about Rialto Theatre on May 31, 2015 at 6:12 pm

The Elite Theatre opened as a 728-seat house at 2314 N. Main St. in 1913. Albert G. Skidmore took over the struggling theater and added a balcony to bring the seating to 900. New management took on the theater early in 1924 where it became the Rialto Theatre. The theater’s new moniker came on Feb. 2, 1924 with the film, “Where the North Begins.” In 1925, a triumvirate of new owners took on the Rialto. And in 1927, the Strand Amusement Company Circuit which already had four Bridgeport theaters took on the Rialto. This ownership change lender stability to the Rialto and remodels that included the advent of sound, and a 1950s makeover.

Holding the theater for just over thirty years, the Rialto founds its audience. But when the Strand Circuit discontinued operations on May 31, 1958, the portfolio of Bridgeport Theaters was in flux. Fortunately, the veteran general manager of the company Morris Jacobsen took on both the Strand and the Rialto though initially passing up the Strand Circuit’s Hippodrome and American — though reopening the American six months later — with the Colonial, Mayfair, Park City and Astor already shuttered. Refurbishing the theater with its final count of 750 seats, it looked as if the Elite/Rialto would make it to its 50th Anniversary.

But in its 48th year of service, however, it ended badly. Just as the first 12 people reached their seats from the double feature of “The Facts of Life” and “Five Guns to Tombstone,” a fire caused by faulty wiring decimated the theater. Reportedly, a young girl was the first to report the fire to the concession stand and a patron was first to phone the fire in but giving the wrong address. As the operators of the theater tried to douse the flames instead of reporting the correct address, valuable time slipped away to prevent a major fire. The result was a spectacular blaze felling the roof and after discussing the situation with structural engineers with some hope of salvaging the property, it was curtains for the Rialto. Fortunately, everyone survived the fire that day but Feb. 25, 1961 was the Rialto’s final day of operation. The building was raised later that year and a modern store and apartment building was put in its place.

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters commented about Candlelite-Pix Drive-In on May 30, 2015 at 6:27 am

This twin-screener closed at the end of the 1982 season. It was sold for $600,000 and became part of an industrial park area by the city.

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters commented about Palace Theatre on May 30, 2015 at 5:10 am

On the East Side of Fayetteville’s square, W.F. Sonneman purchased the Baum building in 1925 to raze it in favor of a new movie theater. The Palace Theatre opened in October of 1926 and showed its last movie operating on weekends only at the end closing with “The Counterfeit Killer” and “The Ballad of Josie” on November 24, 1968. But the Ozark Opry then Arkansas Country Opry — which had started playingive music on weekdays in 1966 — continued to use the theater until its final performance on May 17, 1974 which ends the Palace Theatre’s run shy of fifty years.

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters commented about Landing 4 Theatres on May 28, 2015 at 12:02 pm

Herman A. Scharhag (not Scharbag) of Kansas City is the architect.

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters commented about Landing 4 Theatres on May 28, 2015 at 9:45 am

Urban renewal projects were the death of many classic movie palaces in the 1960s and early 1970s. But the Landing 4 Theaters is actually an urban renewal addition to the cinematic world. It dates back to an August 1, 1972 agreement to revitalize downtown and this theater just a bowling ball’s throw from the former Orpheum would be a new-build, fully automated twin screen cinema. The project was part of the Ramada Inn Hotel project when automated theaters were sometimes built inside or adjacent to hotels. However, the project foundered until October 6, 1974 when Samuel Cohen contracted to build the theater. But, again, there was no action.

By the end of 1975, the city issued an ultimatum either to see action on the theater – which could either now be a 2-screen or a 4-screen operation — or else face a $50,000 non-performance penalty. Working with architectural plans of Herman A. Scharhag of Kansas City, the theaters looked to become reality. Though the deadline was Dec. 31, 1976 which came and went, the developers got an extension avoiding the penalty as the project was steaming toward completion.

Crown Cinema Corporation and Stan Durwood would be the operation and the circuit had a first-night party on February 15, 1977 to inaugurate the very-delayed Landing 4. Crown also operated the Skylark Drive-In and the nearby Hollywood Theatre which it would close a week prior to the opening of the Landing. Durwood would also turn over the keys to the Hollywood which he would donate to the city for live theatrical performances. The Landing 4 launched Feb. 16, 1977 with “The Pink Panther Strikes Again,” “The Enforcer,” “The Shaggy D.A.” and “The Sentinel.” As the theater approached its 40th anniversary now under independent operation, it had made the transition to digital projection in hopes of remaining viable into the near future.

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters commented about Orpheum Theatre on May 28, 2015 at 8:39 am

The original Orpheum Theater opened at 326/8 Delaware on March 4, 1907 and time for the ill-fated New Orpheum to commence operation in downtown Leavenworth. George V. Hankins bought two buildings and fused the existing buildings to squeeze out the Orpheum with its 30' deep stage for vaudeville. 1,000 people could sit downstairs and 300 African Americans could sit in the balcony. It was supposedly the stop between Kansas City and Topeka’s Orpheum. Lee Cohn was the initial manager. But his euphoria would be fairly short-lived, however, as the Orpheum changed hands by month’s end with Orpheum Amusement Company, itself, interceding. The jinxed theater would suffer a major fire in an apparent gas leak that decimated the building on January 17, 1909. Doors blown out, attraction sign barely hanging with ropes, the Orpheum Amusement both sued for insurance funds and decided to sell its Leavenworth location in a dispersal sale.

M.B. Shanberg was the new operator and converted the eyesore into a long-running house. He would rely on the Sullivan-Considinc circuit for vaudeville and – recognizing the history of the town – had a 27x24' theater curtain depicting Fort Leavenworth in 1865. The theater opened on February 20, 1910. On July 15, 1912, Carl F. Mensing of the Casino Theatre took on the Orpheum. A neat freak, Mensing had a crew of “White Wings” who ensured cleanliness of the theater and, to clean trash from the Leavenworth streets, offered free admission to any child bringing in 25 discarded cans.

Mensing’s switch to motion pictures in February 1913 drew big crowds and he would change the name of his People’s Theatre to the Lyceum to have multiple motion picture theaters. With people coming for the motion pictures, Mensing hired Gerald Baker at the Orpheum to play the newly-installed Moller organ in January of 1919 to enhance presentations. And the Orpheum made headlines on Feb. 24, 1924 by packing audiences for — reportedly — the first Kansas showing of “Birth of a Nation.” Censors had banned the film from playing in Kansas back in 1915 and the Orpheum did it up right with a special orchestra playing the original score.

In 1930, the Dubinsky Brothers would take over Mensing’s theater holdings including the Orpheum and Lyceum likely on a ten-year leasing arrangement. The Dubinsky’s got on the wrong side of the Kansas State Attorney by having “Bank Nights” popular in many theaters across the U.S. Kansas had barred all bank nights and sent the Dubinsky Brothers a cease and desist ending the policy in February of 1937.

The Durwood Circuit would be the final operator of both the Orpheum and Lyceum taking on both theaters in 1940. Under Durwood’s watch, the last refurbishing of the Orpheum was in 1951. But the theater’s business was non-existent and the theater closed shortly after its update. When the theater closed, the First National Bank bought the theatre building and announced that the 57-year old indoor theater would become a drive-in… bank. H.A. Taylor announced the razing of the Orpheum on April 16, 1954.

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters commented about Fort Drive-In on May 28, 2015 at 8:25 am

The rustic and western-themed Fort Drive-In opened July 10, 1949 with “The Time, the Place and the Girl.” The tribute to Fort Leavenworth was eye-opening for locals and tourists, alike. Four twenty-foot creosoted wood poles and two wood posts under the center supported the Fort’s entry way sign. The drive-in could handle 375 vehicles but hit a high-water mark on its 5th Anniversary as it celebrated “Nickel Night.” The price was right as 550 cars jammed the Fort. The drive-in was operated by Beverly “Bev” Miller who also operated the Bev Theater in downtown Leavenworth. The Bev generally was open in the cool months and the Fort was open in the warm months.

On September 28, 1952, Bev sublet the theater to new operator Jack Campbell though she retained the ownership of the drive-in for a lengthy time. Her wild animal pavilion didn’t go too well for the theater. Bosco, the Fort’s the 300-pound Bear, escaped forcing the drive-in to take out ads imploring residents not to shoot the bear. Bev ended up taking the remainder of the animals to the St. Joseph Zoo. Bosco was missing nearly a month before being found and ended up at the Cowtown Drive-In in St. Joseph. The Fort would simply host occasional “circus” nights in which wild animals were brought in for a show or two. In March of 1963, the cresoted wood poles supporting the entry sign were no match for a powerful storm which toppled the signpost.

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters commented about Lyceum Theatre on May 28, 2015 at 7:58 am

Beginning as the Unique Theatre on June 12, 1904, the Delaware Street theater was said to be drawing good crowds early on but then failed to make its nut and the vaudeville house closed abruptly on July 20, 1904. Lawsuits ensued. On Sept. 11, 1904, J.H. Dempsey re-opened the theater as People’s Theatre. Starting with vaudeville shows targeting females and children, People’s would largely stay with vaudeville under Maurice J. Cunningham’s direction. With Eddie DeNoyer taking over in 1912, the theater was known as “New People’s Theatre. DeNoyer goes into immediate financial issues with the theater and it goes into foreclosure.

C.F. Mensing Amusement Company of the Air-Dome, took on the People’s Theatre to convert from vaudeville to a heavier mix of moving pictures along with selected vaudeville acts. The company decided to have a name change contest in 1913. To Mr. Mensing’s credit, the vast majority of entries used Mensing’s name either by itself or as a moniker such as Mensing’s Grand. But Mensing rejected all of the and chose Lyceum as the winner. The theatre bowed on September 20, 1913 and a week later had the first Edison talking picture. One of the vaudeville acts to hit the stage there came from the Dubinisky Brothers stock company. The Dubinsky’s would take on the theater along with the Orpheum in 1930 advertising them as the Dubinsky Lyceum and the Dubinsky Orpheum. In 1935, they spent thousands upgrading the Lyceum. The long-running Lutheran Church Service would begin, however, in 1939.

The theater’s final operator was Durwood Theatre Circuit taking over both the Lyceum and the Orpheum. Again, for advertising purposes, the circuit would call the theater Durwood’s Lyceum. It would only open for the cold weather months as Durwood opted to split duties with its Skylark Drive-In which was only opened during the warm weather months. Durwood steered both the Lyceum and the Orpheum to their closures with the Orpheum coming first and the Lyceum second in the 1950s.

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters commented about 82nd Street Twin Drive-In on May 27, 2015 at 7:48 am

The 25-year old Austin Drive-In was in the portfolio at its final years of the Video Independent Theatre (VIT) Circuit. It ceased operations of the Austin on October 12, 1971 and many of the employees reported for work at the Austin’s replacement, VIT’s new 82nd Street Twin Drive-In which opened on October 13, 1971 with a free showing of “"With Six You Get Eggroll.” The theatre then had its official Grand Opening the next night with “Tora, Tora, Tora.” The $200,000 twin had two 40'x100' screens.

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters commented about Austin Drive-In on May 27, 2015 at 6:47 am

Opened May 14, 1946 as Austin’s Drive-In Theatre with “Meet Me In St. Louis.” Closed October 12, 1971 as the Austin Drive-In Theatre with “The Dirty Dozen” and “Shaft.” Not a bad way to go! The next night, many of the Austin employees would shift to the 82nd St. Twin Drive-In that was built to replace the 25-year old Austin. The Austin was very likely at the end of a lease cycle.

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters commented about Showcase Twin on May 26, 2015 at 8:05 pm

Ted Horton of Lawton architected the $500,000 theater, Lawton’s first since 1947, to be operated by the Tanscontinental Theatres Circuit. It was designed as a road show house with continental seating for 600, 70mm projection capability, and a 22x50' screen. “Funny Girl” opened the single screener on October 24, 1969.

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters commented about Kiva Theatre on May 26, 2015 at 1:28 pm

The Kiva opened with “The Circus Queen Murder” on June 30, 1933 as part of the Westland Theatre Circuit in a repurposed former retail store. The American Indian atmospheric architecture was intriguing and had a western flavor though sometimes falling over into kitsch including the wagon wheel chandelier and totem poles outside the theater as well as an Indian chief’s head in the logo of the theater’s advertisement and coming attraction boxes. The alliterative “Kiva: Kool and Komfortable” was a tagline. The Theater likely had a 20-year lease closing 20 years after its open on March 29, 1953 with the films, “Raiders of Sunset Pass” and “Cattle Town.” The theater returned to retail on July 9, 1953 as a Lee Jewelry store that would become a Zales operating for the next 23 years.

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters commented about Hillside Theatre on May 26, 2015 at 12:02 pm

The Hillside Mall launched with its first store on Nov. 11, 1969 but theatre-less. The 420-seat Hillside Theater was added to the shopping center with “The Ra Expeditions” on February 23, 1972. The theater was built for the Midwest Shopping Center Theatre Circuit. The theater had a 15x34' screen and was located at the Hillside Mall between Woolco and next door to Furr’s Cafeteria and would be joined by a gym as its neighbor. The Savard family of the Greeley Drive-In would take on the theater soon after the theater’s grand opening and had a huge hits with films including 1972’s “The Godfather” and with “Jaws” in 1975. On February 23, 1977, Cooper-Highland took on the Hillside.

On July 4, 1977 and a sign of the times, the Hillside reported a streaker running through the theater. The Hillside Mall 250,000 square foot facility was too small to ever become a mall and the space was given a minor tweak and when expanded in 1980 was often referred to the Hillside Shopping Center interchangeably with the Hillside Mall. The theater would leave well before the name change to University Square in 2000 which corresponded with neighboring University of Northern Colorado.

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters commented about Greeley Drive-In on May 26, 2015 at 11:12 am

The 425-space Greeley Drive-In launched August 14, 1948 by Rudolph W. Meyer. In 1953, Westland Theatres took on the Greeley. By 1956 Emmett and Ethel Savard were the owners of the theater and the operation was under the creative Cactus Jack. The theater adopted a rural-theme which included Rooster Catch Night when roosters were turned loose in the lot and you could keep any you caught. The concession area was called the Chuck House and the box office was called the Ticket Chute. Drive-up church services and car washes were offered during the run of the veteran ozoner.

On June 15, 1956, the original screen was knocked over in a wind storm. The screen was replaced by an improved 105' CinemaScope capable widescreen. capacity increased to 600 cars. The theater’s biggest success came with 1970’s “Airport” which played for a month as did “The Godfather.” The theater lasted into the home video era of the 1980s before being replaced by a Wal-Mart store.

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters commented about Greeley Mall Cinema on May 26, 2015 at 10:23 am

Announced in February of 1977, this $170,000 theater was constructed at the right time. On June 29th, 1977, Cooper-Highland opened its new theater, the Greeley Mall Cinema 1 & 2 inside of the four year old mall. They hit a home run out of the chute with “Star Wars” as one of the opening films. And the theater was open during the mall’s halcyon days. However, the mall would fade and need a major rehab in 2004 with the cinema and many tenants — including three of five anchors — having long-since departed. Cinemark would open in the former Montgomery Ward’s spot with a 12-screen theater and multiple attempts were made to keep the mall competitive as of the mid-2010s including the filling another one of the vacant anchor spots.

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters commented about Tivoli Theatre on May 26, 2015 at 9:12 am

The original Tivoli was at 110 E. Third St. opened June 26, 1930 likely on a ten-year lease. C.E. “Doc” Cook had both worked for and was the third and final owner of the Fern Theater in Maryville which had opened in 1910. The diminutive theater was advertised as “Joe Cook’s Cozy Tivoli.” Not only was the theater undersized but it was potentially unsafe. With no exits on the side due to the proximity of neighboring businesses and no functional exit at the rear, the inescapable conclusion was that the theater – if packed – would be inescapable in the event of a fire. So Doc imagined an improved location which would eventually have seven exits. That became the “new” Tivoli at 117 W. Third St.

The original Tivoli was supposed to have closed Sept. 26, 1939 with the film “Four Feathers” but would actually close Sept. 30, 1939 to honor a contract for the film, “Honor of the West.” A grocery store just up the block would take over the original Tivoli converted it for retail purposes. That building was a retail shoe store was of the mid-2010s.

The new Tivoli would launch Sept. 28, 1939 showing “Blondie Takes a Vacation” plus the “March of Time” newsreel and a Donald Duck cartoon. The new Tivoli had a large stage, seating for 800, and a dance lounge. The Tivoli Building also had retail neighbors in the Tivoli Fashion Shop and an ice cream shop. The theater would be converted to widescreen to accommodate CinemaScope in 1954. The Tivoli operated continuously until 1973.

Cinema Entertainment Theatres Brian Wunder and Gregg Brunk re-opened the theater just months later operating it until summer of 1976 before closing again. Cinema Entertainment would go on to operate the Missouri Theatre in downtown and create the South Cinema Drive-In in 1977. At the Tivoli, all was not lost as Roach and Roach Theaters took on the theater in September of 1976 and operated it until its closure years later.

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters commented about Starlite Dude Ranch Drive-In on May 26, 2015 at 8:56 am

The Starlite Dude Ranch Drive-In Theatre launched June 30, 1950 with “The Younger Brothers,” a Bugs Bunny cartoon and “Calgary Stampede.” The 53' high tower with its distinctive rustic log cabin / Old West theme had a 33'x40' viewing area. The Chuck House was the nickname for the concession stand and rest room area which also housed the projection booth and a display room with farm-related relics. Employees dressed in ranch-style garb. Ten ramps provided parking for 350 cars and veteran Tivoli / Fern owner C.E. “Doc” Cook was the operator. The lot was modernized along with a larger screen to accommodate widescreen in 1958. By that time there were now 150 wagon wheels on the premises making it the most wagon wheels at any U.S. drive-in theater. And live animals were on the premises including “Peso” the burro, Polish chickens and monkeys.

The Starlight Dude Ranch D-I would pass to son, Jim Cook who would close up shop in 1976. The theater was also home to 26 consecutive years of church services with the tagline, “Bring your own popcorn.” But in late March of 1977, it was all over as the Chuck House and Drive-In were razed for the building of a K-Mart. When the drive-in closed for the season on October 5, 1976 the last feature ever at the Dude Ranch — appropriately enough — was “The Great American Cowboy.”

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters commented about Valencia Theatre on May 25, 2015 at 8:56 pm

On its January 16, 1930 Grand Opening, Mayor D.L. Dempsey launched the theater prior to the feature “The Lady Lies.” The atmospheric Spanish architectural themed Valencia Theatre was off to a great start until the feature started. So bad was the sound system that the theater shut down for six weeks to improve the sound system relaunching February 28, 1930. Six years later, the theater installed a new sound system, new projection, and a new gold screen hoping to have a better presentation. On December 1, 1956, the theater closed down showing a double feature of “Dakota Incident” and “Flame of the Islands”.

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters commented about Ritz Theatre on May 25, 2015 at 5:59 pm

Architected by R. Warren Roberts who got to convert the 1895 Masonic Temple into the Ritz, the theater’s grand opening was June 3, 1931. It launched with “The Millionaire” and its first operator was billionaire Howard Hughes and his Hughes-Franklin circuit. But the Hughes-Franklin midwestern circuit would be dissolved in November of 1931 and Clarence Shultz was the new operator.

The Ritz received an air conditioning system in 1940. On May 29, 1955, the theater closed for regular business opening for Tuesday “Shopper Matinees” in the summer and closing as kids went back to school. Commonwealth Theaters of Kansas City bought the Ritz and the Ben Bolt in Chillicothe late in 1957. However, the circuit appears to decide against re-opening the Ritz. But the theater would get one more shot at cinematic glory. The Ritz re-opened April 12, 1985 with “Missing in Action 2” on screen one and “Dune” on screen two. And the Ritz closed as a twin shut down by the city on May 24, 1985 with “Gymkata” and “Just One of the Guys.”

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters commented about Grand Theatre on May 25, 2015 at 3:24 pm

W.P. Cuff had the Empire Theater in downtown Chillicothe and wanted to one-up the veteran house. Cuff would convert a feed store to create his Strand Theatre. The Strand opened November 30, 1920 with the film, “The Bird of Paradise.” The $10,000 lighting system produced audience-pleasing effects and the theater was popular at the outset. Cuff would team up with two Kansas City investors in Johnny Kling and Haley Reed to increase their holdings. The popular Strand Theater eventually attracted a new buyer in the fast-growing Missouri/Kansas/Illinois Dickinson Theatre Circuit which bought the Empire and Strand from Kling in April of 1941. Dickinson would spend $50,000 on the Strand including a new sign and featuring its new name, the Dickinson Theatre. The theater was said to be the only one with an air conditioning system between St. Louis and Kansas City at a cost of $20,000.

Business dealings with the Dickinson Circuit including the Griffiths buying half-interest in Dickinson. So a contest was held to change the name of the no longer appropriate Dickinson. The winner was the Grand Theatre. The Grand was massively renovated into a rustic log cabin inspired theater in 1949. But the theater was limping into the TV era. Entering the 1950s under MidCentral Theatres, the Grand was only open on weekends beginning on May 10, 1952 and then, when MidCentral took on the Ritz, the Grand was not open year round, closing in the summer and then closing as a movie theater for good that year. The theater was re-opened for American Legion and other special events through 1954 before being repurposed for retail in 1955.

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters commented about 65 Drive-In on May 25, 2015 at 2:03 pm

Angelo Saccaro and Merl Jones opened the 65 Drive-In on April 25, 1950 with “Oh, You Beautiful Doll” on the big screen. The 45x40' tower with a 27'x38' image was in for the long haul remaining in place until being torn down in 1987, just a year after its 27th and final season completed. Sacarro bought out Jones in 1959 and the theater stayed in the Saccaro family until the final showing. Annual “Mud-a-thons”, Sunday morning drive-in church services, and Kool Kart go-cart racing were just some of the additional features at the 65.

The Saccaros added a car wash in the drive-in’s 16th season to increase revenues which was a good idea as the fortunes of the 65 faded in the 1980s. At the very end, the 65 had turned to X-rated fare and closed with Hyapatia Lee’s “Let’s Get Physical” on September 13, 1986. The announcement of the non-opening in 1987 didn’t come until June of 1987 when the decision was made to not only not open but to raze the 65 occurring that October.

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters commented about Malco Mall Twin on May 25, 2015 at 11:15 am

Grand opening for the Northwest Arkansas Plaza was March 2, 1972 and Malco Theatres Circuit was ready to go with its third Fayetteville twin theater in just two years. The first was the Malco Twin Cinema I & II and the second was dividing the thirty year old U•ARK into a two-screen complex. And, finally, was the Malco Mall Twin Cinema I & II launching along with Sears, J.C. Penney, Dillard’s, Woolworth’s and The Boston Store. Seating in the identical auditoria were for 210 each or 420 total. The glass-front lobby had its entrance from the side of the plaza and said to be decorated in a Spanish style. Automated equipment set the masking, opened the curtains, dimmed the lights, and started the film. Its opening films were “The Cowboys” and “$.”

An incredible survivor, Malco operated the Mall Twin for more than 37 years closing on June 17, 2009. A remarkable run with the Malco circuit concentrating on the expansion of the Razorback theater across the street which was undergoing a major expansion to 16 screens. The Mall Twin property taken over by Gymnastic Joe’s which as of the mid-2010s was still going strong and still had one of the Malco’s curtained-screens.

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters commented about Malco Twin Cinema I & II on May 25, 2015 at 7:59 am

The actual name of this theater was the Malco Twin Cinema I & II. It launched August 26, 1970 rather auspiciously with the box office failures “Paint Your Wagon” and “A Walk in the Spring Rain.” The identical auditoria each sat 210 for a total of 420 patrons and was the first twin in Northwest Arkansas as well as Malco’s first of four twins in Fayetteville. Fayetteville Mayor Garland Melton Jr. joined Malco President M.A. Lightman Jr. for the ribbon cutting.

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters commented about U Ark Theater on May 25, 2015 at 6:28 am

Fayetteville is home to the University of Arkansas. When Paul Young Jr. of Fayetteville architected the unnamed, forthcoming $100,000 showplace in 1940, William F. Sonneman decided on the name, the UARK Theatre. It launched at 649 W. Dickson on January 16, 1941 with the film Hunted Honeymoon. (Within the UARK Building were two retailers: Harkey’s fashion store at 647 West Dickson operating almost 12 years and Scharmm’s The Campus Grill with its soda fountain at 651 West Dickson opertaing for almost 28 years. And apartments were above these three spots.)

The 640-seat UARK had a 15x20’ Da-Lite screen with RCA’s “Magic Voice of the Screen” multi-cellular sound system. Its Barton pipe organ was played by Gladys Cosnell Sonneman. The theater was owned by Bill Sonneman and was his seventh in his Arkanas theatre circuit along with Fayetteville’s Ozark, Royal and Palace. The Malco Theatre Circuit purchased the four Fayetteville theaters from Sonneman in june of 1948.

As the era of the single-screen theater began to wane, Malco started to look for locations for twin screen theaters offering free parking and more options at the end of the 1960s. This would change the face of Fayetteville moviegoing forever. But Malco gave the UARK one more chance. Following the November 25, 1970 showing of “Fantasia,” Malco briefly closed the UARK to twin the theater. It relaunched as the UARK Twin Cinema 1&2 on January 22, 1971 with 2001: A Space Odyssey” and “Gone with the Wind.” But the conversion wasn’t lucrative enough for Malco which would shutter the operation just after three years following the May 5, 1974 showings of “The King & I” and “O’ Lucky Man.”

There was life after Malco as Jeffrey Seidensticker and Richard Sherin subleased the theater from Malco and reopened the UARK. After more than a year of being dark, the pair repositioned the UARK as a repertory house and some art / porno chic on the front house launching with “Citizen Kane” on December 7, 1975 and live events on the back house. The theater housed a disco (42d Street) and a new wave club (Colonel Smuckers) before ending as the UARK Arts Center in 1981. The building continued to host retailers over the next three decades looking on the exterior pretty much the same although without its marquee.