The Kinney Opera House opened in late-January 1894. It had several names throughout its earlier days. It was once known as the Kinney Theatre before briefly renaming it the New Theatre in 1917. It officially became the Majestic Theatre in 1918.
The Majestic Theatre was gutted in the Spring of 1940 and was quickly modernized to Al Hauetter of Kansas City, Missouri’s design. The theater reopened as the Time Theatre on September 4, 1940 with Melvin Douglas in “He Stayed For Breakfast” along with a newsreel and several shorts (one of which is the patriotic short “The Flag Speaks”).
The Time Theatre is still open in the late-1960s, although its closing date was not known yet at this time.
The Memphis Theatre opened on January 2, 1941 with Shirley Temple in “Young People” and Laurel and Hardy in “Saps At Sea” (unknown if extras added). It was first operated by Ms. Alice Johnson of Bonaparte, Iowa.
The Uptown Theatre opened its doors on August 29, 1936 with a one-day showing of Lionel Barrymore in “The Voice Of Bugle Ann” along with a special performance by the city’s high school band, comedian Edgar Jones appearing in-person, and special addresses by then-Mayor B.J. Thomas. Otherwise, no extra short subjects were added.
NOTE: The theater never opened in 1930. That info belongs to the Dickinson (later Chief) Theatre.
The Dickinson Theatre opened its doors on June 20, 1930 with William Powell in “The Benson Murder Case” along with Paramount News, Screen Song “The Prisoner’s Song”, and a short entitled “Home Edition” with sound installations by RCA Protophone.
It was renamed the Chief Theatre in mid-1936. The theater last had a capacity of 350 seats and closed in late-September 1939 following repairs, which literally became its final closing. During repair after World War II, the building was destroyed by a fire.
This started life as the Gem Theatre. It opened in August 1911 and was first operated by H.L. Pruett who was also an operator for the long-defunct Chicago & Alton Railroad (later known as simply Alton Railroad).
On December 6, 1921, Pruett ended up living inside the theater building for a time after a fire destroyed his house near the Allen Street Methodist Church. This was followed by him changing the theater’s name to the Pruett’s Theatre (not Puritt’s) in 1922.
Purett’s Theatre closed for the final time on May 4, 1933 when E.F. Bebermeyer opened up his Vista Theatre nearby.
The Bebe Drive-In, named after owner and Warrenton resident E.F. Bebermeyer, opened its gates on July 20, 1950 with Kirk Douglas in “Young Man With A Horn” (unknown if extras added). It started as a seasonal drive-in but later became an all-year drive-in following the closure of the Vista Theatre in 1960.
The Vista Theatre opened its doors on May 5, 1933 with Laurel and Hardy in “Pack Up Your Troubles” along with a few unknown short subjects (one of which is an unknown technicolor musical short as listed) featuring sound installations of Western Electric. It was operated by E.F. Bebermeyer of Warrenton who also operated most theaters across Centralia, and the Vista name was named after a Spanish term for view.
Iowana Sam Sosna opened his short-lived 350-seat Sosna Theatre on July 11, 1940 with Dick Powell in “Naughty But Nice” along with the Merrie Melody cartoon “Gold Rush Daze”, a “News Of The Day” newsreel, and a Dave Apollon scopitone. It was first managed by Burlington, Kansas resident Jim White.
Some information about the theater goes as follows: The original theater marquee did not last long, but here’s some hints on what it looks like in color. It is a rectangle shaped marquee featuring red marlite with black marlite base trimmed in chrome and a cream-colored bottom. Unfortunately that was replaced during the war with a V-shaped marquee. There was also attractive letter box on the marquee in metal with changeable silhouette letters. The display cases are in steel with fluorescent for illumination, and the box office is blended marlite fluorescent with two colored combinations of red and gray. The foyer is also in the colors of black, red, and gray colors and the walls are stiped horizontally in four blending shades starting at the floor with blue then light blue followed by peach and cream ceiling.
Inside the auditorium is the foyer being draped in a thick turquoise blue velour curtain that parts in the middle, and was the same material that was used in the seat upholstering as well as the front stage curtain. The walls are paneled in variegated fadeless colored nu-wood with a flat restful smoke blue wall paint in between. Direct soft shadings of fluorescent green and rose colored lights dimply direct the patrons to their seats. The ceiling is also paneled to correspond with the offset pilasters on the walls and is designed by multi-colored nu-wood in herring bone pattern bordered in stylite. Two white daylight fluorescent fixtures adorn the ceiling and are used as house lights. The capacity of 350 seats are almost 7in thick with 12 springs covered in a washable ivory leather with turquoise base and corded velour back with cream metal back plate. These light colored backs and seats are self directing towards the vacant seat. The aisles are completely carpeted and there are two offset aisles which led to the upper seats which gives access to the balcony. There are two side exits on Promenade Street as well as the four front doors making it possible to empty the house easily in case of an emergency. The auditorium is also equipped with both a hot air blower and a U.S. cooling air conditioner. In the fireproof projection booth features Super-Simplex projectors, and the sound installations were RCA High Fidelity sound.
The Sosna Theatre did make a close-call on ending its life after its projector was caught on fire on May 12, 1942. The theater continued operating shortly afterward but unfortunately I cannot find its closing date.
The husband-and-wife team of Mr. and Mrs. C.M. Bassmann opened the Hermo Theatre’s doors on January 26, 1935 with William Haines in “Young And Beautiful” along with the Happy Harmonies cartoon “The Discontented Canary” and the Vitaphone technicolor short “Show Kids”.
On May 31, 1961, the Hermo Theatre closed its doors for three months due to lack of management. With a surprising note, the Williams Theatres chain would later reopen the Hermo Theatre on September 8, 1961. The Hermo Theatre was renamed the Showboat Theatre in 1972 retaining its first-run policy.
The Showboat Theatre closed as a first-run movie house in the early-1980s, and reopened a short time later as a special events theater which also housed live performances and classic movies.
The Garden Theatre opened with Robert Young in “Paradise For Three” along with the Porky Pig Looney Tune “Porky’s Phoney Express”, an unknown comedy, and a Benny Meroff scopitone.
This replaced an earlier theater that was destroyed by a fire that left a 14-year-old projectionist dead after the projector exploded right in front of his face during World War II.
The Lin-Vu Drive-In opened its gates by the B&B chain on June 29, 1952 with an unknown technicolor movie. It was first managed by H.L. Summy, and was owned by both Frank Weary of Richmond and the one-and-only Elmer Bills of Salisbury.
Way before the one-and-only Elmer Bills took the theater over in 1924, the Lyric Theatre was originally owned by a man simply named Mr. Bell but was taken over by a lady simply named Ms. Sproul in September 1915 following a brief renovation closure.
The North Adams Center had two Kmarts throughout its history. The first Kmart there operated from November 22, 1981 until August 27, 1994 when it was relocated, and the second Kmart there operated from August 28, 1994 until June 2, 2002. Shortly after the second one opened in its current site, the first one was demolished to make way for a parking lot.
This theater was actually relocated from another Macon Cinema judging by aerial views and newspaper articles. Unfortunately there is not a lot of information I can find about the current location, but there is some info I can find about the original location.
The original Macon Cinema opened as a single-screener in 1987 as a $1 first-run house. It was first operated by B&B and the theater was owned by the husbands and wives of Mr. and Mrs. Sterling Bagby, Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Bills, and Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bagby. Macon resident Barbara Graham later joined as the manager of the theater in August 1988. The theater’s policy was updated to a $2 house in 1989.
The original Macon Cinema closed in the early-2000s when it was relocated to its current site and the theater in its current building opened its doors as a triplex around the same time.
The drive-in was still open in the 1980s, but was gone in the 1990s. However, despite the screen being removed by the mid-1990s, both the traces and the concession/projection booths were still standing.
As of 2023, the former projection booth is still standing, but many of its traces were gone.
During its final several years in operation, the 65 Drive-In had both a normal policy and an adult policy mixed in one. At first, the 65 Drive-In ran only some X-rated features on most weekdays only (Wednesdays to Saturdays), while first-run features ran on mainly Sundays to Tuesdays. A whole week of first-run features were also presented sometimes as well.
When 1983 rolled along, the management still managed to keep the same exact lineup for only half of the time, but for the other half had shifted days up a bit. When the 1983 season came, they primarily showed X-rated features on Mondays to Thursdays, while normal first-run features (sometimes second-run) were played on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Like I said above, they sometimes shift back-and-forth with both its previous and then-current lineup of movies.
Despite closing with a very short-lived all-X-rated policy lasting for a couple of weeks only, the 65 Drive-In’s last normal first-run feature is “Short Circuit” which ran its final showing on August 30, 1986.
It appears that the Sky-Hi closed in the late-1970s. A 1985 aerial view shows the current Lorax Trucking Services building at the same spot the concession stand/projection booths were, but the former screen next to it was still standing. Unfortunately, the screen was removed by the mid-1990s.
The Kinney Opera House opened in late-January 1894. It had several names throughout its earlier days. It was once known as the Kinney Theatre before briefly renaming it the New Theatre in 1917. It officially became the Majestic Theatre in 1918.
The Majestic Theatre was gutted in the Spring of 1940 and was quickly modernized to Al Hauetter of Kansas City, Missouri’s design. The theater reopened as the Time Theatre on September 4, 1940 with Melvin Douglas in “He Stayed For Breakfast” along with a newsreel and several shorts (one of which is the patriotic short “The Flag Speaks”).
The Time Theatre is still open in the late-1960s, although its closing date was not known yet at this time.
The Memphis Theatre opened on January 2, 1941 with Shirley Temple in “Young People” and Laurel and Hardy in “Saps At Sea” (unknown if extras added). It was first operated by Ms. Alice Johnson of Bonaparte, Iowa.
The Uptown Theatre opened its doors on August 29, 1936 with a one-day showing of Lionel Barrymore in “The Voice Of Bugle Ann” along with a special performance by the city’s high school band, comedian Edgar Jones appearing in-person, and special addresses by then-Mayor B.J. Thomas. Otherwise, no extra short subjects were added.
The Dickinson Theatre opened its doors on June 20, 1930 with William Powell in “The Benson Murder Case” along with Paramount News, Screen Song “The Prisoner’s Song”, and a short entitled “Home Edition” with sound installations by RCA Protophone.
It was renamed the Chief Theatre in mid-1936. The theater last had a capacity of 350 seats and closed in late-September 1939 following repairs, which literally became its final closing. During repair after World War II, the building was destroyed by a fire.
This started life as the Gem Theatre. It opened in August 1911 and was first operated by H.L. Pruett who was also an operator for the long-defunct Chicago & Alton Railroad (later known as simply Alton Railroad).
On December 6, 1921, Pruett ended up living inside the theater building for a time after a fire destroyed his house near the Allen Street Methodist Church. This was followed by him changing the theater’s name to the Pruett’s Theatre (not Puritt’s) in 1922.
Purett’s Theatre closed for the final time on May 4, 1933 when E.F. Bebermeyer opened up his Vista Theatre nearby.
The Bebe Drive-In, named after owner and Warrenton resident E.F. Bebermeyer, opened its gates on July 20, 1950 with Kirk Douglas in “Young Man With A Horn” (unknown if extras added). It started as a seasonal drive-in but later became an all-year drive-in following the closure of the Vista Theatre in 1960.
The Vista Theatre opened its doors on May 5, 1933 with Laurel and Hardy in “Pack Up Your Troubles” along with a few unknown short subjects (one of which is an unknown technicolor musical short as listed) featuring sound installations of Western Electric. It was operated by E.F. Bebermeyer of Warrenton who also operated most theaters across Centralia, and the Vista name was named after a Spanish term for view.
The Vista Theatre closed in 1960.
Iowana Sam Sosna opened his short-lived 350-seat Sosna Theatre on July 11, 1940 with Dick Powell in “Naughty But Nice” along with the Merrie Melody cartoon “Gold Rush Daze”, a “News Of The Day” newsreel, and a Dave Apollon scopitone. It was first managed by Burlington, Kansas resident Jim White.
Some information about the theater goes as follows: The original theater marquee did not last long, but here’s some hints on what it looks like in color. It is a rectangle shaped marquee featuring red marlite with black marlite base trimmed in chrome and a cream-colored bottom. Unfortunately that was replaced during the war with a V-shaped marquee. There was also attractive letter box on the marquee in metal with changeable silhouette letters. The display cases are in steel with fluorescent for illumination, and the box office is blended marlite fluorescent with two colored combinations of red and gray. The foyer is also in the colors of black, red, and gray colors and the walls are stiped horizontally in four blending shades starting at the floor with blue then light blue followed by peach and cream ceiling.
Inside the auditorium is the foyer being draped in a thick turquoise blue velour curtain that parts in the middle, and was the same material that was used in the seat upholstering as well as the front stage curtain. The walls are paneled in variegated fadeless colored nu-wood with a flat restful smoke blue wall paint in between. Direct soft shadings of fluorescent green and rose colored lights dimply direct the patrons to their seats. The ceiling is also paneled to correspond with the offset pilasters on the walls and is designed by multi-colored nu-wood in herring bone pattern bordered in stylite. Two white daylight fluorescent fixtures adorn the ceiling and are used as house lights. The capacity of 350 seats are almost 7in thick with 12 springs covered in a washable ivory leather with turquoise base and corded velour back with cream metal back plate. These light colored backs and seats are self directing towards the vacant seat. The aisles are completely carpeted and there are two offset aisles which led to the upper seats which gives access to the balcony. There are two side exits on Promenade Street as well as the four front doors making it possible to empty the house easily in case of an emergency. The auditorium is also equipped with both a hot air blower and a U.S. cooling air conditioner. In the fireproof projection booth features Super-Simplex projectors, and the sound installations were RCA High Fidelity sound.
The Sosna Theatre did make a close-call on ending its life after its projector was caught on fire on May 12, 1942. The theater continued operating shortly afterward but unfortunately I cannot find its closing date.
Opened on November 17, 1995.
The husband-and-wife team of Mr. and Mrs. C.M. Bassmann opened the Hermo Theatre’s doors on January 26, 1935 with William Haines in “Young And Beautiful” along with the Happy Harmonies cartoon “The Discontented Canary” and the Vitaphone technicolor short “Show Kids”.
On May 31, 1961, the Hermo Theatre closed its doors for three months due to lack of management. With a surprising note, the Williams Theatres chain would later reopen the Hermo Theatre on September 8, 1961. The Hermo Theatre was renamed the Showboat Theatre in 1972 retaining its first-run policy.
The Showboat Theatre closed as a first-run movie house in the early-1980s, and reopened a short time later as a special events theater which also housed live performances and classic movies.
The Warrenton 8 Cinemas opened in 2007 and was built on the site of a former trailer park.
The Garden Theatre opened with Robert Young in “Paradise For Three” along with the Porky Pig Looney Tune “Porky’s Phoney Express”, an unknown comedy, and a Benny Meroff scopitone.
This replaced an earlier theater that was destroyed by a fire that left a 14-year-old projectionist dead after the projector exploded right in front of his face during World War II.
The Airway was still in operation in the 1980s, but was gone by the 1990s.
The Lin-Vu Drive-In opened its gates by the B&B chain on June 29, 1952 with an unknown technicolor movie. It was first managed by H.L. Summy, and was owned by both Frank Weary of Richmond and the one-and-only Elmer Bills of Salisbury.
The theater closed in the late-1980s.
Way before the one-and-only Elmer Bills took the theater over in 1924, the Lyric Theatre was originally owned by a man simply named Mr. Bell but was taken over by a lady simply named Ms. Sproul in September 1915 following a brief renovation closure.
The former Kmart operated from July 23, 1981 until June 14, 1992.
The North Adams Center had two Kmarts throughout its history. The first Kmart there operated from November 22, 1981 until August 27, 1994 when it was relocated, and the second Kmart there operated from August 28, 1994 until June 2, 2002. Shortly after the second one opened in its current site, the first one was demolished to make way for a parking lot.
The Movieplex opened on January 27, 2007.
This theater was actually relocated from another Macon Cinema judging by aerial views and newspaper articles. Unfortunately there is not a lot of information I can find about the current location, but there is some info I can find about the original location.
The original Macon Cinema opened as a single-screener in 1987 as a $1 first-run house. It was first operated by B&B and the theater was owned by the husbands and wives of Mr. and Mrs. Sterling Bagby, Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Bills, and Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bagby. Macon resident Barbara Graham later joined as the manager of the theater in August 1988. The theater’s policy was updated to a $2 house in 1989.
The original Macon Cinema closed in the early-2000s when it was relocated to its current site and the theater in its current building opened its doors as a triplex around the same time.
Opened on November 11, 1911.
The drive-in was still open in the 1980s, but was gone in the 1990s. However, despite the screen being removed by the mid-1990s, both the traces and the concession/projection booths were still standing.
As of 2023, the former projection booth is still standing, but many of its traces were gone.
The Aurelia Community Theatre opened its doors on March 8, 1929 with Laura La Plante in “The Last Warning” (unknown if extras added).
During its final several years in operation, the 65 Drive-In had both a normal policy and an adult policy mixed in one. At first, the 65 Drive-In ran only some X-rated features on most weekdays only (Wednesdays to Saturdays), while first-run features ran on mainly Sundays to Tuesdays. A whole week of first-run features were also presented sometimes as well.
When 1983 rolled along, the management still managed to keep the same exact lineup for only half of the time, but for the other half had shifted days up a bit. When the 1983 season came, they primarily showed X-rated features on Mondays to Thursdays, while normal first-run features (sometimes second-run) were played on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Like I said above, they sometimes shift back-and-forth with both its previous and then-current lineup of movies.
Despite closing with a very short-lived all-X-rated policy lasting for a couple of weeks only, the 65 Drive-In’s last normal first-run feature is “Short Circuit” which ran its final showing on August 30, 1986.
The Grand Theater closed for the final time on December 1, 1997 with “Men In Black” in Screen 1 and “Most Wanted” in Screen 2.
It appears that the Sky-Hi closed in the late-1970s. A 1985 aerial view shows the current Lorax Trucking Services building at the same spot the concession stand/projection booths were, but the former screen next to it was still standing. Unfortunately, the screen was removed by the mid-1990s.