Eric I & II
4400 Derry Street,
Harrisburg,
PA
17111
4400 Derry Street,
Harrisburg,
PA
17111
1 person
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Showing 26 - 29 of 29 comments
Dennis…..The Eric twin closed sometime 2003 or 2004. United Artist operated it right up till it closed. Somewhere between when Shapiro had it and United Artist had it Creative Entertainment operated it. Do you remember Creative Entertainment? Creative Entertainment was building an 8 screen complex on the other side of the river in the Mechanicsburg area when it went belly up. AMC finished the project and it became the Amc Hampden 8. If I ever wanted to be by myself and watch a movie in quiet I went to the Eric I&II.
This theatre opened in the early 1960’s as a single screen location. It had the capability of 70mm projection. In fact, if memory serves me right, the opening attraction was a 70mm reserved seat engagement of “Lawrence of Arabia.” This was a strange theatre. The auditorium reminded you of an airplane hanger or a gymnasium. It had a rounded roof like an airplane hanger and the interior had exposed steel beams and roof which were painted blue with “white clouds” painted on the ceiling. The curtains and side wall curtains were yellow. There was a “loge” section on either side of the auditorium and for the reserved seat attractions, tickets were priced higher for those seats. “Sound of Music” played in 70mm reserved seat here for over a year. I believe it opened in 1966. Sometime years later it was twinned. I am pretty sure it sat empty for a number of years before being demolished. Do not even remember whether this theatre was still in operation when the Shapiro family sold out to United Artists, which was in 1998 or 1999 I believe.
Yep, the Shapiro family. Sold out to United Artists a while ago.
This sounds like the same group that ran the theaters in Philly when I lived there. Sam Eric and all those. Can anyone confirm?