In 1912 the Clark Theatre was one of five neighborhood houses in Chicago owned and operated by by F. H. And E. A. Franke. The September 7 issue of Moving Picture World said that the pair had just bought the Bell Theatre on Armitage Avenue and also owned the California Theatre on 26th Street. They had just closed a contract to erect a new, 300-seat movie house on Grand and Monticello Avenues, slated to open around November 1. I’ve been unable to discover if that project was completed, but the nearest house we have listed to that location is the New Rex, opened in 1913 as the Lawndale Theatre.
and E. A. Franke’s California Theatre was mentioned in the September 7, 1912 issue of Moving Picture World, which noted that the house had recently been redecorated and was thriving.
This item from the September 7, 1912 issue of Moving Picture World mentions the Bell Theatre and its new owners:
“F. H. and E. A. Franke, took over the Bell Theater, Armitage and Albany Avenues, this city, August 1. The Bell seats 530 people. This is the fifth vaudeville house which the Messrs. Franke have turned into successful straight picture houses. They have no doubt that the Bell will be a winner in a short time, like the four others. All the houses now controlled by them were considered ‘lemons’ at the time they purchased them. The California, one of their houses, has just been redecorated and business is excellent. The Clark, another of their houses, is also doing fine business. These enterprising proprietors and managers have just closed a contract for the erection of a new picture theater on Grand and Monticello Avenues. The new house will seat 300 people, and will be completed about November 1st. It will be one of the best appointed of its size in Chicago.”
This item from the September 7, 1912 issue of Moving Picture World notes a new owner for the Starland Theatre, but the new owner’s timing would prove to have been quite unfortunate:
“Announcement that the Globe Amusement Company has acquired another motion picture theater, making six in all, was made this week. The new house is the Starland Theater, located on the $1,000,000 Frazer pier at Ocean Park. It is one of the finest motion picture houses in California. J. M. Boland, former owner of the house, is to be retained as resident manager. The Globe Amusement Company is planning to build or acquire and to operate, 15 houses in and around Los Angeles. No. 1 is at Fifth and Los Angeles Streets, No. 2 at Central Avenue and Jefferson Street, No. 3 at Sunset Boulevard and Echo Park road, No. 4 at 18th and Main Streets and No. 5 at Sixth and Palos Verdes Street. All except the last named, which is in San Pedro, are in Los Angeles proper.”
The item was somewhat belated, as the site of the Starland Theatre, Fraser’s Million Dollar Pier, which had officially opened on the weekend of June 17, 1911, was destroyed by a fire on September 3, 1912, four days before the article was published. The adjacent business area of five square blocks was also consumed by the flames.
Here is an item about the Mozart Theatre from the September 7, 1912 issue of Moving Picture World:
“The new Mozart Theater, owned by Mrs. Anna Mozart and operated entirely by women, is turning out better than anyone expected. Although the theater is located on the outskirts of the shopping district and on a by-street the house has enjoyed excellent business ever since it opened its doors. The policy is to provide good music and good pictures and it has been living up to this policy. The first week the feature was ‘St. George and the Dragon.’ Last week ‘The Crusaders’ was the principal subject. This week ‘The Raven’ is the bill, and ‘Robin Hood’ is scheduled for next week. In addition to the feature two or three other reels—educational, travel, scenic or industrial—are run each week.”
Now we’ve got three versions of the architect’s name, two of which must be wrong. Our page for the Enzor has it as Edward Okel, which I’m sure is right. Googling Edward Oakley brings up mostly references to an early 19th Century British architect, and Edward Olek doesn’t bring up any architects at all. Googling Edward Okel brings quite a few period references from reliable sources. Okel designed at least two other houses for Jake Wells' Bijou Amusement Co., in Atlanta and Mobile, in 1908, so it’s not surprising that he’d have designed the Knoxville house too.
Boxoffice of August 28, 1948 said that the Mills Theatre had served as Tama’s movie house since the destruction of the Iuka Theatre by a fire in December, 1944.
Multiple sources indicate that Soleman’s Opera House was opened in the early 1880s by Henry Soleman, the town’s first druggist. He managed the theater for over 25 years. The house was listed in earl 20th century Cahn guides as a 500-seat ground floor theater.
The Mills Theatre was operating as a movie house by 1925, when the September 12 issue of Exhibitors Trade Review noted that two theater operators from Osceola had recently “…purchased two movie houses at Tama, Iowa, the Ideal [sic] Hour and the Mills.”
The Idle Hour was the only theater listed at Tama in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory.
The Idle Hour was the only theater listed at Tama in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory. The December 27, 1913 issue of Moving Picture World mentioned a house in Tama called the Star Theatre which had opened the previous April, so the Idle Hour had competition at that time. An item in the February 1, 1910 issue of The Nickelodeon said that a John Hedrick planned to open a moving picture theater at Tama. That could have been the origin of the Idle Hour.
The Iuka Theatre was destroyed by a fire in December, 1944. Boxoffice of August 28, 1948 reported that the ruins of the building had not yet been removed. Movies had been shown at the Mills Theatre since the fire.
In the 1920s and into the early 1930s Bolivar had a theater called the Opera House. After vanishing in the later 1930s and early 140s, the Opera House reappeared, last being listed in the 1946 FDY, with 350 seats. The Carol Theatre first appears in the 1947 edition.
The photo of the theater building shows a streamline/deco front with brickwork and glass blocks characteristic of the 1930s. If the place was not opened until 1947, that design was remarkably retardataire. It might be that the building originally housed some other business and was converted into a theater in the 1940s.
A web site chronicling long run movie engagements in the US lists a five week run of the original “Star Wars” at the Carroll [sic] Theatre in Bolivar beginning on August 24, 1977.
The July 7, 1923 issue of Moving Picture World had this news about the Cameo Theatre:
“The rebuilding and enlarging of the old Frolic Theatre on Market street, San Francisco, will be commenced at an early date and plans have been made for reopening the house on August 15. It will be known as the Cameo Theatre in its new form and will be virtually a new house.”
An item in the August 18th issue of the same journal suggests that the project might have been behind schedule, saying that “William Clutts, general manager of theatres for Universal, is in San Francisco supervising construction work on the new Cameo Theatre.”
Jim_C: I think the information got lost from the description at some point, as we’ve known for many years (since 2004, in fact) that the Arrow Theater dated to the 1920s. The notice that construction contracts had been let was published in October, 1924. The 1940 date is for a reopening under the new name Azteca Theatre. I don’t think we’ve ever discovered the original opening date, but it must have been either late 1924 or early 1925. The Arrow’s first appearance in the city directory was in the 1926 edition, so early 1925 is the most likely opening.
The Delta Theatre was taken over by Hal J. Lyon in 1946, according to an article about Lyon in the December 3, 1955 issue of Boxoffice. Lyon took over the Elco Theatre at the same time, bringing his circuit, based in Franklin, Virginia, to six houses.
The Elco Theatre was taken over by Hal J. Lyon in 1946, according to an article about Lyon in the December 3, 1955 issue of Boxoffice. Lyon took over the Delta Theatre at the same time, bringing his circuit, based in Franklin, Virginia, to six houses.
Motion Picture Daily of January 19, 1945 reported that the Pix Theatre Company had opened its new High Theatre in Portsmouth, Virginia, giving the small circuit six houses. Two more were planned.
An article about theater owner Hal J. Lyon in the December 3, 1955 issue of <em<Boxoffice said that he opened the Lyon Theatre in Waverly on August 9, 1940. It was the fourth house in his small circuit, which began with the Franklin Theatre in Franklin, which he took over in 1929. It expanded with the Boykins Theatre at Boykins in 1935 and Lyon’s State Theatre at Franklin in 1937.
An article about Hal J. Lyon in the December 3, 1955 issue of Boxoffice said that he opened the Boykins Theatre on November 10, 1935. It was his second theater, the first having been the Franklin Theatre in Franklin, which he took over in 1929.
An article about Hal J. Lyon in the December 3, 1955 issue of Boxoffice said that he had taken over operation of the Franklin Theatre under a lease in 1929, and later bought the house outright. He opened the Lyon’s State Theatre in 1937, after which the Franklin operated only intermittently, though Lyon still owned the house in 1964, as was noted in an issue of Boxoffice that year.
Hal J. Lyon had his Lyon’s State Theatre remodeled in 1964. An article about the project appearing in the December 26 issue of The Tidewater News said that the house had been built in 1937. Lyon was interviewed for the article, and said that the auditorium would be reseated with rows 42 inches apart, increased from 30 inches, so that total seating capacity would be reduced from 500 to 300. Lyon had been in the theater business at Franklin for 35 years. He also owned the Franklin Theatre, though it was closed at the time, as well as the Carrsville Drive-In and theaters in Boykins and Waverly.
Lyon was mentioned in the April 3, 1948 issue of Boxoffice (though that article gave his name as both Lyon and Lyons.) At that time he was operating six theaters: the State and Franklin in Franklin, the Boykins in Boykins, the Lyon’s in Waverly, and the Delta and Elco in Portsmouth.
The 1916 opening date is a bit late. The Grace Opera House is listed in the 1913-1914 Cahn Guide. Page 17 of the book I linked to in my previous comment has a photo of Main Street dated “around 1913” and showing the Opera House already there.
Photos of Bert Orr, owner of the Grace Opera House, and of the original building itself when it was nearing completion, can be seen on page 213 of a local history published by the Grace Literary Club in 1977.
In 1912 the Clark Theatre was one of five neighborhood houses in Chicago owned and operated by by F. H. And E. A. Franke. The September 7 issue of Moving Picture World said that the pair had just bought the Bell Theatre on Armitage Avenue and also owned the California Theatre on 26th Street. They had just closed a contract to erect a new, 300-seat movie house on Grand and Monticello Avenues, slated to open around November 1. I’ve been unable to discover if that project was completed, but the nearest house we have listed to that location is the New Rex, opened in 1913 as the Lawndale Theatre.
I don’t know why my previous comment isn’t rendering properly, but the names of the California’s owners in 1912 were F. H. and E. A. Franke.
This item from the September 7, 1912 issue of Moving Picture World mentions the Bell Theatre and its new owners:
This item from the September 7, 1912 issue of Moving Picture World notes a new owner for the Starland Theatre, but the new owner’s timing would prove to have been quite unfortunate:
The item was somewhat belated, as the site of the Starland Theatre, Fraser’s Million Dollar Pier, which had officially opened on the weekend of June 17, 1911, was destroyed by a fire on September 3, 1912, four days before the article was published. The adjacent business area of five square blocks was also consumed by the flames.Here is an item about the Mozart Theatre from the September 7, 1912 issue of Moving Picture World:
Now we’ve got three versions of the architect’s name, two of which must be wrong. Our page for the Enzor has it as Edward Okel, which I’m sure is right. Googling Edward Oakley brings up mostly references to an early 19th Century British architect, and Edward Olek doesn’t bring up any architects at all. Googling Edward Okel brings quite a few period references from reliable sources. Okel designed at least two other houses for Jake Wells' Bijou Amusement Co., in Atlanta and Mobile, in 1908, so it’s not surprising that he’d have designed the Knoxville house too.
Boxoffice of August 28, 1948 said that the Mills Theatre had served as Tama’s movie house since the destruction of the Iuka Theatre by a fire in December, 1944.
Multiple sources indicate that Soleman’s Opera House was opened in the early 1880s by Henry Soleman, the town’s first druggist. He managed the theater for over 25 years. The house was listed in earl 20th century Cahn guides as a 500-seat ground floor theater.
The Mills Theatre was operating as a movie house by 1925, when the September 12 issue of Exhibitors Trade Review noted that two theater operators from Osceola had recently “…purchased two movie houses at Tama, Iowa, the Ideal [sic] Hour and the Mills.”
The Idle Hour was the only theater listed at Tama in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory.
The Idle Hour was the only theater listed at Tama in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory. The December 27, 1913 issue of Moving Picture World mentioned a house in Tama called the Star Theatre which had opened the previous April, so the Idle Hour had competition at that time. An item in the February 1, 1910 issue of The Nickelodeon said that a John Hedrick planned to open a moving picture theater at Tama. That could have been the origin of the Idle Hour.
The Iuka Theatre was destroyed by a fire in December, 1944. Boxoffice of August 28, 1948 reported that the ruins of the building had not yet been removed. Movies had been shown at the Mills Theatre since the fire.
In the 1920s and into the early 1930s Bolivar had a theater called the Opera House. After vanishing in the later 1930s and early 140s, the Opera House reappeared, last being listed in the 1946 FDY, with 350 seats. The Carol Theatre first appears in the 1947 edition.
The photo of the theater building shows a streamline/deco front with brickwork and glass blocks characteristic of the 1930s. If the place was not opened until 1947, that design was remarkably retardataire. It might be that the building originally housed some other business and was converted into a theater in the 1940s.
A web site chronicling long run movie engagements in the US lists a five week run of the original “Star Wars” at the Carroll [sic] Theatre in Bolivar beginning on August 24, 1977.
The July 7, 1923 issue of Moving Picture World had this news about the Cameo Theatre:
An item in the August 18th issue of the same journal suggests that the project might have been behind schedule, saying that “William Clutts, general manager of theatres for Universal, is in San Francisco supervising construction work on the new Cameo Theatre.”Jim_C: I think the information got lost from the description at some point, as we’ve known for many years (since 2004, in fact) that the Arrow Theater dated to the 1920s. The notice that construction contracts had been let was published in October, 1924. The 1940 date is for a reopening under the new name Azteca Theatre. I don’t think we’ve ever discovered the original opening date, but it must have been either late 1924 or early 1925. The Arrow’s first appearance in the city directory was in the 1926 edition, so early 1925 is the most likely opening.
The Delta Theatre was taken over by Hal J. Lyon in 1946, according to an article about Lyon in the December 3, 1955 issue of Boxoffice. Lyon took over the Elco Theatre at the same time, bringing his circuit, based in Franklin, Virginia, to six houses.
The Elco Theatre was taken over by Hal J. Lyon in 1946, according to an article about Lyon in the December 3, 1955 issue of Boxoffice. Lyon took over the Delta Theatre at the same time, bringing his circuit, based in Franklin, Virginia, to six houses.
Motion Picture Daily of January 19, 1945 reported that the Pix Theatre Company had opened its new High Theatre in Portsmouth, Virginia, giving the small circuit six houses. Two more were planned.
An article about theater owner Hal J. Lyon in the December 3, 1955 issue of <em<Boxoffice said that he opened the Lyon Theatre in Waverly on August 9, 1940. It was the fourth house in his small circuit, which began with the Franklin Theatre in Franklin, which he took over in 1929. It expanded with the Boykins Theatre at Boykins in 1935 and Lyon’s State Theatre at Franklin in 1937.
An article about Hal J. Lyon in the December 3, 1955 issue of Boxoffice said that he opened the Boykins Theatre on November 10, 1935. It was his second theater, the first having been the Franklin Theatre in Franklin, which he took over in 1929.
An article about Hal J. Lyon in the December 3, 1955 issue of Boxoffice said that he had taken over operation of the Franklin Theatre under a lease in 1929, and later bought the house outright. He opened the Lyon’s State Theatre in 1937, after which the Franklin operated only intermittently, though Lyon still owned the house in 1964, as was noted in an issue of Boxoffice that year.
Hal J. Lyon had his Lyon’s State Theatre remodeled in 1964. An article about the project appearing in the December 26 issue of The Tidewater News said that the house had been built in 1937. Lyon was interviewed for the article, and said that the auditorium would be reseated with rows 42 inches apart, increased from 30 inches, so that total seating capacity would be reduced from 500 to 300. Lyon had been in the theater business at Franklin for 35 years. He also owned the Franklin Theatre, though it was closed at the time, as well as the Carrsville Drive-In and theaters in Boykins and Waverly.
Lyon was mentioned in the April 3, 1948 issue of Boxoffice (though that article gave his name as both Lyon and Lyons.) At that time he was operating six theaters: the State and Franklin in Franklin, the Boykins in Boykins, the Lyon’s in Waverly, and the Delta and Elco in Portsmouth.
The 1916 opening date is a bit late. The Grace Opera House is listed in the 1913-1914 Cahn Guide. Page 17 of the book I linked to in my previous comment has a photo of Main Street dated “around 1913” and showing the Opera House already there.
Photos of Bert Orr, owner of the Grace Opera House, and of the original building itself when it was nearing completion, can be seen on page 213 of a local history published by the Grace Literary Club in 1977.
The 1914-1915American Motion Picture Directory lists a house called the Royal Theatre at 14th and Clay Street. Could be the same place.
The Dreamland Theatre at Dubuque is mentioned in the May 24, 1913 issue of Moving Picture World.
There was an earlier Princess Theatre in Dubuque, located on Court Street, which was mentioned in the May 29, 1909 issue of Moving Picture World.