The Family Outdoor Theatre opened its gates on September 24, 1948 with John Wayne in “Tycoon” along with an unnamed Disney cartoon. The theater changed its name to the Family Drive-In by 1955, and later the Grayslake Outdoor Theatre by 1960.
After almost 50 years of operation, the Grayslake Outdoor Theatre closed for the final time on September 6, 1998 with “Saving Private Ryan” and “Blade”.
This Liberty Theatre is the second theater with the “Liberty Theatre” name to operate in Libertyville. There’s an earlier Liberty Theatre in Libertyville which operated from 1915 until 1923 beforehand.
The LaVilla Theatre first opened its doors as the Auditorium Theatre on August 13, 1921 with Tom Moore in “Hold Your Horses” along with a two-reel mermaid comedy “A Fresh Start”. The theater opened on Red-Letter Day.
The Auditorium Theatre became the LaVilla Theatre in June 1929, and a couple of weeks after its name change, the then-manager of the LaVilla Theatre, Nathan Slepyan, announced the installation of both Vitaphone and Mastertone sound systems in July 1929. The sound was purchased from Richard Budd, the engineer of the Milwaukee-based Sound Reproducing Corporation.
Information about the installation and details on the LaVilla Theatre as of 1929 goes as follows: In the projection booth features non-synchronized projection, but in the rear of the LaVilla contains a double-channel amplification system that was installed during talkie-transition and in connection of its sound installment. Each of its projectors is attached a turntable but it supports a large disc record as well which comes with each reel of film. As the film feeds through the machine, tones are reproduced from the record carried by wire to the 400-seat capacity auditorium and resonated through two dynamic speakers set in six-foot squared baffleboards being located on each side of the screen. Its first talkie attraction was Dolores Costello in “The Glad Rag Doll” with no sign of selected short subjects on July 17, 1929.
The LaVilla’s flashing neon marquee is 22½ feet in length and 3½ feet wide, but during the talkies installation, it was extended 10 feet above the roof and the top of the sign has an installation of a large sunburst with each side containing 200 orange/amber bulbs. A double row of bulbs on either side of the sign contains a running green border, and the word “Talkie” in flashing orange/opel neon was also installed at the bottom of the sign.
A few years right after talkies were installed, special events were also held at the LaVilla Theatre sometimes but it was still a main movie house.
While the new Liberty Theatre (the second theater with the “Liberty Theatre” name in Libertyville) was still under construction in early 1937, the then-manager of the LaVilla, simply named Mr. Mikesell, cannot make up his mind on who should be owner of the “new” Liberty. He has five operators to choose left but ended up choosing Robert Coller as the manager of the Liberty.
The opening of the “New” Liberty Theatre forced the LaVilla Theatre to close for the final time on August 26, 1937 after 16 years and 13 days of operation.
The Opera House became the Strand Theatre as early as 1921. After the Strand was damaged by a fire on September 23, 1933, it was rebuilt and reopened on December 12, 1934 with John Boles in “Music In The Air” and Ben Blue in “Out Of Order” along with a Big V comedy and a Fox Movietone Newsreel.
On June 10, 1966, the Strand Theatre almost suffered another fire after a small blaze occur near the adjacent to the Strand.
On October 28, 1967, the Strand Theatre closed for a couple of days due to a new screen installation. The Strand Theatre changed its name to the Berwick Theatre when it reopened on November 1, 1967.
Opened on December 28, 1961 with Jerry Lewis in “The Errand Boy” (with no extra short subjects only on grand opening day. A one-hour cartoon marathon was added on the day after grand opening).
The Parsons closed for the final time on December 18, 1986, and its final attractions by screen order are “Three Amigos” at Screen 1, “Star Trek IV” at Screen 2, “Song Of The South” at Screen 3 and “An American Tail” at Screen 4. It was last known as the “Parsons Quad” and was last operated by Epstein. After closure, the New York Daily News continued listing the theater as “closed” until the first day of 1987.
The Studio Theatre opened its doors on September 29, 1933 with Ronald Colman in “The Masquerader” along with Ethel Waters in “Rufus Jones for President”, a sportlight in “Who Said Weaker Box”, an unnamed Krazy Kat cartoon, and a Universal International Newsreel.
The Plaza West Cinemas opened its doors by TOI Theatres on May 4, 1984 with “Romancing The Stone” at Screen 1 and “Sixteen Candles” at Screen 2. The theater’s building was constructed by the Kinlani Builders Incorporation of Flagstaff.
The actual opening date is June 27, 1980 with Walt Disney’s “Herbie Goes Bananas” and the reissue of “Bedknobs And Broomsticks”. Prior to its grand opening, it had a VIP night a day prior.
The Durant Twin Cinema was the first theater to operate in Durant and all of Bryan County since the closure of the Plaza Theatre in January 1991.
The Briarwood Shopping Center opened theater-less in March 1972, some of which include a Corner Drug store and a Mitchell’s Department Store just to name a few. At the time, Durant slowly gave growth in the city.
Jerry and Ann Wann of Durant, after opening their then-new (now-defunct) Durant Bowling Center in 1993 with 12 lanes before expanding to 20 lanes a short time later at the Briarwood Shopping Center, had plans to build a theater in Durant since Durant was left without a theater after the closure of the Plaza.
The original equipment at the Durant Twin includes the installations of two Marble 7000 Stereo Sound Systems and two Simplex JL projectors. As information as I can find as a twin when it opened on July 1, 1994, Screen #1 has an original capacity of 220 seats while Screen #2’s original capacity is unrecognizable.
Now this section is where confusion comes to mind. In 1995, the Durant Twin Cinema became the “Durant 4 Cinema” after both auditoriums split. But what’s completely shocking about it is that they kept the original twin name on the sign and on newspapers, and people all across Durant went completely confused on the name of the theater.
The Durant 4 Cinema closed for the final time in December 2011, yet again leaving Durant without a movie theater for three-and-a-half years until the launch of the 6-screen District Cinema in September 2015.
Yes Kenmore, and Dallas is wrong actually. The Sky Vu was still in operation into the 1980s along with the Ship. However during its last few years of operation, the Ship Drive-In is the only “appropriate fare” drive-in in Durant, as both the Plaza Theatre and the Ship Drive-In screened first-run films. The Sky Vu however in the other hand screened adult films during its last few years of operation.
Both the Ship and the Sky Vu closed for the final time in August 1985 within a week apart. The Ship closed on August 4, 1985, and the Sky Vu closed on August 11, 1985.
After the closures of both theaters, the Plaza Theatre became the only movie house in town until January 1991.
Actually, you’re wrong. The Ship Drive-In continued sailing through into the 1980s until the Ship Drive-In ceased operations on August 4, 1985 with Chevy Chase in “Fletch”.
After the Ship Drive-In’s closure, the Plaza Theatre became the only first-run movie house in Durant and all of Bryan County until closing for the final time in January 1991.
In its later years, the Plaza Theatre went through some ups-and-downs.
The Plaza Theatre became the only first-run movie house in Durant after the other first-run theater in Durant, the Ship Drive-In, closed its gates for the final time on August 4, 1985.
In April 1986, the Plaza Theatre closed its doors for only a single year due to extensive remodeling and new installations, leaving Durant and Bryan County without a theater for the first time since 1910.
Surprisingly, this only lasted for a year until former Ardmore Tivoli Theatre operator Glen Smith reopened Durant’s Plaza Theatre on April 24, 1987 with “Firewalker” as a 3-day test run, before the Plaza held its grand reopening on May 1, 1987 with “Crocodile Dundee”, which went under the name “New Plaza Theatre”. Smith said that the “New” Plaza will only open initially on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays instead of the usual seven-days-a-week, with a dollar per ticket. Smith only operated the theater for a short time before Thelma Pearl Scribner took over the theater a short time later.
There were major changes compared to the original and the 1987 remodel. The capacity in the remodel was downgraded from the original 721 seats to just 271 seats in the 1987 remodel, due to Smith wanting people to have more leg room. The remodel received new carpets and a new projection and the walls and drapes were carefully restored.
Since then, the theater went into a string of robberies but nothing too severe. Only a couple goes as follows: On the evening of June 6, 1987, a person broke into the theater and stole $430 in cash without damaging the property, and after closing for the night on September 25, 1988, Thelma told Durant Police one week later that a microwave, a light-up CocaCola wall clock, $50 of both money and candies, and a dark yellow Trimline telephone were all stolen. A north door on the west side of the theater was discovered wide-open and the total estimate of missing items was $300 in total.
New management took over the Plaza Theatre in September 1990 after a short closure. One month later on October 7, 1990, damage was reported after a group of poor spelling vandals vandalized on the walls and caused other damage, estimating $500 in property damage. According to owners, the screen was ripped and misspelled obscenities were painted on both the walls and the popcorn machine at the concession stand. The suspects got away by going on the roof through a door and making their way down. Before leaving, they took assorted candy from the lobby with a value of $150. It was repaired and reopened but unfortunately it didn’t do well in business.
The Plaza Theatre closed its doors for the final time as a movie house on January 6, 1991 with “Rocky V” (However, the Plaza continued operating as a special events house until the 2000s). This left Durant without a movie theater for the next three years until the launch of the Durant Twin Cinema (later the Durant 4 Cinemas) in July 1994.
Grand Opening ad posted.
The Family Outdoor Theatre opened its gates on September 24, 1948 with John Wayne in “Tycoon” along with an unnamed Disney cartoon. The theater changed its name to the Family Drive-In by 1955, and later the Grayslake Outdoor Theatre by 1960.
After almost 50 years of operation, the Grayslake Outdoor Theatre closed for the final time on September 6, 1998 with “Saving Private Ryan” and “Blade”.
This Liberty Theatre is the second theater with the “Liberty Theatre” name to operate in Libertyville. There’s an earlier Liberty Theatre in Libertyville which operated from 1915 until 1923 beforehand.
The LaVilla Theatre first opened its doors as the Auditorium Theatre on August 13, 1921 with Tom Moore in “Hold Your Horses” along with a two-reel mermaid comedy “A Fresh Start”. The theater opened on Red-Letter Day.
The Auditorium Theatre became the LaVilla Theatre in June 1929, and a couple of weeks after its name change, the then-manager of the LaVilla Theatre, Nathan Slepyan, announced the installation of both Vitaphone and Mastertone sound systems in July 1929. The sound was purchased from Richard Budd, the engineer of the Milwaukee-based Sound Reproducing Corporation.
Information about the installation and details on the LaVilla Theatre as of 1929 goes as follows: In the projection booth features non-synchronized projection, but in the rear of the LaVilla contains a double-channel amplification system that was installed during talkie-transition and in connection of its sound installment. Each of its projectors is attached a turntable but it supports a large disc record as well which comes with each reel of film. As the film feeds through the machine, tones are reproduced from the record carried by wire to the 400-seat capacity auditorium and resonated through two dynamic speakers set in six-foot squared baffleboards being located on each side of the screen. Its first talkie attraction was Dolores Costello in “The Glad Rag Doll” with no sign of selected short subjects on July 17, 1929.
The LaVilla’s flashing neon marquee is 22½ feet in length and 3½ feet wide, but during the talkies installation, it was extended 10 feet above the roof and the top of the sign has an installation of a large sunburst with each side containing 200 orange/amber bulbs. A double row of bulbs on either side of the sign contains a running green border, and the word “Talkie” in flashing orange/opel neon was also installed at the bottom of the sign.
A few years right after talkies were installed, special events were also held at the LaVilla Theatre sometimes but it was still a main movie house.
While the new Liberty Theatre (the second theater with the “Liberty Theatre” name in Libertyville) was still under construction in early 1937, the then-manager of the LaVilla, simply named Mr. Mikesell, cannot make up his mind on who should be owner of the “new” Liberty. He has five operators to choose left but ended up choosing Robert Coller as the manager of the Liberty.
The opening of the “New” Liberty Theatre forced the LaVilla Theatre to close for the final time on August 26, 1937 after 16 years and 13 days of operation.
On April 8, 2023, two people were taken into custody after shots were fired inside the ICON right after a fight.
The Opera House became the Strand Theatre as early as 1921. After the Strand was damaged by a fire on September 23, 1933, it was rebuilt and reopened on December 12, 1934 with John Boles in “Music In The Air” and Ben Blue in “Out Of Order” along with a Big V comedy and a Fox Movietone Newsreel.
On June 10, 1966, the Strand Theatre almost suffered another fire after a small blaze occur near the adjacent to the Strand.
On October 28, 1967, the Strand Theatre closed for a couple of days due to a new screen installation. The Strand Theatre changed its name to the Berwick Theatre when it reopened on November 1, 1967.
Opened on December 28, 1961 with Jerry Lewis in “The Errand Boy” (with no extra short subjects only on grand opening day. A one-hour cartoon marathon was added on the day after grand opening).
Completely demolished in the early-1960s.
Still in operation in 1977, but was gone by 1983.
Last operated by United Artists and closed on October 4, 1983 with “The Lonely Lady”.
The Parsons closed for the final time on December 18, 1986, and its final attractions by screen order are “Three Amigos” at Screen 1, “Star Trek IV” at Screen 2, “Song Of The South” at Screen 3 and “An American Tail” at Screen 4. It was last known as the “Parsons Quad” and was last operated by Epstein. After closure, the New York Daily News continued listing the theater as “closed” until the first day of 1987.
Opened in Spring 1985.
That’s what I thought too. Thanks for the update!
The Studio Theatre opened its doors on September 29, 1933 with Ronald Colman in “The Masquerader” along with Ethel Waters in “Rufus Jones for President”, a sportlight in “Who Said Weaker Box”, an unnamed Krazy Kat cartoon, and a Universal International Newsreel.
Opened in Spring 1973.
Grand Opening ad posted.
Taken over by Wehrenberg Theatres in early 1986.
Taken over by Wehrenberg Theatres in early 1986.
The Plaza West Cinemas opened its doors by TOI Theatres on May 4, 1984 with “Romancing The Stone” at Screen 1 and “Sixteen Candles” at Screen 2. The theater’s building was constructed by the Kinlani Builders Incorporation of Flagstaff.
Actually, movies continue to run at the Elk’s Opera House until 1982.
The actual opening date is June 27, 1980 with Walt Disney’s “Herbie Goes Bananas” and the reissue of “Bedknobs And Broomsticks”. Prior to its grand opening, it had a VIP night a day prior.
The Durant Twin Cinema was the first theater to operate in Durant and all of Bryan County since the closure of the Plaza Theatre in January 1991.
The Briarwood Shopping Center opened theater-less in March 1972, some of which include a Corner Drug store and a Mitchell’s Department Store just to name a few. At the time, Durant slowly gave growth in the city.
Jerry and Ann Wann of Durant, after opening their then-new (now-defunct) Durant Bowling Center in 1993 with 12 lanes before expanding to 20 lanes a short time later at the Briarwood Shopping Center, had plans to build a theater in Durant since Durant was left without a theater after the closure of the Plaza.
The original equipment at the Durant Twin includes the installations of two Marble 7000 Stereo Sound Systems and two Simplex JL projectors. As information as I can find as a twin when it opened on July 1, 1994, Screen #1 has an original capacity of 220 seats while Screen #2’s original capacity is unrecognizable.
Now this section is where confusion comes to mind. In 1995, the Durant Twin Cinema became the “Durant 4 Cinema” after both auditoriums split. But what’s completely shocking about it is that they kept the original twin name on the sign and on newspapers, and people all across Durant went completely confused on the name of the theater.
The Durant 4 Cinema closed for the final time in December 2011, yet again leaving Durant without a movie theater for three-and-a-half years until the launch of the 6-screen District Cinema in September 2015.
Yes Kenmore, and Dallas is wrong actually. The Sky Vu was still in operation into the 1980s along with the Ship. However during its last few years of operation, the Ship Drive-In is the only “appropriate fare” drive-in in Durant, as both the Plaza Theatre and the Ship Drive-In screened first-run films. The Sky Vu however in the other hand screened adult films during its last few years of operation.
Both the Ship and the Sky Vu closed for the final time in August 1985 within a week apart. The Ship closed on August 4, 1985, and the Sky Vu closed on August 11, 1985.
After the closures of both theaters, the Plaza Theatre became the only movie house in town until January 1991.
Actually, you’re wrong. The Ship Drive-In continued sailing through into the 1980s until the Ship Drive-In ceased operations on August 4, 1985 with Chevy Chase in “Fletch”.
After the Ship Drive-In’s closure, the Plaza Theatre became the only first-run movie house in Durant and all of Bryan County until closing for the final time in January 1991.
In its later years, the Plaza Theatre went through some ups-and-downs.
The Plaza Theatre became the only first-run movie house in Durant after the other first-run theater in Durant, the Ship Drive-In, closed its gates for the final time on August 4, 1985.
In April 1986, the Plaza Theatre closed its doors for only a single year due to extensive remodeling and new installations, leaving Durant and Bryan County without a theater for the first time since 1910.
Surprisingly, this only lasted for a year until former Ardmore Tivoli Theatre operator Glen Smith reopened Durant’s Plaza Theatre on April 24, 1987 with “Firewalker” as a 3-day test run, before the Plaza held its grand reopening on May 1, 1987 with “Crocodile Dundee”, which went under the name “New Plaza Theatre”. Smith said that the “New” Plaza will only open initially on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays instead of the usual seven-days-a-week, with a dollar per ticket. Smith only operated the theater for a short time before Thelma Pearl Scribner took over the theater a short time later.
There were major changes compared to the original and the 1987 remodel. The capacity in the remodel was downgraded from the original 721 seats to just 271 seats in the 1987 remodel, due to Smith wanting people to have more leg room. The remodel received new carpets and a new projection and the walls and drapes were carefully restored.
Since then, the theater went into a string of robberies but nothing too severe. Only a couple goes as follows: On the evening of June 6, 1987, a person broke into the theater and stole $430 in cash without damaging the property, and after closing for the night on September 25, 1988, Thelma told Durant Police one week later that a microwave, a light-up CocaCola wall clock, $50 of both money and candies, and a dark yellow Trimline telephone were all stolen. A north door on the west side of the theater was discovered wide-open and the total estimate of missing items was $300 in total.
New management took over the Plaza Theatre in September 1990 after a short closure. One month later on October 7, 1990, damage was reported after a group of poor spelling vandals vandalized on the walls and caused other damage, estimating $500 in property damage. According to owners, the screen was ripped and misspelled obscenities were painted on both the walls and the popcorn machine at the concession stand. The suspects got away by going on the roof through a door and making their way down. Before leaving, they took assorted candy from the lobby with a value of $150. It was repaired and reopened but unfortunately it didn’t do well in business.
The Plaza Theatre closed its doors for the final time as a movie house on January 6, 1991 with “Rocky V” (However, the Plaza continued operating as a special events house until the 2000s). This left Durant without a movie theater for the next three years until the launch of the Durant Twin Cinema (later the Durant 4 Cinemas) in July 1994.