During his trial, Deputy Prosecutor Larry McKeeman told the jurors on September 20, 1982, just a day before sentencing, said that the suspect killed the two brothers after one of the boys made comments about a dispute the suspect was having with Ilgenfritz and Wentink after stepping out the doors of the theater.
The suspect after trial received 30 years to life in prison according to The Tacoma News Tribute, and 40 long years later, it was unknown if he was still behind bars.
Nice information Seattleprojectionist! And you are right, it did open with three screens as a triplex before two more were added and becoming a five-screen theater on December 17, 1982, nearly seven months after the murders that took place there. Thanks for the correction!
The Factoria Cinemas opened its doors with five screens on August 22, 1980 by the SRO chain.
This theater was notably enough for the murders of two brothers (John and Mark Bartol, ages 27 and 19) on May 20, 1982, who were both walking out the theater before being killed a few seconds later. The suspect, 24-year-old Seattle-native James Vigil Smith, was convicted on two life sentences and would later plead guilty that September on two counts of second-degree murder and was held on a $150,000 bond. It was unknown if he was still in jail or not, but possible.
On December 13, 1986, SRO sold all of its theaters to Cineplex Odeon, and in the late 1980s, three more screens were added bringing a total to eight screens. Cineplex Odeon operated the theater until its merger to Loews Cineplex in 1998, and Loews Cineplex took over the theater until its AMC merger in 2006.
On April 15, 1967, construction of the 27 Drive-In led into a halt following a civil action lawsuit was filed by Pulaski Circuit Court asking for a permanent injunction of the theater’s construction as well as various hazardous signs and the disruption of the original people who lived in the area. Mr. and Mrs. Earl Claunch and Cora Hudson owned the property of the theater at the time, and operated by brothers O.G. and Harry Roaden. Construction would later resume shortly afterward, and the theater would open its gates in the middle of 1967 despite the lawsuits.
However, shortly after opening, Circuit Judge R.C. Tartar refused to declare the 27 Drive-In a private nuisance and rejected a demand by nearby property owners for permanent injunctions and an estimate $39,800 in damages on October 23, 1967. During the ruling, Tartar knew that operating a theater was legal, but the Highway 27 development for a theater establishment represented an investment of $70,000.
I just found that the Lakeview closed for the final time in July 1986 and was demolished a month later on August 18, 1986 according to the Commonwealth.
The Gem Theatre opened its doors in 1890 at the Odd Fellows Building, running special events, plays by stocks companies, and vaudeville, but became a movie house in 1907. One of the first managers of the Gem was Bob Hall who also held as a cashier for the nearby Farmers National Bank but would later quickly turn over to Tom Thatcher and Ed Waddle. Thatcher was unparalleled in theater work in Kentucky and Mr. Waddle also serves as a cashier but for the First National Bank. The Gem was once a Nickelodeon at one time.
After closing in 1932, the Gem Theatre stood abandoned until it was replaced by the Kentucky Theatre which opened in 1937 and closed in 1982.
That would be possible if the Lakeview was built as a quick construction. A very fast construction of a drive-in can be a pretty hard discovery. The Lakeview’s expansion and updates could be definitely true because the Lakeview at the time received a newer 44x92ft CinemaScope screen during the 1955 season, meaning that the original screen was used for only around four years. The Lakeview’s first CinemaScope film after installation was Spencer Tracy in “Broken Lance” with no extra short subjects on June 1, 1955 and was the first drive-in there to install CinemaScope. Previously, CinemaScope was introduced in Somerset and installed at the Kentucky Theatre a year prior in 1954.
Kenmore, the reason why I first thought the aerial has to be a year earlier is because drive-ins take nearly an estimate of five to six months for completion for the most part. I thought the picture might’ve been taken either in Late 1950 or perhaps the early first quarter of 1951. If the aerial has to be from 1951 then it has to be very early 1951 like January. Construction of the theater probably began in either February or March, depending if I can find the article. It’s just a thought that Historic Aerials might’ve taken the area just weeks before construction.
So the Family Drive-In probably opened at the beginning of the 1951 season, judging from the 1950 (listed as 1951 as an error) aerial view. You might probably have a better page than me so I’ll give you credit on that because I made a mistake on the page I made.
Yep, the Lakeview and the Family were two different Drive-Ins that opened during the same year.
If anyone knew where the Family Drive-In was located, the Family was located on 409 South Highway 27, Somerset, KY 42501, where a Hardees was now at its site. To me, it probably had a similar capacity number to the Lakeview. And yes, it looks like that it was demolished a few years after closure judging from a 1972 aerial.
The aerial might be taken shortly before construction in 1950. I found when the Lakeview opened its gates from the PulaskiLibrary website. According to what I just find, it opened as Lakeview and has been Lakeview until the end. I’m gonna look up the info for the Family soon. If you look through the June 13, 1951 edition of the Commissioner of Somerset, there was an article saying that the 520-capacity Lakeview Drive-In held its grand opening day on June 7 and was first managed by Mrs. Joe Waters.
The Showplace Cinemas first opened its doors as a twin by Powell Cinemas Corporation/Absher Enterprises on October 21, 1981, the same day the entire Somerset Mall opened its doors to the public. It was first managed by Norma Leveridge.
Two more screens were added in the late 1980s or early 1990s bringing a total of four screens, and in 1996, five more screens were added bringing a total to nine screens. However, it was unclear why one of the nine screens was converted though in the 2010s.
Manos Amusement opened the “Twin 40 I & II” on May 23, 1973. On December 17, 1983, the twin theater was converted into a quad and was renamed “Quad 40 Cinema”. The theater remained as a Manos theater until being purchased by Carmike in 1993. Two more screens were added in May 1995 and became the Cinema 6.
The 49 Drive-In was an African-American drive-in, and opened its gates on June 28, 1952 with Jackie Robinson in “The Jackie Robinson Story” with no extra short subjects. Indeed it was short-lived as it was closed after two or three seasons.
The popularity of the Skyline Drive-In which opened two months prior to the closure of the Pocono Drive-In was the main cause of the closure of the Pocono Drive-In. However, the Skyline Drive-In in East Stroudsburg operated as a single-screen theater until late 1973 when it was twinned. Previously that same year, the Skyline Drive-In changed its name to the East Stroudsburg Drive-In (forgot to add that in my own Cinema Treasures page) and remained in operation until its closure in 1989.
During his trial, Deputy Prosecutor Larry McKeeman told the jurors on September 20, 1982, just a day before sentencing, said that the suspect killed the two brothers after one of the boys made comments about a dispute the suspect was having with Ilgenfritz and Wentink after stepping out the doors of the theater.
The suspect after trial received 30 years to life in prison according to The Tacoma News Tribute, and 40 long years later, it was unknown if he was still behind bars.
Nice information Seattleprojectionist! And you are right, it did open with three screens as a triplex before two more were added and becoming a five-screen theater on December 17, 1982, nearly seven months after the murders that took place there. Thanks for the correction!
Closed in 1975.
The Factoria Cinemas opened its doors with five screens on August 22, 1980 by the SRO chain.
This theater was notably enough for the murders of two brothers (John and Mark Bartol, ages 27 and 19) on May 20, 1982, who were both walking out the theater before being killed a few seconds later. The suspect, 24-year-old Seattle-native James Vigil Smith, was convicted on two life sentences and would later plead guilty that September on two counts of second-degree murder and was held on a $150,000 bond. It was unknown if he was still in jail or not, but possible.
On December 13, 1986, SRO sold all of its theaters to Cineplex Odeon, and in the late 1980s, three more screens were added bringing a total to eight screens. Cineplex Odeon operated the theater until its merger to Loews Cineplex in 1998, and Loews Cineplex took over the theater until its AMC merger in 2006.
The Overlake closed in the early 1990s, and was demolished in the mid-1990s.
Opened in December 1979.
On April 15, 1967, construction of the 27 Drive-In led into a halt following a civil action lawsuit was filed by Pulaski Circuit Court asking for a permanent injunction of the theater’s construction as well as various hazardous signs and the disruption of the original people who lived in the area. Mr. and Mrs. Earl Claunch and Cora Hudson owned the property of the theater at the time, and operated by brothers O.G. and Harry Roaden. Construction would later resume shortly afterward, and the theater would open its gates in the middle of 1967 despite the lawsuits.
However, shortly after opening, Circuit Judge R.C. Tartar refused to declare the 27 Drive-In a private nuisance and rejected a demand by nearby property owners for permanent injunctions and an estimate $39,800 in damages on October 23, 1967. During the ruling, Tartar knew that operating a theater was legal, but the Highway 27 development for a theater establishment represented an investment of $70,000.
Demolished in 1966.
I just found that the Lakeview closed for the final time in July 1986 and was demolished a month later on August 18, 1986 according to the Commonwealth.
The Gem Theatre opened its doors in 1890 at the Odd Fellows Building, running special events, plays by stocks companies, and vaudeville, but became a movie house in 1907. One of the first managers of the Gem was Bob Hall who also held as a cashier for the nearby Farmers National Bank but would later quickly turn over to Tom Thatcher and Ed Waddle. Thatcher was unparalleled in theater work in Kentucky and Mr. Waddle also serves as a cashier but for the First National Bank. The Gem was once a Nickelodeon at one time.
After closing in 1932, the Gem Theatre stood abandoned until it was replaced by the Kentucky Theatre which opened in 1937 and closed in 1982.
That would be possible if the Lakeview was built as a quick construction. A very fast construction of a drive-in can be a pretty hard discovery. The Lakeview’s expansion and updates could be definitely true because the Lakeview at the time received a newer 44x92ft CinemaScope screen during the 1955 season, meaning that the original screen was used for only around four years. The Lakeview’s first CinemaScope film after installation was Spencer Tracy in “Broken Lance” with no extra short subjects on June 1, 1955 and was the first drive-in there to install CinemaScope. Previously, CinemaScope was introduced in Somerset and installed at the Kentucky Theatre a year prior in 1954.
Kenmore, the reason why I first thought the aerial has to be a year earlier is because drive-ins take nearly an estimate of five to six months for completion for the most part. I thought the picture might’ve been taken either in Late 1950 or perhaps the early first quarter of 1951. If the aerial has to be from 1951 then it has to be very early 1951 like January. Construction of the theater probably began in either February or March, depending if I can find the article. It’s just a thought that Historic Aerials might’ve taken the area just weeks before construction.
So the Family Drive-In probably opened at the beginning of the 1951 season, judging from the 1950 (listed as 1951 as an error) aerial view. You might probably have a better page than me so I’ll give you credit on that because I made a mistake on the page I made.
Yep, the Lakeview and the Family were two different Drive-Ins that opened during the same year.
If anyone knew where the Family Drive-In was located, the Family was located on 409 South Highway 27, Somerset, KY 42501, where a Hardees was now at its site. To me, it probably had a similar capacity number to the Lakeview. And yes, it looks like that it was demolished a few years after closure judging from a 1972 aerial.
Anytime! And I just found where the Family Drive-In is located. It will be on Cinema Treasures soon.
The aerial might be taken shortly before construction in 1950. I found when the Lakeview opened its gates from the PulaskiLibrary website. According to what I just find, it opened as Lakeview and has been Lakeview until the end. I’m gonna look up the info for the Family soon. If you look through the June 13, 1951 edition of the Commissioner of Somerset, there was an article saying that the 520-capacity Lakeview Drive-In held its grand opening day on June 7 and was first managed by Mrs. Joe Waters.
The Lakeview Drive-In opened on June 7, 1951, and closed at the end of the 1986 season. It was demolished a few years later.
The Showplace Cinemas first opened its doors as a twin by Powell Cinemas Corporation/Absher Enterprises on October 21, 1981, the same day the entire Somerset Mall opened its doors to the public. It was first managed by Norma Leveridge.
Two more screens were added in the late 1980s or early 1990s bringing a total of four screens, and in 1996, five more screens were added bringing a total to nine screens. However, it was unclear why one of the nine screens was converted though in the 2010s.
Manos Amusement opened the “Twin 40 I & II” on May 23, 1973. On December 17, 1983, the twin theater was converted into a quad and was renamed “Quad 40 Cinema”. The theater remained as a Manos theater until being purchased by Carmike in 1993. Two more screens were added in May 1995 and became the Cinema 6.
The 49 Drive-In was an African-American drive-in, and opened its gates on June 28, 1952 with Jackie Robinson in “The Jackie Robinson Story” with no extra short subjects. Indeed it was short-lived as it was closed after two or three seasons.
Closed in the mid-1980s.
The Kuna Theatre was in operation as early as the early 1920s.
Closed after the 1989 season.
Opened in 1949 and closed in the 1980s.
The popularity of the Skyline Drive-In which opened two months prior to the closure of the Pocono Drive-In was the main cause of the closure of the Pocono Drive-In. However, the Skyline Drive-In in East Stroudsburg operated as a single-screen theater until late 1973 when it was twinned. Previously that same year, the Skyline Drive-In changed its name to the East Stroudsburg Drive-In (forgot to add that in my own Cinema Treasures page) and remained in operation until its closure in 1989.