Idle Hour Theatre
36008 Belle Haven Road,
Belle Haven,
VA
23306
36008 Belle Haven Road,
Belle Haven,
VA
23306
2 people
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My father purchased this theatre about 1962 and we have run it as a family operation since then. As a child he attended the original Idle Hour Theatre, a wooden structure in the lot to the north of the current building, where Tex Ritter once appeared on-stage with his horse, Champ.
My children are the 4th generation of our family to work in the Idle Hour Theatre. We struggle to keep it going, but so far we are hanging in! Sadly it closed by 2020.
Contributed by
Elizabeth Pase
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Recent comments (view all 12 comments)
Current website for the Idle Hour (link needs to be updated):
http://www.idlehourtheatre.net/
Do you have any past history that you can share? And pictures of the orginial theater? My great-grandfather was Charles Walker of Hacksneck, I have heard family stories he used to run the movie house. This was probably before 1920. I would love to know more. please e-mail me at Thanks so much.
I have enjoyed with friends, many first run movies at The Idle Hour Theater. It is family run and fun to be a part of. A volunteer campaign formed in the revitalizing of this cinema, would give others and the community of Belle Haven a true sense of pride in the restoration of this unique gem on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Let the multi screens stay in Salisbury and Virginia Beach where they belong. I will sign up to volunteer in the revitalization of The Idle Hour Theatre and suggest the theatre ownership begin a campaign to attract other interested patrons.
I visited the Idle Hour on Sunday night and while this is no “palace” in the traditional sense, it is a theater with a lot of heart! The owner is very proud of his theater, the staff are all family and friends, the patrons are extremely loyal! Kudos to Robert Pase for keeping this theater a place where families feel welcome and rowdy patrons are decidedly UN-welcome!
I just discovered this page and have enjoyed reading about the management’s efforts to keep the place running. Keep up the good work.
I came across this page while searching for another Idle Hour Theatre in the Queens section of NYC. At the time, I thought no other theater would have so distinct a name. But, low and behold, fully ten Idle Hour Theaters were identified. All of them had their origin early in the last century – and this is the only one that is still operating.
Thanks for keeping the old name and best of luck in the future.
By the way, where exactly is Belle Haven in Virginia?
Belle Haven, Virginia zip code 23306 / Lat. 37.55404 / Lon. -75.81974.
Via Route 13, 304 mi. from Times Square / 193 from DC.
I was THERE and i’m not quite sure where it is! : ) I do know that we were pretty close to Maryland when we were there. Definitely a rural area.
Good luck hope they can keep it going,nice old school marquee.
A recent Instagram post suggests that this is no longer an active theater. ☹️
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_FXWUzA70s/?igshid=9806ftshkpo9