Waverly Theatre

The Idle Hour Theatre was a vaudeville house in downtown Franklinton. A competing motion picture theatre movie theatre, the No-Name Theatre, launched in 1913. Under economic pressure, the Idle Hour Theatre added short films before going out of business. When the No-Name Theatre burned down in 1916, it moved into this location before closing, itself, in 1918.

Apparently, movie fans had to drive to Bogalusa for films. Tired of the commute, the popular Waverly Club - which had hosted some screenings at the former No-Name Theatre - was convinced by the community to relaunch movie operations in the space twice a week beginning in 1920. It ceased operations in 1930.

The Waverly Theatre appears to be wired for sound in the 1930’s and is home to Welch’s Theatre (sometimes shown as Welsh’s) and the Rose Theatre. Attempts to properly convert the space to widescreen in the 1950’s end up poorly and with a lawsuit. As a result, the space was discontinued in the 1950’s for film exhibition.

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Joe Vogel on September 28, 2017 at 7:53 pm

The January 3, 1953, issue of Motion Picture Herald mentions both the Rose Theatre and the Welsh Theatre in this item:

“M. F. Welsh, who recently purchased the Rose in Franklinton, La., from O. D. Myles, has put up a ‘closed’ sign, which leaves the town with one theatre, the Welsh, which has been operating for many years.”

Mentions of Franklinton are sparse in the trade journals. I found two in Boxoffice, one from December 27, 1952, saying that O. D. Myles had closed the Rose Theatre until further notice, and one in the February 2, 1957, issue mentioning a Hollywood Theatre in Franklinton, operated by an E. P. Dubuisson.