The Fun-Lan was officially demolished in mid-2022. The projection booth and Swap Shop buildings were demolished first, followed by the screens that October. The traces were removed the following year.
Opened with the Marx Brothers in “A Night In Casablanca” along with the Porky Pig Looney Tunes cartoon “Kitty Kornered” and the featurette “Beauty for Sale”.
Bemidji resident A.W. Baehr and first manager Gail Bush opened the Falls Theatre on October 24, 1937 with the Ritz Brothers in “Life Begins in College” (unknown if extras added). It was operated by the Baehr Bros. chain who also operated theaters in Alexandria, Bemidji, International Falls, Breckenridge, and Brainerd, Minnesota, as well as Wahpeton, North Dakota.
In 1975, the Falls Theatre was twinned and was renamed Falls Twin Theatre. Its closing date remains unknown.
You’re right Kenmore! The Bemidji Pioneer and the Thief River Falls Times both confirm that the Galaxy Twin opened its doors in early 1973 by Bemidji native Jerald Duane Hickerson.
Hickerson’s first theater experience began when Hickerson went to Fort Leonard Wood in 1954 where he was assigned by a Colonel as a special assignments theater projectionist and was Honorably Discharged in December of 1956. After moving back to Minnesota and married his wife in Battle Lake on May 3, 1958, he and his new wife helped construct their first drive-in theater, the Hi-2 Drive-In in Bemidji. He would later operate the Satellite Drive-In after taking over in 1967 and construct the Saturn Drive-In in Crookston.
Hickerson operated the Galaxy Twin for 30 years until 2003. During his very later years, Hickerson operated his own Galaxy Auto & Camper Sales named after his theater. Unfortunately, Hickerson passed away at the age of 73 on August 26, 2007 at the Oakland Park Nursing Home in Thief River Falls. Three years after Hickerson’s death, brothers Jeff and Blair Lund purchased the theater in June 2010, with Jeff’s son, Dan Lund, managing operations.
The Valley View housed 1,400 seats, with auditorium capacities ranging from 140 to 260. Two of the auditoriums originally housed Dolby sound when it first launched. As of August 1985, the Valley View 6 features a 25ft concession stand and a 160ft projection booth.
W.E. Gross and G.W. Jacobs opened the Time Theatre on Thanksgiving Day, November 29, 1934 with Clark Gable in Frank Capra’s “It Happened One Night” along with a few unnamed shorts and Pathe News.
The Chisholm Theatre opened its doors on August 22, 1940 with Robert Preston in “Typhoon” (unknown if extras added), alongside a brief concert performance in front of the theater followed by stage speeches by then-mayor Ed Wheelecor, original owner G.L. Berquist, and his partners Max Eddlestein and Hibbing native H.L. Cawley, with Cawley being the president of the Chamber of Commerce.
The theater was built with an estimate of $50,000 owned by Berquist himself and features the following as of 1940: The front of the theater alongside its trapezoid marquee and large sign features a full effect of the vitreous glass front with two shades of green reflecting the lights. Upon entering the lobby and passing onto the main body features wall lights. As the theater darkens with the start of the program, people will notice the murals on either side illuminated by black lights which will bring out colors of the painting of a figure representing the manpower of the iron range, making it possible to see throughout the entire house but in no way interfering with the screen illumination.
The original seating capacity as of 1940 is 600 streamlined uplift cushioned seats, all of which were made by the American Seating Company, and lastly there are two different curtains/drapes behind the screen. One of which opens up like normal curtains and the other raises upward. Indeed, the Chisholm last operated with 486 seats.
After the Jerry Lewis bankruptcy, the theater was renamed Lake Country Cinema several months after opening. The Lake Country Cinema was a single-screener throughout its life, and closed on April 30, 1987 with “Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol”.
First known as North Branch Cinema 5. The earliest ad that I can find dates back to August 23, 1996, though I cannot confirm if that’s the exact opening date.
Renamed the Maco Theatre on August 26, 1938. The Maco Theatre closed as a movie theater in 1988, most likely because of CEC Theatres opening their Cinema 4 (later Cinema 6) in neighboring Mountain Iron. The Maco Theatre became a nightclub later that same year called “Club Maco”, and lasted for several years until 1996.
Owner A.W. Baehr and manager E. Nygaard of Bemidji opened the Ely Theatre on July 14, 1935 with Grace Moore in “One Night of Love” (unknown if extras added), featuring Western Electric wide-range sound. Both men also operated the Falls Theatre in International Falls at the time.
NOTE and CORRECTION: The Ely Theatre here is always the Ely Theatre. Because the “Rio Theatre” name was actually the proposed name of the nearby State Theatre when construction of the State was officially announced in December 1935, which also includes a photo sketch of the then-proposed Rio (now State) in front of two editions of the Ely Miner newspaper. The “Rio” name was eventually changed to “State” before its October 1936 opening.
The State Theatre building itself measures 110x50ft and originally housed 630 seats when it first opened as a single-screener on October 11, 1936 with Francis Lederer in “My American Wife” (unknown if extras added). Some original features include a 19ft silver screen with sound boxes located on a 14ft curved stage, a 32x10ft foyer, and RCA Photophone sound.
NOTE: The State Theatre originally planned to open as the Rio Theatre, but that name never made it by the time of opening, as it opened as the State.
There are two theaters that were named Meroney’s Opera House, as this was a relocation from its original 1860-built location that opened its doors on 213 South Main Street on November 20, 1905 with an estimate $35,000 in construction, opening with a live presentation of “A Macap Princess”. It was first operated by T.B. Marab, who also operated the original Meroney’s.
The original 1860-built Meroney’s Opera House was located on 119 North Main Street where it became the newspaper headquarters of the Salisbury Post exactly two months before the newer theater’s opening.
The Fun-Lan was officially demolished in mid-2022. The projection booth and Swap Shop buildings were demolished first, followed by the screens that October. The traces were removed the following year.
Actual closing date is November 30, 1980 with “The Blues Brothers” and “Revenge of the Pink Panther”.
The Kmart next door operated from March 6, 1980, until December 15, 2019, which narrowly missed what would’ve been its 40th anniversary.
Opened with the Marx Brothers in “A Night In Casablanca” along with the Porky Pig Looney Tunes cartoon “Kitty Kornered” and the featurette “Beauty for Sale”.
Bemidji resident A.W. Baehr and first manager Gail Bush opened the Falls Theatre on October 24, 1937 with the Ritz Brothers in “Life Begins in College” (unknown if extras added). It was operated by the Baehr Bros. chain who also operated theaters in Alexandria, Bemidji, International Falls, Breckenridge, and Brainerd, Minnesota, as well as Wahpeton, North Dakota.
In 1975, the Falls Theatre was twinned and was renamed Falls Twin Theatre. Its closing date remains unknown.
You’re right Kenmore! The Bemidji Pioneer and the Thief River Falls Times both confirm that the Galaxy Twin opened its doors in early 1973 by Bemidji native Jerald Duane Hickerson.
Hickerson’s first theater experience began when Hickerson went to Fort Leonard Wood in 1954 where he was assigned by a Colonel as a special assignments theater projectionist and was Honorably Discharged in December of 1956. After moving back to Minnesota and married his wife in Battle Lake on May 3, 1958, he and his new wife helped construct their first drive-in theater, the Hi-2 Drive-In in Bemidji. He would later operate the Satellite Drive-In after taking over in 1967 and construct the Saturn Drive-In in Crookston.
Hickerson operated the Galaxy Twin for 30 years until 2003. During his very later years, Hickerson operated his own Galaxy Auto & Camper Sales named after his theater. Unfortunately, Hickerson passed away at the age of 73 on August 26, 2007 at the Oakland Park Nursing Home in Thief River Falls. Three years after Hickerson’s death, brothers Jeff and Blair Lund purchased the theater in June 2010, with Jeff’s son, Dan Lund, managing operations.
The Lakeland Opera House was already operating at the time the Herron was still open. Both theaters appeared to be separate houses.
The Valley View housed 1,400 seats, with auditorium capacities ranging from 140 to 260. Two of the auditoriums originally housed Dolby sound when it first launched. As of August 1985, the Valley View 6 features a 25ft concession stand and a 160ft projection booth.
Ended its days as a first-run house in July 1976.
Actual closing date is November 30, 1964, yes with “Cleopatra”.
Relaunched as the Movie Center 5 on December 5, 1986.
W.E. Gross and G.W. Jacobs opened the Time Theatre on Thanksgiving Day, November 29, 1934 with Clark Gable in Frank Capra’s “It Happened One Night” along with a few unnamed shorts and Pathe News.
The Chisholm Theatre opened its doors on August 22, 1940 with Robert Preston in “Typhoon” (unknown if extras added), alongside a brief concert performance in front of the theater followed by stage speeches by then-mayor Ed Wheelecor, original owner G.L. Berquist, and his partners Max Eddlestein and Hibbing native H.L. Cawley, with Cawley being the president of the Chamber of Commerce.
The theater was built with an estimate of $50,000 owned by Berquist himself and features the following as of 1940: The front of the theater alongside its trapezoid marquee and large sign features a full effect of the vitreous glass front with two shades of green reflecting the lights. Upon entering the lobby and passing onto the main body features wall lights. As the theater darkens with the start of the program, people will notice the murals on either side illuminated by black lights which will bring out colors of the painting of a figure representing the manpower of the iron range, making it possible to see throughout the entire house but in no way interfering with the screen illumination.
The original seating capacity as of 1940 is 600 streamlined uplift cushioned seats, all of which were made by the American Seating Company, and lastly there are two different curtains/drapes behind the screen. One of which opens up like normal curtains and the other raises upward. Indeed, the Chisholm last operated with 486 seats.
Late 1987 or Early 1988, I can tell because of the “Batteries Not Included” poster on the Now Showing attraction board.
Opened with Carol Dempster in “Dream Street” and Buster Keaton in “The Playhouse” (unknown if extras added).
After the Jerry Lewis bankruptcy, the theater was renamed Lake Country Cinema several months after opening. The Lake Country Cinema was a single-screener throughout its life, and closed on April 30, 1987 with “Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol”.
First known as North Branch Cinema 5. The earliest ad that I can find dates back to August 23, 1996, though I cannot confirm if that’s the exact opening date.
Current functions are classic, family, foreign, and independent films.
Current functions are a mix of first-run, foreign, independent, and classic films.
Actual opening date is November 24, 1936.
The Von’s Drive-In opened its gates on April 30, 1965 with Arthur O'Connell in “Your Cheatin' Heart” along with an unnamed cartoon.
Renamed the Maco Theatre on August 26, 1938. The Maco Theatre closed as a movie theater in 1988, most likely because of CEC Theatres opening their Cinema 4 (later Cinema 6) in neighboring Mountain Iron. The Maco Theatre became a nightclub later that same year called “Club Maco”, and lasted for several years until 1996.
Owner A.W. Baehr and manager E. Nygaard of Bemidji opened the Ely Theatre on July 14, 1935 with Grace Moore in “One Night of Love” (unknown if extras added), featuring Western Electric wide-range sound. Both men also operated the Falls Theatre in International Falls at the time.
The State Theatre building itself measures 110x50ft and originally housed 630 seats when it first opened as a single-screener on October 11, 1936 with Francis Lederer in “My American Wife” (unknown if extras added). Some original features include a 19ft silver screen with sound boxes located on a 14ft curved stage, a 32x10ft foyer, and RCA Photophone sound.
There are two theaters that were named Meroney’s Opera House, as this was a relocation from its original 1860-built location that opened its doors on 213 South Main Street on November 20, 1905 with an estimate $35,000 in construction, opening with a live presentation of “A Macap Princess”. It was first operated by T.B. Marab, who also operated the original Meroney’s.
The original 1860-built Meroney’s Opera House was located on 119 North Main Street where it became the newspaper headquarters of the Salisbury Post exactly two months before the newer theater’s opening.