This Actually Was Named The “Moonlite” Drive-In As Its Primary Name, With “Moonlight” Being Secondary.
The Moonlite Opened On June 3, 1949 With Jack Carson In “My Dream Is Yours” With No Extra Short Subjects, And Closed At The End Of The 1959 Season In Early October 1959, Yes In Connection For US 20-US 12 After The State Paid $400K.
On March 17, 1973, the Cumberland’s concession stand was damaged by a fire after being struck by lightning, destroying some appliances and fixtures, causing an estimate $30,000 in damage. Reports from the area’s fire department say that the storage room was severely damaged, while the concession stand itself was partially damaged.
Walter Bradley, who has been operating the first Moon Theatre since 1925 and the second “New” Moon Theatre since 1944, was the one who did his work on the Starlite with an estimate $40,000.
The Starlite first opened as the Starlite Auto Theater on July 31, 1952 with “Cripple Creek” (unclear if any short subjects were added).
The 328-capacity Starlite contains an original screen of 52x48ft with a picture screen of 44x52ft. The original 52x48ft continued to operate a couple of years after the New Moon Theatre’s installation of CinemaScope (on Easter Sunday 1954 with “The Robe”), but however right when 1956 came along, the original 52x48ft screen was upgraded with CinemaScope. The sound system has required five miles of wiring and there were nine ramps being located. Mr. Bradley also hired Orville Worden, who also operated the second Moon Theatre, to do his work on projection. Elmer Graham was then the replacement for Worden at the Moon. The original ticket seller belongs to Lois Michaelson, and Robert Lewis being the gateman and caretaker.
Shortly after opening, the Starlite Auto Theater closed temporarily three days after its grand opening due to technical difficulties and wiring issues. It reopened on August 10, 1952. It was renamed the Starlite Drive-In later on during the year which became its primary name in 1953.
The previous Moon Theatre opened its doors on July 30, 1925 with Colleen Moore in “Sally” along with an Our Gang comedy in “In Big Business” and a performance by the theater’s 4-piece orchestra named after the theater.
The explosion and fire back on March 9, 1944 was considered as the worst fire in the city’s history, caused by an electric failure. The explosion occurred an hour after the fire began gutting caused by accumulated gas that blew out both ends of the theater and lifted the roof about ten feet into the air. Plate glass windows nearly a block away were broken by the force of the blast. Two men were injured with one completely critical. The list of Fire Departments that responded to the call were Neligh, Elgin, Oakdale, Tilden, Clearwater, and Brunswick. This caused an estimated $200,000 of damage though substantially covered by insurance from the destruction of the Moon Theatre, the J.C. Penney store, the Hewitt jewelry store, and the Wanek Drug Store. Right when the fire occurred, an alarm hasn’t been sounded until 20 minutes later. The Moon Theatre was originally scheduled to show its second out of its two-day run of “Nine Girls” and “Uncensored” but was cancelled due to the explosion and fire.
A few months after the fire and explosion wrecked half of downtown Neligh, it was then time for a rebuilt of the Moon Theatre. The brick work on the front was done by Mr. Overton, and Mr. Walt Bradley (the long time owner of the Moon) had returned back to his duties at the Moon.
The New Moon Theatre was then rebuilt with a 562 seating capacity, a 25ft stage, fireproof machinery, and a 35ft tower marquee. It then opened its doors on September 28, 1944 with Red Skelton in “Bathing Beauty” along with a few unnamed short subjects (but a strange error shows that the short subjects were not listed on the grand opening advertisement page, but were listed on the article).
Other information involving the theater involves a manager’s office at the right side of the main room which contains a stairway, and the left side containing bathrooms, powder rooms, and a cry room. The concession booth as of 1944 was located at the left side with the lobby floor being an asphalt tile with walnut-grained walls. Inside contains rugs extend down the two aisles in the auditorium and the semi-indirect fluorescent lightning. Two dressing rooms were equipped as well as border lights and an orchestra pit.
Walter Bradley, the operator of both Moon Theatres, would later open the Starlite Auto Theater (later the Starlite Drive-In) on July 31, 1952.
The Whitley Theatre was not just a movie theater, but was used as a courthouse at one point after the city of Whitley City’s courthouse was burned in early 1952.
Opened On December 21, 2002.
Closed In 1955.
Closed In 1959.
Built And Opened In 1925.
This closed in the mid-1980s, and was left abandoned until sometime in the late 1990s.
Looks like it closed in the early 1970s. As of 1977, the traces were fading, but everything else is pretty much left attached.
Looks like the traces started to fade in the late 1980s, so it may’ve closed around there.
Closed In 1957.
This Actually Was Named The “Moonlite” Drive-In As Its Primary Name, With “Moonlight” Being Secondary.
The Moonlite Opened On June 3, 1949 With Jack Carson In “My Dream Is Yours” With No Extra Short Subjects, And Closed At The End Of The 1959 Season In Early October 1959, Yes In Connection For US 20-US 12 After The State Paid $400K.
Closed in 1938 in connection of the opening of the “New” Kent Theatre.
On March 17, 1973, the Cumberland’s concession stand was damaged by a fire after being struck by lightning, destroying some appliances and fixtures, causing an estimate $30,000 in damage. Reports from the area’s fire department say that the storage room was severely damaged, while the concession stand itself was partially damaged.
Walter Bradley, who has been operating the first Moon Theatre since 1925 and the second “New” Moon Theatre since 1944, was the one who did his work on the Starlite with an estimate $40,000.
The Starlite first opened as the Starlite Auto Theater on July 31, 1952 with “Cripple Creek” (unclear if any short subjects were added).
The 328-capacity Starlite contains an original screen of 52x48ft with a picture screen of 44x52ft. The original 52x48ft continued to operate a couple of years after the New Moon Theatre’s installation of CinemaScope (on Easter Sunday 1954 with “The Robe”), but however right when 1956 came along, the original 52x48ft screen was upgraded with CinemaScope. The sound system has required five miles of wiring and there were nine ramps being located. Mr. Bradley also hired Orville Worden, who also operated the second Moon Theatre, to do his work on projection. Elmer Graham was then the replacement for Worden at the Moon. The original ticket seller belongs to Lois Michaelson, and Robert Lewis being the gateman and caretaker.
Shortly after opening, the Starlite Auto Theater closed temporarily three days after its grand opening due to technical difficulties and wiring issues. It reopened on August 10, 1952. It was renamed the Starlite Drive-In later on during the year which became its primary name in 1953.
The previous Moon Theatre opened its doors on July 30, 1925 with Colleen Moore in “Sally” along with an Our Gang comedy in “In Big Business” and a performance by the theater’s 4-piece orchestra named after the theater.
The explosion and fire back on March 9, 1944 was considered as the worst fire in the city’s history, caused by an electric failure. The explosion occurred an hour after the fire began gutting caused by accumulated gas that blew out both ends of the theater and lifted the roof about ten feet into the air. Plate glass windows nearly a block away were broken by the force of the blast. Two men were injured with one completely critical. The list of Fire Departments that responded to the call were Neligh, Elgin, Oakdale, Tilden, Clearwater, and Brunswick. This caused an estimated $200,000 of damage though substantially covered by insurance from the destruction of the Moon Theatre, the J.C. Penney store, the Hewitt jewelry store, and the Wanek Drug Store. Right when the fire occurred, an alarm hasn’t been sounded until 20 minutes later. The Moon Theatre was originally scheduled to show its second out of its two-day run of “Nine Girls” and “Uncensored” but was cancelled due to the explosion and fire.
A few months after the fire and explosion wrecked half of downtown Neligh, it was then time for a rebuilt of the Moon Theatre. The brick work on the front was done by Mr. Overton, and Mr. Walt Bradley (the long time owner of the Moon) had returned back to his duties at the Moon.
The New Moon Theatre was then rebuilt with a 562 seating capacity, a 25ft stage, fireproof machinery, and a 35ft tower marquee. It then opened its doors on September 28, 1944 with Red Skelton in “Bathing Beauty” along with a few unnamed short subjects (but a strange error shows that the short subjects were not listed on the grand opening advertisement page, but were listed on the article).
Other information involving the theater involves a manager’s office at the right side of the main room which contains a stairway, and the left side containing bathrooms, powder rooms, and a cry room. The concession booth as of 1944 was located at the left side with the lobby floor being an asphalt tile with walnut-grained walls. Inside contains rugs extend down the two aisles in the auditorium and the semi-indirect fluorescent lightning. Two dressing rooms were equipped as well as border lights and an orchestra pit.
Walter Bradley, the operator of both Moon Theatres, would later open the Starlite Auto Theater (later the Starlite Drive-In) on July 31, 1952.
The Merrimon Twin opened on December 21, 1973 with Walt Disney’s “Robin Hood” on both screens, which were listed as both “North” and “South” theaters.
Closed In September 1986.
Last operated by ABC Interstate Theatres.
It appears to be opened in 1938. Construction of the theater began in November 1937.
First opened with 14-screens until March 17, 2000 when two more screens were added bringing a total to 16.
This closed in connection to the opening of the General Cinema Framingham 14 nearby in December 1994 (now known as the AMC Dine-In Framingham 16).
Original capacity of 900 cars.
So it may be closed around 1960 or 1961.
This opened as early as 1933, although its opening date remains lost.
The Whitley Theatre was not just a movie theater, but was used as a courthouse at one point after the city of Whitley City’s courthouse was burned in early 1952.
What an oddity! So it became a Newsreel theater before Pearl Harbor?
Opened On October 12, 2012 As A First-Run Theater And Closed In March 2020 Due To COVID.