Sorry to be a contrarian but I don’t believe this is an accurate listing. Reading the daily newspapers from the era and checking the local phone directories, there are two Gem Theatres. The first was at 110 Main Street and it was opened by F.W. Jones of Texarkana in an existing, retail building that also housed a billiard parlor, cigar store, and had been home to the Walker Drug Company. The Gem Theatre opened on February 15, 1912. It was billed as “The home of mirth and laughter.” The merriment subsided when the Gem went out of business less than three months later on May 5, 1912. After some meetings later in the year in that space, it was converted for other business purposes.
The second Gem Theatre appears to have repurposed the sign over in the Miller Building at 213 State Street. The photo above is from the three-story Miller Building at 213 State Street as it has the attorney Neely W. Shelton’s office, the barber shop, the cafe and the other folks in the three-story brick building. To rectify this error, there is now an entry for the second Gem Theatre in the Miller Building so that picture has a place to properly go. It was an important, African American multipurpose commercial building and the theater was opened for African American patrons. There was no Miller Theatre at 110 Main Street but there was in the Miller Building on State Street (makes more sense, really)
The good news on this entry - the Strand Theatre was at 201-203 Main Street. But it was neither the Gem nor the Miller and does not date back to the silent era. It appears to have been an auto service location in the 1930s.
Manring’s Opera House opened in 1907 as a 900-seat venue. LisThe second Manring Theatre launched April 3, 1922. The Brown Amusement company ran the venue and had C. Otto Brown we
The Park Theatre opened in the Ball-Shoffner Building most known as the New Bus Terminal Building announced in 1946 and launching in 1948. The Park Theatre launched at the corner spot of the bus terminal with an entry to the terminal and one to the street. It launched April 29, 1948 with the most profitable film percentage wise in Golden Hollywood’s Studio Era with “Mom and Dad.” And it would go on to run a number of other exploitation film becoming the third-tier venue in town.
The Midway Theatre launched on April 16, 1954 with “Canyon Passage” and “In the Navy.” Ad in photos. The venue was taken on by the Liberty Theatre Corporation of Covington beginning in the Spring 1963 season.
Colonel Clark F. Smith announced the AutoScope in 1954. He broke ground in 1955 and opened just moments later… on July 24, 1957. He ran it many seasons and even had turkey shoots at Thanksgiving time.
John “Bud” Robinson took on the AutoScope in 1968 for one season on a subleasing agreement. He closed there on August 11, 1968 with “Mary Jane” which turned out to be permanent when the Drive-In was vandalized just prior to its 1969 season opener. The 8 acre site was then offered for sale.
Newman-Bower and Associates designed the first plans for the Parkway Four Cinema for Eastern Federal Corporation Circuit in late 1978. Kent Theatre Circuit took on the project months later changing it to a five-plex with new plans opening with 1,150 seats. Lewis C. Medlin’s architectural sketch is in photos.
The La Center Theatre opened on February 17, 1927 with Harry Earles in “That’s My Baby” supported by a Harold Lloyd short. It closed August 24, 1928 with Greta Garbo in “The Mysterious Lady.” D.B. Stout of Stout Theatre Circuit of Cairo, Illinois decided to relight the theatre as the Center Theatre (losing “La”) with the same projection booth but different seating and adding sound. It had its second grand opening on April 6, 1941 with “The Thief of Bagdad.”
Stout added air conditioning to the venue and it had a nice run through to August 13, 1952. But the town had fewer than 600 people in it and with television arriving, it was over for the Center. However, the AutoScope Drive-In Theatre was built in 1955 by Clark Smith bringing films back to LaCenter’s non-center in 1956.
Opened by Eastern Federal Theatres on May 17, 1996 as The Movies at Governor’s Square. In 2005, Regal acquired the Eastern Federal locations renaming it as the Regal Governor’s Square Stadium 12 on July 29, 2005. Regal closed this and its other location for the COVID-19 pandemic on March 16, 2020. It reopened briefly on August 27, 2020 only to close some six weeks later. Regal Governor’s reopened on May 21, 2021. Three years later, the property was offered for sale with Regal continuing operations.
Regal closed up here on December 1, 2024. The property was already under contract by a new, though unnamed party by that date. Rumors abounded that it mostly likely would be Florida State University as the purchaser. However, it closed as the Regal Governor’s Square Stadium 12 (changing from Movies at…).
Lon Marcks of Bourbon Amusement Company opened the Bourbon Drive-In in Paris, the county seat of Bourbon County, Kentucky, with a double feature of “Marty” and “Lady Godiva” on July 25, 1956. Midwest Theatre Supply provided the equipment. The Drive-In was heading into its 70th season in 2025.
Vernon Waible launched the Skyway Drive-in on September 15 with “Red Stallion of the Rockies” supported by two cartoons. 1950. He sold it to B.G. Moore and Dr. J.J. Rosenthal in 1951 who reopened it on March 23, 1951 (ad in photos). The venue was named for Skyway 5, 12, and 16 named in 1948 that were purportedly in the overhead space of the Princeton Drive-In. It closed at the end of its 30-year leasing agreement in style on 2, 1980 with “Up In Smoke,” “Sunset Cove,” and “Beast of the Yellow Night.”
Mr. and Mrs. Lee Ledford teamed up with Mrs. W.G. Walton to open the Flemingsburg Drive-In on May 22, 1956 with Glenn Ford in “Americano.” Floyd Morrow’s Morrow Theatre Service booked the venue. Kenneth and Dorothy Jones joined the ownership team in the 1970s. The theatre advertised through the 1990 season.
Forrest and Howard Shelby opened the ozoner. Closed for films with “Springfield Rifle” and “Blues Busters” on October 3, 1954. Closed by the Shelbys after a Turkey Shoot even on November 26, 1954. It may have continued under new operators the following season without advertising.
The Airport Drive-In opened on June 5, 1953 with “Big Trees.” Land speculation was big around the West Paducah Airport at that time and the drive-in was likely a placeholder for a potentially larger land deal later. Doby B. Stout of Stout Theatres in Cairo, Illinois, ran it for three unsuccessful seasons offering it for sale for $10,000 prior to the 1956 season.
For its fourth and final season, it was independently operated on a subleasing agreement. The Airport Drive-In closed permanently with “Five Against the House” and “Danger is My Beat” on September 29, 1956. The property was again listed with the price plummeting to just $6,000 or best offer from a realty agent.
The name was changed from Moon Glo to Moonglo likely when the screen tower was changed to widescreen. Advertisements were discontinued in 1974 - not long after its 20th Anniversary - not indicative on anything on operational timeline. It became a flea market.
The Margie Grand was designed by architect Richard F. Graf of the firm, R.F. Graf and Sons of Knoxville. Margie Noe commissioned the work in 1928. The new-build facility replaced the city’s first bank. The adjoining building became the Margie Grand Sweet Shop and served as the de facto concession stand for the theater until a redesign worked in a modern concession stand.
Margie Noe managed the theatre at its opening. The Noe’s family home was two doors down from the theatre. That residence stood into the 1950s and was torn down not long after Margie Noe’s passing in 1953.
The Milwain was launched by Mr. and Mrs. Burgess Millwain on Front Street. The Milwain opened on July 27, 1929 with “China Bound.” Leta Milwain ran the venue for decades. The Milwain was damaged by fire in May of 1943 and, due to War rules and shortages, it was unable to reopen until 1944. The Milwain then closed on January 28, 1963 with Elvis in “Girls, Girls, Girls.” It reopened late that year and continued. It closed again on September 12, 1970 with “The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico Country.”
Louis Aldridge relit the Milwain one last time on a subleasing agreement. It reopened with “Paper Moon” on March 1, 1974. A midnight screening of Jacqueline Giroux in “The Erotic Adventures of Zorro” on April 7, 1974 was ostensibly the end of the line with Aldridge found guilty of exhibiting an obscene film. The theatre was then offered for sale. The theatre was finally razed in December of 1991 to rid it from the tax role By Leon Terry.
Corbin Hippodrome Co. commissioned the building in 1921 and was built by E.G. Holladay of Nashville with architectural plans by Richard F. Graf of the firm, R.F. Graf and Sons of Knoxville. The first ads are January 23, 1922 with live vaudeville by the Shannon Stock Company. It ran live until fire damaged the facility in 1929. It came back after a period of closure wired for sound and playing films which it did until closure. February 2, 1978 “The Late Great Planet Earth” marked the late great Hippodrome’s last film.
Opened Christmas Day 1936 with “Don’t Gamble With Love.”
Sorry to be a contrarian but I don’t believe this is an accurate listing. Reading the daily newspapers from the era and checking the local phone directories, there are two Gem Theatres. The first was at 110 Main Street and it was opened by F.W. Jones of Texarkana in an existing, retail building that also housed a billiard parlor, cigar store, and had been home to the Walker Drug Company. The Gem Theatre opened on February 15, 1912. It was billed as “The home of mirth and laughter.” The merriment subsided when the Gem went out of business less than three months later on May 5, 1912. After some meetings later in the year in that space, it was converted for other business purposes.
The second Gem Theatre appears to have repurposed the sign over in the Miller Building at 213 State Street. The photo above is from the three-story Miller Building at 213 State Street as it has the attorney Neely W. Shelton’s office, the barber shop, the cafe and the other folks in the three-story brick building. To rectify this error, there is now an entry for the second Gem Theatre in the Miller Building so that picture has a place to properly go. It was an important, African American multipurpose commercial building and the theater was opened for African American patrons. There was no Miller Theatre at 110 Main Street but there was in the Miller Building on State Street (makes more sense, really)
The good news on this entry - the Strand Theatre was at 201-203 Main Street. But it was neither the Gem nor the Miller and does not date back to the silent era. It appears to have been an auto service location in the 1930s.
According to the local paper, architect Theo Sanders of Sanders & Ginocchio did the first remodeling architectural plans of the Kempner.
Manring’s Opera House opened in 1907 as a 900-seat venue. LisThe second Manring Theatre launched April 3, 1922. The Brown Amusement company ran the venue and had C. Otto Brown we
The Park Theatre opened in the Ball-Shoffner Building most known as the New Bus Terminal Building announced in 1946 and launching in 1948. The Park Theatre launched at the corner spot of the bus terminal with an entry to the terminal and one to the street. It launched April 29, 1948 with the most profitable film percentage wise in Golden Hollywood’s Studio Era with “Mom and Dad.” And it would go on to run a number of other exploitation film becoming the third-tier venue in town.
In 1960 it was converted to a warehouse
249 seats
Opened as the Wil-Mac Theatre in 1930 before changing names (see ads in photos) to the Indiana on August 12, 1931 under new ownership
Moonglo Drive-in previously known as Moon Glo Drive-In
The Midway Theatre launched on April 16, 1954 with “Canyon Passage” and “In the Navy.” Ad in photos. The venue was taken on by the Liberty Theatre Corporation of Covington beginning in the Spring 1963 season.
Colonel Clark F. Smith announced the AutoScope in 1954. He broke ground in 1955 and opened just moments later… on July 24, 1957. He ran it many seasons and even had turkey shoots at Thanksgiving time.
John “Bud” Robinson took on the AutoScope in 1968 for one season on a subleasing agreement. He closed there on August 11, 1968 with “Mary Jane” which turned out to be permanent when the Drive-In was vandalized just prior to its 1969 season opener. The 8 acre site was then offered for sale.
563 West Kentucky Drive, LaCenter, KY 42056.
Newman-Bower and Associates designed the first plans for the Parkway Four Cinema for Eastern Federal Corporation Circuit in late 1978. Kent Theatre Circuit took on the project months later changing it to a five-plex with new plans opening with 1,150 seats. Lewis C. Medlin’s architectural sketch is in photos.
The La Center Theatre opened on February 17, 1927 with Harry Earles in “That’s My Baby” supported by a Harold Lloyd short. It closed August 24, 1928 with Greta Garbo in “The Mysterious Lady.” D.B. Stout of Stout Theatre Circuit of Cairo, Illinois decided to relight the theatre as the Center Theatre (losing “La”) with the same projection booth but different seating and adding sound. It had its second grand opening on April 6, 1941 with “The Thief of Bagdad.”
Stout added air conditioning to the venue and it had a nice run through to August 13, 1952. But the town had fewer than 600 people in it and with television arriving, it was over for the Center. However, the AutoScope Drive-In Theatre was built in 1955 by Clark Smith bringing films back to LaCenter’s non-center in 1956.
Opened by Eastern Federal Theatres on May 17, 1996 as The Movies at Governor’s Square. In 2005, Regal acquired the Eastern Federal locations renaming it as the Regal Governor’s Square Stadium 12 on July 29, 2005. Regal closed this and its other location for the COVID-19 pandemic on March 16, 2020. It reopened briefly on August 27, 2020 only to close some six weeks later. Regal Governor’s reopened on May 21, 2021. Three years later, the property was offered for sale with Regal continuing operations.
Regal closed up here on December 1, 2024. The property was already under contract by a new, though unnamed party by that date. Rumors abounded that it mostly likely would be Florida State University as the purchaser. However, it closed as the Regal Governor’s Square Stadium 12 (changing from Movies at…).
Lon Marcks of Bourbon Amusement Company opened the Bourbon Drive-In in Paris, the county seat of Bourbon County, Kentucky, with a double feature of “Marty” and “Lady Godiva” on July 25, 1956. Midwest Theatre Supply provided the equipment. The Drive-In was heading into its 70th season in 2025.
Vernon Waible launched the Skyway Drive-in on September 15 with “Red Stallion of the Rockies” supported by two cartoons. 1950. He sold it to B.G. Moore and Dr. J.J. Rosenthal in 1951 who reopened it on March 23, 1951 (ad in photos). The venue was named for Skyway 5, 12, and 16 named in 1948 that were purportedly in the overhead space of the Princeton Drive-In. It closed at the end of its 30-year leasing agreement in style on 2, 1980 with “Up In Smoke,” “Sunset Cove,” and “Beast of the Yellow Night.”
Grand opening ad for the Hi-Way Drive-In with “Stage to Tucson” on August 8, 1954 in photos
Mr. and Mrs. Lee Ledford teamed up with Mrs. W.G. Walton to open the Flemingsburg Drive-In on May 22, 1956 with Glenn Ford in “Americano.” Floyd Morrow’s Morrow Theatre Service booked the venue. Kenneth and Dorothy Jones joined the ownership team in the 1970s. The theatre advertised through the 1990 season.
Closed after a double feature of “Lively Set” and “McLintock” on June 19, 1966. Items were sold from the drive-in later that year.
Forrest and Howard Shelby opened the ozoner. Closed for films with “Springfield Rifle” and “Blues Busters” on October 3, 1954. Closed by the Shelbys after a Turkey Shoot even on November 26, 1954. It may have continued under new operators the following season without advertising.
The Airport Drive-In opened on June 5, 1953 with “Big Trees.” Land speculation was big around the West Paducah Airport at that time and the drive-in was likely a placeholder for a potentially larger land deal later. Doby B. Stout of Stout Theatres in Cairo, Illinois, ran it for three unsuccessful seasons offering it for sale for $10,000 prior to the 1956 season.
For its fourth and final season, it was independently operated on a subleasing agreement. The Airport Drive-In closed permanently with “Five Against the House” and “Danger is My Beat” on September 29, 1956. The property was again listed with the price plummeting to just $6,000 or best offer from a realty agent.
The name was changed from Moon Glo to Moonglo likely when the screen tower was changed to widescreen. Advertisements were discontinued in 1974 - not long after its 20th Anniversary - not indicative on anything on operational timeline. It became a flea market.
The Margie Grand was designed by architect Richard F. Graf of the firm, R.F. Graf and Sons of Knoxville. Margie Noe commissioned the work in 1928. The new-build facility replaced the city’s first bank. The adjoining building became the Margie Grand Sweet Shop and served as the de facto concession stand for the theater until a redesign worked in a modern concession stand.
Margie Noe managed the theatre at its opening. The Noe’s family home was two doors down from the theatre. That residence stood into the 1950s and was torn down not long after Margie Noe’s passing in 1953.
The Milwain was launched by Mr. and Mrs. Burgess Millwain on Front Street. The Milwain opened on July 27, 1929 with “China Bound.” Leta Milwain ran the venue for decades. The Milwain was damaged by fire in May of 1943 and, due to War rules and shortages, it was unable to reopen until 1944. The Milwain then closed on January 28, 1963 with Elvis in “Girls, Girls, Girls.” It reopened late that year and continued. It closed again on September 12, 1970 with “The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico Country.”
Louis Aldridge relit the Milwain one last time on a subleasing agreement. It reopened with “Paper Moon” on March 1, 1974. A midnight screening of Jacqueline Giroux in “The Erotic Adventures of Zorro” on April 7, 1974 was ostensibly the end of the line with Aldridge found guilty of exhibiting an obscene film. The theatre was then offered for sale. The theatre was finally razed in December of 1991 to rid it from the tax role By Leon Terry.
Corbin Hippodrome Co. commissioned the building in 1921 and was built by E.G. Holladay of Nashville with architectural plans by Richard F. Graf of the firm, R.F. Graf and Sons of Knoxville. The first ads are January 23, 1922 with live vaudeville by the Shannon Stock Company. It ran live until fire damaged the facility in 1929. It came back after a period of closure wired for sound and playing films which it did until closure. February 2, 1978 “The Late Great Planet Earth” marked the late great Hippodrome’s last film.