Preston Theatre
400 N. Iron Street,
Salem,
MO
65560
400 N. Iron Street,
Salem,
MO
65560
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Frisina Amusement Company
Architects: R.A.M. Anderson, Bruce F. Barnes
Firms: Barnes & Anderson
Nearby Theaters
The 600-seat Preston Theatre was opened on January 23, 1941 with Clark Gable in “Comrade X”. It was closed on June 30, 1960 with Ray Danton in “The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond”. It was demolished in the 1980’s.
Contributed by
Ken McIntyre
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Recent comments (view all 5 comments)
A walking tour of downtown Salem gives the address of the modern City Administration Building that replaced the Preston Theatre as 400 N. Iron Street, but it’s possible that the theater was actually around the corner on 4th Street.
Comments about the Preston Theatre on a community forum page say that it closed in the 1960s, but all the movies people mention having seen there date from no later than the late 1950s. I think it might have closed before that decade ended. It was apparently demolished in the 1980s.
The January 23, 1941 edition of the Salem Post & Democrat-Bulletin announced that the Preston Theater would open for business the following day; the owners were Kenneth and Olive Mae Preston. The facade’s first floor was done in black structural glass, with a sunburst motif above the marquee. Inside, the color scheme was reported to be “blue, brown, cream, and soft rust.” There were 600 seats and no balcony. Projectors were by Simplex. The opening show was “Comrade X” starring Clark Gable and Hedy Lamarr.
A photo of the Preston appears in the online guide to Salem’s walking tour: http://www.salemmo.com/walkingtour/location47.asp
I wonder if the project in this item from the January 14, 1937 issue of Film Daily got built or not. Are we missing any theaters in Salem?
The Preston Theatre opened its doors on January 23, 1941 with Clark Gable in “Comrade X” (unknown if extras added), and this was never known as the New Salem Theatre. It was closed on June 30, 1960 with Ray Danton in “The Rise And Fall Of Legs Diamond”.
Information about the Preston goes as follows: Outside the theater features the entire front entrance in black glass, with the theater’s name over the box office in ivory glass. The canopy, or the marquee, features red neon tubing with “PRESTON” on top of the V-shaped marquee, and below this are lighted boxes for display of feature titles, or possibly short subjects if there’s any more room if necessary, as an addition to the main feature. Inside the theater features two long aisles on either side being heavily specially designed carpeting. The aisles are sloped and are lighten by indirect lights from the chairs. To the left of the lobby that is attractively lighted with fluorescent tubes is the entrance to the ladies powder room, and on the right is the men’s room. The auditorium contains 600 Irwin blue leatherette upholstered seats with backs of a rust color velour with rayon stripe. The lighting effects along the wall include National fixtures permitting various color effects. The stage drapes are also rust color with a large curtain that was controlled from the projection booth and opens up the Walker Sound Screen. The entire general color scheme throughout is light tan, rust, and blue. Inside the projection booth contains Simplex 4-Star projections, and the entire building is fireproof.