Lyric Theatre
Jackson,
TN
38301
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Previously operated by: Publix Theaters Corporation
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The Lyric Theatre was opened prior to 1913. Came across an article that stated this theatre once had a Pilcher organ. The Lyric Theatre was operated by Publix Theaters Corp. in 1930.
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JackCoursey
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Volume 205 of the legal publication The Southwestern Reporter has information about a case involving the installation of a heating and ventilation system in the Lyric Theatre at Jackson, Tennessee. The initial contract for the system had been signed on July 9, 1913. Another case, in volume 203 of the same publication, involved a vacuum cleaning system installed in the house. It’s clear from the articles that the house was in operation during at least part of 1913, and most likely was built that year. A balcony is mentioned in one of the articles, so the Lyric was probably a good-sized theater, not just a small nickelodeon.
The Lyric was mentioned in the September 23, 1930, issue of The Film Daily. The manager was named John McKenna. It was mentioned again in the December 4 issue, which noted that the Lyric was a Publix house:
New photo uploaded today showing this hall was later renamed MALCO. It might be appropriate for this page and the MALCO page to be merged.
Regarding the organ at the Lyric Theatre.
The Encyclopedia of the American Theatre Organ records the Henry Pilcher Son’s Company built their opus (serial number) 1073, a II/9 straight pipe organ for the Lyric Theatre in 1920, costing $4,800. By contrast, the comparable Wurlitzer unified II/9, style 160, cost $11,000 in 1920.
The installation of the Pilcher happened +/-7 years after the Lyric opened. What instrument or instruments accompanied the silent films before the Pilcher organ was installed is, as yet, unknown. Pilcher’s organs were not compact and, unless it replaced a previous, unknown pipe organ, significant alterations to the building would have been required.
The choice of Pilcher to build an organ for the Lyric is unusual.
Pilcher was a respected, mid-market, pipe organ builder in Louisville Kentucky. Their market was churches and civic auditoriums where traditional pipe organ design was prioritized. Though they did build organs throughout the country, their primary market was the mid and deep south. For reasons now lost to time, and despite the reported high profit margin on theatre organ work, Pilcher was reluctant to embrace the cinema market. Possibly it was an issue of them wanting to maintain a “higher brow” image. Possibly it was discomfort with the prevailing requirement for unification technology in theatre organs, which they did not embrace at that time. By 1920, the limitations of their theatre installations would have been obvious. Consequently Pilcher only built about 31 theatre organs, out of their total output of about 1,980 instruments. Only 2 of their theatre organs were built after 1921. None of their theatre organs are known to survive.
The Lyric Theatre appears that it most likely closed during the 1930s. It was never advertised nor mentioned in the Jackson Sun by 1936.
50sSnipes, Yes. If you’ll compare the photo of the Lyric uploaded today, with the photos of the Jackson Tennessee MALCO (https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/15335), you’ll see that it’s the same building. MALCO bought the hall in or around 1936. They already had the Jackson Paramount at that point.
During the 1920s and ‘30s, MALCO, the company, was expanding aggressively over West Tennessee, and the surrounding states. The Morris Aaron Lightman Company, often bought existing theaters and renamed them MALCO.