West End Theatre
1303 Tuscaloosa Avenue SW,
Birmingham,
AL
35211
1303 Tuscaloosa Avenue SW,
Birmingham,
AL
35211
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The Chuck entry above seems a bit vague / off. My research indicates that Grover Wise of the Alcazar, Odeon, and Royal theaters decided the time was right for Birmingham to have a new-build, suburban movie house. Based on plans by architect B.B. Burnham, he opened the modernistic and suburban West End Family Theater on December 24, 1923. The 450-seat venue was a new-build theater costing some $45,000 and dropping “family” immediately. The venue was equipped with sound to remain viable and received a streamline moderne makeover in the 1930s which could explain the increased seating count or might not. On September 27, 1957, it was renamed Gary’s West End Theater" under new operator Arnold Gary. That continued until July 1963 when it resumed under the West End Theatre nameplate.
After a refresh by a new operator, the 42-year old theater became the Cinema Theatre on March 21, 1965 using the motto, “We bring the good ones back.” The venue was trying to capitalize on the suburban theater trend by having the veneer of a new cinema. It opened with “Incredible Journey” and “Advance to the Rear" on July 8, 1965. But patrons saw through the facade and the Cinema Theatre appears to have ended on January 6, 1966 with “The Checkered Flag” and “Trigger Happy.”
The venue was retrofitted for retail purposes. That ended on June 2, 2005 when a neighboring store caught on fire ending the retail Spivey Hobby store and took the former theater with it.
The Chuck entry can certainly stay as is and this can be an alternative viewpoint.
FTR, I grew up in West End. The theater was still opened until the mid 60’s. I worked in the ticket booth on many weekends while I was in the 8th grade. After the show started, I worked behind the refreshment counter. I was also in the Miss West End contest held there when I was in the 8th grade 64-65. After that it became Spivey Hobby and Toy which was already next door to the theater and needed to expand.
The West End Theater was open as late as 1958 and was located on the SW corner of 13th and Tuscaloosa Ave. After closing the next door tenant, Spivey’s, expanded into the space. On the NW corner was Donna Jean’s Candy Store – the theater didn’t have a snack bar so you had to bring your own. To further complicate the situation, for popcorn you went to Alley’s Drug Store on the NE corner where an older lady had a popcorn machine.
The building formerly housing the theater burned several years ago.
The West End Theatre was listed at 1203 Tuscaloosa Avenue in the 1928 Birmingham telephone directory. Either addresses were changed, or there was an earlier West End Theatre. There are no old buildings at 1203 Tuscaloosa either, so if there was an earlier West End Theatre there it has also been demolished.