The history of Bradenton's movie houses
As content as people are with things, if something new is waved before their eyes they will follow the shiny new item. This is often the case for businesses and their buildings.
Our first "movie theater" in Braidentown was the Warren Opera House built in 1896 on Main Street; people came to see plays with professional and amateur performers, lectures, variety and minstrel shows. The Opera House showed Edison's Genuine Talking Pictures on Monday, Aug. 18, 1913.
The Electric Theater located in the Coe Block, aka Drummond building on Main Street, was the first theater for motion pictures but also hosted local events when charities or churches needed to raise money.
The New Pandora Theatre opened in August 1912 replacing the Electric at a new location, the Anderson Block on Main. The opening film was the five-reel masterpiece "Dante's Inferno. Tickets were 10 and 20 cents, and the grand opening promotion was a coupon contest with a Cortez Beach lot as the prize. The theater also had vaudeville acts, lectures and local benefit performances.
The Manavista Hotel on Main was well known for their concerts and galas as well as for movies, "The Battle of Gettysburg," "Robin Hood," the five-reel film "Cleopatra" with Helen Gardner and the World Series games were also shown in 1913.
The New Wallace Theatre on the south corner of Fairview (14th) and Manatee Avenue opened in 1915.
George B. Wallace built the first movie "palace" in Bradentown. It had a lobby with modern accessories. The main floor and balcony had seating for 650. The manager was Mr. Sutton and the business' equipment featured a 1915 World Wonder Motiograph to show the films. The building was reputed to be the best in the state with its elevated modern seating of mission maple. The building also included nine exits and a fire escape and was completed at a cost of $12,000. Mr. Wallace contracted with
Paramount Pictures to become a Paramount House. Serials such as the "Iron Claw" and "Pearl White" were shown over a period of several weeks with a synopsis in the newspaper. Who could forget Dainty Vivian Martin in "Little Mademoiselle?" Sadly many of these early films could not be saved and are now lost from film history.
Proclaimed to be "Bradenton's magnificent temple of amusement", the Palace Theater on 13th Street opened on Aug. 14, 1924. The Palace Theatre was a jewel of a movie house, with colored tile work in the interior and marble floors and decorations by Benthall and Thompson. Everything was perfect from the metal ceiling and ornamental plaster work down to the mahogany hand rails. Built by J. K. Singeltary, the developer of 13th Street, no expense was spared to give the patron an unforgettable experience, including a Simplex projector which would offer unsurpassed quality to the movie public and an orchestra pit for 20 musicians. There was seating for 900 on the first floor and 300 in the balcony with each seat leather upholstered with springs costing $11 each. A ventilation system changed the air every two minutes.
The Palace would see its best days until the early 1960s. At that time, many businesses left downtown for the new shopping plazas of Westgate, Cortez Plaza and Bayshore Gardens Plaza. The Bayshore Cinema was new, modern, plain, and with no glitz but managed to hurry the end of the Palace. The Palace would soon become the Capri with fewer family friendly films; the business and building would face the same demise as the New Wallace. Deteriorated beyond repair, both the New Wallace and the Palace were demolished.
Bayshore Cinema's life span was short; it would soon be replaced by the screens at Desoto Square mall.
Additional screens at Cortez Plaza East, the Palmetto Drive In, Bradenton Drive In, the Airport Drive In and the Suburban Drive In (aka Kmart Plaza now Lowes) met similar fates.
The tiny silver ball is always leading people to something new.
Cindy Russell, the records librarian at the Manatee Historical Records Library, enjoy puzzles of all kinds, reading, genealogy and sewing.
This story was originally published April 14, 2016 at 12:47 PM with the headline "The history of Bradenton's movie houses ."