Miller Theatre
Lewistown, PA
Photo courtesy Mark Hackett

Check out the unusual lettering on the marquee of the Miller Theatre in downtown Lewistown. Those staggered block letters running down the vertical sign give the place a great postwar look, especially when the neon is glowing above West Market Street. 11-00

The Miller opened in 1949 as a 1,242-seat movie house designed in the Streamline Moderne style. The first attraction was Take Me Out to the Ball Game with Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Esther Williams. Upstairs even had a glass-enclosed “cry room,” allowing parents with noisy youngsters to watch the movie without becoming part of the soundtrack. The original auditorium was later divided and expanded into six screens, but the old marquee and vertical Miller sign stayed right where they belonged.

UPDATE: Now operating as Miller Cinemas 6, the theater remains open and the restored marquee continues to light up downtown Lewistown. 08-26

Castle Cinema Theatre (Demolished)
Olean, NY
Photo courtesy Mark Hackett

There’s no mistaking the 1970s look of the Castle Cinema Theatre in Olean. That dark mansard-style siding seemed to cover just about every restaurant, motel, and neighborhood theater around during the ’70s and ’80s. Add the big CASTLE letters out front and the look is complete. 11-00

The theater opened in 1971 as a 300-seat Jerry Lewis Cinema, part of a short-lived chain of small theaters designed to operate with only a couple of employees. Opening night featured There’s a Girl in My Soup with Peter Sellers and Goldie Hawn. It was later divided into two screens, apparently without enough soundproofing to keep one movie from joining the other.

The Castle Cinema was part of the sprawling Castle Restaurant and motel complex along Route 17. It also became known locally for midnight showings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which must have shaken up the old castle grounds a bit.

UPDATE: The Castle Cinema and the surrounding resort complex were demolished in November 2005. 08-26

Hollywood Theatre
Gowanda, NY
Photo courtesy Mark Hackett

Here’s the Hollywood Theatre in Hollywood... er, Gowanda, New York. The worn facade shows just how rough the years had been, while that enormous SAVE THE HOLLYWOOD banner makes it clear that someone wasn’t ready to give up. Quite a study in contrasts along West Main Street. 11-00

The Hollywood opened in 1926 with 990 seats, marble in the lobby, an orchestra pit, and plenty of movie-palace decoration. It was built by local industrialist Richard Wilhelm, who was known around town as the “Glue King.” Now there’s a nickname that sticks.

After closing in 1992, the theater sat vacant and continued to deteriorate. A local preservation group eventually took ownership and spent years bringing back the auditorium, facade, and grand neon marquee.

UPDATE: The Hollywood Theatre has been restored and is open again for concerts, live performances, and special movie screenings. A vintage Wurlitzer pipe organ has also found a new home inside. 08-26

Babcock Twin Theatre (Closed)
Wellsville, NY
Photo courtesy Mark Hackett

Here’s the marquee of the Babcock Twin Theatre along Main Street in Wellsville. The sharp V-shaped canopy, rows of bulbs, and hand-placed movie titles make this a familiar old downtown sight. Better yet, it was still showing first-run movies when this photo was taken. 11-00

The Babcock opened as a movie theater in 1919, although entertainment on the site dates back to an 1886 vaudeville house. Warner Bros. purchased it in 1930 and rebuilt the front in the new Art Deco style. Look above the marquee and you can still spot the old Warner Bros. coat of arms.

The theater became a twin in 1982 when the balcony was enclosed for a second screen. Hidden behind the lower screen is the original vaudeville stage, complete with a trap door and an old dressing room. Who knows what else is back there?

UPDATE: The Babcock has closed for regular movie showings, but the marquee survives and a local preservation group is working to restore and reopen the theater as a community arts center. 08-26

The Coyle Theatre (Demolished)
Charleroi, PA
Photo courtesy Rick McOmber

Here’s the old blade marquee for the Coyle Theatre along McKean Avenue in Charleroi. The big vertical COYLE letters and that little arrow pointing down toward the entrance made sure nobody could cruise past without knowing where the show was. By the time of this photo, the theater had been dark for several years, but there was still talk of bringing it back. 06-06

The Coyle went all the way back to 1892, when it opened as an opera and vaudeville house with Killarney and the Rhineon the stage. It later made the move to silent pictures and talkies, then received an Art Deco makeover that gave the building its familiar theater look and expanded it to nearly 1,000 seats.

After more than a century of shows and movies, the Coyle closed in 1999. The last movie reported to have played here was Titanic. A fittingly big picture for the final show, although the theater itself was about to enter a very long intermission. Local preservation groups spent nearly two decades trying to raise enough money to restore the building. Unfortunately, the estimated cost continued to climb and the hoped-for reopening never happened.

UPDATE: The Coyle Theatre was demolished in November 2019. The vertical blade sign was removed before demolition and placed in storage. 08-26

Paramount Theatre
Boston, MA
Photo courtesy Paul Bauke

There’s no missing the towering Paramount Theatre sign along Washington Street in Boston. Even with the building covered up and renovation work going on all around it, those giant vertical letters were still hanging on. Sometimes the sign is the first part of an old theater that lets you know there is something worth saving underneath. 07-07

The Paramount opened in 1932 with Shanghai Express, starring Marlene Dietrich, on the screen. The 1,700-seat Art Deco theater was built especially for the new talking pictures, which were still quite a novelty at the time. Outside, the chrome-and-glass facade, giant blade sign, and marquee covered with thousands of bulbs gave downtown Boston plenty of nighttime flash.

The theater closed in 1976 after the surrounding area had fallen into decline. An asbestos removal project in 1980 stripped away nearly all of the original interior, leaving little more than the exterior shell. For years the dark Paramount sign remained above Washington Street, waiting for someone to switch it back on.

That finally began to happen when Emerson College took over the building and started the large restoration seen here. The old sign and marquee were saved while an entirely new theater complex was constructed behind the historic facade. Since the original auditorium decoration had been lost, the new main theater was designed to bring back the spirit of its old French Art Deco interior.

UPDATE: The Paramount Center opened in 2010 with theaters, screening rooms, rehearsal space, and Emerson College facilities. The restored vertical sign and marquee, glowing with around 7,000 bulbs, once again light up Washington Street. 08-26