FOR THE RECORD
just in case anybody really does want to do a history,
and if anybody ever does, you’d be able to knock me over
with a feather

A Few Cinemas in Albuquerque and Elsewhere

or, My Screaming Tirade

If you read my essay on Monty Python, you noticed that I griped about the unforgiveable cropping at all cinemas in Albuquerque. Ah, so now I’m thinking about Albuquerque. So now that I’m thinking about Albuquerque, why not tell some stories? On the off-chance that you are a historian who wishes to write about cinemas in Albuquerque, here’s some info you don’t even have to pay for. (But if you’re going to plunder any of this, at least have the courtesy to give me a footnote. Please?)

JUMP AHEAD:

1.  The Lobo
2.  The Format Wars
3.  Albuquerque Exhibitors, Inc.
4.  The Lobo Fine Arts Cinema
5.  The Sunshine
6.  The Age of Widescreen
7.  Don Pancho’s Arts Theater
8.  Don Pancho’s Art Theatre
9.  The Roxy Art Theatre
10.  The Guild Art Theatre
11.  Eddie Horton and the First Methodist Church
12.  Movie, Inc., Leases The Guild
13.  Madowhy’s Brief Interruption
14.  The Guild Gobbles Don Pancho’s
15.  I Irritate Everybody
16.  The Screening Room Twin
17.  The King of Hearts
18.  The Best One Is Canned
19.  Closing The Guild
20.  My Very First Job
21.  The Rocky Horror Picture Show
22.  Vandalizing the Films
23.  The Ruling Class
24.  Fired from My Very First Job
25.  Mrs. A
26.  My Horrid Reputation
27.  Dear Inspector
28.  My Own Idiocy
29.  The Sheridan Opera House

30.  Let Bygones Be Bygones
31.  More Jobs
32.  The Sunset Drive-In
33.  Robots
34.  USPS/APWU + the Sunset Drive-In
35.  Santa Fé: The City Lights and El Paseo
36.  The Defamatory Cinema
37.  The Cinefest
38.  Super Saver
39.  Smear Campaign
40.  Aftershocks
41.  The Frauenthal
42.  Hoyt Hall
43.  Failure
44.  My Very Last Projection Job
45.  9/11
46.  Escape
47.  Afterthoughts
48.  Landmark Cinemas
49.  Caligula
50.  The Morals of the Story
51.  Albuquerque’s Forgotten Cinemas
52.  Albuquerque’s Forgotten Stage Theatres
53.  The Demise of Cinema
54.  The Fox Winrock and Lawrence of Arabia
55.  Movies at the Mission and at UNM
56.  Pastime, Crystal, B
57.  The Darkness That Grew Like a Cancer
58.  The Unexpected Revelation

This web page has grown so huge that it no longer loads properly. So I divided it into dozens of smaller pages, each chapter its own web page. Click on the links above.

QUICK REFERENCE. The following table does not include every fly-by-night improvised space and improvised screen, nor does it include every classroom or any public-school auditorium, nor does it include every library auditorium or clubhouse or church or synagogue or private school, and it pretty much omits the porno houses and modern hotel conference rooms. Not a mention of Johnson Gym or Kiva Auditorium, either. Maybe someday I’ll fill in those gaps. As for stadiums, no, that’s a whole other topic. Ditto with dinner theatres; they are a whole different kettle of fish, outside my scope. As we all know, most of the buildings on the UNM campus are not on streets. As we all do not know, those buildings all have street addresses anyway!

VENUE	OPEN	CLOSE	ARCHITECT
Armijo House 306 Railroad [Central] Ave SW Occasional improvised stage.	19 Mar 1882	09 Feb 1897
Albuquerque Opera House Boyd & Wade Opera House Palace Theatre 203 Railroad [Central] Ave NW Stage.	13 Jun 1882 14 Oct 1882 03 Jul 1884	10 Oct 1882 05 May 1883 12 Jul 1884
Palace Theatre alley behind 102 Railroad [Central] Ave SW Improvised stage.	21 Sep 1883	14 Nov 1883
Grant’s Opera House 303 Railroad [Central] Ave NW Stage, occasional film.	20 Nov 1883	18 Jun 1898
(first) Perkins Hall Lead Ave bet 3rd & 4th (south side of street) Stage.	30 Dec 1890	07 Jun 1895
New Academy of Music Albuquerque Democrat Bldg, 3rd St Stage.	19 Mar 1893	ca Jan 1895
Orchestrion Hall Old Town Stage, occasional film.	ca Aug 1895	ca Sep 1907
(second) Perkins Hall Raynolds Library, 417 Railroad [Central] Ave NE Stage.	02 Sep 1895	ca Apr 1905
McClure’s Opera House New Albuquerque Opera House New Opera House Neher’s Opera House 225 3rd St NW Stage, occasional film.	23 Aug 1899 21 Feb 1900 19 Mar 1900 27 Jul 1900	28 Jan 1900 18 Mar 1900 18 Jul 1900 23 Mar 1901
New Pavilion Theatre 215 Railroad [Central] Ave NW Film. Open-air, maybe a tent.	03 Jun 1901	09 Jun 1901
Armijo Hall 304 Railroad Ave SW Improvised stage.	15 Dec 1902	25 Dec 1902
Colombo Theatre (aka Knights of Columbus Hall) 416 2nd St NW Stage, occasional 35mm.	08 Jan 1903	20 Sep 1909
Elks’ Opera House 502 Gold Ave SW Stage, occasional 35mm.	29 Feb 1904	12 Nov 1914
Casino Theatre Traction Park (sw of Old Town) Stage.	ca 1905	1906
(first) Crystal Theatre probably 402 2nd St SW 35mm, illustrated songs. Tent.	01 Aug 1907	15 Sep 1907
(second) Crystal Theatre 120 Gold Ave SW 35mm, vaudeville. Carved into a warehouse.	16 Sep 1907	07 Oct 1911
(first) Airdome Theatre 402 2nd St SW 35mm. Open-air, maybe a tent. Same as the first Crystal?	18 May 1908	30 Jun 1908
Rodey Hall 1891 Central Ave NE, UNM Campus Improvised stage, occasional 16mm.	23 Jan 1909	03 Feb 1971	Edward Buxton Cristy
Zamora Hall 716 (now 208) San Felipe St NW 35mm, lectures. Repurposed storefront.	ca 1909	ca 1913
Zamora’s Number 2 1408 2nd St SW 35mm. Repurposed saloon.	ca 1909	ca 1913
Gem Theatre 122 Silver Ave SW 35mm. Remodeled storefront.	05 Jun 1909	14 Dec 1912
Pastime Theatre Mesa Theatre 213 Central Ave NW Vaudeville, 35mm.	01 Sep 1909 23 Dec 1933	24 Nov 1933 21 Feb 1948
(second) Airdome Theatre 300 2nd St NW Open-air, stage, 35mm.	27 May 1910	18 Jul 1915
(third) Crystal Theatre 219 2nd St SW Vaudeville, 35mm. Remodeled storefront.	09 Oct 1911	15 Aug 1932	Henry C. Trost, El Paso TX (Renaissance Revival)
Orpheum Theatre 504 2nd St SW Vaudeville, 35mm.	09 Nov 1911	05 Nov 1915
(first) Lyric Theatre Ideal Theatre Mission Theatre 121 Central Ave NW 35mm.	16 Apr 1913 01 Sep 1918 22 Feb 1930	31 Aug 1918 11 Jun 1928 13 Jun 1949
B Theatre 200 Central Ave SW 35mm. Remodeled storefront.	06 Feb 1915	22 Apr 1924	Henry C. Trost, El Paso TX
(second) Lyric Theatre 312 Central Ave SW 35mm.	30 Mar 1918	03 Feb 1924
Sunshine Theatre 120 Central Ave SW Vaudeville, 35mm, later 70mm, briefly 16mm.	01 May 1924	ca Sep 1988	Henry C. Trost, El Paso TX (Moorish Revival)
KiMo Theatre 423 Central Ave NW Vaudeville, 35mm.	19 Sep 1927	13 Dec 1970	Boller Bros., Kansas City MO (Pueblo Deco)
San Felipe Theatre 2000 Lomas Blvd NW (cor 150 San Felipe St NW) Stage, 35mm. Repurposed Old Town Court House.	15 Jun 1929	29 Jul 1929
New Mesa Theatre East of city 3 miles & turn 4 blocks north (about where Tingley Coliseum now is?) Open-air stage, 35mm.	10 Jun 1928	15 Jun 1928
Savoy Theatre Aztec Theatre Savoy Theatre 215 1st St SW 35mm.	11 Aug 1929 01 May 1930 20 Jun 1930	27 Apr 1930 16 May 1930 23 Jun 1930
Little Theatre 224 San Pasquale Ave SW Stage.	12 Oct 1936	present	John Gaw Meem
Liberty Theatre Río Theatre 118 Central Ave SW 35mm.	01 Dec 1931 17 Dec 1932	31 Oct 1932 01 Sep 1952
Chief Theatre 206 Central Ave SW 35mm.	29 Aug 1934	29 Sep 1952
La Sandia Theatre 1220 3rd St SW 35mm.	23 Apr 1937	02 Mar 1938
Coronado Theatre 113 1st St SW 35mm.	12 Aug 1938	10 Mar 1956
Lobo Theatre 3013 Central Ave NE 35mm, stage rarely used.	19 Aug 1938	06 Aug 2000
El Rey Theatre 622 Central Ave SW 35mm.	27 Jun 1941	02 Jun 1968	Joseph B. Burwinkle
SUB Basement Lounge 500 University Blvd NE, UNM Campus 16mm.	20 Dec 1944	10 May 1945	John Gaw Meem
Sandia Theatre 1816 Central Ave SW 35mm.	10 May 1946	22 Apr 1956	Jack M. Corgan
Ernie Pyle Theatre 2121 4th St NW 35mm.	09 Oct 1946	24 May 1955
Yucca Theatre 2609 4th St NW 35mm.	10 Jan 1947	01 Sep 1952
Cactus Drive-In 1610 Yale Blvd SE 35mm.	26 Sep 1947	28 Sep 1975
Isleta Theatre Esquire Theatre 134 Isleta Blvd SW 35mm.	23 Dec 1948 09 Apr 1955	01 Jan 1955 03 Jan 1964
Tesuque Drive-In 7900 Marquette Ave NE 35mm.	22 Jul 1949	31 Aug 1976
Star Drive-In Linda Vista Drive-In Northside Drive-In 5400 2nd St NW 35mm.	27 Jul 1949 13 Jun 1969 25 Jul 1986	21 Aug 1968 15 Dec 1984 12 Nov 1988
66 Drive-In 221 Airport Drive NW 35mm.	30 Aug 1949	25 Jun 1983
State Theatre 215 Central Ave NW 35mm.	12 Oct 1949	05 Feb 1974	Brittelle, Ginner & Neuner
Hiland Theatre 4804 Central Ave SE 35mm.	20 Apr 1950	15 Dec 1995	William Burke
Terrace Drive-In Terrace Twin Screen Drive-In (extension) 9300 Central Ave SE 35mm.	18 Oct 1951 13 May 1953	12 May 1953 20 Jan 1980
Sunset Drive-In 1700 Arenal Road SW 35mm.	28 Nov 1951	01 Sep 1990
Duke City Drive-In 2701 Carlisle Blvd NE 35mm.	17 Feb 1953	31 Oct 1976
San José Drive-In Tri-C Drive-In Route 25 Drive-In 3251 (now 3405) Broadway Blvd SE 35mm.	23 Feb 1954 22 Mar 1957 26 Sep 1963	31 Aug 1956 18 Feb 1963 18 Jun 1965
New Vic Theatre, Old Town Playhouse 217 San Pasquale Ave NW Stage. Repurposed storefront in San Felipe Hotel.	13 Apr 1956	24 Jul 1959
SUB Union Theatre 301 Cornell Dr NE, UNM campus 16mm.	13 Feb 1960	present
Don Pancho’s Arts Theater Don Pancho’s Art Theatre 2108 Central Ave SE 35mm, occasional 16mm. Remodeled storefront.	14 Apr 1961 03 Aug 1962	02 Aug 1962 16 Mar 1989	Frank W. Scheer
Wyoming Drive-In 9098 Mickelsen Ave SE 35mm.	26 Jan 1962	18 Sep 1978
Roxy Theatre 2406 Central Ave SE 35mm. Remodeled storefront.	15 Apr 1963	28 Mar 1966
Fox Winrock Theatre Fox Cinerama Fox Winrock Theatre or Fox Cinerama (depending) Fox Winrock Theatre M Fox Winrock Theatre M Fox Winrock Twin (auditorium split) Winrock Twin 2100 Louisiana Blvd NE (201 Winrock Shopping Center) GE Talaria, 35mm, 70mm.	28 May 1963 25 Mar 1964 17 Feb 1965 30 Apr 1969 01 Jul 1973 24 May 1978 25 Mar 1980	15 Mar 1964 16 Feb 1965 29 Apr 1969 30 Jun 1973 23 Apr 1978 24 Mar 1980 02 Sep 1986	Melvin C. Glatz Denver CO
Circle Autoscope Drive-In 2901 Carlisle Blvd NE 35mm.	19 Jun 1963	07 Sep 1964
Silver Dollar Drive-In Silver Dollar Drive-In 1 2 3 (extension) 5310 San Mateo Blvd NE 35mm.	06 Nov 1963 24 Sep 1975	23 Sep 1975 02 Sep 1980
Cinema East Cinema East Twin (new auditorium added on) 9719 Candelaria Rd NE 35mm (older auditorium designed for D150 70mm).	09 Dec 1964	25 Aug 1996	[UNKNOWN] (Streamline Moderne)
Guild Theatre 3405 Central Ave NE 35mm, occasional 16mm. Remodeled storefront.	16 Feb 1966	present
Concert Hall Popejoy Hall 203 Cornell Dr NE, UNM Campus Stage, occasional 35mm, rare 16mm.	01 Oct 1966 05 May 1968	04 May 1968 present	Edward Holien & William Buckley, Hartman+Majewski Design Group
Red Dog Melodrama Theatre 3244 San Mateo Blvd NE Ste G Improvised stage. Repurposed saloon.	08 Dec 1967	21 Sep 1968
Loew’s Theatre Mall Cinema Mall Cinema I & II (auditorium split) 2266 Wyoming Blvd NE 35mm.	25 Dec 1969 12 Jul 1972 25 May 1979	11 Jul 1972 19 Apr 1979 29 Jan 1989	Elmo K. Lathrop & Assocs. Scottsdale AZ (Streamline Moderne)
Tree House Theatre 3117 San Mateo Blvd NE Ste B 16mm. Store space in La Mesa Shopping Center.	19 Dec 1970	27 Aug 1971
Cinema Petite Cinema View 1 (dba) Hoffmantown Theatre Hoffmantown Cinema Theatre 8202 Menaul Blvd NE 35mm. Remodeled storefront.	18 Jul 1971 03 Dec 1973 22 Nov 1974 09 Mar 1977	27 Nov 1973 06 Aug 1974 08 Mar 1977 28 Feb 1980
Eastdale Theatre 2807 Eubank Blvd NE 16mm (10 May 1972 to 30 Apr 1974). 35mm (01 May 1974 to 22 Sep 1992).	10 May 1972	22 Sep 1992
Los Altos Twin Theatre 4200 Wyoming Blvd NE 35mm.	23 Aug 1972	09 Oct 1985
Rodey Theatre 203 Cornell Dr NE, UNM Campus Stage, occasional 16mm.	30 Nov 1973	present	George Charles Izenour
Encore Theatre 3211 Central Ave NE 35mm. Previously the Mini Vue.	23 Apr 1975	06 Nov 1976
Silver Screen Theatre 5600 McLeod Rd NE 16mm. Repurposed storefront.	11 Jun 1975	13 Dec 1975
Screening Room I II Galería Twin First Plaza Twin Theatre First Plaza Galería, 200 3rd St NW 35mm.	13 Feb 1976 23 Jul 1976 24 Aug 1979	06 May 1976 13 Jul 1978 28 Feb 1980
Louisiana Blvd I II III 2121 Americas Pkwy 35mm.	01 Aug 1975	24 Sep 1998	William C. Riseman
M-Plaza 3 M-Plaza 5 (new auditoriums added on) 5001 Montgomery Blvd NE 35mm.	22 Aug 1975 17 Aug 1984	16 Aug 1984 15 Dec 1998	Melvin C. Glatz Denver CO
(first) Vortex Theatre Alley Theatre Southwest 106A Vassar St SE (rear) Improvised stage. Repurposed warehouse.	12 Nov 1976 15 May 1981	08 Oct 1978 31 Jul 1982
El Cielo 1810 Central Ave SW 35mm. Remodeled from the Will Rogers Highway Café.	07 Jan 1977	01 May 1977
Coronado 4 Coronado 6 (new auditoriums added on) 6401 Uptown Blvd NE 35mm.	15 Jun 1977 13 Dec 1985	12 Dec 1985 06 Aug 2004	Melvin C. Glatz Denver CO
Far North Cinema 3 Far North Cinema 4 (new auditorium added on) 6300 San Mateo Blvd NE 35mm.	28 Aug 1977 06 Nov 1980	05 Nov 1980 01 Apr 1995
Albuquerque 6 Drive-In 4901 Pan American Fwy 35mm.	22 Apr 1978	17 Sep 1995
Tiffany Playhouse Mercado Mall, 800 Río Grande Blvd NW Improvised stage. Repurposed storefront.	17 Nov 1978	06 Oct 1979
(second) Vortex Theatre 2004½ Central Ave SE (cor Buena Vista Dr) Improvised stage. Repurposed storefront.	06 Jan 1979	27 Jul 2014
Enough. 1979 is my limit. If it started after 1979, I won’t research it. The loss of the third Crystal and the Elks’s Opera House is a tragedy. The radical remodelings of the Sunshine and the KiMo constitute a crime. The loss of the Fox Cinerama and Loew’s and the Cinema East is sad. If Albuquerque could have kept only seven, these are the seven I would have chosen, but we lost all of them.

Continue to Chapter One.