Small Town Theaters of Frederick County

by Richard D. L. Fulton

According to Robert K. Headley, as stated in his book, Maryland’s Motion Picture Theaters (Images of America), in the 1950s, there were as many as 200 movie theaters in Maryland. 

While that may seem to be a relatively small number, Maryland is, after all, a relatively small state. Most of the theaters were, as one would assume, concentrated in Maryland’s major cities, first and foremost in Baltimore, but also in Frederick. However, almost every small town had at least one.

For the youths of the 1950s and 1960s, indoor movie theaters were usually the choice of many first dates, followed by drive-ins as the relationship developed further, if only for a more private and more intimate setting.

During the 1950s, a bag of popcorn might cost five to ten cents, a candy bar might cost ten to fifteen cents, and a soda might cost some 50 to 75 cents. In the 1960s, a bag of popcorn might cost 75 cents ($1.00 with butter), with candy bars and sodas remaining about the same as they had been in the 1950s. 

Theater admission fees in the 1950s averaged 46 cents to 50 cents, and from 75 cents to one dollar in the 1960s.

Due to word count limitations, only a few of the small-town theaters could be covered herein.

Gem Theater (Emmitsburg)

Emmitsburg’s lone theater, which was located at 125 West Main Street, provided not only theatrical entertainment to the community but also hosted social events and fundraisers.

The earliest mention of Emmitsburg’s Gem Theater appeared in the November 1933 edition of The (Hanover) Evening Sun, when, according to The Sun, “Fire broke out in the projection room of the Gem Theater about 10 o’clock Saturday during the last show,” adding, “The flames caused quite a commotion among those in the theater.”

In 1940, the owner/manager of the Gem Theater was identified as Harry T. Bollinger. In 1952, The Sun identified a new owner of the Gem,  John G. Miller, who had also owned the Taneytown Theater and a soon-to-open “open-air” theater at Bridgeport.

The Gem apparently continued to operate normally until the summer of 1954, which “had been closed most of the summer,” according to The Sun, but before it had reopened, the theater was leased by Miller to Clifford “Kayo” Keilholtz and William Rogers.

Whatever had transpired in the wake of that arrangement, it was noted that the theater would reopen, until November 2, 1955, under the new management of “Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Clem.” However, The Sun had reported that the theater had been upgraded with a new wide-screen and an enlarged concession stand.

Yet the end of the Gem was rapidly approaching. The (Frederick) News reported in October 1960 that the Gem Theater, “which has been closed for several years,” will reopen on October 21, and is presently under new management, and that the theater had undergone “extensive remodeling and improvements.”

By December 1960, the theater reopened under a new name, the “MG Theater,” according to The News. But in spite of those efforts, in 1964, the Gem/MG Theater closed its doors forever, and the building was then subsequently converted into apartments.

Gem Theater (Thurmont)

It would appear from the newspaper archives that the Thurmont Gem Theater was launched in 1916, when an advertisement placed in the March 23, 1916, issue of the Catoctin Clarion, stated, “Meet Me at ‘The Gem!’ – Thurmont’s Up-to-Date Movie Parlor.” 

According to kilduffs.com, the theater was then located at 307 Church Street, where there is now apparently a parking lot.

Typical of the silent movies being shown at that time, the Thurmont Gem Theater movies shown in 1916 included The Shadows of a Great City, The Day of Days, and The Pride of Jennico. 

Admissions at the Thurmont Gem Theater ranged from 5 cents to 10 cents, depending on the show. Heading into 1918, the admissions ranged from 5 cents to 10 cents to 15 cents to 25 cents, with reserved seating for 35 cents. 

The increase in the 1918 admission rates was likely due to a 10 percent “war tax” (War Revenue Act of 1917), imposed on theaters (and other forms of entertainment) by the federal government to help pay for the “Great War” in Europe.

By the 1930s, reportedly, the theater’s name had been changed to the State Theatre, according to kilduffs.com, although no State Theatre advertisements could be found dating before or during the 1930s, with the oldest advertisements for the theater having been placed beginning in 1947.  The last State Theatre advertisement appeared in the 1959 newspapers.

Woodsboro Opera House

The Woodsboro Opera House existed at 5 North Main Street in Woodsboro, located on the second floor of the building that had been constructed and occupied by the Woodsboro (Savings) Bank.

The structure housing the opera house had replaced a pre-existing structure, which had served as the first location of the then-fledgling Woodsboro (Savings) Bank, demolished by mid-1901. During the demolition, the bank operated out of other locations while awaiting completion of the new building.

The (Frederick) News reported on September 21, 1901, that the yet-to-be completed building would occupy a frontage of 67 feet, with a depth of 64 feet, to be comprised of three stories, noting further that the bank would occupy the first floor, and that the second floor would contain an 88-foot by 64-foot hall that would be “suitable for public meetings and amusement purposes.”  This “hall” certainly became the then-future location of the Woodsboro Opera House.

Although created for the plays and other forms of performing arts, Woodsboro Opera House began showing the first motion picture movies in 1906 when The (Frederick) Citizen reported on February 9, 1906, that the Biograph Motion Picture Company (BMPC) had held a viewing. BMPC was the first company to focus on film production and exhibition.

During the 1930s and 1940s, the opera house was continually used for motion picture presentations, as well as for theatrical plays.

The Woodsboro Opera House ceased operation in 1953. The reason that had been given for its closing was with regard to concerns over fire safety.

Brunswick Imperial Theater

The 300-seat Brunswick Imperial Theater was once located at 226-228 West Potomac Street (now an empty lot).

It appears that the theater was established sometime during 1912, as there appears to have been no mention of the Imperial in newspapers prior to 1912 (contrary to online sources that claim the theater was built in the 1920s).

By August 1912, theater owner/manager R.A. Steele was busy at work adding another feature to his theater:  a bowling alley. 

According to the August 2, 1912, issue of The (Frederick) Daily News, Steele “is making excavations in the basement story under the theater, preparatory to putting in an up-to-date bowling alley.”

By October 1912, nightly bowling competitions were underway, and Steele was further considering adding a pool hall and reading room, according to the October 18 issue of The Daily News.

A January 16, 1913, article in The (Frederick) Evening Post noted that R.A. Steele “is putting in a large stage at the Imperial Theater and will introduce vaudeville and other forms of entertainment in addition to moving pictures,” and was also offering to give away an automobile each month to some lucky patron, for the first six months following the theater’s opening.

According to cinematreasures.org, during the 1950s, the theater began to show mostly westerns, and “to add special effects, smoke was blown into the theater and gunshots, as well as horse hooves sounds, were produced behind the curtain.”

The Imperial Theater was sold at auction for $25,700 in September 1970, according to The (Frederick) News.