The Last Picture Show (Revised) - Frankfort Cinema

[Superegio42]

I saw Apollo 13, Jurassic Park, Finding Nemo, Sleepy Hollow, Passion of the Christ, Holes, Spider Man, Shrek, and many more movies here! Good memories.

[igwespike]

I saw my first movie (Lady and the Tramp) in the Roxy, then saw many more at the Jerry Lewis Cinema. Very sad!

[shaboomers]

I also watched "Lady and the Tramp" at the Roxy.

[igwespike]

I must have been in kindergarten when I saw it. Speaking of that, thank you for posting the tribute to Riley Elementary, that was my school!  I had no idea that it was closed and being demolished.

[shaboomers]

Yeah, Riley is now gone completely. All there is left is an empty lot where the once beautiful building that held so many memories for many use to set. We now have a new elementary school that replaced both Riley and Kyger. However it is just a band-aid for a school system that continues to fail.

[igwespike]

Incredibly sad news for me. We moved away from Frankfort in 1978 shortly after I finished 6th grade. Always thought that growing up in Frankfort was the best, and I missed it terribly. Two years ago, moved back to Indiana, working at Purdue, but still haven't been back to Frankfort to see how much things have changed. Sorry to hear that things aren't going well there.

[shaboomers]

I wouldn't say it wasn't going well. It just depends on who you are living in Frankfort. However we now don't even have a movie theater and a lot of historical places are being torn down. It has changed!

[hamtrak]

We had a "Jerry Lewis Cinema" operating out of a 1960s era building from 1971-1974. It still exists as a movie theatre today.The real tragedy is that in the early 80s,two very large and ornate 1880s era theatres were torn down to make way for modern structures.Instead of being put on a historic register. Gone forever!

[shaboomers]

Same story here in our town. We had the Roxy theater which was big, ornate and had a beautiful marquee and a balcony. When our Jerry Lewis Cinema opened in 1972, the Roxy closed down the following year and then was demolished in 1974.

If it (Roxy) would have been saved, today it would have been a real asset for our downtown area. But there are those who are in power who think they know what is best for the community and also think that progress is tearing down history.

[shaboomers]

What town is your Jerry Lewis theater in?

[MitzyMurder]

this is really sad to me.

[shaboomers]

Same here!

Do you live here in Frankfort?

[bclemen3]

i wish that they would build another one

[shaboomers]

Recently we have purchased the projection equipment from this cinema and hope to do so in the future. We'll see what happens.

[shaboomers]

More photos available of the demolition of The Frankfort Cinema at frankfortplace*com

[amazmace]

Sad. Could have been refurbished? It's a nice big theater. As a kid I remember a Jerry Lewis Cinema in Mooresville Indiana. The actual cinema is still there (I heard--I live in California now.) The Jerry Lewis Cinema wasa a short-lived thing anyway.

[shaboomers]

Sad it is. I started going to this cinema in 1972 when it opened and managed it for a few years in the 80s. Had hopes of someday being able to own it but that dream is shattered. Yes, this cinema could have been repaired and reopened easily. However, the powers to be were in a rush to have it taken down.

For Frankfort it is another step backwards for a community that tries to keep business in town. We will never have another cinema, first time in close to a century.