The Picture Show

6983 Main Street

While Frisco got its first movie house about 1915, the year 1919 saw a new and improved theatre on this site. The brick archway sheltered a ticket booth at the front of the building and the rest of the building was made of wood. A fire in 1922 burned most of the downtown area, but the brick archway withstood the fire and soon a new brick theatre with a balcony was built on the site. This was the only movie theatre in Frisco until it closed in 1956. It was known as the Queen, the Gem, and the Rio. The theatre was known to have rats that at times provided more excitement and entertainment than the show itself.  It is said they would stand up in the aisle and eat popcorn!

Until the late 1920s all the movies were “silent” and talking, yelling and clapping during the movies were the custom of the day. A comedy and a serial that continued from week to week preceded most feature movies. The theatre had no air conditioning and was cooled by a fan. The projectionist had to repair breaks in the film and if the City’s gasoline-powered generator stopped the lights in the theatre went out as well. The going rate to attend a movie was 10 cents.

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