Campus Twin

The Campus Twin was at the corner of Hitt and Broadway and was a favorite of everyone. It may have been small but it showed a lot of good movies. It eventually started showing Art House movies and then closed down and renovated for shops. I think the Alpine store in in there now.

Biscayne III Theatre

One of my favorite shopping malls (and there are few) was the Biscayne which was on the West side of Columbia on Stadium Dr. Inside you found the Biscayne III Theatre which showed mostly second run or cheap movies. I think for a while they only charged less than $2.00 but I am not sure. I remember being herded into the theatre from the waiting area and there were times my friends and I would moo like cattle because of the situation. I remember seeing a lot of movies there but cannot remember any titles. It was torn down with the rest of Biscayne Mall to make room for another mall.

Broadway Cinema

The Broadway Cinema was the most comfortable of the local theatres until it's untimely closing.
The chairs would lean back a little given you a little comfort to watch your movie. It showed a lot of blockbusters because of the size and I remember seeing "Raiders of the Lost Ark" there in what would become one of my most memorable movie experiences. No one seemed to know what the movie was about and while the audience watched we all became as One. The audience seemed to all lean or gasp at the same time and no one talked. After the movie was over we gave it a standing ovation.

It was another sad day when it was demolished for the new Gerbes store. I had been coming to that theatre for years and now they were taking it away.

Columbia Mall 4 Theatres

The "gruesome" Columbia Mall started out with a movie theatre located at it's main entrance. It was a pretty good theater, especially if you had young kids because there was the Cafe Court with it's varied eateries and a arcade/game area which saw a lot of business. I saw a few movies there (once again I cannot remember the titles) but "Pocahontas" stands out because of the intermission. We went there during a stormy afternoon and half way through the film the tornado sirens went off forcing everyone to stand in a narrow maintenance hall. About a half hour later we were allowed to sit back down and finish the movie.

Forum Theatre

Located in the corner of the Forum Shopping Center, this little theatre was a gem in the rough. It was not located downtown but it was worth the drive as it was clean and just nice. We saw one of the later Indiana Jones movies there and a few more I can't remember. It eventually closed after a larger multi theater by the same name was built south of it.

Hall Theatre

The old Hall Theatre still stands on Ninth St. with it's name proudly above a Panera Bread store that is located in what was it's lobby area. I believe the Hall may have been the oldest theater in Columbia but I cannot remember much about it. I saw one film there, an Italian black and white film about Jesus. It was controversial because of two reasons, first the director was a Communist (you know what they think of religion) and secondly the Jesus in this movie actually laughed with the children. It was filmed on location in the Holy Land and it was gritty but good. Too this day I cannot remember the name of it. Help me out if you can.

About 1o to 15 years ago the city thought about buying the Hall Theater for activities. After the inspection they decided not to because it had some definite structural problems that were too expensive to fix.

Missouri Theatre

This is one of my all time favorites as it was large and ornate inside. Yes, it was falling down and the walls and ceiling was peeling but even with all that the theatre's greatness came out. I saw too many movies to list for this theatre but one of the most memorable was "Conan the Barbarian" where a large group of us went on opening night. They delayed the start of the movie to fill up the seats but we all started chanting "Conan", "Conan", "Conan" while beating our fists on the arm rests. A thousand voices of Columbia barbarians finally got the movie going and everyone loved it!

I was sad when they closed the Missouri Theatre for movies but I believe it was sold to a local art group. It was used for other events as I went for at least three violin recitals. I took the kids to a Beatles revival show which bought the theatre down. This time it was a bunch of 50+ year old adults up on their feet singing Beatle songs. (I think my kids may have been traumatized by the sight!) The group that bought the building have renovated it and turned the Missouri Theatre into an arts center. I am looking forward to seeing the old theatre again, it would be like meeting an old friend again who just had a bunch of plastic surgery. A pleasant surprise.

Uptown Theatre

I remember waiting outside the Uptown for several Mid-Night movies but the titles don't come to mind. And I know I went there to see several so called blockbusters one of which may have been "Ghostbusters". There was a considerable amount of renovation done to the outside after the theatre closed and it now has Slackers as a tenant. Boy, do I need help on this one.

Varsity Theatre

I remember seeing "Woodstock" and some other movies at the Varsity Theatre but the titles and dates are not in my head. It was closed for a long time and then the Blue Note moved there and it is used quite a bit.

White Gate Village Twin

I remember going to this theater once to see "Silver Streak" in 1976. You could see it from Interstate 70 but finding the correct exit was hairy as I lived in Fulton at the time and did not know Columbia very well. I can't remember how it looked inside the theatre and I guess it closed soon afterward because I moved to Columbia in 1979 and never saw any ads for movies. It was located at 2102 Whitegate Dr. and there is an insurance group in the building now.

Do you miss them at all?

Being a avid fan of the cinema and having few choices of movies in Columbia does not mix well with me because I long for the glory days of big, stand alone theatres located downtown. Do you remember waiting outside the ticket window of the Campus Twin or the movie scenes painted on the lobby walls of the Missouri Theater? These are simple memories but I seem to miss them. Back then you could walk to a bar or restaurant before or after a movie and have a complete night of entertainment without the long drives. I realize those days are over but I often think about the memories I have as I am walking from the parking lot to one of those movie mega theatres currently open.

It doesn't take a brain surgeon to see why things have changed. Property rental, insurance, and energy costs have taken a toll on all the stand alone theaters nationwide. Can anyone imagine what it costs to heat or cool a large theatre nowadays or how the film technology has changed requiring new and expensive equipment to show modern movies? I try not to. Most closed locations in Columbia have been remodeled for different businesses although some theatres have been renovated to be used as multi function venues. The goal of this blog is to jump start my brain and bring back forgotten memories pertaining to those old theatres and hopefully the readers may remember some thoughts and share them with us. I can remember ten movie theaters, an you think of more?