Allen Theater

Allen Theater may refer to:

Allen Theater (Allentown, Pennsylvania)

The Allen Theater is a former cinema in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It closed in 1989.

History

Opened during the age of silent films in 1915 with a seating capacity listed at 489, the Allen was originally named as the Nedson Theater. During the 1920s, it was owned by a James Bowen, a well-known local businessman. It was renovated in 1934, adding sound capability.

On 12 October 1934, the local Morning Call newspaper ran an article saying the renovated theatre, renamed the "New Allen Theater" would open the next day. Its new owners were Robert L. Plarr, owner of Dorney Park amusement park, and John T. Dodd, who had been the park's general manager to that point for eight years. The first feature film shown in the newly renovated theater was Baby Take a Bow with child star Shirley Temple, James Dunn and Claire Trevor. In 1938, air conditioning was added.

Throughout its existence, the Allen was a local, second-run theater which, unlike its contemporaries in downtown Allentown, played popular films in a residential neighborhood after they ended their first run at the larger theaters in the entertainment district. Prices were considerably less: during the Depression of the 1930s, admission was 20 cents for adults and 10 cents for children.