Martin Theatre Grand Opening March 16, 1967

The time had finally come on March 16, 1967 for the modern and new Martin Theatre to open in Jackson Heights Plaza. I'm going to go through every film that played at this location until the Martin name disappeared for good in 1988 and the best place to start is at the beginning. As always if there are videos you have to view the "web version" of the blog or you won't see them.

A rock band from Nashville named the Rogues is brought in to play before the movie begins. I couldn't find out much about them other than that they regularly played Central State Hospital. 

The Rogues on opening night of the Martin Theatre

Story on the Rogues playing Central State from the July 22, 1967 Tennessean

I hope you enjoyed that digression with The Rogues. It was a cold night on March 16, 1967, but I'm sure everybody felt warmly excited for the new theatre opening. Orchids were to be handed out to the first 200 ladies attending that night. The movie that would play was Walt Disney's Follow Me, Boys! which starred Fred MacMurray, Vera Miles, and Kurt Russell among many others. MacMurray plays a man who settles in a small town and, instead of becoming a lawyer, he becomes a scout master. 

Follow Me, Boys! Marching Song

March 17, 1967 Daily News Journal 

If you wondered what businesses were in Jackson Heights Plaza when the Martin opened, wonder no more. It may just be me, but I love these welcome ads along with the construction company ones.

Follow Me, Boys! would be the first of many movies to play the Martin at Jackson Heights Plaza. Starting next week I will begin posting the ads for every film that played the Martin, the Martin Twin, the Martin Four, and Martin Six until it loses the name Martin completely several years after being bought out by Carmike. The Martin chain itself, before Carmike, became part of a financial company named Fuqua and you will notice the Fuqua name on ads too. The location is still going even though Carmike shut it down in the year 2000. It was sold and reopened as the Premiere 6 in 2001. Which I think is pretty cool.