Before 1915, most of the movie theaters in Lenoir were commercial ventures operated by private individuals. The exception was the Firemen's Theatre which operated first in the Harshaw Building and then the Shell Building in order to raise funds for the local fire department. Even this theater was quickly converted into a commercial theater once the funds were raised in 1912. A similar, but much more permanent and ambitious undertaking began in 1915 when twelve Lenoir businessmen, dissatisfied with the commercial film exhibition in town, incorporated to form the Universal Theatre. Operating on South Main Street from a store building owned by the Masonic Lodge, the Universal was the most successful silent-movie theater in Lenoir to that time. It was the only theater in town from 1917 to 1926, surviving the rough years of the influenza epidemics when public buildings were quarantined for weeks at a time. In 1922 the Universal was moved to the newly completed theater behind the Harrison Building when the owner of this building, George O. Shakespeare, died suddenly. The corporation was dissolved in the 1926, but the Universal remained in this new home on the square for more than thirty years. The name was changed to the State Theatre in 1933 and films and shows continued into the late 1950s. Many in Lenoir remember the State Theatre today, but few know of its origins more than 100 years ago, under a different name and in a different building . . .

The Original Universal Theatre

In April of 1915, twelve local businessmen formed a corporation for a theater in Lenoir, less as a money-making enterprise than to provide ". . . a gathering place where the citizens of Lenoir and surrounding community may comfortably view the best type of motion pictures that can be secured for a reasonable outlay." (Lenoir Topic 4/14/1915, p. 1) The two other film theaters in the city, the Princess Theatre and the Star Theatre appear to be struggling that year; only a few ads are present in the newspapers and both buildings were to convert to conventional stores before the U.S. entry into World War I in 1917. The name chosen for the new venture was the Universal Theatre, taken from the service used to secure films: "The well known Universal service will be used and the latest model of projection machine, most up-to-date screen and comfortable opera chairs will insure its patrons a pleasant evening's entertainment." (Lenoir Topic 4/14/1915, p. 1) It is important to remember that the Universal Theatre was merely named for the distribution company used by the corporation; it was not a studio-owned venue as in some large cities.

Most of the documentation surrounding the Universal is in the names of three of the twelve businessmen: J.A. Booth, J.A. Marshall, and F.C. Hanks. Apparently, these men were the officers in charge of the corporation and thus the theater. Booth and Marshall appear to have given day-to-day operation of the theater to Hanks. Floyd Hanks, Sr. (1876-1942) was to remain in the film exhibition business in Lenoir until his death and is today mostly associated with the Avon Theatre from 1934, as well as the theater work of his son, Floyd Hanks, Jr. (1903-1967).

An article published on 13 May 1915, the day of the grand opening, includes some useful details about the new venue on South Main:

Universal Theatre.

The new Universal Motion Picture Theatre puts on the first performance this evening. The management issued invitations to the public for a general inspection of the new show room this afternoon and between the hours of three and five many persons called and looked over and admired it. It is furnished with 240 neat comfortable opera chairs and with a splendid elevated floor which makes the point of vision most agreeable and pleasant. The reel booth is located outside the building with brick wall intervening so as to make the danger of fire from that source almost impossible. The booth is equipped with 'last word' in motion picture machines and everything about he establishment is in keeping with the best amusement places of the kind in the country, even in the larger cities. (Lenoir News 5/13/1915, p. 4)

At 240 seats, the new theater was slightly smaller than the Star Theatre in the Matheson Building, which accommodated around 300, and slightly larger than the Princess which seated around 200. Both of the older theaters apparently had level floors, so the elevated floor was a new detail that no doubt helped viewing. It anticipates a later era when sloping floors were built for all movie houses. The note about the reel booth being outside the main hall is more than just a nicety; fire was a tremendous concern in early theaters due to the highly flammable nitrate film stock. It also seems to indicate that the screen would have been in front of the building, with the projection booth in the back.

The Masonic store building chosen for the Universal on South Main Street was just two stores south of the old Shell Building that had previously been used as a theater:

The Masonic Store Building is identified in the 1921 Sanborn map as "Moving Pictures" with a lodge room on the second floor. Thus, both the Shell and Masonic Buildings were lodge property with public store space on the first floor and private lodge halls on the second and both were used as early theaters.

In addition to these two buildings, a third building on South Main was to be used as a theater, after the Universal moved out. What is called in original notices the Bush Building, in between the two, housed the Imperial and then Strand Theatres from 1926-1949. The complex geography of these theaters can be clarified with the following map details, first with the period names of the buildings and date of operation as a theater labeled, and second with the names of the theaters given in a close-up:

The Shell Building was torn down at some point after 1950. The Bush and Masonic Buildings remain and were connected by a single facade in 1959, but whether or not there is any evidence as to their former use as theaters is unknown at this time.

World War I

Although the First World War was in its second year when the Universal Theatre was incorporated in 1915, the United States was still neutral. Nonetheless, the War interfered with film production and distribution from overseas. These foreign films were occasional additions to the weekly program, especially since silent movies could be translated relatively easily by substituting English title cards. But with war raging across Europe, film production in key areas such as France, England, and Italy plummeted, with the exception of newsreels of the war. It was here that the film theaters of the day found an entirely new role, only briefly hinted at before: that of showing major news' events in motion pictures, going beyond the newspaper headlines to show warfare as up close and personal as censors would allow.

No doubt much of this material was little more than propaganda, increasingly favoring the Allies as the nation moved towards involvement. For example, a typical newsreel shown at the Universal in June 1915 assured American audiences that the U.S. Navy was equipped and ready to defend the shores:

Moving Picture of the Atlantic Fleet Friday.

There is to [be] shown at the Universal Theater a moving picture that will doubtless be witnessed by a large crowd. It is views of the Atlantic fleet of the United States navy, which assembled recently at New York and was viewed by President Wilson.

It is claimed that no picture was ever made that gives a better idea of the fighting strength of the navy and a view of the picture, tends to bear out the statement. All details of the big battleships, with the sailors walking about the decks, climbing the riggings and going about the drills aboard ship are shown in great detail and with a vividness and clearness of detail that makes one entirely forget he is looking at a picture instead of the real scene.

President Wilson is shown. Columns of smart-looking sailors and marines and in the line of March on New York streets and other interesting details are shown that are interesting to the last degree. (Lenoir Topic 6/2/1915, p. 3)

Weekly newsreels, most of which have been lost to time, kept audiences informed of major events on the battlefields of Europe as the war ground into a gruesome and prolonged stalemate.

Like most early film theaters in Lenoir and other smaller towns, the Universal advertised only occasional big features; no complete listing of films shown during the World War I period can be recreated. Highlights of these films include a much ballyhooed showing of D.W. Griffiths' The Birth of a Nation on 5 November 1917, originally planned for the Universal:

"BIRTH OF A NATION" IS COMING TO LENOIR

"We have secured dates for 'The Birth of a Nation,' the famous pictorial reproduction of Thomas Dixon's book, 'The Clansman,'" said Mr. F.C. Hanks, manager of the Universal Theater, the other day. The date for this is fixed for Monday, Nov. 5.

'The Birth of a Nation,' by Dan W. Griffith, is one of the world's greatest screen pictures. It has been given repeatedly in North Carolina cities, and the fact that the local theater people have arranged to bring it to Lenoir is of worth-while importance. (Lenoir News 8/7/1917, p. 3)

The anticipation for this event must have been tremendous: note that the date of the news' clipping is in early August for a show that wouldn't take place until that November. Apparently, interest in the film was great enough that the initial showing was moved into the larger Opera House on 26 October. The film eventually played at the Universal in 1923.

An earlier account hints at how sandwich boards and posters in front of the theater took the place of newspaper advertising and also gives us some indication of problems with film distribution in the era:

Sure Service.

One of the finest features of the Universal Theatre is the determination on the part of the management to never disappoint their patrons. This, coupled with the best film productions, makes it one of the best motion picture shows in the State.

Last Saturday morning posters were displayed in front of the theatre announcing the titles and number of reels for that night. When the 1:08 train arrived Manager Sam Lawrence learned that the films advertised had missed connection at Gastonia. With that determination to keep promises, Mr. Lawrence at once telegraphed a motorcyclist at Clover, S.C., to head for Lenoir and pick up the films. After completing a run of 90 miles in 5 hours the cyclist turned into Monument square from Mulberry street at 7 o'clock. With the film cases tied all over the machine he made a fine burlesque of Don Quixote, but unlike the famous knight, the modern man and steed had accomplished their purpose and the show for the night moved off as usual. (Lenoir Topic 8/4/1915, p. 2)

On modern roads, the trip from Clover, SC to Lenoir by way of Gastonia would be around 65 miles, all of which are of course paved. In 1915, no doubt many of the back roads were in terrible shape and there were no by-passes to avoid every small town on the way. Five hours on a motorcycle with a dozen or so (highly flammable!) film canisters would have been an exciting trip, but the show went on as scheduled. As was typical of this era, the article gave no indication as to what the titles of these films were and there was no ad for that week . . .

By April 1917, the U.S. was at war. Citizens could read about the war in the papers and then see a few silent images on the movie screens at the Universal. Occasional films were given more publicity:

Matters About Town . . . Mr. Hanks, manager of the Universal, says that the citizens of Lenoir will have the privilege of seeing a real war picture on Oct. 3, or the first day of the fair. The title of the picture is "At the Front With the Allies." This picture is no fake, but shows actual scenes on the European battlefields. Don't forget the Universal on the first fair day. (Lenoir News 9/14/1917, p. 3)

In June of 1918, a full-length feature about the war, regarded by many as the most strident propaganda film from Hollywood during the era, appeared at the Universal: The Kaiser, The Beast of Berlin (1918) (Lenoir News 6/21/1918, p. 8). Feature-length war films were the exception; most movie goers in Lenoir during the 1917-1918 period came to escape the war with melodramas or romances, as well as pie-in-the-face comedies.

The Spanish Influenza, 1918

The number of war dead by the armistice on 11 November 1918 was appalling, with modern estimates ranging upwards of 20 million for soldiers and civilians. Yet worse was to come. As soldiers made their way home in crowded ships and trains in a vast migration of humanity, the Spanish Influenza spread with them. The flu pandemic closed public buildings--even churches--for weeks at a time to quarantine against those infected. Most now think that worldwide the influenza wound up killing at least twice as many people as the war.

Initial reports from Lenoir in October 1918 indicated that the flu was nothing more than the "old time grippe" that had come and gone through town each winter for as long as anyone could remember. Public officials reasoned that a quarantine on public events for one week should alleviate the threat and tried hard to quell fears. The Caldwell County Fair was cancelled, as were all other public events:

OF LOCAL INTEREST. The Caldwell Fair, scheduled for next week, has been called off. . . . In view of the influenza, or old time grippe, which has been spreading rapidly over the country during the past week, the officials of the town of Lenoir decided, in meeting last Saturday afternoon, to forbid any public gatherings in any of the churches, schools, picture shows, or other buildings in Lenoir for one week, including last Sunday and next Sunday. This action was taken as a precautionary measure, as up to the present time only a few cases of grippe, in mild form, have been imported in our town. There is no cause for alarm. (Lenoir Topic 10/9/1918, p. 3)

The Universal was closed down, along with schools and churches. No deaths or serious illnesses were reported at this point, however; the quarantine was regarded as strictly precautionary. The following week, under an article entitled "COUNTY IS QUARANTINED AGAINST SPANISH FLU," a notice was posted on the first page of the paper that the quarantine would continue indefinitely (Lenoir News 10/18/1918, p. 1):

By the end of October, the number of cases had increased dramatically and there were now 25 victims in Caldwell County:

Influenza in Caldwell

The influenza situation in Caldwell county is reported by Dr. L.H. Coffey, county health officer, as slightly improving. While there have been reported in the county so far about 700 cases, the great majority of the cases have been of a mild type, about 25 deaths having been reported in the county. There are about 30 pneumonia cases in the county.

In Lenoir there have been two deaths--one white child and one colored woman. About 75 cases have been reported in town since the epidemic struck this section. The disease is not near so fatal in this locality as in other places, particularly in lower altitudes. (Lenoir Topic 10/30/1918, p. 3)

The Universal was to be closed for the rest of 1918, with authorities "keeping the lid down on public meetings, theater, motion picture houses and other places where crowds are likely to congregate." (Lenoir News 11/08/1918, p. 4). They could not, however, stop some of the locals from celebrating when news of the armistice reached town on 11 November:

THE WORLD WAR ENDS / LENOIR AND CALDWELL JOIN IN CELEBRATING EVENT.

Monday, November 11th, 1918, was a memorable day of rejoicing and thanksgiving in every nook and corner of the world. . . . About 5:30 o'clock Monday morning, when the news was flashed over the wires that an armistice had been signed, the kaiser had fled to Holland, and that fighting on all fronts would cease at 6 o'clock, the church, school and court house bells began ringing, the fire alarm was turned in, and the factory and locomotive whistles joined in the chorus. Many at first thought that there was a fire in town, but it was quickly known that this was only the beginning of celebration of the ending of hostilities in Europe. The girls at Davenport College, having collected in the campus, expressed their joy by singing patriotic songs and cheering enthusiastically. Recruits from every part of town were added to the celebrators and by 8 o'clock the main streets were thronged with people. Guns and pistols, honking automobiles, tin cans, and every available noise making device was brought into use. Some people cried for joy, some shouted, and others made a demonstration of noise. Mr. Mark Squires, heading a parade of girls, realizing that this was the first day of the United War Work Campaign, "passed around the hat" and collected more than $100 toward taking care of our boys over there. The colored people, forming in a parade, sang songs of thanksgiving and had appropriate religious services. . . . (Lenoir Topic 11/13/1918, p. 1)

The war had ended, but the influenza epidemic had not; the Universal remained closed.

Exactly when the quarantine officially ended was a topic of great discussion in the coming weeks. The quarantine had no specific end date and there was apparently no official announcement from the town as to the state of the order. By mid-January 1919, the patience of Hanks and the other theater owners was running out. Checking with officials, they were told the ordinance had already technically expired:

A Farce Comedy.

. . . As the town revoked the quarantine on Dec. 6 it seems like our town is now open. Great consternation was therefore caused by this news, and Mr. Hanks proposed to open the picture show. As the chief instigator of our quarantine was out of town Dr. Coffey immediately stepped to the breach. There is a great rustle of law books and a flying of legal notices, or supposed legal notices, and threats of dire punishment to Hanks, and we, as plain people, having been made goats of so long, sit back and wonder where it will end. . . . (Lenoir Topic 1/15/1919, p. 1)

The Universal faced a difficult decision: remain closed until other businesses and facilities were reopened to be on the safe side or open and face possible charges from the town and the animosity of local citizens. Hanks played it safe by opening the theater on Monday and Tuesday nights on January 13-14 and then immediately closing down. In effect, he demonstrated that control of the theater was in the hands of the owners now that the ordinance had expired--and had a couple of nights of badly needed revenue. A lengthy article in the Topic detailed his justifications:

Picture Show Closes Voluntarily.

Doubtless some persons were surprised when they learned that the picture show was opened on Monday night last. This surprise was occasioned by the belief that the theater was closed by county quarantine regulations. This belief was general until a few days ago, when it was discovered that the Town of Lenoir had the right to enforce a quarantine, but as a matter of fact no such regulations were in force in Lenoir. . . . With the idea of getting an intelligent public viewpoint the Theatre management on Tuesday morning invited a number of representative business and professional citizens to meet at the Theatre for a frank discussion of the situation. The consensus of opinion seemed to be that while the views of the management as to the public safety were probably correct, yet it would perhaps be best to run on the side of extreme precaution by closing the Theatre until present conditions should change. In deference to the opinions so expressed the management immediately announced that the theater would be closed after Tuesday night's performance, to remain closed until after the epidemic should spend its fury. Therefore, what an attempted coercion failed to do an intelligent public opinion has done, and everyone is satisfied. ---UNIVERSAL THEATRE. (Lenoir Topic 1/15/1919, p. 2)

With power to close the theater back in the hands of the corporation, the power to reopen it necessarily followed. They concluded that the epidemic had "spent its fury" a week later and the Universal was reopened for good on 24 January. Hanks stated then that "The Universal Theater has been investigated by local physicians, who found it thoroughly ventilated by suction fans. And in addition to this ventilation the strongest kinds of disinfectants are used plentifully. We want you to come and see for yourself that the Universal Theater is just as safe from Flu as any place in town" (Lenoir News 1/24/1919, p. 4). After nearly three months of being closed, the theater was back in business; the Eddie Polo serial, The Bull's Eye (1917), picked back up where it had left off the previous October and things settled down to normal.

While today we associate it primarily with 1918, local newspaper accounts indicate that the virus returned each year into the 1920s with less and less deadly effects, but nevertheless creating fear of public buildings such as theaters. To top it all off, there was a worldwide economic depression in 1920-1921. Many theaters did not survive, but the Universal was well supported and equipped to handle the harsh new economic climate of the post-War period. The ads that follow over the next few years are more frequent and detailed than previous ones. They contain information on not just the feature films for a given night, but also some rarely found information on the various types of short subjects that always accompanied a show . . .

Shorts

Throughout the silent film era and well into the era of the talkies, film goers expected more than just a feature film for their trip to the theater. In the earliest days, live shows were often interspersed between films, often with brilliantly colored, but static, projected slides. This added some color to the overall program, which was almost entirely in black-and-white. By the World War I era at the Universal from 1915-1922, short one- or two-reel films commonly took the place of these live performances. With a reel of film lasting approximately ten minutes, these films formed an important warm-up to the main feature of over an hour.

While the importance of these shorts has not been underestimated in modern research, there is an overriding problem in trying to study their use at a particular venue: many theaters did not list them in their newspaper ads. And even if they are mentioned, they are often left untitled. So we know that a "Mack Sennett comedy" was shown on a particular night, but we have no idea which title was shown. We may know that a newsreel from a particular company was part of an evening's program, but we can't say for sure what was featured on that newsreel, although we would assume it was relatively current. With these restrictions in mind, the Universal in its earliest years was a theater with more carefully composed ads than in many of its contemporaries, so it is worth taking a glance at some of these little known films.

One further cautionary measure on the shorts shown at the Universal during this period: of the more than 700 shown, only around 4% are known to have survived today, a figure even smaller than that for feature films. So the vast majority of these films have been lost to time . . .

Titled Shorts

There are around 400 shorts with titles that were shown at the Universal from 1915-1922. Almost all were one- or two-reelers, around 10-20 minutes long, and they were overwhelmingly from the comedy genre. Here the most common genres of shorts from the Universal are compared to those of featured films for the same period (1915-1922):

This is the era of the "Keystone Cops" and similar types of broad comedy films. The stars of these comedies are largely unknown to modern audiences, with the exceptions of such performers as Charlie Chaplin and Fatty Arbuckle, who are well represented in ads for the Universal. Animated cartoons account for only a small portion of the film fare at this time; Westerns are also relatively rare compared to their later popularity.

Short comedies were obviously popular in Lenoir, but like towns all across the country, the Universal was not immune to national controversy. When Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle was charged with murder in San Francisco--a charge for which he was later acquitted--the Universal followed public sentiment and pulled his films from the theater. An editorial note praised this decision:

ARBUCKLE FILMS CANCELLED

The Universal Theater here has cancelled all films of Roscoe (Fatty) Arbuckle scheduled to be shown here. This is a good move on the part of the management. (Lenoir News Topic 9/22/1921, p. 1)

No other films starring Arbuckle were shown at the Universal, although a few of the films he directed under the pseudonym William Goodrich would later be shown in the new location.

Untitled Shorts

Sometimes, only the production company is listed in the ad, as in the references to a "Mack Sennett comedy" or "Pathé news." These account for quite a few of the shorts shown at the Universal from 1915 to 1922 and it is interesting to note that over 70% of these listings are for newsreels. Pathé and Fox are the two main sources. For comedies, either the company name is given, "Sunshine comedy" or "L-Ko comedy," or the star: "Harold Lloyd comedy." These generic designations were often enough for the newspaper; obviously, the feature film was the most important aspect of the ad. It may also have been that more detailed information was available in front of the theater itself.

One rare notice from 1919 hints at the later practice of filming local citizens with a portable camera and then charging them to see themselves and their neighbors on the big screen:

LOCAL SCENES AT UNIVERSAL

A number of local street scenes will be shown at the Universal Theater tonight. For several days Photographer Early Hardy has been taking snapshots of crowds and scenes on the streets and in the city. He has made arrangements with the show management for producing them on the screen tonight. (Lenoir News Topic 4/18/1919, p. 1)

The word "snapshots" should indicate still, not motion, pictures. Like most of the other films being shown at the Universal in this time period, it is doubtful that any of these slides have survived.

Serials

One final type of short deserves special mention: the weekly serial. There were 23 serial films listed in the newspapers from the 1915-1922 period, ranging from Westerns such as A Lass of the Lumberlands (1916) with Helen Holmes to the drama Graft (1915), with each chapter written by a different author, including Zane Grey, Irvin S. Cobb, and Nancy Mann Waddel Woodrow. Unlike later serials from the 1930s and 1940s more familiar to modern audiences, these early serials were quite lengthy, typically 30 episodes long. The longest took nearly a year to complete: The Fatal Ring (1917) starring Pearl White was 40 chapters long. The Universal frequently ran two different serials on Thursdays and Saturdays. How many local viewers were able to attend weekly shows to stay current on the story is unknown, but frequent theater attendance was quite high during this period and many attended shows at least once a week, sometimes several times a week.

As a setup to the feature film which was typically a drama and in contrast to the comedy shorts and newsreels, the serials focused on action/adventure films: fast-paced stories with easy-to-follow plots and self-contained episodes. Also, a new genre makes its appearance at the Universal during this period, the thriller:

As for the feature films themselves, one would expect from the name of the theater that many films originated with the Universal production company, but there are also quite a few films from the Fox Film Corporation and several other companies in the same distribution network:

• • • Fox Film Corporation 160

    • Universal Film Manufacturing Company 116

    • Realart Pictures Corporation 65

    • Famous Players-Lasky Corporation 42

    • Famous Players Film Company 27

    • Triangle Film Corporation 27

    • Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company 23

    • Thomas H. Ince Corporation 21

There are many other companies represented too numerous to name.

Live Acts

While at the Masonic Building on South Main Street, the Universal Theatre either did not have very many live shows or else these shows did not feature in the newspaper advertising. Only three are known and none of them are musical. The nationally known evangelist Billy Sunday appeared at the theater on 21 May 1915 (Lenoir Topic 5/19/1915, p. 3 and Lenoir News 5/20/1915, p. 5). Later, during the American entry into World War I, a Red Cross show featuring patriotic talks was held at the end of July 1917. Finally, borrowing a chapter from the circus shows, an unidentified person billed as the tallest man in the world appeared at the Universal on 24 December 1919. The details of the ad are sparse but enough to identify him as R.E. "Tex" Madsen: "Come to the show Wednesday and shake hands with the tallest man in the world. Guess his height and see him in cowboy stunts. The original Daddy Long Legs. 'Jack and the Beanstalk.' See him in person." (Lenoir News Topic 12/18/1919, p. 4)

Ads from local North Carolina theaters indicate that Madsen was touring the area that December. The following ad is from the Gastonia Gazette (12/9/1919, p. 2) just a couple of weeks earlier:

He also appeared in Monroe and Forest City, NC before coming to Lenoir. Madsen's height is usually listed as around 7' 6".

No live musical acts are advertised for this period at the Universal, although of course every show was accompanied by live music to accompany the projection of the silent film. In January 1927 the Universal installed an elaborate keyboard "orchestra" that had a wide variety of keyboard and sound effect capabilities:

UNIVERSAL THEATRE BUYS ORCHESTRA EQUIPMENT

The Universal Theater has closed a contract for a $4,000 orchestra for the moving picture show. The orchestra carries with it music of the piano, pipe organ, base [sic] and snare drums, violin, etc. It will be installed within the next two or three weeks, Manager Hanks says. (Lenoir News Topic 1/27/1921, p. 1)

This no doubt enhanced the viewing of Lenoir movie goers, but for the most part the Universal Theatre when housed in the Masonic Store Building on South Main was not a live performance venue compared with contemporary and later theaters. Perhaps the building was not big enough to draw many of the vaudeville acts and other types of live entertainment seen during the period; perhaps the stage was simply inadequate. Whatever the case, a series of circumstances was about to present a new opportunity for the corporation and a new home for the business. A theater was being planned just to the north on South Main Street, initially by a different owner and for slightly different purposes, but the Universal would soon make it home and evolve into the State Theatre there . . .

Dr. Gary R. Boye

Music Librarian and Professor

Appalachian State University

boyegr@appstate.edu