Construction was still underway when this photo was taken for the February 5, 1969 Twin City Sentinel issue. Finishing touches were being placed on the theatre building that cost approximately $220,000. The seating capacity for the building was 780, which made it extremely close to the seating capacity of the Winston Theatre after a recent renovation.
But before the theatre opened, on Friday, February 14th, city officials and representatives of various organizations gathered for a special ceremony. At the entrance to the new Thruway Theatre, they buried their predictions about life in 2019. Their predictions were placed in a capsule under the entrance to the new theatre, to be opened on February 14th, 2019. Three of the men were directly related to the operation of the theatre. The men kneeling on the ground are Dan Austell, city manager of the theatre chain, Homer Lynch, theatre manager, and Clay Swaim, projection operator.
By the time this photo appeared in the Twin City Sentinel on February 19th, one day before the opening event, all of the essential pieces were in place. Last minute touches requiring a wheelbarrow and ladders were in progress on the exterior of the building.
Newspaper advertisements touted the special features of the new theatre, such as continental seating, rocking chair seats, ultra-vision, and ultra-vision 70. Continental seating was the first in North Carolina, with each row so wide that you could stay seated as patrons entered or left. The over-sized rocking chair seats were the first in Winston-Salem and were advertised as “luxury.”
The theatre also had Ultra-Vision, using a 50-foot-wide curved screen combined with two projectors in the booth that were angled toward each other, facing a center point, and projecting the picture in a straight center line to the screen. This system would eliminate distortion, distribute light evenly, and reflect the picture to all parts of the theatre. The Winston Theatre also had Ultra-Vision, but the Thruway Theatre had special equipment to combine with the Ultra-Vision to show 70 millimeter films. Some movies, such as “Around the World in 80 Days” and “Camelot,” were first released in 70 millimeter, then later in 35 millimeter. So theatres with 70 millimeter capability were able to show these movies right away, without waiting for the film to be made in 35 millimeter.
The Thruway Movie Theatre opened in grand style on February 20, 1969. The theatre was located next to the Town Steak House on Stratford Road. Steve McQueen starred in the detective thriller Bullit.
Opening ceremonies began at 7:00 p.m. Miss Winston-Salem, shown in the photo above, participated in the opening events. Movie-goers waited in line on the sidewalk, then the doors opened to reveal the plush carpeting and modern furniture in the lobby area.
The audience enjoyed continental seating in the first rocking-chair theatre in Winston-Salem.
There was a refreshment stand at the center of the lobby, with a soft drink machine to the left of the refreshment stand. Restrooms were on either side of the glass doors, near the entrance.
Ladies movie parties began in the summer of 1970. The theatre was eventually divided to make Thruway 1 & 2.
Some of the theatres that opened after Thruway were Parkview (1972), Club Haven (1974), University (1974), Mall Cinema (1976), Hanes Mall (1976), Stevens Center (1983), Pinebrook Cinema Pub (1984), Marketplace (1985), Club Haven Cinema Pub (1985), North Point 5 (1987), and University Cinemas (1989). And there were more to come with Carmike, Wynnsong, The Grand, and Aperture Cinema.
Photographs courtesy of Forsyth County Public Library Photograph Collection.
Stay tuned for the next historical post on February 22nd.
