Saugerties, NY 12477
Phone: 845-246-6561
Email: info@upstatefilms.org
Website: www.upstatefilms.org
Description
Built in 1908 by John Cooper Davis, the Orpheum Theater on Main Street was a center for vaudeville acts, movies, roller-skating, and basketball. Vaudeville gave way to movies in the 1930s and the Orpheum Theater became the only movie house in town. The theater was converted into a triplex in 2005, in a way that maintained its character and period architectural details. Its 3 auditoriums have 136, 138 and 145 seats.
Cooper Davis died circa 1918 and the Thorton family bought it a couple years later and made it a dedicated film house.
In the first half of the 20th century, it attracted some big name live performers.
"The Orpheum has a long history", owner Thomas Thornton said in a Daily Freeman interview in 2021. "[George] Burns and [Gracie] Allen played there, Hopalong Cassidy, Gypsy Rose Lee.A photo of the exterior of this small movie house appeared in the January 7, 2005 issue of The New York Times (page F7)
In July, 2021, regional cinema non-profit Upstate Films acquired the three-screen Orpheum Theater, continuing this Ulster County movie presence and with the promise of a revived cultural community space in Saugerties. It reopened on Thursday, November 4th, 2021.
The Thornton family, announcing the sale of the theater, published a thank-you letter to its fans on Facebook last week.
“From Vaudeville theatre to silent films, from adult features to family fare, from daytime matinees to Saturday night blockbusters, it has been our pleasure to serve the village and community of Saugerties for over 100 years,” the post reads. “While we will miss the dimming of the lights, serving popcorn and the new pictures featured on the marquee, what we will miss most of all is you, the patrons, who have made the Orpheum a truly special place.”
Link
What's Playing at the Orpheum Today?
Visit the Upstate Films Saugerties webpage: https://www.upstatefilms.org/now-playing-at-the-orpheum-saugerties
Or visit this page: https://www.cinemaclock.com/theatres/upstate-films-orpheum-saugerties