Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Studio One Theater



In the early 1970's the Lyric Theater got some competition in the form of the new Studio One Theater up on the hill. Perhaps it was in response to the growing population of the college as well as the many cutting edge movies being released.

This cinema was located in the building that now houses Ceritano's restaurant. You can still see where the ticket booth was located on the front left, angled slightly ahead of the entrance doors. Just inside was a lobby and concession stand, along with auditorium entrances on the left and right ... a typical design. The new seats were quite cushy and the showings were mostly first run movies, along with the occasional late night X-rated flick.
Do you remember when "streaking" was popular in the 70's? Yep, there was at least one streaking incident that I know of inside the theater, and possibly more.

In the street photo above you can just make out the marquee on the right. I wish I had a better shot. Can anyone tell what is playing?
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10 comments:

  1. LydiaApril 19, 2011 at 1:05 PM

    I used to live around the corner from the movie theater on Faculty X Progress and walked to many movies there. We used to go to to the Lyric and buy our popcorn and take it Studio 1 & 2. Many many movies there would only be 2 or 3 of us in there.

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  2. QueueuQApril 19, 2011 at 4:58 PM

    It was also used as a natural history museum up until the early 2000's.

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  3. UnknownApril 24, 2011 at 9:53 PM

    I worked at Studio One for several months in the ticket booth --the most boring job I ever had and the two men I worked for were just awful Don was in school and it was the easiest job I could find. Easy can be very boring.

    After Studio One closed I believe it was the Science Museum and Tech ran it?

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  4. macus68December 29, 2011 at 10:21 AM

    Saw Star Wars At Studio One.

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    Replies
    1. UnknownMarch 14, 2020 at 8:41 PM

      I did as well. First time I stood in a long line for a movie.

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  5. Hector PendletonAugust 29, 2013 at 6:15 PM

    That's where I saw the original Superman. I remember waiting in line and being very impatient.

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  6. dwaddell58November 21, 2013 at 3:57 PM

    They used to have late night showings of the Monty Python flicks.

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  7. AnonymousMarch 22, 2016 at 10:56 PM

    I lived at the Lyric and Studio 1&2. Then the Capri Twin opened and I thought we'd hit the big time with 5 screens in town. My first failed attempt at kissing a girl I'd fallen for was at the Studio.

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  8. EmilyMay 25, 2018 at 12:58 PM

    I lived in Blacksburg 84-97, so younger than most of you folks. I was just there and walked up Main Street from the cellar. I swore there was a movie theatre there where I saw my first movie as a kid.. a matinee of Snow White with my grandmother! I was peering in the windows looking for any trace of the theatre, but i think i was confusing it with the storefront for cooks cleaners! Ah, all the memories!

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  9. UnknownJuly 13, 2018 at 5:58 PM

    Saw my first skin flick at Studio One. Late nights in the early 80's they showed pornos. I was in high school and we all knew they didn't check IDs very closely. So we would all go down there at like 1 a.m. and enjoy!

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