Jerry Lewis Traditional Cache
TheJimReaper: archiving due to new owners
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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Easy park and grab.
From 1969 to 1980, the National Cinema Corp. franchised "Jerry Lewis Cinemas" as a business opportunity for those interested in theatrical movie exhibition. A harbinger of the cookie-cutter "cineplex" type movie theaters that would become popular in the 1970s, a Jerry Lewis Cinema was billed in franchising ads as a "mini-theatre" with a seating capacity of between 200 and 350. Though billed as "luxurious and plush", the actual theaters were not luxurious, but not bare-bones, either. Jerry Lewis Cinemas stated that the theater could be operated by as little as a staff of two due to automation and the fact that the franchisor would provide support in booking films and help in other areas of film exhibition.
National Franchise Corp. successfully wooed Lewis to provide his name and star-power to the franchising operation. As well as bearing his name, each Jerry Lewis Cinema bore a sign with a cartoon logo of Lewis in profile. The theaters were pitched to investors that were not movie exhibition veterans, pitching owning a movie theater as a "mom and pop" operation.
There initially were 158 territories that were franchised, with a buy-in fee of $10,000 or $15,000, depending on the territory, for what was called an "individual exhibitor". For $50,000, the Jerry Lewis Cinemas offered an opportunity known as an "area director" in which the investor not only was given their own cinema, but controlled franchising opportunities in a territory.
Near this geocache site on November 17, 1971 opened as Jerry Lewis Twin Cinema. In May 23, 1973 it was renamed South Keystone Twin Cinema. South Keystone had multiple owners over the years which included Kerasotes, Heaston Productions and Cantor Theaters. South Keystone Twin Cinemas closed in 2001.
In 2002, the theatre was re-opened under the name Key Cinemas and was operated as an independent art house cinema, but was closed in around 2008. I visited this theatre right before it closed in 2008 and it had not been updated since the 70s. Along with a grocery store, drug store and lounge, this theatre was once a strong draw to this once thriving strip mall.
This container is to small for a good pen so bring your own to sign.
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