Venue Information

The Grand opening of the Capitol Theatre on December 9, 1949 brought the citizens of Lebanon to the movies. That night at the Capitol Theater, it was Technicolor! Not only was it Technicolor—it was Betty Grable in Technicolor. So says the very first projectionist at the theater, Ernest Weatherly. It was his job to set up and operate the motion picture projection and sound-reproducing equipment to produce coordinated effects on the big screen.

Mr. Weatherly remembers that very first day so well, “The lobby was adorned with brightly colored arrangements of fresh flowers sent by every single business in town. Everyone was so happy when we opened. They all wished us well and wanted us to succeed.” The flowers were a sign that Lebanon had a citizenry who shared the same excitement and wanted this business to do well---it was also a sign that they were eager to become fans of the movies. And fans they became.

The Capitol Theater located on the corner at 11 ...