221 N Independence, Enid, OK

2/2/2014

Billings Theatre was a 900-seat theatre, built by Walter S. and Henrietta (Etta) Billings. It was gutted by fire on November 23, 1922. Etta lived in an upstairs apartment at the Billings, a living space she designed. The Billings was designed by the world-famous Boller Brothers architectural firm in 1924.

1936 | Criterion Theatre before remodeling

1940

1951

1973

2003

2013

2017

2018

1 Comment

Bill Welker

2/24/2019 07:29:58 pm

I was a projectionist at the Chief Theater from Sept '71 to Sep'72 (seems much longer!) I remember that the old carbon-arc projectors in that theater were so finicky that they required pretty much constant attention to keep the film on the screen. During the time of my employment there, one time I was actually in the theater as a customer on my day off, watching a movie, when the projectionist (I don't remember his name) failed to watch what he was doing and the film went off-screen for a few minutes while his error was corrected.

I must have gone ballistic on the guy because after that incident, when "The Godfather" was released in March, 1972, I volunteered to be the only projectionist for EVERY showing of the film! It was such a big film that I did not want anyone to have such a bad experience. To this day, absolutely no one but me knows that everyone in Enid, OK that year, when they went to see "The Godfather" at the Chief Theater, enjoyed the film without any problems!

In Sept that year (1972), I went to the new "Video Twin" out on old W. Lahoma Rd (now Owen K. Garriott Rd) as the first manager of the new theater. I was only there for 6 or 7 months before I moved on to new adventures.

My, how things have changed.

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221 N Independence, Enid, OK

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