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The Pantheon Theatre

         The Pantheon Theatre was constructed in 1919 on the corner of 5th and Main Street in Vincennes, Indiana.

         The Pantheon Theatre opened in May 1921, it hosted lots of national stars, Broadway shows, and local productions for decades.

         For years, the Pantheon played host to some of Hollywood's most famous performers such as DukeEllington, James Dean, Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy, Count Basie, Sally Rand, Roy Rogers and  The Diamonds.

         Red Skelton who was born in Vincennes, Indiana performed here as a young comic and at one point he tried unsuccessfully to purchase this theatre. In December of 1939, Duke Ellington performed here.

         The Pantheon was the first theater in the Midwest to be air conditioned and the first in Vincennes to show a talking movie. It was built to hold 1200 people in a space full of ornamental plaster and painted details. It had a large stage and eleven dressing rooms, and it was the only facility in the area that was able to handle road shows from Broadway.

        After TV became so popular, the Pantheon closed in 1961.

Links :       http://www.pantheontheatre.com/

               http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/13033

       In May 2006, plans were announced to restore and eventually reopen the theatre.

       Hopefully, the restoration will be completed, and The Pantheon Theatre will become the grand theater it once was.

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