Diana T. Huntress

About me:

Beginnings: George Mann of Redwood Theaters Incorporated was the theater tycoon responsible for the 1937 construction of the Arcata Theater. West Coast theater designer, William B. David was commissioned as architect. David designed the Arcata, Eureka and Fortuna Theaters as well as the Cerrito Theater in El Cerrito, California. By 1927, Humboldt County’s moving pictures business was controlled by George Mann, whose chain of picture shows included Arcata’s Minor Theatre. Confidant in the town’s future and its desire for a modern theatre, he built a “luxurious new show house” on the Brizzard block in 1937. Variously reported as costing from $40,000 to $60,000, the Arcata Theatre opened on February 5th , 1938 with “Thin Ice” touted as the “picture you’ve all been waiting for” starring Sonja Henie and Tyrone Power. Within a year, the theater was offering six movies a week with added attractions including cartoons like Popeye and Betty Boop, as well as news, sports and varieties with each film.