HILO THEATER in the 1940s

The war in the Pacific was on and the Hilo Theater on the Big Island of Hawaii was open to provide people a way to get the war off their minds. As you can see there are several servicemen  at the box office buying tickets to see Errol Flynn in Gentleman Jim. This movie came out in 1942.


Click on image to see it larger.

You can see another photo of the theater here at Kamaaina56. He provides the following information:

The old Hilo Theater opened 1940 and survived the 1946 Alaskan tsunami but sadly closed after being engulfed in the 1960 Chilean tsunami. (SOURCE: Kamaaina56)

I remember when the 1960 tusnami hit and the beautiful park in Hilo was destroyed. I'd been visiting it just a few months before it happened.

Just so the thought of the war wasn't too far away, the theater was also an air raid shelter.


Click on image to see it larger.

So let's get a feeling for what these guys were going to see.



And if you don't have time to wait around until the next movie, I Married a Witch, arrives on Wednesday, you can view it now.