By Ron Coffey (visit Ron's website at www.coffeeweb.com) 

When J. Henry (Hank) Davidson was a boy growing up in Buford, he developed a fascination with movie projectors. At Buford High School, he was always tinkering with the film equipment.

After graduation, he was working at Allis Chalmers in Cincinnati when he decided to take a course in electro-acoustical engineering at a nearby school. The young man learned about the principles of the newly-developed system and was about to receive his diploma when the school suddenly went bankrupt.

To get back some of his tuition, Davidson said, "I, so to speak, latched on to some sound equipment that was put to use in starting my first theater."

That first theater was opened at the village of Seaman in 1932. However, the town was not big enough to support the "picture show" and Davidson’s first venture was soon closed.

However, he rebounded and eventually built a very successful career as owner of 17 theaters during 43 years in the business.

Hank Davidson is no longer active in the movie business, although he is co-owner of the Mound Drive-In at West Union, which is leased to Russell Rainwater. Davidson recently took a few hours from his busy retirement schedule to recount his career as a showman.

After the failure of the Seaman enterprise, Davidson enlisted the help of K.R. (Kib) Roberts, an automobile company employee. The two men became business partners and brought their equipment to the Patterson Show Building in Lynchburg in 1933.

Needing a name for the business, the men settled on the Rand Theater. The "Rand" was derived from the "R" in Roberts and the "D" in Davidson, joined by the letters "an".

By 1934 the business was in operation. The movie theater was located in the building now occupied by Howard’s Carpet Shop.

The theater was a success, and by 1935 Davidson bought out his partner. That same year his landlord decided not to lease the property again, so Davidson build the New Rand Theater.

The business continued to prosper until the war years, and was finally closed in 1945. The birth of television at about the same time contributed to the demise of many a small town theater, Davidson feels.

The New Rand Theater was located in the building now occupied by the Lynchburg Volunteer Fire Department.

During the 1930s Davidson and Kib Roberts got together again and decided to build the Rand Theater in Greenfield. This 1938 investment proved to be a good one, and soon after the partners took over operation of Greenfield’s other theater, the Lyric. They later formed an affiliation with the White-Lisbon Circuit in Cincinnati.

In 1939 Davidson and Roberts opened the Grant Theater in Georgetown. Davidson pointed out that most of the theaters he was associated with were named after some aspect of the areas they were located in. The Grant Theater was so named because President Ulysses S. Grant spent his boyhood days in Georgetown.

In 1941 Davidson became associated with Harry Wamsley in the operation of the Palace Theater, Peebles.

The Skyway Theater in Osborn was added in 1944, with William Hitchcock as a partner. This theater was named after Skyway Park and located across the highway from Air Service Command.

As the Adams Amusement Co., Davidson, Roberts and Wamsley built the Mound Theater at Peebles in 1945. This enterprise was named after the Great Serpent Mount nearby.

During this period, drive-in movies were making a name. Davidson recalls that the first drive-in was built in 1938 in Boston, Mass. The inventor tried to patent his design, but his idea of a ramp system for viewing was turned down as not original when it was learned the ancient Romans often parked their chariots the same way when watching gladiators.

Government permission was required before certain projects could be started during the 1940s. Each type of project was numbered, Davidson says, and that is how he knows the Roselawn Drive-In at Allensburg was the 234^th drive-in ever built. The drive-in was opened in 1947.

In 1948 the 3-C’s Drive-In was built in Washington C.H. The establishment, which was later sold to Jim Chakers, was named after the first cross-Ohio highway, known as the Cincinnati-Columbus-Cleveland Pike, shortened to the 3-C Highway.

The Old Fort Drive-In at Lebanon was built in 1949 by Davidson and Roberts. The name comes from nearby Fort Ancient.

The Atomic Drive-In at Waverly was named after the atomic energy plant there. The theater was erected in 1953.

The Mound Drive-In at Peebles was built in 1954.

Greenfield’s drive-in theater, the Ranch, was built in 1956. Davidson said he and his partners had a difficult time naming the theater. They decided on "Ranch" because it was built on the spot where there had once been a pony ranch.

During his time as a showman, Davidson also owned the Circle Theater at Circleville, the Avon Theater at New Vienna, the Community Theater at Sardinia and the Arcade Theater at Georgetown.

In 1971 the Atomic Drive-In was sold to Edwin S. Payne, Chillicothe, and in 1972 the Old Fort, Roselawn, Rand and Ranch were sold to B & R Theaters Inc., Cincinnati. In previous years, Davidson’s other movie places had been sold, and today (1975) he and Roberts own only the Mound Drive-In at Peebles.

After selling to B & R, Davidson remained active as manager of several theaters. He continued in this capacity until January, 1975.

Davidson and his wife, Dean, who reside in Allensburg, still maintain an office in Lynchburg. Davidson opened the Associated Theaters office in 1946 to conduct business matters, and he likes to come for a few hours each week. He also owns the Fireside Inn at Allensburg "to have something to play around with as a rental proposition."

As for the movies he’s shown during his 43 years, Davidson says: "I’ve seen them come from the cowboys to the nudies."

Some of the big box office stars of small towns in the past were Shirley Temple, Will Rogers, Hopalong Cassidy, Gene Autry and Roy Rogers, Betty Grable, June Haver and Alice Fay, Davidson recalls, adding that "Clark Gable was the king of them all."

Davidson feels the sex symbols of the past, such as Clara Bow, Alice Fay, Marilyn Monroe and Betty Grable, were far sexier than current stars who disrobe on screen.

Although he does not personally care for the current wave of "fast-buck" pictures dealing with explicit sex, Davidson opposes censorship of "one of our American heritages, freedom of speech, sight and sound." He feels people should be able to see what they want, and those who don’t want to view certain movies "don’t have to look."

Many R-rated movies have been seen at Davidson’s theaters, but only two X-films were shown: "Midnight Cowboy" and "The Graduate"; both were Academy Award caliber pictures.

Movies have gone through many cycles: there have been beach party films, motorcycle movies, musicals, disaster flicks and others. Only the horror pictures and cowboy movies have been able to hold their own over the years, Davidson says.

Today’s big box office hits, such as "Jaws," take in huge receipt figures to place quickly on the all-time hit list. While Davidson does not find fault with the movies, he noted that they were aided by inflation. He pointed out that admission prices were much lower when "Gone with the Wind" was first released.

Business aspects of the movie business have changed too. Davidson says most films cost in the neighborhood of $15 when he began showing them. Now distributors often demand 90 percent of the theater’s gross receipts, and Davidson is glad to be out of the business.

However, he feels movies will always endure as a form of entertainment. They have survived the competition of television, and new "gimmicks," such as three-dimensional films, "Sensurround" sound and others have always added a novel attraction.

Today Davidson devotes considerable time to fishing and farming and maintains a busy schedule. Looking back on his 43 years in the movie business, he says, "I can’t figure out how I ever had time to go to the theater."