Hey Blake,
I enjoyed your Aug. 8 column on the Lakeside movie theaters. The building that is now the Little Red Schoolhouse on Metairie Road looks like it also has a history as an old movie theater? I know you’ll know the story — what can you tell us?
The Little Red Schoolhouse preschool building at 2055 Metairie Road was indeed a movie theater, The Grand, for nearly 30 years. The United Theaters chain built it, bringing its number of local theaters to 24, including the Beacon, Carrollton, Dreamland, Fine Arts, Napoleon, Prytania, Rivoli and Tivoli.
The Grand opened in October 1942 with the film “Maisie Gets Her Man,” starring Ann Sothern and Red Skelton. Tickets were 25 cents, or 11 cents for children. “Welcome to the newest, most modern theatre,” a Times-Picayune ad proclaimed. “It is pledged to bring to the residents of Metairie the best pictures that the motion picture industry has to offer, featuring your favorite movie stars.”…