Bright Lights, Small City - The Star Theatre

The second in a series on historic North Alabama motion picture houses:

Travel south on Highway 157 and you will pass the historic town of Moulton, but should you choose to follow the signs to the downtown area, you will do more than simply pass the small North Alabama municipality, you'll be treated to an old-fashioned town square bordered on the east by Market Street and the Star Theatre.

Like many small towns in the months and years immediately following World War II, Moulton experienced unprecedented growth, a boom to which city fathers could see no end. When the Star Theatre was completed in 1948, it seated 650--quite an ambitious project for a town that even now boasts a population of just under 3,500.

Some records indicate the last film screened at the Star was in 1969; other sources report the theatre remained open until 1975. The building sat idle and decadent until early in 2006 when the city of Moulton purchased the theatre for $12,500.00, planning to restore it to its former glitz and glamour.

The project organizers knew restoration would be a long and winding road, but still weren't prepared for their first challenge. Just two weeks after the purchase, thieves entered the theatre, destroying much of its garniture and absconding with two marble-topped antique tables. It wasn't until March 2007 that the restoration began in earnest after benefiting from a $50,000.00 state grant. In January 2008, Moulton businessman Thomas Harlon Joiner, a staunch supporter of the theatre's restoration, passed away. Donations in his memory added to the funding, and by the end of the year Moulton cultural and civic events had the home they had been promised.

While the theatre is again usable, the Star Foundation's work is far from complete. This year has seen a new stage, and other projects are in the works. If you would like to donate to the restoration of this Moulton landmark, please send your contributions to:

Friends of the Star Theatre
Post Office Box 148
Moulton, Alabama 35650


For information about Sheffield's Ritz Theatre, please see our April 7, 2009, blog.