HOW DO THEATRES GET THEIR NAMES?

Ever wonder how the Princess became known as the Princess Theatre?  That will be the subject of a WBIR "Why Do They Call It That?" historical segment on this Friday's "Live At 5 At 4" program.  Be sure to watch!

It just happens that I too had been wondering that very thing.  I found that there are over 5100 girls across the United States with the first name of Princess!  There are lots of names used that translate literally and loosely as "Princess".  Names like:

ADELA
AIDA

ALMIRA
CASSANDRA
DIANA

IMOGEN

LEIA
MILDRED
MIRA

RHIANNON
SABRINA

SARAH
TALULLA

URSULA

and even SURI (CRUISE)

The name Princess was considered the 901st most popular name out of the top 1,000 names for girls in 2010.

Even back in the 1800s (and probably further back), theater owners looked for names that would purvey a sense of wonder and grandeur.  Because Queen Victoria, and even later her fourth daughter, Princess Louise, was so popular worldwide, places where the royals lived were perceived as the grandest places one could possibly live or visit.  Therefore, owners tried to put this royal idea into the names of their theaters.  People coming to visit them had a preconceived notion that they were about to enter a grand place and expected them to live up to their names.

Princess, Prince, King, Queen, Palace, Royal, Regal, etc. all became popular names of theaters.  Even today there are theaters across Canada carry the name "Princess of Wales" for Diana.

Theaters are usually clad in gold, royal reds, greens, and blues, with beautiful artwork and ornate fixtures.  It's all about the feel of a beautiful palace where only a king, prince, queen, or princess could live.  It makes us feel royal and special just to be there...eating popcorn!
 

If you search for Princess on Cinema Treasures, you find there are 196 theaters and 1 in England called the Princess.  If you search on Cinematour, you'll find 337!  It was, and is, a very popular name for movie houses.

So, our Princess is not unique in name, but she is unique to us.  It is perhaps our fondest childhood memory...the very first time we were given a taste of independence and freedom.  For a couple of hours we were our own boss and could make our own decisions, and, in the meantime, we could have a few happy moments escaping into the story playing out on the screen.

Those moments, and later learning how to socialize with the opposite sex, is what makes our Princess unique.  To us, there is no other Princess Theatre!