The Noble Theatre was opened on March 4th, 1915, in Marshfield, Oregon (Marshfield later changed its name to Coos Bay in 1945). It was owned and operated by managers Robert Marsden Jr. and John Noble, who were referred to as Marsden & Noble. They were both theatre tycoons who owned multiple theaters in the area. While the Noble was operating, both managers owned two other theatres in Coos Bay called the Blue Mouse Theatre and the Orpheum Theatre. Before 1915, Marsden owned The Grand Theatre but decided to close it while opening up the Noble.
Their vision of the Noble Theatre was to have refined vaudeville and high-class pictures in Southern Oregon. The theatre had approximately 600 seats, and admission ranged from 10-35 cents. When the theatre started, it opened with vaudeville acts as well as movie shows but eventually stopped doing vaudeville. However, for early promotion, the Noble hosted a wide variety of different events for the local community. Most notably, in the same year that it opened, the Noble hosted a Goddess of Liberty show, which was a popular pageant at the time. They charged 25 cents for admission, and for each 25 cents, the attendee would get 100 votes for the Goddess of Liberty. The typical crowd that would attend the Noble Theatre were middle-class lumber workers of the area.
The Noble would also host various events including a memorial service, a band concert, and a lecture on Christian Science. Marsden & Noble were also very generous, and quite often helped out the community with events at the Noble. Some nights they worked with associations to give half of their proceeds to the general fund. They also hosted a benefit performance which helped give money to the Coast Artillery.
On May 1st, 1921, the Noble began a complete renovation, including a new projection machine and pipe organ. The renovation cost about 40,000 dollars in total, remodeling the interior and exterior. The new organ was a Marr & Colton Concert Organ which cost about 20,000 dollars itself. During the renovation, the regularly programmed shows that would typically be at the Noble were instead shown at the Orpheum. It is unknown when the theatre exactly closed; it was last mentioned in newspaper records in November 1954.
Noble Theatre streetscene, c.1930s
Noble Theatre signage, c.1930s
Noble Theater Ad, The Coos Bay times., May 17, 1916
