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Theodore G. "Teddy" Solomon Sr. started the Gulf States Theatres chain.

There is no better time to visit a cool, air-conditioned movie theater than during a south Louisiana summer. For much of the 20th century, if you visited a local picture show, there’s a good chance it was owned by T.G. “Teddy” Solomon and his Gulf States Theatres chain.

At the time of its $62 million sale to United Artists in 1986, the chain was the largest in Louisiana and Mississippi. In all, there were more than 600 theaters in seven states.

Solomon’s father and uncle, both Lebanese immigrants, opened their first movie theater, the Palace, in 1927 in McComb, Mississippi. Solomon started working there when he was 10.

When his father died in 1948, Solomon began to run the family business. Over the course of seven decades, he would own and operate every kind of theater, from indoor single screens to drive-ins and multiplexes.

In 1996, Solomon and his children introduced the stadium-style megaplex concept to south Louisiana with the Palace 20 in Elmwood. Other Palace theaters would follow before the Solomons sold to AMC in 2002.

Solomon, a World War II veteran, donated $5.5 million for the Solomon Victory Theater at the National World War II Museum. He died in 2013.

His family remains active in local business, including Gary Sr., a banker, and grandson Gary Jr., who is co-founder and president of Solomon Group, a live event, exhibit design and production firm.