The Historic Cameo Theatre has been in continual operation since August 20th, 1937, barring national disasters, and sometimes in spite of them. Since before it was built and opened, before they even came to own it, the Francis family has been connected to it.

Ted Francis owned the competing Francis Theatre not far from The Cameo. Built in 1912 as the Baker Theatre, Ted Francis purchased it in 1927 and renamed it the Francis Theatre in 1936.

Soon after, more competition arrived with the opening of the Cameo Theatre on August 20th, 1937, literally three blocks up the street from the Francis Theatre. The opening night program at the Cameo Theatre consisted of Ever Since Eve, starring Marlon Davies, preceded by a Merrie Melodies cartoon, With Plenty of Money & You. 

JT "Ted" Francis continued to work at the Cameo six nights a week at the age of 98 up until just a few weeks before his death.

Now modernized with a digital projector and run by Ted's grandson, Brian Francis, The Historic Cameo Theatre continues to operate every day of the year, closed only on Christmas Eve. Placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. National Park Service in 2018, it is the only historic building in Newberg with many of the same architectural and design features or installations it had when it opened. 

From it's late Art Deco design (paired with it's sister theaters the Kiggins Theater in Vancouver, WA and the Eltrym Theater in Baker City, OR, ) to it's historic use of signs and memorabilia, even down to the carpet that was replicated in design to closely match the original after sixty years of service, the Cameo Theatre and the Francis family have been tied to the entertainment of the people of Newberg and beyond for coming up on 100 years.