Aladdin Theatre

Tour of Missouri, Oklahoma and Kansas Theatres in 2004
From June 26 through July 1, 2004 the Theatre Historical Society of America will tour a number of theatres in Kansas City Missouri and surrounding areas, including theatres in Lamar, Joplin, Richmond, St. Joseph and Springfield, MO, as well as Miami, OK, and these cities in Kansas: Leavenworth, Kansas City, Emporia, El Dorado, Augusta, Wichita, Hutchinson, McPherson, Salina, Concordia, and Topeka. More information is contained on their web site: http://www.HistoricTheatres.org and special photos and information concerning the Kansas City theatres: UPTOWN and the MIDLAND is available on this temporary page of their site at: http://www2.hawaii.edu/~angell/thsa/fromarch.html A glossy brochure about this "Heart of America" Conclave is available from the Society's headquarters listed on their homepage, via E-mail to the Ex. Director, or via snail mail. Membership in the Society is not required to attend the Conclave and tour the theatres, but fees do apply as detailed on their site. Bring your camera and lots of film, for it is usually difficult or impossible to enter these theatres for photos, and some of them will surely not be with us in the years to come.

I grew up two blocks from the Aladdin Theater in the working class east-side of Kansas City. The theater is located at Belmont Ave. and Truman Road. In the mid-sixties, the theater was showing "B" movies when Elvis impersonator, Rick West bought the movie house. He featured country and western style shows and of course himself as Elvis. He also featured Elvis films much to my sister's pleasure. There was an adjoining drug store called Tull's , which was converted to West's Cafe. The facade is still intact and is a lovely ornate terra cotta structure. It currently is an evangelical church. I will add a photo soon.

The theater actually opened in the mid-30's and closed in the Fall of 1957 after a showing of the film "Baby Doll", which caused quite a stir with all the neighborhood churches. I wish someone would come up with a picture of the theater when it was open. I remember it because I grew up in that Eastside neighborhood. It had a very beautiful and well lited rectangle marquee with a sign above with alot of neon and dancing lights reading Aladdin. The marquee was very much like that of the old Oak Park Theater on Prospect. In the center was a blue neon lighted shaped Aladdin's Lamp surounded by blue neon, with yellow neon smoke. To each side was a long red and two shorter teal/blue neon lights. On each end where the movies were posted, were chasing white lights. I still have some of the lettering. I was there the day that the marquee, signboard and Aladding sign were "ripped" down with once beautiful neon left broken all over the sidewalk. It all went into a trash truck. Someone turned it on the night before and left it lit throughout the night and we all though it was going to reopen. That was always the rumor. The inside had a pretty fresh coat of grey and pink paint from about 1955. However, it did cover a lot of beautiful stinciling on the walls and some paintings surrounding the vents on each side of the stage. The theater had a beautiful deep burgandy stage drape that opened an closed for each movie. There was an old Hammond Organ on the floor to the right side. There was a clock on the wall to the right side of the screen with a blue neon ring.
There was a lot of red and green neon lit glass brick in the back of the theater just before you entered the auditorium. The walls had light fixtures almost exactly like th ones now in the Englewood Theater - rescued from the old Strand Theater on Troost Ave.
The two towers had red lights on at night. There were many yellow bug lights on the underside of the marquee with one red light in the middle. At night, The Aladdin Theater was quite impressive.
There were some live shows between the movies on some Saturday nights in the mid-fifties. You would always see a Newsreal, a Cartoon, Movie Previews, and at least two films. There were many movie adds in the lobby. It was really a gem and one of the nicest Theaters on the Eastside. There were others - The Ritz, The National, The Belmont, The Gladstone, The Benton, The Vista and The Ashland - to name a few. Hope someone can come up an early 50's picture.
Mike Gallagher
Lee's Summit, MO

Just a correction for the above - the Neon shaped Aladdin Lamp was in the color green in stead of blue with a light color green for the background. The rest of the marquee wasa dark burgandy, again, the same color as the Oak Park. I could still draw a very accurate picture of the marquee. Also, inside the auditorium - the seats had curved wood backs and the seat was padded and covered in blue leather. Those seats were taken out and placed in another old theater that had been converted into a church in the inner city. That church is still operating and the seats are still there.

Thanks Mike for your great memeoris of the Aladdin in the fifties. Sadly, I didn't get to enjoy its heyday. I too wish someone had photos from its early days. Too bad the smaller houses didn't document their openings like the large theaters did. What a great treasure to have passed on to future generations. When the site allows, I will post my photos of the exterior.
Kevin

Was there another Aladdin Theater in Kansas City, MO? A Kilgen theater organ opus 3947 size 2/5 was installed in an Aladdin Theater in Kansas City, MO in 1927.

The Aladdin Theater (Calvary Church) is for sale for $275,000. The facade features colorful, ornamental terra cotta in a Spanish Mission style, and there is potential for retail space in the front of the building with a corner exposure (Truman Road and Belmont).

http://www.mlsfinder.com/moks_hl/davidbryan/index.cfm?action=listing_detail&property_id=1342790&searchkey=9b0941d1-9135-23ad-344b-fef3ba61980a&npp=10&sr=1

Very large church facility with big chapel area, with 500+ seating capacity. Kitchen and dining area also on main level, along with smaller meeting/chapel rooms, office, storage, etc. Many upgrades over recent years has this property in great condition. Sold with parking lot west of building MLS#1342792 Keller Williams Eastland, Independence, Missouri, David Bryan, realtor.

The alternate address for this theater building is:

6044 Truman Rd
Kansas City, MO 64127

Here are a few shots of the Aladdin exterior. Enjoy.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kcfan/3305040897/in/set-72157614384317224/

Those are great. Thanks for sharing. The exterior of this theatre is very beautiful, it would fit right in on the Plaza. I'd love to see pictures from it's heyday!

Thanks, enjoyed the photos. Love to see an early interior view.

19884 photo of the Aladdin Theatre.
http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=CATAdvancedSearch1%2c25%2c3%2c-1&SortField=ProductName+DESC%2cProductName&ProductID=29152

1985 Photo

Lost Memory, You're correct about the 1927 opening for the Aladdin. The Polk's City Directory lists the theater for the first time in 1928, which would presumably place it's opening in late 1927 or early 1928. You're research skills are par exellence!

Thanks for the compliment kcfan.

The 1935, 1940 and 1945 Film Daily lists an Aladdin Theater at 15th and Belmont with 900 seats. In 1950 the Aladdin Theater is still listed at 15th and Belmont with 840 seats. So there was an Aladdin Theater at this location prior to 1948. Unless there was a second Aladdin Theater, the late 1927 opening sounds about right.