Brookside Theatre

6325 Brookside Plaza,
Kansas City, MO 64113

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Additional Info

Previously operated by: Fox Midwest Theatres, Mann Theatres, National Amusements

Architects: Robert O. Boller

Firms: Boller Brothers

Styles: Colonial Revival, Pueblo

Previous Names: Fox-Brookside Theatre

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News About This Theater

Brookside Theatre, Kansas City, Mo

The Brookside Theatre opened on March 6, 1937 with James Cagney in “The Great Guy” It was operated by Fulton & Schwartz. They ran into financial difficulties and closed it on November 21, 1937 with Harry Carey in “Trader Horn” & Craig Reynolds in “The Footloose Heiress”. It was taken over by Fox and following a Streamline Moderne style makeover it reopened as the Fox-Brookside Theatre on February 13, 1938 with Alice Faye in “You’re a Sweetheart”. It became part of the Fox Anti-Trust lawsuit then became part of the National Amusements, and finally a Mann theatre.

The Brookside Theatre had a very impressive facade in a Colonial Revival style complete with a pediment over the entrance and molded leaves all along the roof. The box office was free standing.

When you entered the theatre, it had an L shaped lobby with the concession on the right and then you went on around the lobby to another lobby in the back of the auditorium with the stairway to the balcony at the end. There were three aisles into the auditorium. The front had columns lining the walls on each side of the stage. Plush red velvet curtains adorned the stage.

The Brookside Theatre closed on December 14, 1976 with the XXX movie “Happy Days”. The building was being renovated into a night club in January 1978 when a fire broke out in a barbecue restaurant which destroyed the front of the building. The auditorium was spared, apart from water damage. The nightclub plans never materialised and the building was demolished in 1979.

Contributed by Chuck Van Bibber, dallasmovietheaters

Recent comments (view all 11 comments)

claydoh77
claydoh77 on January 16, 2005 at 7:09 pm

Here are two photos of the Brookside from 1977 & 1961
View link

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kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on January 1, 2007 at 12:05 pm

Here is a summary of the antitrust suit:
http://tinyurl.com/yx88zh

Mike Gallagher
Mike Gallagher on April 12, 2012 at 6:39 pm

Does anyone have any pictures towards the end – both interior and exterior? When I left the KC area it actually because a $1.00 house that started out at only $,50 and still had the very large movie screen that came out of the Tower Theater just before it was demolished. The drapes and screen were actually were brought forward in front of the original screen because the new screen was designed as a curved Todd-A-O wide screen. For years the Brookside was a First Run House. I still know many people that miss it and wish it were still in there beloved Brookside neighborhood. There were other spaces that the grocery strore could have been replaced but thanks to the suspicious fire, the grocery store was able to be rebuild as a twice as large modern store. More pics posted would be most appreciated.

lorraine1031
lorraine1031 on January 12, 2013 at 3:20 pm

Oh wow. I can’t believe it. The Boxoffice article features the premiere of “Magnificent Men…” and I was there! I was working as a cashier, my first (summer) job after high school. I remember that night, and the theater, well. I remember the manager Chuck Barnes too. I loved that theater. My dad worked in the movie business for 50+ years in KC. My favorite theaters were the Brookside and the Waldo (and the Uptown and Midlands). I saw Flower Drum Song at Brookside 5 times! What great memories. Thank you!!!

Cimarron
Cimarron on March 27, 2014 at 11:36 am

Pic of Brookside added to Photo Section

firsttiger
firsttiger on May 29, 2015 at 7:02 am

The Brookside was one of Kansas City’s theaters that adapted its decor, at least once, for a particular movie. I very well remember that the theater turned it’s long concession behind the entrance to the auditorium into a Parisian sidewalk cafe in conjunction with the movie, Can Can. Long after that movie ended its extended run, the sidewalk cafe remained, possibly until the theater’s closing. Another theater that did that was what is now the Alamo Drafthouse at 13th & Main. After being the RKO Missouri, it reopened in 1960 as the Empire. The entire decor was gold and blue to go along with that it opened with: Exodus. That decor remained, possibly even after the theater was carved up into several auditoriums.

OKCdoorman
OKCdoorman on January 17, 2016 at 2:53 pm

Mann Theatres turned this to an “Any Seat/50c/Anytime” house (as they had with the Uptown before its closing) on Wednesday, April 10, 1974, with a double feature of BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES and the 1971 Charles Bronson/Toshiro Mifune co-starrer RED SUN. Within half a year the bargain programming netted double features like THE DAY OF THE DOLPHIN with THE TRAIN ROBBERS or Disney’s HERBIE RIDES AGAIN! with the independently-made 1972 family film GEORGE!

Admission goes up to 75c-any-seat on Wednesday, November 27, 1974 with a double feature of Robert Redford in THE GREAT GATSBY and Woody Allen in PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM.

Adult admission lifted AGAIN to $1 starting Wednesday, April 2, 1975 with Marlon Brando in Bertolucci’s LAST TANGO IN PARIS and Woody Allen’s film of EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SEX BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK (This marquee was sandwiched in-between family double-features on either week. Children’s tickets were 50c afterward).

A deafening public outcry must certainly have frightened Mann into reducing the uniform ticket price back down to 75c on Wednesday, May 14, 1975 for THE LEGEND OF BOGGY CREEK and the 1972 rattlesnake terror of STANLEY.

Began alternating bargain with special programming on Sunday, August 24, 1975 with the 70mm presentation of the X-rated PANORAMA BLUE. HELLO, DOLLY! in 70mm followed in September. By late December, the bargain emphasis was eliminated. By Spring 1976, it was back again. On Friday, October 1, they advertised a “New Fall Policy of 1st Run Engagements” starting with Lina Wertmuller’s ALL SCREWED UP and showed artistic films until around Christmas…

On Wednesday, December 8, 1976, the Brookside unexplainedly went from their usual program of foreign and high-art films (typified by the previous week’s showing of the short films “Jimi Plays Berkeley” from 1971 and the Beatles' 1967 TV film “Magical Mystery Tour”) to the 1974 XXX stag film HAPPY DAYS (not to be confused with the then-current ABC/Garry Marshall TV show with Ron Howard and Henry Winkler; up to three other KC theaters were showing it and the weekday ad just suddenly states “HAPPY DAYS (X)” with its showtimes.) This was its ignominious final marquee when it closed for good on Tuesday, December 14, 1976. [Kansas City Star]

rivest266
rivest266 on April 29, 2018 at 3:10 pm

This opened on February 18th, 1937. Grand opening ad in the photo section.

DavidZornig
DavidZornig on July 12, 2018 at 6:05 am

1961 photo added via Bill Lindsay.

dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters on January 1, 2025 at 12:11 pm

This is your Robert O. Boller designed theater (see photos) with its exterior in Colonial style and interior in Southwestern style flourished by Taos artist Llloyd Moylan’s murals reflecting pioneer days (that’s according to Boller if you want to go with his notes on the theater’s style). The entire concept was commissioned by developer Harry Jacobs. Also the opening date was March 6, 1937 with James Cagney in “The Great Guy” for Mutual Theatres and Brookside Theatres. Operators W.D. Fulton and Stanley H. Schwartz ran into difficulty closing the house November 21, 1937 with “Trader Horn” and “Footloose Heiress” ending their operation after just eight months. Fulton and Schwartz also operated the Tivoli, LaSalle, Mokan, Southtown and Colonial theaters.

Fox took on the venue’s lease and refreshed it with more streamline moderne features including its exterior signage at its reopening as the Fox Brookside on February 13, 1938 with Alice Faye in “Your a Sweetheart.” Arguably, the biggest booking to date was a coup and one of the Brookside’s biggest bookings - March 27, 1959 - the 70mm presentation of “Sleeping Beauty” before the downtown houses. Like many old houses, the Brookside devolved missing its 40th anniversary target.

It was set to receive new life as a nightclub when fire broke out in the barbecue restaurant decimating parts of the Boller-designed plaza in January of 1978. Despite the amazing photos showing the destruction, the building remained standing and a point of some intrigue for a full year. Why? The theaters front and lobby was destroyed beyond repair. Yet, the auditorium was spared from damage other than water (and neglect over the years) so there was discussion about saving the theater’s auditorium and cobbling together the nightclub with the remaining elements. But then a salvage sale was held and the theater razed about a year after the blaze.

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