This actually opened as the Vero Theatre, and was renamed the Florida Theatre on November 13, 1936. The Florida Theatre name would remain for decades until the very end of its motion picture operation.
The Florida Theatre closed as a movie theater on June 18, 1985 with Madonna’s “Desperately Seeking Susan”, and Kent Theatres was its last operator, who operated the Florida Theatre for 25 years in total since June 1960 after being part of the Talgar Theatre Company since May 1948. It would eventually become a Brackett’s Furniture Store owned by Bob Brackett for a brief time.
After an extensive two-year restoration project following its 1989 closure of the furniture store, the Florida Theatre’s original marquee was restored and the theater reopened as the Theatre Plaza on October 26, 1991 as a special events house featuring live performances and performing arts. This lasted until 2008 when the theater building itself was taken over by local boards.
The Fine Arts Cinema originally closed on November 10, 1970 with “Yours, Mine, And Ours” and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” due to repairs, but it was later confirmed that it closed for the final time as a movie theater.
It was due to the fact that in March 1971, the management originally planned to reopen as a X-rated theater but a lease immediately turned it down before planning to reopen. This came during the skyrocketing arrests of theater operators and projectionists because of the adult film policy issue.
The Fairfield Theatre, which opened on April 30, 1928, did had a little article during World War II. It was originally an all-white theater, but following the killing of a colored man on April 26, 1941 literally made colored residents to blame on the Fairfield Theatre for the very unfortunate affair. Fairfield had two theaters at the time, which is the Fairfield and the Gary.
The Fairfield Theatre closed for the final time on July 15, 1967 with Don Knotts in “The Reluctant Astronaut”.
The Idle Hour Theatre opened in 1911 and closed as a movie house on December 29, 1936 with Shirley Temple in “Temple Stowaway” (unknown if extras added) due to the opening of the Miller Theatre nearby. It would eventually become a special events house. In February 1946 following modernization, the Idle Hour Theatre was renamed “Miller Junior Theatre”.
On April 24, 1947, movies returned to the former Idle Hour and reopened as the Gem Theatre.
During early morning construction on August 27, 1936, two St. Louis men started to picket in front of the then-constructed Miller Theatre carrying signs to the effect that the employers were unfair to union labor. They were warned to leave the area but would not heed the warning. However, Marshal Kausler forcibly ejected them from the premises with no damage done other than to the face of one of the pickets by a well-placed thrust from Kausler himself.
The Miller Theatre, named after manager Harry E. Miller, opened its doors on December 30, 1936 with James Stewart in “After The Thin Man” (unknown if any extras added), and was the replacement of the Idle Hour Theatre nearby which closed as a movie theater the previous day. Some of the Miller Theatre’s original installations include a buff and blue interior color scheme with panel lights as well as a low, flat, ceiling and no chance for escaping sound or echoes the talking screen will be without imperfection.
May 28, 1952 marks the day when the staff at Miller Theatre stepped into court on a petition for a temporary injunction against the Projectionist Union, prohibiting the union from picketing their chain while being held before Circuit Judge Gordon Dorris of the Circuit Court of Carter County in Salem, Missouri. Despite the theater still running at the time, this went on for a short time due to many reports of picketing around the theater.
The Court Theatre was the first movie theater to operate in Vienna since the nearby Vienna Theatre closed in early-1946, leaving moviegoers to go see movies in either Rolla or Belle.
The Dixon Theatre actually installed sound in 1931, and was closed in 1933 due to sponsorship failure. The Dixon Theatre reopened again in January 1934 but closed shortly afterward. The theater reopened on February 28, 1936 after both major remodeling and redecorating.
Corrections: The Waverly Theatre was never home to Welsh’s or Welch’s or Welsh Theatre. The Welsh name belongs to the Elroy Theatre nearby.
The Elroy Theatre nearby was renamed the Welsh Theatre following ownership changes on June 30, 1950. The Welsh name didn’t last long at all, as Roy L. Saxon returned back to the theater alongside his partner E.E. McMillan who took over the theater ownership in late-January 1955 alongside a successful CinemaScope installation and was renamed the McRoy Theatre two months later.
It was also not renamed the Rose Theatre because the Rose Theatre is on Greenlaw Street and not Main. The Rose Theatre only operated for a short period of time in the early-1950s.
Kenwood resident Roy L. Saxon opened the Elroy Theatre’s doors on February 5, 1942 with Bob Hope in “Nothing But The Truth” along with the Popeye cartoon “The Mighty Navy” and the musical number “Beauty And The Beach”.
On July 15, 1945, the Elroy Theatre was destroyed by an early morning fire, originated from the front area of the theater. Although the exterior was saved from the blaze, the interior suffered major destruction. The Eldon Theatre remained closed for 12 weeks while reconstruction was underway, alongside reinstallations of projection and sound equipment, which were Simplex’s E17 models with high intensity lamps and a dual amplifier sound system. The Elroy Theatre reopened on October 10, 1945 with Dennis O'Keefe in “Brewster’s Millions”.
On June 29, 1950, it was announced that the Welsh Brothers led by M.F. and M.J. Welsh will take over the Elroy Theatre following extensive remodeling. However it was still open, running movies during remodeling. It officially became the Welsh Theatre the following day.
Roy L. Saxon returned back to the theater office alongside his partner E.E. McMillan on January 26, 1955 and retook the theater ownership from the Welsh Brothers. McMillan officially became the owner while Saxon devotes their times to the theater. McMillan immediately upgraded the theater, including installations of CinemaScope days later. The theater was then renamed the McRoy Theatre the following month.
The McRoy Theatre was still open into as late as 1967.
The Empire Theatre was originally operated by J.O. Boatwright, and opened on May 4, 1914.
The Empire Theatre closed for the final time on May 13, 1916 before it was leased more than two months later by Mr. John Pryor to George Monos, a Greek restauranteur who decided to convert the former theater into a restaurant.
This started life as the Electric Theatre as early as the early-1910s, and was renamed multiple times over the years. It was renamed the Majestic Theatre in 1913, renamed the Wellman Theatre on April 4, 1930, and renamed the Grand Theatre on February 25, 1937. The Grand Theatre was originally operated by Marvin Fosse who also operated the Pastime Theatre in La Fosse City.
Several months later in October 1937, Fosse was treated at the University Hospital in Iowa City for more than a week after he was diagnosed with a bad malta fever despite it not being dangerously-ill.
The Grand Theatre closed in 1958 and its marquee was removed in May 1959.
Wellman had another Grand Electric Theatre beforehand as far early as 1907 but its history remains unknown.
This started life as the Grand Opera House, which opened in the 1880s and was renamed the Grand Theatre in 1916.
After the city’s massive fire in 1922, much of the south side of the Square sat empty or otherwise underutilized for a time before many of the buildings were reconstructed a short time afterward. Unfortunately it was unknown if the Grand Theatre was impacted by the 1922 fire, which was due to lost information.
The Grand Theatre received several upgrades in the late-1930s, and one of which was its major remodeling and then-newer marquee installations in 1939.
The Miami Theatre began screening movies on June 18, 1938 with Loretta Young in “3 Blind Mice” along with the short “The Truth About Your Doctor” and a March of Time reel.
This actually opened as the Vero Theatre, and was renamed the Florida Theatre on November 13, 1936. The Florida Theatre name would remain for decades until the very end of its motion picture operation.
The Florida Theatre closed as a movie theater on June 18, 1985 with Madonna’s “Desperately Seeking Susan”, and Kent Theatres was its last operator, who operated the Florida Theatre for 25 years in total since June 1960 after being part of the Talgar Theatre Company since May 1948. It would eventually become a Brackett’s Furniture Store owned by Bob Brackett for a brief time.
After an extensive two-year restoration project following its 1989 closure of the furniture store, the Florida Theatre’s original marquee was restored and the theater reopened as the Theatre Plaza on October 26, 1991 as a special events house featuring live performances and performing arts. This lasted until 2008 when the theater building itself was taken over by local boards.
The Pines Theatre opened with Walt Disney’s “Those Callaways”, and originally housed a total capacity of 800 seats.
The Fine Arts Cinema originally closed on November 10, 1970 with “Yours, Mine, And Ours” and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” due to repairs, but it was later confirmed that it closed for the final time as a movie theater.
The Fairfield Theatre, which opened on April 30, 1928, did had a little article during World War II. It was originally an all-white theater, but following the killing of a colored man on April 26, 1941 literally made colored residents to blame on the Fairfield Theatre for the very unfortunate affair. Fairfield had two theaters at the time, which is the Fairfield and the Gary.
The Fairfield Theatre closed for the final time on July 15, 1967 with Don Knotts in “The Reluctant Astronaut”.
In color, the marquee that was installed in May 1951 was colored blue and white.
The Idle Hour Theatre opened in 1911 and closed as a movie house on December 29, 1936 with Shirley Temple in “Temple Stowaway” (unknown if extras added) due to the opening of the Miller Theatre nearby. It would eventually become a special events house. In February 1946 following modernization, the Idle Hour Theatre was renamed “Miller Junior Theatre”.
On April 24, 1947, movies returned to the former Idle Hour and reopened as the Gem Theatre.
During early morning construction on August 27, 1936, two St. Louis men started to picket in front of the then-constructed Miller Theatre carrying signs to the effect that the employers were unfair to union labor. They were warned to leave the area but would not heed the warning. However, Marshal Kausler forcibly ejected them from the premises with no damage done other than to the face of one of the pickets by a well-placed thrust from Kausler himself.
The Miller Theatre, named after manager Harry E. Miller, opened its doors on December 30, 1936 with James Stewart in “After The Thin Man” (unknown if any extras added), and was the replacement of the Idle Hour Theatre nearby which closed as a movie theater the previous day. Some of the Miller Theatre’s original installations include a buff and blue interior color scheme with panel lights as well as a low, flat, ceiling and no chance for escaping sound or echoes the talking screen will be without imperfection.
May 28, 1952 marks the day when the staff at Miller Theatre stepped into court on a petition for a temporary injunction against the Projectionist Union, prohibiting the union from picketing their chain while being held before Circuit Judge Gordon Dorris of the Circuit Court of Carter County in Salem, Missouri. Despite the theater still running at the time, this went on for a short time due to many reports of picketing around the theater.
The Court Theatre was the first movie theater to operate in Vienna since the nearby Vienna Theatre closed in early-1946, leaving moviegoers to go see movies in either Rolla or Belle.
The Dixon Theatre actually installed sound in 1931, and was closed in 1933 due to sponsorship failure. The Dixon Theatre reopened again in January 1934 but closed shortly afterward. The theater reopened on February 28, 1936 after both major remodeling and redecorating.
The Welsh Theatre was actually renamed the McRoy Theatre in late-March 1955.
Corrections: The Waverly Theatre was never home to Welsh’s or Welch’s or Welsh Theatre. The Welsh name belongs to the Elroy Theatre nearby.
It was also not renamed the Rose Theatre because the Rose Theatre is on Greenlaw Street and not Main. The Rose Theatre only operated for a short period of time in the early-1950s.
Kenwood resident Roy L. Saxon opened the Elroy Theatre’s doors on February 5, 1942 with Bob Hope in “Nothing But The Truth” along with the Popeye cartoon “The Mighty Navy” and the musical number “Beauty And The Beach”.
On July 15, 1945, the Elroy Theatre was destroyed by an early morning fire, originated from the front area of the theater. Although the exterior was saved from the blaze, the interior suffered major destruction. The Eldon Theatre remained closed for 12 weeks while reconstruction was underway, alongside reinstallations of projection and sound equipment, which were Simplex’s E17 models with high intensity lamps and a dual amplifier sound system. The Elroy Theatre reopened on October 10, 1945 with Dennis O'Keefe in “Brewster’s Millions”.
On June 29, 1950, it was announced that the Welsh Brothers led by M.F. and M.J. Welsh will take over the Elroy Theatre following extensive remodeling. However it was still open, running movies during remodeling. It officially became the Welsh Theatre the following day.
Roy L. Saxon returned back to the theater office alongside his partner E.E. McMillan on January 26, 1955 and retook the theater ownership from the Welsh Brothers. McMillan officially became the owner while Saxon devotes their times to the theater. McMillan immediately upgraded the theater, including installations of CinemaScope days later. The theater was then renamed the McRoy Theatre the following month.
The McRoy Theatre was still open into as late as 1967.
The actual closing date is Christmas Eve 2008.
The actual opening date is August 18, 1967.
The Empire Theatre was originally operated by J.O. Boatwright, and opened on May 4, 1914.
The Empire Theatre closed for the final time on May 13, 1916 before it was leased more than two months later by Mr. John Pryor to George Monos, a Greek restauranteur who decided to convert the former theater into a restaurant.
Also opened with “Airborne”.
The Lee Drive-In was actually twinned in the early-to-mid 1970s.
This started life as the Tupelo Cinema 7 in June 1989. Three more screens were added in December 1989.
This started life as the Electric Theatre as early as the early-1910s, and was renamed multiple times over the years. It was renamed the Majestic Theatre in 1913, renamed the Wellman Theatre on April 4, 1930, and renamed the Grand Theatre on February 25, 1937. The Grand Theatre was originally operated by Marvin Fosse who also operated the Pastime Theatre in La Fosse City.
The Grand Theatre closed in 1958 and its marquee was removed in May 1959.
Renamed Rex Theatre in Fall 1937.
The actual opening date is August 13, 1949 with Ray Milland in “California” with no extra short subjects.
The actual closing date is April 5, 1960 with Gary Cooper in “The Wreck Of The Mary Deare”.
This started life as the Grand Opera House, which opened in the 1880s and was renamed the Grand Theatre in 1916.
After the city’s massive fire in 1922, much of the south side of the Square sat empty or otherwise underutilized for a time before many of the buildings were reconstructed a short time afterward. Unfortunately it was unknown if the Grand Theatre was impacted by the 1922 fire, which was due to lost information.
The Grand Theatre received several upgrades in the late-1930s, and one of which was its major remodeling and then-newer marquee installations in 1939.
The Miami Theatre began screening movies on June 18, 1938 with Loretta Young in “3 Blind Mice” along with the short “The Truth About Your Doctor” and a March of Time reel.
Gotcha, I know. I’m trying to find info on the older theater, but thanks for the fyi.