Mr. Elmer and Mrs. “Jonnie” Bills got approval to transform the Myer Building to a short-term, new theatre after their Roxy burned on November 24, 1943. The naming is a bit confusing in that the temporary theatre opened January 5, 1945 with “The Singing Sheriff” and “Murder in the Blue Room” named as “The Theatre Across the Street” just until a naming contest was completed. The theatre “across the street” was delayed due to Wartime material shortages. The temporary venue became the El-Jon on January 24, 1945 with Mrs. Ben Kinkhorst winning a prize for the moniker - a fusion of the Bills' first names.
That name was then moved to the new theatre - whose architectural plans by Al Hauetter carried the name of the New Roxy. However, the venue opened as the “new” El-Jon Theatre on March 23, 1945 with “Thunderhead.” In the mid-1950s, it was converted to widescreen presentation to present CinemaScope titles. At the 15-year leasing point, the El-Jon closed with “It Started with a Kiss” on January 31, 1960.
The facility was converted to a bowling alley called the El-Jon Bowl on April 8, 1960 - undoubtedly utilizing the same marquee. (It’s not clear if Mrs. Ben Kinkhorst received a second prize for the El-Jon bowling alley name or, perhaps, considered launching a trademark lawsuit.) The lanes were sold off in December of 1966 signaling the end of the operation.
Mrs. Allen Glore and Henry I. Smiley launched the Royal Theatre on January 17, 1927 with “The King of the Turf” in an existing commercial building in downtown. Glore sold the Royal Theatre in October 15, 1927 and it would soon reopen as the Plaza Theatre two weeks later by Alva A. Sharer. The venue was rewired for sound on May 19, 1930 with RCA Photophone sound with Will Rogers in “They Had to See Paris" and renamed as the New Plaza Theatre (with sound).
Fox, which operated the DeGraw, took over the competing New Plaza on Halloween 1931 as the Fox Plaza Theatre with “The Concentratin' Kid” supported by “The Indians Are Coming: Chapter 1.” They promoted it as a family discount operation but they likely wanted to root out competition. That seems to be borne out as the Fox Plaza closed weeks later on December 4, 1931. The vacant building suffered a roofline fire and was repaired and retrofitted as a retail store. (It was said to have been home to JC Penney.) On March 16, 2022, the building and its neighboring structure burned to the ground in a spectacular final act.
November 2, 1927 opening ad for the Plaza Theatre with the Duncan Sisters in “Topsy and Eva” supported by a Lupino Lane short, “A Half Pint Hero.” The venue had opened earlier in the year as the Royal Theatre.
It’s treat as Fox takes over the competing New Plaza on Halloween 1931 as the Fox Plaza Theatre with “The Concentratin' Kid” supported by “The Indians Are Coming: Chapter 1.”
The Strand operated for 60 years in downtown Mount Vernon launching in 1917. It added sound to remain viable and improved presentations with widescreen equipment to present CinemaScope titles. The Strand’s consecutive operation ended briefly when it closed on Labor Day, September 5, 1960 with “The Bramble Bush.” But it reopened under new operators in January of 1961. They closed it on March 25, 1967 with “Ride Beyond Vengeance.”
Jess Ruble of the Ruble Drive-In bought the theatre on November 2, 1967 with “Doctor, You’ve Got to Be Kidding!” It operated seasonally when the family’s Drive-In was closed.
The Strand played “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” on February 28, 1972 promising a comeback that Fall. That didn’t transpire until January of 1974 when it did reopen with a new front / new look. Its final ad was for the February 19, 1977 showing of “Jaws” - very likely the end of the line there.
Jesse “Jess” Ruble opened the new-build Ruble’s Drive-In Theatre on May 1, 1964. The Rubles had purchased the Rollers Airway Drive-In equipment which was further demolished for the 1-44 onramp. Mother nature had taken care of the screen tower that closed that operation on May 26, 1963. The Ruble’s operation lasted to the end of its 30-year leasing agreement.
The New Strand opened on December 3, 1926 with “Perch of the Devil.” It was equipped with sound to remain viable. It was renamed the St. Charles Cinema on November 23, 1968 and closed on June 30, 1971 with “The Lickerish Quartette” and “Magic Machine.”
Paul Golterman equipped the former storeroom of the Gillis Jones Rice Mill and made a 480-seat capable but 400-seat total venue called the Ritz Theatre. (He said he would add the 80 seats when business warranted such.) The Ritz opened with a soft launch on September 4, 1935 with Bill Cody in “The Cyclone Ranger” followed by a grand opening the next night with “Midnight Alarm.” It was equipped with a Jewell Ultra-Phone Sound System.
The Ritz made it to the end of its 15-year leasing opt out in early 1950. The Moose Club took it over staging shows and sporadic informational film screenings. The building was damaged in a June 1956 fire and sold to the City of St. Charles for parking for $21,500. The building appears to date back to the 1860s as the Lafayette Mills originally selling wheat, rye and buckwheat flour all the way to 1931 under names that included: Kremer & Marten, Kremer’s (adding livestock feed), St. Charles Roller (adding oats), Werner-Liebrock, and Gillis Jones (adding rice at the onset of the Depression). The storeroom’s second floor also held a 19th Century tavern, the Spring Brewery Saloon. The entire structure was demolished and is the contemporary home of Kister Park.
Cecil W. Cannon & L. W. Trescott opened the Orpheum in the former E.S. Metts Cash Store in December of 1919 with Cannon’s wife playing the piano to accompany the films. Ed Huckstep, known for the Huckstep Theatre in Bowling Green, had a gasoline powered popcorn stand in front of the theatre. Cannon and Gladney updated to sound to remain viable. The opening date is believed to be December 12, 1919. (Disregard the 1911 dates and its name as the “Senate” at that time above as the records are pretty clear about the theater taking over the Metts retail store.)
Cannon died entering the building which had a projection booth fire on September 7, 1937 just a half hour into the show featuring “Married Before Breakfast.” His wife, Margaret Cannon (later Gladney) carried on the show from October 1, 1937 to January of 1953. The members of the Cannon family stayed active in the theatre selling popcorn balls after Huckstep passed. They made enough money to create a concession stand with electric popper in the Orpheuem.
In January of 1953, Gladney sold the Orpheum to State Senator and future U.S. Senator Edward Vaughn Long of Long Theatres Inc. He gave the venue a brand new projection room and more. Believe it or not, after the theatre was closed for a month, Senator Long is the one who renamed it as the Senate Theatre on April 2, 1953 with “Road to Bali.” The venue closed in 1973 at the expiry of its 20-year leasing. agreement. It was offered for sale in 1974.
Robert and Sandra Sinnett took on the venue in 1974 reopening it along with Virgial and Lucy Weeks over a 25 year period until Sandra got ill in 1999. The City of Elsberry took over the operation purportedly. The Sinnett family came back into the operation converting it to digital in the process. The venue made it to its 100th Anniversary on December 12, 2020; but COVID-19 closed the venue for a full year from March 2020 to March 13, 2021 when the “Croods New Age” reopened the Senate. It was still in session in the mid-2020s.
Note: The Orpheum entry in the database is a duplicate but could contain basically all of this information.
Cecil Middleton opens the Middleton Theatre in the Yenat Building on November 23, 1940 with “Buck Benny Rides Again.” On Aug. 1, 1941, new operators changed its name to the Forsyth Theatre. Regular operation ceased in December of 1977.
Glenn Caldwell of the Princess Theatre opened the Caldwell Theatre on October 4, 1936 with “Broadway Melody of 1936.” By 1940, it was downgraded to part-year, seasonal operation and one to twice a week. It closed following the December 10, 1943 showing of “Someone to Remember.”
Pathé’s “Les Glaces Merveilleuses” (“The Wonderful Mirrors”), Gaumont’s “L'orpheline”, Lubin’s “If Wm. Penn Came to Life,” Selig’s “The Financial Scare,” Hepworth’s “Burglars at the Ball,” and the Harry Von Tilzer / Andrew B. Sterling song, “Sacramento” with illustrated lantern singalong slide set by Scott & Van Altena are the diverse titles at the opening of the Star Theatre in downtown Coffeyville circa 1908. Well with a nickel.
This was the Drexel Theatre in the Savage Building. It opened on October 8, 1910 with alive vaudeville preso of “Sallie’s Visit.“ Operated by Earl Van Huyning and - later - Jay Perry, the Drexel mixed vaudeville and movies closing after 10 years at end of lease on May 31, 1920 with Jack Hoxie in "Smothering Tides” and Kathleen O'Connor in “The Lion Man” supported by Fay Tincher in “Marry Movies In,” and two serials" “In the Lion’s Den: The Lion Man (episode 5)” and “Lightning Bryce (Episode 14)”. Yep, there were 15 episodes so that must have been depressing.
The Barndollar Building was built in 1884 and was home to the Princess Theatre from 1909 to 1911. Its distinction is that it was the first movie house operated by a female in Mrs. Monroe. In 1910, the ventilation challenged location was closed for the summer as programming moved to the newly-create Princess Airdome. The venue closed May 21, 1911 with Monroe opening a photographic operation, Studio Grande, elsewhere in downtown.
The former Princess became the Stradford Theatre from June 9, 1911 to July 15, 1911 showing movies. Levy & Isley were next to the plate reopening it as The Red Moon Theatre in December of 1911 to March 30, 1912 programming live and cinematic offerings. McEvoy’s Boston Lunch Room moved there in June of 1912 ending the Barndollar Building’s brief theatrical run.
Mr. Elmer and Mrs. “Jonnie” Bills got approval to transform the Myer Building to a short-term, new theatre after their Roxy burned on November 24, 1943. The naming is a bit confusing in that the temporary theatre opened January 5, 1945 with “The Singing Sheriff” and “Murder in the Blue Room” named as “The Theatre Across the Street” just until a naming contest was completed. The theatre “across the street” was delayed due to Wartime material shortages. The temporary venue became the El-Jon on January 24, 1945 with Mrs. Ben Kinkhorst winning a prize for the moniker - a fusion of the Bills' first names.
That name was then moved to the new theatre - whose architectural plans by Al Hauetter carried the name of the New Roxy. However, the venue opened as the “new” El-Jon Theatre on March 23, 1945 with “Thunderhead.” In the mid-1950s, it was converted to widescreen presentation to present CinemaScope titles. At the 15-year leasing point, the El-Jon closed with “It Started with a Kiss” on January 31, 1960.
The facility was converted to a bowling alley called the El-Jon Bowl on April 8, 1960 - undoubtedly utilizing the same marquee. (It’s not clear if Mrs. Ben Kinkhorst received a second prize for the El-Jon bowling alley name or, perhaps, considered launching a trademark lawsuit.) The lanes were sold off in December of 1966 signaling the end of the operation.
Christmas 1938 New Greenway flyer.
They Royal / Plaza were two blocks away.
Mrs. Allen Glore and Henry I. Smiley launched the Royal Theatre on January 17, 1927 with “The King of the Turf” in an existing commercial building in downtown. Glore sold the Royal Theatre in October 15, 1927 and it would soon reopen as the Plaza Theatre two weeks later by Alva A. Sharer. The venue was rewired for sound on May 19, 1930 with RCA Photophone sound with Will Rogers in “They Had to See Paris" and renamed as the New Plaza Theatre (with sound).
Fox, which operated the DeGraw, took over the competing New Plaza on Halloween 1931 as the Fox Plaza Theatre with “The Concentratin' Kid” supported by “The Indians Are Coming: Chapter 1.” They promoted it as a family discount operation but they likely wanted to root out competition. That seems to be borne out as the Fox Plaza closed weeks later on December 4, 1931. The vacant building suffered a roofline fire and was repaired and retrofitted as a retail store. (It was said to have been home to JC Penney.) On March 16, 2022, the building and its neighboring structure burned to the ground in a spectacular final act.
Closed May 23, 2004 - with “Laws of Attraction” and “Along Came Polly.” The screen was toppled by a storm the next day ending things at the Macon D-I.
March 6, 1935
Fox Plaza - last ad on December 4, 1931. The building would be transformed back to retail.
November 2, 1927 opening ad for the Plaza Theatre with the Duncan Sisters in “Topsy and Eva” supported by a Lupino Lane short, “A Half Pint Hero.” The venue had opened earlier in the year as the Royal Theatre.
It’s treat as Fox takes over the competing New Plaza on Halloween 1931 as the Fox Plaza Theatre with “The Concentratin' Kid” supported by “The Indians Are Coming: Chapter 1.”
Look who’s talking: it’s the New Plaza Theatre rebooting on May 19, 1930 with RCA Photophone sound and Will Rogers in “They Had to See Paris.”
The Strand operated for 60 years in downtown Mount Vernon launching in 1917. It added sound to remain viable and improved presentations with widescreen equipment to present CinemaScope titles. The Strand’s consecutive operation ended briefly when it closed on Labor Day, September 5, 1960 with “The Bramble Bush.” But it reopened under new operators in January of 1961. They closed it on March 25, 1967 with “Ride Beyond Vengeance.”
Jess Ruble of the Ruble Drive-In bought the theatre on November 2, 1967 with “Doctor, You’ve Got to Be Kidding!” It operated seasonally when the family’s Drive-In was closed.
The Strand played “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” on February 28, 1972 promising a comeback that Fall. That didn’t transpire until January of 1974 when it did reopen with a new front / new look. Its final ad was for the February 19, 1977 showing of “Jaws” - very likely the end of the line there.
No reason to celebrate - October 4, 2026 is the last day for Studio C! as the venue declines a leasing renewal after 40 total years.
Jesse “Jess” Ruble opened the new-build Ruble’s Drive-In Theatre on May 1, 1964. The Rubles had purchased the Rollers Airway Drive-In equipment which was further demolished for the 1-44 onramp. Mother nature had taken care of the screen tower that closed that operation on May 26, 1963. The Ruble’s operation lasted to the end of its 30-year leasing agreement.
The New Strand opened on December 3, 1926 with “Perch of the Devil.” It was equipped with sound to remain viable. It was renamed the St. Charles Cinema on November 23, 1968 and closed on June 30, 1971 with “The Lickerish Quartette” and “Magic Machine.”
The Roxy closed May 7, 1952 with “Silver City” and “Hon Kong.”
Paul Golterman equipped the former storeroom of the Gillis Jones Rice Mill and made a 480-seat capable but 400-seat total venue called the Ritz Theatre. (He said he would add the 80 seats when business warranted such.) The Ritz opened with a soft launch on September 4, 1935 with Bill Cody in “The Cyclone Ranger” followed by a grand opening the next night with “Midnight Alarm.” It was equipped with a Jewell Ultra-Phone Sound System.
The Ritz made it to the end of its 15-year leasing opt out in early 1950. The Moose Club took it over staging shows and sporadic informational film screenings. The building was damaged in a June 1956 fire and sold to the City of St. Charles for parking for $21,500. The building appears to date back to the 1860s as the Lafayette Mills originally selling wheat, rye and buckwheat flour all the way to 1931 under names that included: Kremer & Marten, Kremer’s (adding livestock feed), St. Charles Roller (adding oats), Werner-Liebrock, and Gillis Jones (adding rice at the onset of the Depression). The storeroom’s second floor also held a 19th Century tavern, the Spring Brewery Saloon. The entire structure was demolished and is the contemporary home of Kister Park.
I would suggest “demolished” and formerly “Mill.”
Cecil W. Cannon & L. W. Trescott opened the Orpheum in the former E.S. Metts Cash Store in December of 1919 with Cannon’s wife playing the piano to accompany the films. Ed Huckstep, known for the Huckstep Theatre in Bowling Green, had a gasoline powered popcorn stand in front of the theatre. Cannon and Gladney updated to sound to remain viable. The opening date is believed to be December 12, 1919. (Disregard the 1911 dates and its name as the “Senate” at that time above as the records are pretty clear about the theater taking over the Metts retail store.)
Cannon died entering the building which had a projection booth fire on September 7, 1937 just a half hour into the show featuring “Married Before Breakfast.” His wife, Margaret Cannon (later Gladney) carried on the show from October 1, 1937 to January of 1953. The members of the Cannon family stayed active in the theatre selling popcorn balls after Huckstep passed. They made enough money to create a concession stand with electric popper in the Orpheuem.
In January of 1953, Gladney sold the Orpheum to State Senator and future U.S. Senator Edward Vaughn Long of Long Theatres Inc. He gave the venue a brand new projection room and more. Believe it or not, after the theatre was closed for a month, Senator Long is the one who renamed it as the Senate Theatre on April 2, 1953 with “Road to Bali.” The venue closed in 1973 at the expiry of its 20-year leasing. agreement. It was offered for sale in 1974.
Robert and Sandra Sinnett took on the venue in 1974 reopening it along with Virgial and Lucy Weeks over a 25 year period until Sandra got ill in 1999. The City of Elsberry took over the operation purportedly. The Sinnett family came back into the operation converting it to digital in the process. The venue made it to its 100th Anniversary on December 12, 2020; but COVID-19 closed the venue for a full year from March 2020 to March 13, 2021 when the “Croods New Age” reopened the Senate. It was still in session in the mid-2020s.
Note: The Orpheum entry in the database is a duplicate but could contain basically all of this information.
The theater in town gets an upgraded sound system becoming the Mansfield Theatre on October 26, 1933 with Janet Gaynor in “Paddy.”
Cecil Middleton opens the Middleton Theatre in the Yenat Building on November 23, 1940 with “Buck Benny Rides Again.” On Aug. 1, 1941, new operators changed its name to the Forsyth Theatre. Regular operation ceased in December of 1977.
Glenn Caldwell of the Princess Theatre opened the Caldwell Theatre on October 4, 1936 with “Broadway Melody of 1936.” By 1940, it was downgraded to part-year, seasonal operation and one to twice a week. It closed following the December 10, 1943 showing of “Someone to Remember.”
Pathé’s “Les Glaces Merveilleuses” (“The Wonderful Mirrors”), Gaumont’s “L'orpheline”, Lubin’s “If Wm. Penn Came to Life,” Selig’s “The Financial Scare,” Hepworth’s “Burglars at the Ball,” and the Harry Von Tilzer / Andrew B. Sterling song, “Sacramento” with illustrated lantern singalong slide set by Scott & Van Altena are the diverse titles at the opening of the Star Theatre in downtown Coffeyville circa 1908. Well with a nickel.
The Princess Theatre converted to sound on December 6, 1929 with “On With the Show.“ (ad in photos).
This was the Drexel Theatre in the Savage Building. It opened on October 8, 1910 with alive vaudeville preso of “Sallie’s Visit.“ Operated by Earl Van Huyning and - later - Jay Perry, the Drexel mixed vaudeville and movies closing after 10 years at end of lease on May 31, 1920 with Jack Hoxie in "Smothering Tides” and Kathleen O'Connor in “The Lion Man” supported by Fay Tincher in “Marry Movies In,” and two serials" “In the Lion’s Den: The Lion Man (episode 5)” and “Lightning Bryce (Episode 14)”. Yep, there were 15 episodes so that must have been depressing.
Princess #1. Princess #2 was by different folks on 9th Street.
The Barndollar Building was built in 1884 and was home to the Princess Theatre from 1909 to 1911. Its distinction is that it was the first movie house operated by a female in Mrs. Monroe. In 1910, the ventilation challenged location was closed for the summer as programming moved to the newly-create Princess Airdome. The venue closed May 21, 1911 with Monroe opening a photographic operation, Studio Grande, elsewhere in downtown.
The former Princess became the Stradford Theatre from June 9, 1911 to July 15, 1911 showing movies. Levy & Isley were next to the plate reopening it as The Red Moon Theatre in December of 1911 to March 30, 1912 programming live and cinematic offerings. McEvoy’s Boston Lunch Room moved there in June of 1912 ending the Barndollar Building’s brief theatrical run.