Miller Theater
115 N. Broadway Street,
Wichita,
KS
67202
115 N. Broadway Street,
Wichita,
KS
67202
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Miller theatre grand opening cover
Miller theatre opening Sun, Apr 30, 1922 – Page 37 · The Wichita Daily Eagle (Wichita, Kansas) · Newspapers.com
Boxoffice of March 16, 1970 said that a farewell party would be held at the Miller Theatre on March 18, as a benefit for the local art museum. Organist Gaylord Carter would perform on the Miller’s Wurlitzer, which had been restored for the occasion by members of the Theater Organ Club. National General Corp. were the last operators of the Miller, and would soon open the suburban Mall Cinema as a replacement for the 1922 downtown house.
The Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum has a thread of memories about the Miller.
My name is Bob Neale, I was hired with the title of “after school Popcorn boy” in 1953. H. F. “Buddy” Brown was the manager at that time. Frank Young was an elderly black man who wore a spiffy uniform and white gloves and was in charge of every body. He was a mentor to many of the young people that worked at the miller. Knowing almost everyone in Wichita he could get tickets to the shows at the Forum. I married a girl who was an usherette and it has lasted almost 60 years so far.
Here is a story about the Miller.
The Miller opened on May 1, 1922. It’s first movie was “Beyond the Rocks”, starring Rudolph Valentino and Gloria Swanson.
I found out that our Modjeska theatre in Augusta,Ga was a Publix Theatre in 1929 so they had screens everywhere KenRoe.
Miss Melba,
I think those are store signs. On the northeast corner of First and Broadway a block from the Miller was the Orpheum Theatre. The Orpheum is one of a few surviving theaters in Wichita.
In the 1958 photo (12/2/06 posting), is there another theatre across the street?
A brief history and vintage clear images of the Miller Theatre can be found in the link below;
View link
Here is another photo from 1958:
http://tinyurl.com/y6939s
Here is a 1941 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/y2ane6
Seating 1,956, the Miller Theater was a project of Publix Theatres and the opening on 1st May 1922 was attended by Adolph Zukor himself.
It closed its doors for the last time on 18th March 1970, with a gala farewell show sponsored by the Wichita Art Museum; Robert Foley played the Wurlitzer organ as a special selection of silent movies flickered onto the screen for the last time.