Gem Theatre
218 Monroe Street,
Jefferson City,
MO
65101
218 Monroe Street,
Jefferson City,
MO
65101
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The Gem Electric Theatre opened its doors on August 28, 1909, and the name was later shorten to just Gem Theatre a few years later. Later taken over by the Dubinsky Brothers, the Gem Theatre did once close during the final quarter of 1935 due to renovation that started that November, and reopened in August 1937 as a dime house. Unfortunately it appears that it didn’t do as much business, and closed around a year later.
After being abandoned throughout the war and after, the Gem Theatre building received reconstruction during 1947 (with several halts due to vehicle accidents).
The old Gem Theatre received a makeover and relaunched as the Roxy Theatre on October 2, 1947 with Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in “Sinbad The Sailor” with no extra short subjects. This came as a partial replacement of the short-lived Highway Theatre on Dunklin due to Highway 50 construction the following year. It had the same film policy as the Highway Theatre. At first, it was an all-year indoor theater with a primary mix of first-run and second-run features, but unfortunately it was closed in August 1948 for unknown reasons. After reopening by Durwood Theatres led by Arnold Gould on Christmas Day 1949, it became a seasonal movie house running from December to March as well as an updated film policy (running a mix of As and Bs). Unfortunately again for unknown reasons, the Roxy closed again in March 1950. It never reopened for the Winter 1950-1951 season.
The picture posted here is the site that was originally the Greyhound bus station, then later the studios of KWOS Radio when the News-Tribune operated the station. The Gem Theater was on the other side of the News-Tribune office. The ceiling caved in sometime in the mid 1960’s in a heavy snowstorm. The signage on the front of the building said it was the Roxy Theater at the time the ceiling collapsed. The Tribune bought the site and used it as a parking lot for their employees.
Here is a December 1933 ad from the Jefferson City News and Tribune:
http://tinyurl.com/44chkg