Cass Theatre
618 Main Street,
Plattsmouth,
NE
68048
618 Main Street,
Plattsmouth,
NE
68048
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Additional Info
Previous Names: Parmele Opera House, Parmele Theatre, Platz Theatre
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Located on Main Street at 6th Street in downtown Plattsmouth, This opened as the Parmele Opera House on October 29, 1900. In 1901 it was operating as the Parmele Theatre. In July 1927 it was equipped with a Wurlitzer 2 manual 4 ranks theatre organ. On August 10, 1931 it was renamed Platz Theatre and the Wurlitzer organ was removed from the theatre in 1932. It was closed in 1935 and was remodeled, reopening on February 9, 1936 as the renamed Cass Theatre. It was closed on June 22, 1961 as it was destroyed in the same 1961 blaze in which the adjacent Riley Hotel was lost. A bank is on the site today.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 5 comments)
Here is a 1942 photo from Life Magazine:
http://tinyurl.com/6mwr3d
From the 1940s a photo postcard image of Main Street Plattsmouth along with the Cass visible at the left center
According to David Junchen’s book The Wurlitzer Pipe Organ, an Illustrated History p. 675, Wurlitzer shipped their organ opus 1684 – 2 manuals 4 ranks – to the Parmele Theatre in Plattsmouth, Nebraska in July 1927. Junchen notes that the theatre subsequently was renamed the Cass Theatre. Wurlitzer removed the organ in 1932 and sold it to a hospital in Cincinnati Ohio. It is easy to imagine that the Parmele became the Cass at about that time.
The Parmele Theatre became the Platz Theatre on August 18, 1931. The Platz Theatre was remodeled and reopened as the Cass Theatre on February 9, 1936.
The Parmele Opera House was built in the year 1900 and opened October 29, 1900 by C.C. and T.E. Parmele with a play starring Clay Clement. In 1901, it was advertised as the Parmele Theatre. G.G. Griffin, who had operated the Ritz Theatre since 1928, took on the Parmele on July 29, 1931 and held a renaming contest.
On August 10, 1931, the Parmele became the Platz Theatre – a nickname some had for Plattsmore. Griffin would close the theatre in 1935 – and would be on hand for the theater’s blaze in 1961. But M.F. Westerlund took on the closed Platz and gave it a streamlined moderne makeover relaunching as the Cass Theatre on February 9, 1936 with “Farmer Takes a Wife.”
On June 22, 1961, the Cass Theatre played “Gold of the Seven Saints” – its last film before the fire that ended operations. It also had the film, “Elmer Gantry” on the premises for June 25-27, 1961 screenings that never took place. On April 26, 1964, the Ritz Theatre in a classy move brought the film, “Elmer Gantry,” back to to town saying, “We had this picture (booked) when the Cass theatre burned!” People could finally see the film that was advertised but never played at the Cass.