Isis Theatre

SethG on January 25, 2024 at 9:30 am

According to the Webster’s site, which has excellent capsule histories of all live and movie theaters which operated in Webster City, this was originally the Family Theatre. It seems to have operated from about 1907 until 1910. It may originally have been vaudeville only, but by 1909, they were showing movies.

The building was constructed between 1900 and 1907, and is a bakery on the 1907 map. I’m not sure how serious the fire was. The building is the same height on all the maps, but the facade does look like it might be later.

Joe Vogel on March 12, 2018 at 6:18 pm

A new organ was installed in the Isis Theatre in 1917, as noted in this item from the March 3 issue of The Moving Picture World:

“Webster City, Ia. — A. C. Schuneman, of the Isis theater in Webster City, is installing a new organ in his theater at a cost of $10,000. This theater will open about the 1st of March with Clara Kimball Young in ‘The Common Law.’”

Schuneman was manager of the Isis at least as early as 1914, when he and the theater were mentioned in the February 10 issue of the Webster City Freeman:

“Pictures of Real War.

“Manager A. C. Schunaman [sic] of the Isis theater states that he expects soon to have moving pictures of actual warfare taken in northern Mexico. These films have been widely written of and are taken by the Mutual Film company, whose president made an agreement with General Villa, head of the rebel army in northern Mexico, whereby they are to be taken of the campaign waged against Huerta’s forces and even on the march to Mexico City, if Villa gets that far south. The first batch of films have been received in this country and it is expected that in a week or so will be released to jobbers, who will book them and Mr. Schunaman hopes to be able to get the first group of films for Webster City.”

Schuneman’s career as manager of the Isis lasted at least into 1929, when he was named in an item in the April 13 issue of Motion Picture News listing movie houses that had recently installed sound equipment. The installation at the Isis was a sound-on-disc system.

kencmcintyre on November 21, 2006 at 8:00 pm

On September 20, 1920, the Isis was showing “Food for Scandal” with Wanda Hawley and Harrison Ford (that’s what it says). Wanda received top billing, of course, which most likely left Harrison pretty ticked.