Ritz Theatre

Joe Vogel on June 17, 2025 at 4:48 pm

A history of Bolivar’s movie theaters on this web page says that this house opened in 1928 as the Davis Ritz Theatre. It was located in a former overall factory remodeled for theater use for Mr. Howard Davis. Davis leased the house to T. F. Cole, who already operated theaters in three other small towns in the region. In 1929, Davis sold the theater to Jerry L. Drake, who operated the Ritz for the next two decades, closing the house only after opening his new Drake Theatre in March, 1948. In 1938, Drake had affiliated the Ritz with the Dickinson chain, which gave him earlier access to new movies, showing them soon after the Dickinson houses in Springfield, the State capital.

During construction of the Drake Theatre, a long process due to post-war materials shortages and government restrictions on civilian construction, it was reported that the Ritz would remain open on weekends following the opening of the new house, but the January 3, 1948 Boxoffice said that Drake planned to retain ownership but keep the Ritz dark. The history page says that Drake converted the Ritz into a studio which included both film and recording facilities. This included three soundproof booths for recording. I don’t see how the house could have been open in the 1960s unless this costly remodeling had been reversed. With another theater operating in town this seems unlikely.

The Ritz was on North Springfield Avenue, not South Springfield. At the time the history I linked to was written (2013) it was in use as part of a home center (essentially a glorified hardware store) and after its days as a studio had for some time been occupied by a bowling alley. I’m about 98% certain that the Ritz was in the (now much remodeled) building that is still standing at 114 N. Springfield Avenue, and is in use as a recreation center operated by the same First Baptist Church that also owns the former Drake Theatre building.