Comments about Dudley's Cinema Saloon in Overland Park, KS

50sSNIPES on August 6, 2025 at 1:40 pm

Dudley’s once closed on March 2, 1986 after its second-run screenings of “A Chorus Line” and “White Nights” when it made the full transition to a full-time comedy club, before planning back as a movie theater that August (minus the beer after Overland Park rejected in the club’s request for the liquor permit).

Because of that beer eject, now the children can enjoy the place at all times despite Overland Park already having a nearby Showbiz Pizza Place for the youngsters, but unfortunately that movie theater relaunch for Dudley’s immediately failed big time when it became a rock venue for teenagers. They did retain big-screen television sets that were originally used for big major network sporting events, but at the time, it became a screensaver for MTV music videos. This failed when they flushed a grand total of $500,000 down the toilet in extensive remodeling.

The following year in 1987, new owners were hired and they tried to succeed where the original ownership failed as a first attempt for a movie house. The second attempt was approved, reopening as the Antioch Cinema ‘n Drafthouse on October 2, 1987 with “The Witches Of Eastwick” and “The Untouchables” under a $2 second-run admission. They brought back beer, but requires a license to receive it.

This last operated under the name “Dudley’s Cinema Saloon” as a $1.25 second/third-run house and closed for the final time on June 23, 1988 with “Biloxi Blues” and “Three Men And A Baby”.