Pilger Theatre
Pilger,
NE
68768
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The Pilger Theatre apparently opened in 1933; it was advertising in the local Stanton County News by June 1933. In May 1934, one Mr. Salmon, “who has operated the house for the past year,” passed the theatre along to Carl Gragson. By January 1935, the Pilger Theatre closed because of sound equipment problems. In August 1935, local businessmen arranged to reopen the theatre with new “sound on film” equipment. Later that month, John W. Quinn of Omaha bought the equipment and leased the building from Gragson. Quinn installed air conditioning in the summer of 1936.
The little theatre suffered occasional service interruptions, then was “closed until further notice” in June 1940. New owners Wayne Carson and Adoplh Karel reopened the reconditioned Pilger Theatre in October that year.
The 1950 Film Daily Year Book included the Pilger Theatre with 196 seats.
Then-owner Mrs. Jerry Drennan shut down the Pilger on May 29, 1954.
On December 17, 1955, Boxoffice wrote that the Pilger Theatre, “has been reopened by Arnold Emry and Louis Kramer for a two-month ‘trial run.’ If patronage is sufficient the theatre will continue in operation after that time.” The trial failed, and Emry and Kramer closed the Pilger Theatre again on January 29, 1956.
Contributed by
Michael Kilgore
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