La Jade Cinema
125 East Main Street,
Festus,
MO
63028
125 East Main Street,
Festus,
MO
63028
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During early morning construction on August 27, 1936, two St. Louis men started to picket in front of the then-constructed Miller Theatre carrying signs to the effect that the employers were unfair to union labor. They were warned to leave the area but would not heed the warning. However, Marshal Kausler forcibly ejected them from the premises with no damage done other than to the face of one of the pickets by a well-placed thrust from Kausler himself.
The Miller Theatre, named after manager Harry E. Miller, opened its doors on December 30, 1936 with James Stewart in “After The Thin Man” (unknown if any extras added), and was the replacement of the Idle Hour Theatre nearby which closed as a movie theater the previous day. Some of the Miller Theatre’s original installations include a buff and blue interior color scheme with panel lights as well as a low, flat, ceiling and no chance for escaping sound or echoes the talking screen will be without imperfection.
May 28, 1952 marks the day when the staff at Miller Theatre stepped into court on a petition for a temporary injunction against the Projectionist Union, prohibiting the union from picketing their chain while being held before Circuit Judge Gordon Dorris of the Circuit Court of Carter County in Salem, Missouri. Despite the theater still running at the time, this went on for a short time due to many reports of picketing around the theater.
Architect (in 1935) was Bruce F. Barnes.
Here is another photo:
http://tinyurl.com/yj2jza2
The LaJade theatre is currently being restored after a storm tore off part of it’s roof. The church that was using it has closed. The inside has gone through a renovation. The outside is now being restore to it’s former state. The new owners are Townsend Heating & Cooling of Festus. They are setting up the theatre to be use for a Christian television broadcast. The , Just for Youth, televises in St. Louis, New Mexico, Alabama and Canada. The stage is being set up for a live audience during the broadcasts. The theatre will retaine it’s style and it’s community involvement.
A church now occupies the La Jade.