Amusu Theatre

The diminutive community of Rexroat, Oklahoma was on the cusp of becoming another of the oil boom towns in the early-1920’s. In 1921, the town got its first movie theatre when the Oil Field Amusu Company opened a movie theatre to entertain the town comprised primarily of oil workers and farmers. The theatre launched March 19, 1921 with Marjorie Rambeau in “The Fortune Teller” supported by a vaudeville act or two. But the fortunes in Rexroat were fleeting.

The Amusu Theatre was there for the boom, however, and also hosted live talent shows which included “singing, dancing, reading, wrestling, boxing, etc”. The town was one of the last vestiges of the Old West where pistol-packing locals bounded down the street sometimes leading to trouble. Such was the case on July 6, 1921 where such an individual died after encountering on the oil field’s nightwatchman in some form of shootout.

The Amusu Theatre featured a large stage and an Edison projector model D. The venue had its own electric plant as the city didn’t have modern electrification at that point. Said to have a “legion” of Priscilla Dean fans working the oil fields, the theatre booked the Dean film, “Reputation” in June of 1921. The oil boom quickly dried up and the theatre and most of the town folded. Rexroat was never incorporated as a town.

Get Movie Tickets & Showtimes

Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.