Aladdin Theatre

When it became known that the Controversial Movie with Caroll Baker and Karl Malden was going to debut in Kansas City at The Aladdin Theater instead of the KIMO, work was planned to spruce it up. The interior was painted a Pink and Grey and covered up nice stenciling almost Identical to The Vista. To Will Dunklin - I am pretty sure the Organ was removed at that time. For years it was to the left of the stage on Floor. Also, there was a major boycott by nearly all the Churches there on the Eastside. St.Stephen’s was very vocal stating it would be a Mortal Sin for Catholics to see the movie Baby Doll. Like the early Bridget Bardow films, pretty tame compared to all the hype. The problem was that after the movie left, Churches preached to their members to no longer go to movies at The Aladdin Theater. With some surprise, I think it made it another 2 years and then closed in 1958, even though it was in pretty nice condition. A sad loss for all the kids in the neighborhood because we had Saturday morning movies in the Summer and also Sunday Matinees that were always popular. The Aladdin never again booked any controversial films after the Baby Doll fiasco

It is now official, the city has determined that the old theater is not safe and has scheduled demolition. At this point, I just wish the facade could be saved and secured for something new in the future.

For those interested in saving this building, a non-profit has been founded for that purpose. You can donate to the organization at savethealaddin.causevox.com. Thank you for any donations you can share.

I see the pic with the damage but cannot place the location. The auditorium’s roof is completely covered with a metal roof and doubt it that was damaged. Maybe this is one of the side buildings. Not sure if the back of the theater where the screen and speakers once were was covered by the metal roof, so it could be that or one of the side buildings. It needs to be repaired by someone. Have all the church furnishings been removed. If not, I would buy the Hammond Organ and Leslie Speaker because I originally sold it to that church to the older church owner. Someone needs to let me know. AS for the the auditorium. All of the drop ceiling and the side wall paneling needs to be removed. There is damage to the ceiling from the old rug cleaning company but that could be repaired – it is a sprayed on insulation between the beams. The lights in the ceiling are pretty cool. The Heating and AC would need to be completely redone and also the plumbing but it could be done as a non profit organization. The Aladdin could be home to many of the fine Hispanic Movies available but would require digital project and sound. It would be a pretty major effort, but I think a lot of donations would come in to do it. The company that did the liter weighted beautiful neon marquee could probably replicate a new Marquee and blade sign at a reasonable price. I know the Eastside is in pretty bad shape but the Mayor as insisted that moneys be allocated to improve the Eastside of KC – so Grants are always available but they must be written up and submitted – Federal, State and Local. It is a treasure well worth saving. It could also be a local live performance venue and movie theater, just put the new screen on a roll about frame to be moved to the back wall and build out the stage floor about 10 feet. A lot of vintage items could be acquired from Wade Williams and the Fine Arts Group. I know they would be excited and helpful.

My family and I were considering purchasing this building from the investor who bought it in 2014, but we were disheartened to discover that, over the summer, a tree collapsed the roof on the back of the East building all the way into the basement. The current owner has not yet done any cleanup or attempted any repairs, leaving the building open to the elements.

We were mentally and financially prepared for the other vandalization and well-intentioned internal build-out, but the caved in roof was a bit of a jaw-dropper.

Sadly, given the current owner’s lack of maintenance, it seems likely that this cinema treasure is headed toward demolition. If anyone has any good resources for groups that might be able to help save the Aladdin, I would be very interested to hear from you!

If you’d like to help Save The Aladdin, you can join us on facebook (http://facebook.com/savethealaddin), check out our website (http://savethealaddin.org) or contribute financially through causevox (http://savethealaddin.causevox.com).

Still looking for pictures of the Aladdin Theater in the early 50s when it was still operating. It was a beautiful theater inside and out. The Pink and Grey Painting in 1955 covered up some real beauty inside. I went there many times when I was young, especially the Summer Saturday Morning 10:00 Movie Series where nearly ever kid in the neighborhood attended. It was nearly capacity at every one of those showings. The Sunday matinee’s were the same – at near capacity from most of the kids in the neighborhood. Previews, Newsreal, a cartoon and usually two movies all for about $.50. Wow, those were the days. It was so beautiful when lit up at night – a lot of neon and dancing lights.

I attended the Aladdin Theater for every change of the program (3 times a week) when I was about 4 to 7 years of age (1940 to 1943) and almost every weekend thereafter, until I was in high school and college some distance away. I lived at 1302 Fremont about 3 blocks north and east, at that age. The theater was actually at 6038 E. 15th St. in the 1940 tax rolls, its address today. I have been looking for any photos of that wonderful theater in those days (with the marquee and ticket booth) of my youth for many, many years, and have never been able to find anything! Recently photos of every KC neighborhood taken in 1940, for the tax rolls, were made available when the file was given to the Kansas City Library Special Collections, and I asked Jeremy Drouhin of that department and he provided me with a thumbnail photo file of every address on 15th street from White to Belmont, and the photo of the Aladdin Theater WAS MISSING! My bad luck continues. It would not have been a very dramatic photo, but the marquee and ticket booth would have been there!

The shop front to the east (right) was a sweet shop connected to the theater, and the corner shop was a drug store, with the diagonal entrance.

The photos shown here are very good quality of the great old Spanish/Moorish architecture with the venerable tiles, etc! I will continue to search for any photos of that era, and I’ll post the request for any of those here on this site, in the hopes that SOMEDAY, someone might have some early photos that would provide me with a nostalgia trip. And, of course, if I were to find anything, I would love to post the photos here.

If this is too verbose or personal or otherwise too off-topic the moderator may feel free to delete it!

Lost Memory, You’re correct about the 1927 opening for the Aladdin. The Polk’s City Directory lists the theater for the first time in 1928, which would presumably place it’s opening in late 1927 or early 1928. You’re research skills are par exellence!

Those are great. Thanks for sharing. The exterior of this theatre is very beautiful, it would fit right in on the Plaza. I’d love to see pictures from it’s heyday!

The alternate address for this theater building is:

6044 Truman Rd
Kansas City, MO 64127

Thanks Mike for your great memeoris of the Aladdin in the fifties. Sadly, I didn’t get to enjoy its heyday. I too wish someone had photos from its early days. Too bad the smaller houses didn’t document their openings like the large theaters did. What a great treasure to have passed on to future generations. When the site allows, I will post my photos of the exterior.
Kevin

The theater actually opened in the mid-30’s and closed in the Fall of 1957 after a showing of the film “Baby Doll”, which caused quite a stir with all the neighborhood churches. I wish someone would come up with a picture of the theater when it was open. I remember it because I grew up in that Eastside neighborhood. It had a very beautiful and well lited rectangle marquee with a sign above with alot of neon and dancing lights reading Aladdin. The marquee was very much like that of the old Oak Park Theater on Prospect. In the center was a blue neon lighted shaped Aladdin’s Lamp surounded by blue neon, with yellow neon smoke. To each side was a long red and two shorter teal/blue neon lights. On each end where the movies were posted, were chasing white lights. I still have some of the lettering. I was there the day that the marquee, signboard and Aladding sign were “ripped” down with once beautiful neon left broken all over the sidewalk. It all went into a trash truck. Someone turned it on the night before and left it lit throughout the night and we all though it was going to reopen. That was always the rumor. The inside had a pretty fresh coat of grey and pink paint from about 1955. However, it did cover a lot of beautiful stinciling on the walls and some paintings surrounding the vents on each side of the stage. The theater had a beautiful deep burgandy stage drape that opened an closed for each movie. There was an old Hammond Organ on the floor to the right side. There was a clock on the wall to the right side of the screen with a blue neon ring.
There was a lot of red and green neon lit glass brick in the back of the theater just before you entered the auditorium. The walls had light fixtures almost exactly like th ones now in the Englewood Theater – rescued from the old Strand Theater on Troost Ave.
The two towers had red lights on at night. There were many yellow bug lights on the underside of the marquee with one red light in the middle. At night, The Aladdin Theater was quite impressive.
There were some live shows between the movies on some Saturday nights in the mid-fifties. You would always see a Newsreal, a Cartoon, Movie Previews, and at least two films. There were many movie adds in the lobby. It was really a gem and one of the nicest Theaters on the Eastside. There were others – The Ritz, The National, The Belmont, The Gladstone, The Benton, The Vista and The Ashland – to name a few. Hope someone can come up an early 50’s picture.
Mike Gallagher
Lee’s Summit, MO

Tour of Missouri, Oklahoma and Kansas Theatres in 2004
From June 26 through July 1, 2004 the Theatre Historical Society of America will tour a number of theatres in Kansas City Missouri and surrounding areas, including theatres in Lamar, Joplin, Richmond, St. Joseph and Springfield, MO, as well as Miami, OK, and these cities in Kansas: Leavenworth, Kansas City, Emporia, El Dorado, Augusta, Wichita, Hutchinson, McPherson, Salina, Concordia, and Topeka. More information is contained on their web site: http://www.HistoricTheatres.org and special photos and information concerning the Kansas City theatres: UPTOWN and the MIDLAND is available on this temporary page of their site at: http://www2.hawaii.edu/~angell/thsa/fromarch.html A glossy brochure about this “Heart of America” Conclave is available from the Society’s headquarters listed on their homepage, via E-mail to the Ex. Director, or via snail mail. Membership in the Society is not required to attend the Conclave and tour the theatres, but fees do apply as detailed on their site. Bring your camera and lots of film, for it is usually difficult or impossible to enter these theatres for photos, and some of them will surely not be with us in the years to come.