Oskaloosa’s Lyric Theatre, then operated by E. M. McCray, was mentioned in the October 6, 1917 issue of Moving Picture World. The house had just enjoyed great success with a full week run of the Metro feature “The Slacker.”
The Palace is the only Oskaloosa house we have listed on First Avenue West, so I’ll put this item from the July 4, 1908 issue of Moving Picture World here: “Oskaloosa, Ia.— E. T. McCormick and Herbert Hanna have leased the Mateer building on First avenue west and will open up a moving picture show.”
Moving Picture World of October 3, 1908 said “Oskaloosa, Ia., has another moving picture theater. During the open season the Grand Opera House will be turned into a moving picture and vaudeville theater.”
The Oskaloosa Orpheum was part of a chain that does not appear to have been related to the national Orpheum vaudeville circuit. Here is part of an item from the January 26, 1918 issue of Moving Picture World: “M. R. Angel, of the Angel Brothers, who operated and owned the first chain of picture houses in the Middle West, was a caller at the Pathe exchange in Des Moines last week. Mr. Angel and his brother owned the famous Angel Bros.‘ Orpheum circuit and opened houses in Oskaloosa, Keokuk, Cedar Rapids, Savannah, Ill., and Galesburg, Ill.”
Here is an item from the July 10, 1915 issue of The American Contractor: “Tipton, Ia.- Opera House, Odd Fellows' Hall & Store Bldg. (2 stores): 55x142. Archt. B. W. Gartside, 526 Lane bldg., Davenport, Ia. Owner Hardacre Estate, J. W. Moore, trustee, Tipton. Bids were received until noon, July 10.” Architect Benjamin W. Gartside had at least one NRHP listed building in Davenport, a library and newspaper office, but it was de-listed after being demolished a few years ago.
The April 15, 1916 Moving Picture World had this item about the house: “TIPTON, IA.-Ralph E. Kent has leased the new Hardacre Opera House and the opening is scheduled to take place on or about April 10. The house will be devoted to road shows and photoplays. Building and equipment modern in every particular; stage 22 by 46 feet; seating capacity 600; steam heat; electric lights, etc.”
The Tall Corn/Roxy Theatre was at 213 N. Main Street. The building is still standing, though the ground floor, last occupied by Big Brad’s BBQ & Grocery, is currently vacant. The structure clearly dates from considerably earlier than the 1931 opening of the Tall Corn Theatre, so earlier it might have been the location of the Star Theatre, which was mentioned in the February 6, 1926 issue of Motion Picture News.
Flickr member Roger Peters displays this photo of Kanawha’s Main Street which probably dates from 1950, based on the car parked at the corner and the fact that the theater still has the Tall Corn name on its vertical sign.
The remodeling of the Royal Theatre at Seneca was noted in the December 9, 1950 issue of Boxoffice. A new screen, flooring, air conditioning and seating were among the improvements. The new name was not mentioned, but the item said that “[a] new front will be built on the house after the completion of other work.” The renaming was likely done then.
The only mention of the Olin Opera House I’ve been able to find in any theater industry trade journal is from the November 14, 1925 issue of Motion Picture News, which said that the Des Moines office of the Exhibitors Supply Company had reported the sale of “…two machines to Mr. Lawson of the Olin Opera House at Olin, Iowa….”
However, much later another theatre name is connected with Olin, appearing in the July 2, 1949 issue of Boxoffice, which said that exhibitor L. L. Leibrock, owner of the Plaza Theatre at Olin had been named County Engineer. He planned to continue operating the theater, which he had owned for about ten years. The Plaza is mentioned again in the December 30, 1950 Boxoffice, which said the house had celebrated its 11th anniversary on Thanksgiving Day (November 23 that year.) I’ve been unable to discover if the Plaza was the same theater as the Opera House.
Here is an excerpt from the reminiscences of early Anamosa resident Warren J. Rees, published in 1988, describing Main Street in 1915: “On the southwest comer of the intersection of Main and Garnavillo was Bert Cotton’s fixit shop. He reupholstered furniture, framed pictures, and did all sorts of small repair Jobs. Next door on the west was a dwelling occupied by the Scroggs family. Proceeding west we found the office of the Anamosa Gas Co., then the Airdrome, a movie theater, which operated only in the summer, as it was open to the air — no roof. Candy Bill Leach ran a second-hand store in the building now serving Dr. Sunlin as a chiropractor’s office.”
As no Airdome is listed at Anamosa in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory the theater probably opened after the directory went to press (which might have been late 1914,) unless the Airdome was the mystery house the directory lists as the Family Theatre.
The description of the location of Anamosa’s Princess Theatre as of 1915 is on page 128 (scan page n141) of the book Anamosa - A Reminiscence. It is among the recollections of early resident Warren J. Rees (scan at Internet Archive.) The description of the Crystal’s location follows a couple of paragraphs later. It might be that the name Family Theatre was simply an error by the AMPD, or the name might have been used very briefly by a short-term operator of the Crystal.
Incidentally, page 10 (digital scan page n23) of the Reminiscence book features an undated early photo of E. C. Holt’s Building. What might be movie posters are on display in the windows of the storefront the Crystal occupied.
Theater industry trade journals from the early 1920s have frequent mentions of a house called the Grand Theatre at Anamosa. The 1926 FDY lists the 200-seat Crystal and the 500-seat Grand at Anamosa.
The February 19, 1916 issue of Moving Picture World mentioned Anamosa and Clifford Niles: “Anamosa, Ia.—The opera house recently leased by Clifford Niles, is now being operated as a first-class moving picture and vaudeville theater.”
Something is wrong here. Is the address a typo? The building now at 221 W. Main does not resemble the written description, but looks fairly modern and is currently occupied by a restaurant called Larry’s Place. A building that does resemble the description is at 211 W. Main, occupied by a real estate office. Life Connections Mental Health Services is located in the same building, but with the address 209 W. Main. But the book I cited in my earlier comment indicates that the Crystal was in the second storefront east of Garnavillo Street, which would indeed be modern 221 W. Main. If that’s the case then this theater’s building has either been demolished or altered beyond all recognition.
The Princess Theatre’s building is still standing at 103 E. Main Street, occupied by an event center called the Revival Lounge.
The Circle Theatre is mentioned in a locally published (in 1988) book called “Anamosa - A Reminiscence”: “In the late 1930s, Mr. Niles opened another smaller theater in Anamosa, in addition to the Niles Theater. It was on the north side of Main street in the block between Ford and Gamavillo streets. This was called the Circle Theater and much smaller and less elaborate than the parent theater.” A later paragraph in the same book notes that in 1939, a John Watters was manager of the Circle.
A Crystal Theatre was in operation at Anamosa as early as 1916, when an item datelined Anamosa in the May 20 issue of Moving Picture World said that “E. J. Kratoska now controls the Crystal theater and Airdome, having purchased the interests of George & Polten.” If only this theater and the Opera House were on the 1917 map, then this had to have been the Crystal, whatever its earlier name had been. In fact, a book called “Anamosa - A Reminiscence” which confirms that this was the location of the Crystal also reveals that, as of 1915, the Princess Theatre was in the block to the east, on the south side of Main street in the second storefront east of Ford Street. Although the name Family Theatre is not mentioned in the book, by process of elimination that must have been the earlier name of the Crystal.
The February 3, 1917 issue of Motion Picture News featured an article about the Palace Theatre of Vinton, Iowa, which included the following information:
:“THE Palace theatre of Vinton, Iowa, one of the many motion picture houses owned and operated by the Palace Theatre Company, is under the management of Mr. Arthur G. Stotle who is one of the ‘Live Wire Exhibitors’ of Iowa.
“The theatre was designed by W. F. Brown, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was completed and opened during the year of 1915, and is probably one of the most modern and best equipped theatres in that section of the country.
“The theatre is constructed of brick, concrete and steel, measuring 66 feet in width and 150 feet in depth including stage.”
The entire article can be read at this Internet Archive link. There is a small photo of the front of the house.
The Poinciana Theatre at Tampa was mentioned in the July 6, 1912 issue of Moving Picture World. An ebay listing of a picture postcard of this house styling it the Montgomery Theater and postmarked 1913 has a description from the seller (Mitten State Treasures) saying: “Rare image of a theater that only existed from 1911-1916. It was called the Poincaina Theatre when it opened on the corner of Florida Avenue and Cass Street.” The seller does not cite a source for the dates claim, but it could be accurate (despite the misspelling of Poinciana.) There is no Montgomery Theatre listed at Tampa in the 1926 FDY.
The 1905-1906 Polk’s Iowa Directory lists the Phoenix Opera House at Conrad, and it’s also listed in the 1908-1909 and the 1912-1913 directories. It’s possible that this building housed a theater from the time of its construction, whenever that was. I’ve been unable to find the house in any of the Cahn guides, but the Phoenix Theatre is the only house listed at Conrad in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory.
The July 13, 1935 Motion Picture Herald reported that the Mort Singer Theatres Corporation had taken over the Family and Strand theaters at Marshalltown.
Here’s an item from the July 13, 1935 Motion Picture Herald: “Mort Singer Theatres Corporation, operating 10 houses in the Middlewest and West, has taken over two houses in Marshalltown, Iowa, the Family and Strand.”
In its issue of March 1, 1961, trade journal Motion Picture Exhibitor said “After operating four months the Weiting, Toledo, Iowa, the Toledo Community Theatre Guild issued a report showing a profit” Little more than a year later, the July 2, 1962 issue of Boxoffice cited a mention of the house in an even more prestigious publication:
“Toledo, Iowa, Citizens Proud of Journal Quote
“Toledo, Iowa— Mason City isn’t the only place in Iowa firmly established on the theatre map. Toledo (pop. 2,850) is crowing about the recent Wall Street Journal page one story on the revival of motion picture theatres throughout the country.
“The Wieting, a community-run theatre here, is operating after a three-year closing. Mrs. Willard Beadle, head of the Toledo organization which operated the Wieting, was quoted in the lead as saying that ‘Unless you have lived in a small town like this, you cannot imagine what a spark of life is breathed into a community when its theatre comes to life again.’”
If this house did become the Cozy, it had gotten that name by early 1922, when it was mentioned in the January 7 issue of Moving Picture World.
However, another theater name which might be another aka for this house or a different theater has surfaced. An item datelined Toledo, Ia, in the December 22, 1917 issue of Moving Picture World said that “Grand theater, formerly operated by W. B. Persons, has been taken over by J. J. Fomey.” The Grand is also mentioned in the October 14, 1916 issue of Motography.
The VFW post now at this theater’s address occupies a modern building, so I’m sure we can mark the Franklin Cinema as demolished.
The first appearance of an Ohio Theatre at Franklin in the FDY is in the 1934 edition, though it has only 300 seats. It was still listed with 300 seats in the 1945 edition. I haven’t checked later editions to see when (or if) it was expanded.
I haven’t found anything saying the Grand and Temple were originally in the same building, but there’s nothing saying they weren’t either. I had the impression they were simply rivals that merged, consolidating their business in the better theater’s location.
It might be that the Grand was at 108 Grand, shut down around November, 1917 (perhaps losing a lease) and Mr. Combs' Iris opened in the Grand’s location about the time the Grand’s owners merged their operation with the Temple’s. The news of the merger and of the opening of Mr. Combs' house appeared in the same issue of MPW, December 1, 1917.
As the earliest mention of the Strand I’ve seen is from 1925, there was plenty of time for the Iris to come and go at that location without leaving a ripple. The absence of the Grand from the 1914 directory doesn’t seem a major problem, either. The place might have opened, closed and then reopened more than once during that time. Early theaters often had very short life spans. Plus the directory might simply have missed it.
If you’re referring to the listings in the 1925 FDY, you’ve misread it. Chariton, Iowa isn’t listed, but Chariton, Illinois had nine theaters. Had the Iowa Chariton been listed it would have been on the same page as the one in Illinois, but the whole state of Indiana is also on that page. The listings were quite perfunctory that year.
Oskaloosa’s Lyric Theatre, then operated by E. M. McCray, was mentioned in the October 6, 1917 issue of Moving Picture World. The house had just enjoyed great success with a full week run of the Metro feature “The Slacker.”
The Palace is the only Oskaloosa house we have listed on First Avenue West, so I’ll put this item from the July 4, 1908 issue of Moving Picture World here: “Oskaloosa, Ia.— E. T. McCormick and Herbert Hanna have leased the Mateer building on First avenue west and will open up a moving picture show.”
Moving Picture World of October 3, 1908 said “Oskaloosa, Ia., has another moving picture theater. During the open season the Grand Opera House will be turned into a moving picture and vaudeville theater.”
The Oskaloosa Orpheum was part of a chain that does not appear to have been related to the national Orpheum vaudeville circuit. Here is part of an item from the January 26, 1918 issue of Moving Picture World: “M. R. Angel, of the Angel Brothers, who operated and owned the first chain of picture houses in the Middle West, was a caller at the Pathe exchange in Des Moines last week. Mr. Angel and his brother owned the famous Angel Bros.‘ Orpheum circuit and opened houses in Oskaloosa, Keokuk, Cedar Rapids, Savannah, Ill., and Galesburg, Ill.”
Here is an item from the July 10, 1915 issue of The American Contractor: “Tipton, Ia.- Opera House, Odd Fellows' Hall & Store Bldg. (2 stores): 55x142. Archt. B. W. Gartside, 526 Lane bldg., Davenport, Ia. Owner Hardacre Estate, J. W. Moore, trustee, Tipton. Bids were received until noon, July 10.” Architect Benjamin W. Gartside had at least one NRHP listed building in Davenport, a library and newspaper office, but it was de-listed after being demolished a few years ago.
The April 15, 1916 Moving Picture World had this item about the house: “TIPTON, IA.-Ralph E. Kent has leased the new Hardacre Opera House and the opening is scheduled to take place on or about April 10. The house will be devoted to road shows and photoplays. Building and equipment modern in every particular; stage 22 by 46 feet; seating capacity 600; steam heat; electric lights, etc.”
The Tall Corn/Roxy Theatre was at 213 N. Main Street. The building is still standing, though the ground floor, last occupied by Big Brad’s BBQ & Grocery, is currently vacant. The structure clearly dates from considerably earlier than the 1931 opening of the Tall Corn Theatre, so earlier it might have been the location of the Star Theatre, which was mentioned in the February 6, 1926 issue of Motion Picture News.
Flickr member Roger Peters displays this photo of Kanawha’s Main Street which probably dates from 1950, based on the car parked at the corner and the fact that the theater still has the Tall Corn name on its vertical sign.
The remodeling of the Royal Theatre at Seneca was noted in the December 9, 1950 issue of Boxoffice. A new screen, flooring, air conditioning and seating were among the improvements. The new name was not mentioned, but the item said that “[a] new front will be built on the house after the completion of other work.” The renaming was likely done then.
The only mention of the Olin Opera House I’ve been able to find in any theater industry trade journal is from the November 14, 1925 issue of Motion Picture News, which said that the Des Moines office of the Exhibitors Supply Company had reported the sale of “…two machines to Mr. Lawson of the Olin Opera House at Olin, Iowa….”
However, much later another theatre name is connected with Olin, appearing in the July 2, 1949 issue of Boxoffice, which said that exhibitor L. L. Leibrock, owner of the Plaza Theatre at Olin had been named County Engineer. He planned to continue operating the theater, which he had owned for about ten years. The Plaza is mentioned again in the December 30, 1950 Boxoffice, which said the house had celebrated its 11th anniversary on Thanksgiving Day (November 23 that year.) I’ve been unable to discover if the Plaza was the same theater as the Opera House.
Here is an excerpt from the reminiscences of early Anamosa resident Warren J. Rees, published in 1988, describing Main Street in 1915: “On the southwest comer of the intersection of Main and Garnavillo was Bert Cotton’s fixit shop. He reupholstered furniture, framed pictures, and did all sorts of small repair Jobs. Next door on the west was a dwelling occupied by the Scroggs family. Proceeding west we found the office of the Anamosa Gas Co., then the Airdrome, a movie theater, which operated only in the summer, as it was open to the air — no roof. Candy Bill Leach ran a second-hand store in the building now serving Dr. Sunlin as a chiropractor’s office.”
As no Airdome is listed at Anamosa in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory the theater probably opened after the directory went to press (which might have been late 1914,) unless the Airdome was the mystery house the directory lists as the Family Theatre.
The description of the location of Anamosa’s Princess Theatre as of 1915 is on page 128 (scan page n141) of the book Anamosa - A Reminiscence. It is among the recollections of early resident Warren J. Rees (scan at Internet Archive.) The description of the Crystal’s location follows a couple of paragraphs later. It might be that the name Family Theatre was simply an error by the AMPD, or the name might have been used very briefly by a short-term operator of the Crystal.
Incidentally, page 10 (digital scan page n23) of the Reminiscence book features an undated early photo of E. C. Holt’s Building. What might be movie posters are on display in the windows of the storefront the Crystal occupied.
Theater industry trade journals from the early 1920s have frequent mentions of a house called the Grand Theatre at Anamosa. The 1926 FDY lists the 200-seat Crystal and the 500-seat Grand at Anamosa.
The February 19, 1916 issue of Moving Picture World mentioned Anamosa and Clifford Niles: “Anamosa, Ia.—The opera house recently leased by Clifford Niles, is now being operated as a first-class moving picture and vaudeville theater.”
Something is wrong here. Is the address a typo? The building now at 221 W. Main does not resemble the written description, but looks fairly modern and is currently occupied by a restaurant called Larry’s Place. A building that does resemble the description is at 211 W. Main, occupied by a real estate office. Life Connections Mental Health Services is located in the same building, but with the address 209 W. Main. But the book I cited in my earlier comment indicates that the Crystal was in the second storefront east of Garnavillo Street, which would indeed be modern 221 W. Main. If that’s the case then this theater’s building has either been demolished or altered beyond all recognition.
The Princess Theatre’s building is still standing at 103 E. Main Street, occupied by an event center called the Revival Lounge.
The Circle Theatre is mentioned in a locally published (in 1988) book called “Anamosa - A Reminiscence”: “In the late 1930s, Mr. Niles opened another smaller theater in Anamosa, in addition to the Niles Theater. It was on the north side of Main street in the block between Ford and Gamavillo streets. This was called the Circle Theater and much smaller and less elaborate than the parent theater.” A later paragraph in the same book notes that in 1939, a John Watters was manager of the Circle.
A Crystal Theatre was in operation at Anamosa as early as 1916, when an item datelined Anamosa in the May 20 issue of Moving Picture World said that “E. J. Kratoska now controls the Crystal theater and Airdome, having purchased the interests of George & Polten.” If only this theater and the Opera House were on the 1917 map, then this had to have been the Crystal, whatever its earlier name had been. In fact, a book called “Anamosa - A Reminiscence” which confirms that this was the location of the Crystal also reveals that, as of 1915, the Princess Theatre was in the block to the east, on the south side of Main street in the second storefront east of Ford Street. Although the name Family Theatre is not mentioned in the book, by process of elimination that must have been the earlier name of the Crystal.
The February 3, 1917 issue of Motion Picture News featured an article about the Palace Theatre of Vinton, Iowa, which included the following information:
The entire article can be read at this Internet Archive link. There is a small photo of the front of the house.The Poinciana Theatre at Tampa was mentioned in the July 6, 1912 issue of Moving Picture World. An ebay listing of a picture postcard of this house styling it the Montgomery Theater and postmarked 1913 has a description from the seller (Mitten State Treasures) saying: “Rare image of a theater that only existed from 1911-1916. It was called the Poincaina Theatre when it opened on the corner of Florida Avenue and Cass Street.” The seller does not cite a source for the dates claim, but it could be accurate (despite the misspelling of Poinciana.) There is no Montgomery Theatre listed at Tampa in the 1926 FDY.
The 1905-1906 Polk’s Iowa Directory lists the Phoenix Opera House at Conrad, and it’s also listed in the 1908-1909 and the 1912-1913 directories. It’s possible that this building housed a theater from the time of its construction, whenever that was. I’ve been unable to find the house in any of the Cahn guides, but the Phoenix Theatre is the only house listed at Conrad in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory.
The July 13, 1935 Motion Picture Herald reported that the Mort Singer Theatres Corporation had taken over the Family and Strand theaters at Marshalltown.
Here’s an item from the July 13, 1935 Motion Picture Herald: “Mort Singer Theatres Corporation, operating 10 houses in the Middlewest and West, has taken over two houses in Marshalltown, Iowa, the Family and Strand.”
In its issue of March 1, 1961, trade journal Motion Picture Exhibitor said “After operating four months the Weiting, Toledo, Iowa, the Toledo Community Theatre Guild issued a report showing a profit” Little more than a year later, the July 2, 1962 issue of Boxoffice cited a mention of the house in an even more prestigious publication:
If this house did become the Cozy, it had gotten that name by early 1922, when it was mentioned in the January 7 issue of Moving Picture World.
However, another theater name which might be another aka for this house or a different theater has surfaced. An item datelined Toledo, Ia, in the December 22, 1917 issue of Moving Picture World said that “Grand theater, formerly operated by W. B. Persons, has been taken over by J. J. Fomey.” The Grand is also mentioned in the October 14, 1916 issue of Motography.
The VFW post now at this theater’s address occupies a modern building, so I’m sure we can mark the Franklin Cinema as demolished.
The first appearance of an Ohio Theatre at Franklin in the FDY is in the 1934 edition, though it has only 300 seats. It was still listed with 300 seats in the 1945 edition. I haven’t checked later editions to see when (or if) it was expanded.
Then the 1925 FDY listed Iowa’s Chariton under Illinois. Their Iowa listings go from Cedar Rapids to Charles City to Centerville to Clarinda.
I haven’t found anything saying the Grand and Temple were originally in the same building, but there’s nothing saying they weren’t either. I had the impression they were simply rivals that merged, consolidating their business in the better theater’s location.
It might be that the Grand was at 108 Grand, shut down around November, 1917 (perhaps losing a lease) and Mr. Combs' Iris opened in the Grand’s location about the time the Grand’s owners merged their operation with the Temple’s. The news of the merger and of the opening of Mr. Combs' house appeared in the same issue of MPW, December 1, 1917.
As the earliest mention of the Strand I’ve seen is from 1925, there was plenty of time for the Iris to come and go at that location without leaving a ripple. The absence of the Grand from the 1914 directory doesn’t seem a major problem, either. The place might have opened, closed and then reopened more than once during that time. Early theaters often had very short life spans. Plus the directory might simply have missed it.
If you’re referring to the listings in the 1925 FDY, you’ve misread it. Chariton, Iowa isn’t listed, but Chariton, Illinois had nine theaters. Had the Iowa Chariton been listed it would have been on the same page as the one in Illinois, but the whole state of Indiana is also on that page. The listings were quite perfunctory that year.