Orpheum Theatre

The RKO Orpheum Theatre on January 27, 1941 became national headlines following a showing of a movie turned into an unexpected balcony show that also turned into a real simulated fairy tale. The story immediately quoted on many newspapers as an unexpected “true and real Cinderella story” due to its lost slipper situation between two girls and a doctor. The story goes like this:

It all started that night with a “once upon a time”, when 21-year-old Ms. Elinor Peery went sledding on a cold evening at the Armour Fields Golf Course. All of the sudden, Peery severely injured one of her hands from an accident. It was unknown if she went to the hospital that evening but she did seek some quiet diversion by telephoning her friend Ms. Marjorie Harrow and suggested on going to a matinee at the RKO Orpheum. Both are trying to save a lot of money but ended up getting the balcony seats. The Orpheum that night was showing a double Warner Brothers matinee, which were Ronald Reagan’s “Santa Fe Trail” and Cliff Edwards' “She Couldn’t Say No” plus an RKO Pathé newsreel.

And then it all happened: They were trying to watch one of the two movies while her black gabardine wedged with flat soles slippers still had snow on it that made it a little slick. As she was watching the screen, she immediately saw her own two legs silhouetted before her and from her flat-of-back viewpoint. She was terrified to see that one of her slippers arching high over the balcony rail. It floated to the crest of the curve then picked up speed on the downward course, disappearing into the darkness of the lower floor. The audience who were watching the slipper fell into the darkness immediately broke into massive laughter, even some small boys on the front row leaned over the rail and shouted for a return pitch. Peery immediately hobbled to the seat she was after. Harrow replied to Peery that some man’s got her shoe but the boys immediately told her that he’s not going to throw it back. Peery gave Harrow a favor by watching her seat. For almost 30 minutes, she disappeared from the Orpheum, then an usher brought the missing wedgie to her and she immediately broke into laughing heartily. The movie was never interrupted during the incident.

He asked her to accompany him to the manager’s office. The girls immediately introduced to an indignant man who introduced himself as Dr. B. Albert Lieberman Jr., a lifelong Kansas City resident who would eventually become a WWII veteran later in his life. His mother lived in Kansas City for more than seven decades in her life, and beforehand it was St. Louis when she was born in 1878. Lieberman at the time of the Orpheum balcony incident worked as a member of the staff at Menorah Medical Center and the Research Hospital alongside a former staff member of the General and former Queen Of The World hospitals. Harrow said in a statement to Elinor: “Elinor, he wouldn’t give me your shoe until you bought him a new pair of glasses because your wedgie broke his when it hit him, but he called his lawyer and the lawyer said he had to give back your shoe. I told him I could call the lawyers too and that I’d just call your father that he didn’t give me that shoe!”. Then-Orpheum manager Lawrence Lehman immediately calmed the actions down by saying “Now, folks, let’s all just be nice about this.” Lehman told Peery is she was hurt or not, but Peery relied that it was only dignity. Both girls were delighted when he insisted they take some seats from the main auditorium instead of the balcony. He urged Ms. Peery to pay for his glasses then said he would sue her for the amount, but she replied that she didn’t have any job. The theater’s liability insurance would care for replacing the glasses. Lieberman’s wife was also in the theater watching the movie, while the arguments continue on the doctor. “Now you just make yourself comfortable in my office, doctor, Here’s a good book to entertain you”, said Lehman. He gave Lieberman a book to read but he cannot see anything without his glasses. Lieberman shouted “I CAN’T READ WITHOUT MY GLASSES!” And back at the auditorium, the two young women then took the choice seats Lehman offered and the girls thanked Lehman for their comfort as they both sat back down to finish the show, ending with a complete misandry note with an unhappily ever after for that man. Poor Lieberman!

As mentioned above, Dr. Albert B. Lieberman Jr. became a WWII veteran due to the fact that he served on General Eisenhower’s staff during the invasions of Europe in World War II and twice received commendations from his commanding generals. He held the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Honorary Reverse. On July 15, 1960, his 82-year-old mother died in a vehicle accident. Lieberman lastly became a professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center until his death at the age of 66 on March 29, 1974.

Fox Midwest swapped its Missouri Theatre for the Orpheum in 1948. The Orpheum’s closed after the November 2, 1955 showing of Clark Gable in “The Tall Men.” It had closed the venerable Esquire in January of 1955.

In 1956, there was hope for one of the old theaters. Fox then had to select one of its theaters for Todd-AO and went with the Tower Theatre. It moved its next booking to the Esquire - reopening that theatre in September of 1956. And the Orpheum’s fate was sealed when Fox removed seating from the Orpheum to take to the Tower. The circuit sold the theatre the next month to a hotel firm. It was bulldozed beginning in November of 1961 and into 1962 to make way for a motel. Many hidden gems were found while razing the nearly 50-year old venue including old posters.

December 26th, 1914 grand opening ad in the photo section.

To KCB3Player. Just to update you. The Boston Orpheum theatre is not gone. It is one of the oldest theatres in the country havimg opened in 1852 as the Boston Music Hall. It wasn’t named the Orpheum until 1906. In 1915 it was taken over by Loews(1915-1971) when it became the Aquarius until 1974. It became the Orpheum again in 1975. It was never an ornate theatre but it had it’s own character. It was never one of the 7 Orpheums. It has been a live music theatre since 1971 with a few movies thrown in. The balcony was removed years ago. Some of the biggest names in music from Rock, Country, Rap and classical have played here. It is still a grand old lady. Look it up on Wikipedia for more info.

I’m afraid not, Mike. It sure was a beautiful theater, wasn’t it? How sad they let it be demolished, just like the Fox Theater here in San Francisco.

Mike, I did post them yesterday. Aren’t you able to see them?

There were many theaters named Orpheum, however, there were seven that were disigned and built in a very similar style. These were the live performance Orpheum’s bult prior to 1920. The Kansas City Orpheum was considered to be the most beautiful of the seven and took on a look similar to the Paris Opera House both inside and outside. The St. Louis Orpheum looks very Ksimilar inside to the KC Theater and it indeed still in operation but the main floor has been tiered. The paint color sceme is very similar to what was done to the KC Orpheum in 1951 to spruce it up for the showing of The Robe – the very first Cinimascope Picture. The theater was beautiful and in prestine condition. It was a pride of Kansas City along with The Loew’s Midland Theater a block away. Many Kansas Citians were horrifid to learn that the Tower and the Orpheum would be raised in the same year. We also saw the loss of the Esquire which had been recently renovated by a local owner. I think we are all still waiting for pics to be posted by bobster1985 – hope he does have some pics. At one time, I had an interior pic with the curtain open showing the cinimascope screen but have been unable to find it. The New Orleans Orpheum and the St. Louis Orpheum have very similar exteriors. The interiors are again similar but not quite as opulent as the KC Orpheum was. The Boston Orpheum is now gone and so is the Madison, WS. The Omaha Orpheum was built in a similar style and was larger – more similar to the Loew’s Midland – still very beautiful and in use for Live Stage Shows.

Still hoping to find some quality interior auditorium pics of the Tower and Orpheum. However, I am not interested in interior pics of all the old downtown KC movie palaces.
Any assistance will be most appreciated.
Mike Gallagher
816 347-0487

This site has photographs of many artists who performed on KC stages –

View link

You’re right, RobbKCity. Since my last post, I did some online research, and the Orpheum Theater that was fully restored by that successful minority businessman profiled on The Nightly Business Report Friday night is to the other side of the state in St. Louis. I obviously misheard when I thought they said Kansas City.

Interesting to note, St. Louis' The Roberts Orpheum Theater, as it’s now called (though its marquee still bears the name “The American”) was designed by the same architect — G. Albert Lansburgh — was built right around that same era, and in comparing photos it looks almost identical to K.C.’s late Orpheum. It also should be noted that in previous years it, too, held the name “Orpheum.” And going by the webpage that Cinema Treasures has on that theater — /theaters/436/ — it appears to be doing fantastically well! It’s a shame that K.C.’s Orpheum could not have experienced the same fate, but at least one of the two has survived and is now doing well.

On PBS' Nightly Business Report for Friday, January 25, 2008 they ran a special feature story on a successful Midwestern minority businessman, and among his proud achievements, a freshly restored movie palace in Kansas City, MO called “The Orpheum.” They even showed a brief glimpse of it. Is that this theater? Or a new one that was recently built?

The ‘old’ Orpheum Theatre located on the corner of 9th Street and May Street was opened on 23rd September 1893 as the Ninth Street Opera House. It had a seating capacity of 2,000 and was designed by architect Oscar Cobb. The building replaced an earlier Ninth Street Theatre which had burnt down.

The Ninth Street Opera House was taken over by the Orpheum circuit in February 1898 and remained in their control until they built this New Orpheum Theatre on Baltimore Avenue in 1914.

The New Orpheum Theatre seated 2220 people.