Kee Theatre

217 W. 2nd Street,
Kewanee, IL 61443

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dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters on July 25, 2026 at 8:12 pm

Publix rebooted the Plaza as the streamline moderne Kee Theatre on Christmas Day 1937 with High Flyers and The Westland Case. It played “Rise and Shine” on the first of three playdates on April 12, 1942 but before the second playdate, the building exploded taking much of downtown with it. It was rebuilt and opened on March 1, 1945 with The Great Barn Dance. The Kee wasn’t a match for the lure of television closing on May 11, 1952 with The Marrying Kind.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on April 15, 2018 at 4:33 pm

It was actually 1942 when the Kee was lost to a fire that destroyed a big chunk of Kewanee’s business district. This is the item that was published in the April 15 issue of Motion Picture Daily:

“Two Houses Burned

“Kewanee, Ill., April 14. — The Rialto and Kee theatres were among the 70 buildings which were razed or damaged when fire swept through the heart of this city’s business district yesterday.”