Delmar Theater
Morrill,
NE
69358
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This theatre was announced in 1930 by former Ideal Theatre owner George Luce who announced that he would convert the existing skating rink in downtown Morrill’s Stearns Building to a movie house. A naming contest was held and Delmar was selected as its name in time for the opening on April 19, 1930. The town’s only other movie theater, the aforementioned Ideal, had closed in March of 1930 and was converted to a grocery store. The Delmar experience improved when the venue was equipped with a new projection system in 1939.
Galen Smith closed the Delmar in 1942 for a major streamlined refresh bringing about a “bullet shaped auditorium” bathed in turquoise, brown and gold with a sunburst ceiling design. Neon signage lit the new-look Delmar which relaunched July 18, 1942 with the Gene Autry film,“Heart of the Rio Grande.” Ed Arnold of Los Angeles performed the mural work as he had at venues including Scottsbluff’s Egyptian Theatre and Carig, Colorado’s West Theatre.
The Delmar struggled in the late 1960s and closed in December of 1968. It briefly opened showing only Spanish language films and closed again briefly. It re-emerged a month after its 40th anniversary at a relaunch with English language films on Friday and Spanish language films on Saturday and Sunday. Its reopening film on May 22, 1970 was “The Big Gun Down.” The theatre appears to have closed on June 28, 1970.