Astro Theatre
239 Illinois Avenue,
St. Joseph,
MO
64504
239 Illinois Avenue,
St. Joseph,
MO
64504
1 person
favorited this theater
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Opened as Rialto on October 21st, 1926. Grand opening ad posted.
Thanks Joe.
Chris: Exceptions to the last-used-name rule are usually made if the last name under which a theater operated was used only briefly. In this theater’s case, the last two names were each used for less than a year, but an argument could be made that it should be listed as the Dex Theatre as that name was used for more than four years.
Shouldn’t this theatre be listed as the Astro Theatre with AKA’s Rialto, Dex amd Camero? RIALTO THEATER opened on October 21, 1926. The last date the Rialto was open: Saturday, April 26, 1958 Last shows played at the Rialto was Pat Boone & Shirley Jones in “April Love” and Sal Mineo in “Dino” DEX THEATER opened on Friday, December 31, 1965 showing 3 movies – Jerry Lewis in “Dont Give Up The Ship”, “Rock-A-Bye Baby” and John Wayne in “Donovans Reef”. The last date the Dex was open, Sunday May 10,1970 The last movies showing was Elvis Presley in “Live a Little, Love a Little” and Hank Williams in “A Time To Sing”. CAMEO THEATER opened on Monday September 28, 1970 with a Live Telecast from the Eden Theatre stage in New York Oh Calcutta, a 2 Hour Broadway Musical Comedy. For mature Audiences only,18 and over,must have prove of age Last date Cameo was open was Thursday July 1, 1971 Last shows was “Hothouse” and “My Swedish Cousin”, both X rated. ASTRO THEATER opened on Friday July 2,1971. They advertised, New Hours: 9am to Midnight Every Day. The Most Adult Movies In St Joseph. New Double Feature Every Friday. There first movies were “The Art of Marriage” and “Precious Jewels”, both rated X. Last X Rated movie was shown on Thursday December 16,1971. Movie shown that day was He and She – Rated X On Friday December 17, 1971 the Astro began showing non-X rated movies. The Astro Theatre’s last date open Thursday January 20,1972. The last showing was “Doctor Zhivago”. On Thursday December 9,1971 the St Joseph Newspress front page headlines read: Trial Of Obscene Movie Charge Delayed Again Projectionist Clearance Wilson arrested on September 17,1971.
Thanks again Joe. I have located what I believe to be the obituaries of William Leucht Jr and a couple others I believe who were in the film also. I will see if they tell of anything regarding their making of the movie.
ejellise: The brief item I quoted was all there was in the magazine. I found two other references to William Leucht, one from 1927 and one from 1929. The 1927 item said that he had recently bought the Cozy Theatre, and the 1929 item mentioned him briefly as operator of the Savoy.
Scans of some issues of Exhibitors' Trade Review and other trade publications are online, the largest collection being at The Internet Archive, which is a rather difficult site to search as their cataloging system is, well, a mess, but there are probably other references to Leucht in the trades. I’ll keep an eye out for them, as new items are occasionally added to the various digital archives. I’ll also see if I can discover who operated the Rialto in the late 1950s.
If The Grocery Boy was an entirely local project it would be unusual. Most “local talent” movies were actually made by itinerant production companies. One outfit in operation as early as 1920, Community Photoplay, sent crews from their Los Angeles studio to cities all over the country. Essentially these companies would make the same movies over and over in different places with different players.
They would make arrangements with a local theater owner, then advertise a casting call for the production in the local newspaper, select the most likely players at the call, scout locations for filming, then spend a few days shooting the movie from the pre-written scenario. After the film was developed it would be edited and then presented in the theater which had contracted for the movie. The whole process would be completed in about two months, and the crew would be on to the next town on their list.
Nobody knows how many “local talent” movies were made during the silent era, but there must have been hundreds, if not thousands. Still, even though the production company “owned” the movie, they usually didn’t keep a copy. The negatives would be discarded and the only print (or prints) would stay with the local theater operator, who could show it as often as he liked, in whatever theater he chose. This is one of the reasons so few of these movies survived. Local theater operators didn’t know enough about preserving the unstable nitrate film over a long time.
The “local talent” business declined rapidly when talking pictures came along, due mostly to the far greater cost and complexity of making sound movies. In any case, local actors who could learn lines quickly and deliver them convincingly would have been much harder to find than people who could mug and posture for the silent camera.
I don’t know of anyone who is researching local talent movies. I can’t even find the term mentioned on the National Film Preservation Foundation’s web site. Still, there are so many people researching silent movies that there must be a few who specialize in local talent productions. Again, I’ll keep an eye out for information about the subject.
As William Leucht originally would have had what might have been the only print of The Grocery Boy, the most likely place to search for information about what became of it would be among his descendants. There could still be a few living in St. Joseph, though Google searches on the name fetch mostly obituaries. Still, obituaries might reveal the married names of daughters, and in my experience women usually remember more family history than men do. The most recent Leucht connected with St. Joseph that I’ve seen is a Geralyn (Geri) Leucht, who is listed at Classmates.com as a 1971 graduate of Central High School.
Good luck tracking down the print of The Grocery Boy. If it still exists, and you can find it, it will be of great interest to fans of silent movies.
That’s exciting to know! I talked to my husband, Bill again after I told him what you had said and he said it was shown at the Rialto Theater and he was about 14 or 17, which would have made it 1957 or 1960. I am so in hopes we can find it if it is still available and still view-able. Where can one find the complete article in “the trade publications to a movie made by William Leucht is this item from the March 21, 1925, issue of Exhibitor’s Trade Review”. Or is that the entire article? I did some research and both William Leucht Jr. and Sr. are since deceased. And perhaps the Rialto had rights to the film after that. But they no longer exist, right?
I’m glad to help. If a print of the movie was still around in the late 1950s, and in condition to be screened, someone must have been taking care of it. The nitrate film stock that was used in the 1920s was very unstable, and had to be carefully preserved. If somebody was looking after it for more than thirty years, chances are they continued to do so. The Grocery Boy might still exist in someone’s private collection.
Joe Vogel, THANK YOU so much for helping me out on this. You will NEVER KNOW how much I appreciate your time and research on this. “The Grocery Boy” WAS a three-reel “home talent comedy”. I do know at one time the movie still existed because my husband, Bill and his mother, Alice Brazzell Ellis was privileged to go to a movie theater and view it. My husband was born in 1943 and I think he was a teenager when they saw it. They don’t remember the year or the theater though. Thanks again, you are a “keeper”!
ejellise: The only reference I can find in the trade publications to a movie made by William Leucht is this item from the March 21, 1925, issue of Exhibitor’s Trade Review:
I don’t know what became of Mr. Leucht’s movie production business, but he was still operating the Savoy Theatre as late as 1929. The “home talent comedy” mentioned in the item might have been The Grocery Boy, which would mean the year of its production was 1924. If he made additional movies later, it might have been one of them, of course. A movie of that title is not listed in any of the online databases, nor in any of the trade publications of the 1920s that are available online, so it is likely among the more than 80% of silent movies that have been lost.I am interested in the following article regarding my husband’s aunt who was the star of it and his mother who was an extra in it. The movie was “The Grocery Boy” starring Zelma Brazzell, co-starring Alice Brazzell, sometime between 1924-1928 in St. Joe. I have the following article, paper unknown, and I know the approximate dates it showed was November 27, 28, and 29, but I do not know the year. Any help regarding knowledge of this movie would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Edna J. (William G.) Ellis HOME TALENT MOVIE “The Grocery Boy” Shows at Savoy Theater The first showing of the home talent motion picture comedy, “The Grocery Boy,” was given at the Savoy Theater Sat afternoon. The picture was made in the vicinity of St Joseph & considering the fact that there had been no experience among the cast, it was commented upon as being a creditable picture. The picture was written & directed by William A. Leucht Jr., who was assisted by his father as cameraman. Mr. Leucht is proprietor of the Savoy Theater. The scenes in the play have been well chosen & clearness in the close-ups is a feature. The art titles have been worked out in a noval way & in no place is the slapstick element overdone. The principal characters in the cast are: The grocery boy, Ott Reno; the sweetheart, Zelma Brazzell; the village blacksmith, Dade Tilbury; the father, Joe Kuhfus; the city dude, Rollie Reno; & the village champ, Nellie Burke. About forty players assisted in the filming of the picture. Although a few of the scenes were shot on King Hill & in Hyde Park the majority were filmed at Agency, Lower Lake Contrary, Blair, Wathena & Huron, KS The picture is three reels in length. Several suburban theaters have contracted to show the comedy.
An article about theater entrances, written by Helen Kent, appeared in Boxoffice of November 16, 1935, and it was illustrated by a pair of small before-and-after photos of the recently remodeled Rialto Theatre in St. Joseph.
If you look at the picture dated 23October1926 st Joseph Gazette you can see how the building has changed over the years.
The Rialto Theatre Grand Opening Add in The St Joseph Newspress was Thursday 21October1926 The Add says The Sun Amusement and Realty Takes great plesure In Announcing the opening of New, Beautiful Rialto Theatre (A Purely St Joseph Organizational) The Movie shown was Douglas Fairbanks In The Black Pirate. There were no adds in the paper for several days after the opening i had to go to Monday 25October1926 to find this info. I did find a picture of the Rialto Theatre. If people want to find it and look at it. Go to the Missouri Theater in Cinema Treasure scroll down to Revest266 to view link click on- then click on Browse all newspapers-click on the Letter S SCROLL DOWN TO St Joseph Gazette go to 1920 then to 1926 then to month October 22,1926 picture is on page7 with a article upper middle of the page.
During the time this was the Cameo Theater it opened as Adult movie Theater and was still showing adult movies untill its last day. Was still showing adult movies when it opened as the Astro.
I forgot to also mention the 70,s in June1976 the Rialto was already a Tavern the owner had a room in the back at NorthWest side where the exit for the Theater use to be on Gordon street. In June1976 the owner rented that part of the building out and my mother and another woman named Judy opened up a Flower shop called Judy’s Flower Barrel it stayed opened for 3 yrs until they moved to another location.The Flower shop is no longer opened. But i remember going down the ramp of the back room to where the Theater part was the screen was still there and the seats. The light was very limited as i couldnt find where the light switch was located the front part of the Theater is where the tavern was located it took up about a 1/3rd of the size of the Theater. The back room was so small you could only get about 8 people in there. I wish i had taken some pictures of it when i went down there. I dont know if the seats and screen are still there. The Tootle Theater opened on 9December1872 according to article in the 8December1972 St Joseph newspress called Centennial for the Tootle Opera House. This building is still there at 504 Francis called the Pioneer Building. It is currently the oldest Theater Building past or present in St Joseph Mo. The last date for movie Theater was17December1931 during parts of the 1920,s it was closed. Served as a Temporary postoffice in 1939. The Penn Theater was located at 26+Penn SOUTHEAST CORNER ran from about 1921-1926, 1927 became the Revere Theater currently it is a Senior Apartment called Danford Hall.Info came from the 1920,s St Joseph Mo phone Directory The Park Theater was located at 10th +Mitchell st info from the 1920,s phone directory The Olive Theater opened sometime about 1921 then became years later the Plaza Theater on 19th+Olive i am stil, researching as to when it opened and changed the name. The Rivoli Theater i believe was also called the Uptown Theater there is a picture of it the web site Memory Lane St Joseph Mo
The Rialto opened in 1926. The October 30 issue of The Reel World said that the house had opened the previous Thursday.
An item in an earlier issue of the same publication mentioned the project, and said that the architect of the Rialto was Edwin G. Kratz of Kansas City.
I also found the Savoy Theatre mentioned in a 1926 issue of The Moving Picture World. The operator’s name was William Leucht.
Aside from competition from the new Rialto, the demise of the Savoy Theatre might have been hastened by the advent of talking pictures. Equipping a theater for sound was costly, and beyond the means of many small operators. As a result, small, older theaters such as the Savoy closed by the thousands during the late 1920s.
The Rivoli is not yet listed at Cinema Treasures, unless it is listed under another name but missing the AKA Rivoli. I’ve found brief mentions of several other theaters in St. Joseph that are not yet listed, or perhaps are listed but missing their AKAs. A Star Theatre was mentioned in 1913, A Penn Theatre, a Royal Theatre, an Olive Theatre, a Park Theatre, and a Tootle Theatre were mentioned in the 1920s.
I’ve also found a couple of mentions of a house called the Tivoli, but I think these might have been typos for Rivoli.
TP ON December11,2011 12.52pm
This Theater is located at the NorthEast corner of Illinois + Gordon. I have found another Theater called the Savoy Theater that was located at the Southwest corner of Illinois + Gordon. Address 302 Illinois if you move the camera around you will see it says Southside Hall. I got the Info from the 1921 St Joseph Phone directory. The 1927 St Joseph phone directory has both the listing of the Rialto and Savoy. The 1928 phone directory was last year of listing for the Savoy Theater. I have 2 theories about the Rialto and Savoy. 1.Rialto put the Savoy out of bussiness and the 2nd possible theory is both places could have been owned by the same person and when the Rialto opened was lot bigger then the Savoy and be came more successful with the owner closing the Savoy. During the 80’s + 90’s the Rialto and Savoy buildings were both owned by the same person as a Tavern. During the 80’s + 90’s the Savoy Building was used as Bingo parlor on Thursday nights and could only seat about 150 people. On other days +nights they would have wedding receptions and class reunions.
The Cameo Theatre currently linked in the “Nearby Theaters” field is actually a duplicate listing for the Rialto.
The web page lostmemory linked to says that this house showed its last movie as the Rialto on April 26, 1958; operated as the Dex Theatre from December 31, 1965 until May 10, 1970; was the Cameo from September 28, 1970, until July 1, 1971; and was last operated as the Astro, from July 2, 1971, until January 20, 1972. As the Astro, it was an adult house from opening until December 17, 1971.
This theater’s building appears to be quite old. It could date from the 1920s or earlier, and its current simple facade is probably the result of a remodeling at some point. The south side neighborhood in which it is located is itself quite old, with many buildings dating from the late 19th and early 20th century. The St. Joseph stockyards, once the largest west of Chicago, were opened in this outlying area of the city in the late 19th century, and for several decades this was a thriving working class district, though not without its posher streets inhabited in part by the managers of the meat packing plants and other industrial enterprises located nearby.
The May 17, 1947, issue of The Billboard mentioned the Rialto Theatre, saying that a half-hour live broadcast of Bud Bailey’s Radio Jamboree, a country music show, was originating at the theater every Monday night. I’ve been unable to find any earlier mentions of the Rialto in any of the entertainment trade publications.