Rodgers Theatre
111 E. 3rd Street,
Caruthersville,
MO
63830
111 E. 3rd Street,
Caruthersville,
MO
63830
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This venue opened as the Exchange Theatre on October 16, 1916 with Lillian Gish in “Sold for Marriage.” The architect was M. E. Worcester of Cape Girardeau, Mo. It was renamed during World War I as the more patriotic Liberty Theatre beginning on March 1, 1918. In 1927, the pipe organ from the Rodgers Circuit’s Carbondale, Illinois location was brought to the Liberty.
On November 1, 1937, the Liberty was renamed as the Rodgers Theatre. Rodgers had shut down the Bijou Theatre the prior day. In October of 1954, the Rodgers converted to widescreen for showing CinemaScope productions.
The last film show at the Rodgers Theatre was on January 29, 1956 with Ray Milland in “A Man Alone.” An ad later in 1956 sold off the 770 theatre chairs from the Rodgers.
I suspect that the theater name should be spelled Rodgers rather than Rogers. This history on the web site of the Rodgers Theatre in Poplar Bluff mentions that I. W. Rodgers operated a theater in Caruthersville. It was probably this house.
The Liberty Theatre in Caruthersville was mentioned in the May 20, 1915, edition of the Hayti, Missouri Herald. The paper also mentioned a Dixie Theatre in Caruthersville.
The March 4, 1922, edition of The Southeast Missourian newspaper of Cape Girardeau had an ad marking the 10th anniversary of Paramount Pictures with listings of movies scheduled to appear that month at twelve theaters in the region, and the Liberty Theatre at Caruthersville was among them.