Uptown Theatre
104 N. Kansas Avenue,
Marceline,
MO
64658
104 N. Kansas Avenue,
Marceline,
MO
64658
3 people
favorited this theater
A.B. Canwell purchased the Uptown Theatre property in 1927. Built into the Canwell Apartments, the Uptown Theatre was opened on August 29, 1936 with Lionel Barrymore in “The Voice of Bugle Ann”.
Walt Disney came back to his boyhood home in 1946 to make plans for his Disneyland. He took movies of his old school and the entire length of Main Street. In 1956, Walt and Roy Disney held the premiere of their feature film, “The Great Locomotive Chase”. Disney told the attentive audience, “I lived in Marceline. My best memories are the years that I spent here. You children are lucky to live here”.
On July 14, 1998, the Disney Corporation again came and premiered “The Spirit of Mickey” there. Each child was given a commemorative ticket and saw the premiere for free. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto, Goofy and Chip and Dale were also in attendance taking time out for pictures for the entire viewing audience.
The Uptown Theatre was closed by 2014. It was taken over by a non-profit group in 2016 with plans to fundraise, renovate and reopen.
Contributed by
Chuck Van Bibber
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Recent comments (view all 8 comments)
The Film Daily Yearbook, 1943 edition gives a seating capacity of 500 and in the 1950 edition of F.D.Y. it is 502.
THEATER FOR SALE…….
The Uptown is closed. This is what they say on their website, Thank you for your patronage. No more shows until further notice. Their website
To let everyone know, the theater has been playing movies for a long time. It is not selling tickets to the public, it is only doing free showings to the public. The theater is under new ownership. The goal going forward is to renovate this beautiful historic theater and the Bed & Breakfast attached. The website has been taken down and will open shortly under a different URL. Not certain but it may be: www.WaltDisneyHometownHistoricTheater.org or com. THANK YOU!
Marceline Theatre, that is a dead URL
Chris1982, we have recently transferred the Historic Theater into a non-profit foundation. The URL recently purchased is www.waltdisneyhometowntheater.org The site will be up this week. Crowd funding campaign to start shortly. Have plans to upgrade theater and make more like Walt’s dream.
The Uptown Theatre opened its doors on August 29, 1936 with a one-day showing of Lionel Barrymore in “The Voice Of Bugle Ann” along with a special performance by the city’s high school band, comedian Edgar Jones appearing in-person, and special addresses by then-Mayor B.J. Thomas. Otherwise, no extra short subjects were added.
Reopening is still hoped for, but renovations are on going. There’s a indiegogo campaign to help raise the money for them and get the theater re-opened.
Next Stage is hoping to purchase and renovate Uptown Theatre, which was constructed in 1930. In July 2023, it was the first property in Marceline to be added to the National Register of Historic Places. It hosted the Midwest premiere of Disney’s “The Great Locomotive Chase” in 1956 and the world premiere of “The Spirit of Mickey” in 1998. It’s the last extant historic rural theater in Linn County, Missouri that can host films and festivals.
According to Next Stage, Uptown Theatre has mold, a leaky roof, architectural deterioration, and more issues. Many of these problems arose because the theatre was closed for years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ultimately, Next Stage will need $4 million to renovate the building but they are currently aiming for $685,000 to purchase Uptown Theatre, secure insurance, replace the roof, and complete mold removal and remediation.
Any money raised over the goal will be used to update the building’s five apartments so they can be rented and generate more revenue. Work will then begin on the utilities, façade, neon sign, marquee, lobby, and business spaces. The auditorium will be the most extensive part of the project and will be rehabilitated last.
They expect the project to take over six years depending on how quickly they get funding. They plan to reopen no later than the 100th anniversary of the theatre in 2030. For the grand reopening, they hope to recreate the premiere of “The Great Locomotive Chase” with Walt and Roy Disney impersonators.
They will then open to the public with vintage and old Disney movie showings, and hire a theater manager to start a company for plays and musicals. The space will also be leased for festivals.
https://wdwnt.com/2024/07/help-save-historic-theatre-walt-disneys-hometown/