Lyric Theatre (I)

Osceola, IA had two Lyric Theatres throughout its history.

Free Vreeland was the first manager of the first Lyric Theatre, who opened Osceola’s playhouse located on the north side of the square on May 10, 1913 featuring an original capacity of 750 seats. The first Lyric Theatre opened with two vaudeville acts by the Downes Sisters and their Classy Kids and a special piano performance by Kate McDonald, although its first film screened at the Lyric Theatre has not yet to be found. It was first owned by William and Carl Shields.

On November 7, 1929, then-owner and manager John Waller (who had been in the theater business since 1905 and at the time also helped constructing the Idle Hour Theatre in Leon and install talkies at the Mayfair Theatre in Shenandoah) announced that sound from both Vitaphone and Movietone systems will be installed in Osceola’s Lyric Theatre after contacting the DeForest Sound & Tone Company. After a whole month of wiring, the Lyric Theatre became an all-sound theater beginning with “The Return of Sherlock Holmes” along with a comedy reel “A Hollywood Star” on December 29, 1929.

Early-September 1934 comes an announcement led by Waller that a newer Lyric Theatre will be built and relocated to its now-current location located in the west side of the square.

The first Lyric Theatre on the north side continued to operate until December 26, 1934 when it closed with John Lodge in “Menace” along with a musical subject of Cab Calloway’s “Hi-De-Ho” and a short entitled “Old Kentucky Hounds”.

The second and current Lyric Theatre would later open its doors two days later on December 28, 1934 (it has its own page on Cinema Treasures)

In early-1935, the former old first Lyric Theatre building was demolished, and in February of that same year, it was rebuilt and a second movie house named the Osceola Theatre opened its doors at the former first Lyric Theatre site on April 12, 1935. The Osceola Theatre operated for 21 years until closing in 1956 (It has its own page on Cinema Treasures).

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