16-S Outdoor Theatre

The Unity Theatre Management Circuit of Milwaukee took over Oconomowoc’s La Belle Theatre and Strand Theatre in December of 1952. They also inherited plans for an unnamed outdoor theatre at Highway 16 and Country Trunk P in what was Oconomowoc and now considered Ixonia in Jefferson County.

Offering a $25 savings bond for the best name, Mrs. Robert C. Jones won for the 16-S Outdoor Theatre. That venue launched with a widescreen tower to present CinemaScope titles. Its grand opening was on June 1, 1954 with Piper Laurie and Rock Hudson in “The Golden Blade” and “Taxi” supported by two cartoons. In August, the theatre scored one of its biggest successes with “Gone With the Wind”.

In 1960, the 16-S Outdoor Theatre was taken over by Marcus Theatres. The theater seemed poised to reach its 20-year leasing contractual obligation. But on August 18, 1971, the original tower screen was gone with the wind during tornadic conditions. The final shows were the X-rated films, “Threesome (Direct from Denmark)” with Judith Brown and Will Geer in “Witchcraft ‘70”.

Though opening and closing as the 16-S Outdoor Theatre, the venue did have stretches in which it was referred to as the 16 and 16S (no hyphen). The property was demolished and is now home to the long-standing Ski Slide Park.

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