Lyric Theater
365 N. Franklin Avenue,
Colby,
KS
67701
365 N. Franklin Avenue,
Colby,
KS
67701
No one has favorited this theater yet
Showing 3 comments
That does seem plausible. Colby’s historical population was only 1,130 in 1910 and went down to 1,114 in 1920, so certainly not a two-theater town in that decade. It grew rapidly in the 1920s, though, almost doubling to 2,153 by 1930, so that’s likely when the new Lyric was built.
The Lyric and Colby appear to have both been under the Phillips family’s ownership, so having them adjacent would have been a great convenience for ease of operation.
I bet the original Lyric was the old ‘Electric’. It’s possible that the new Lyric was extensively remodeled or replaced (although the capacity is consistent both before and after 1941). There’s a 1928 map, but of course it’s not available online. The newer building does have those steel frame windows, which are about right for 1941. It is odd that the Lyric and Colby were right next to each other for so many years.
The Lyric might not have appeared on the 1918 map, but an earlier Lyric Theatre operated in Colby. The April 29, 1916 Moving Picture World said that J. P. Phillips, manager of the Lyric Theatre at Colby, would soon open another house, also to be called the Lyric, at Selden, Kansas.
Interestingly, the name Phillips is still associated with the later Lyric in this item from the January 4, 1941 Motion Picture Herald: “DON PHILLIPS who operates the Lyric at Colby, Kan., is building a new house there.”
Don Phillips was mentioned in the July 17, 1948 issue of Boxoffice as operator of the Lyric and Colby theaters in Colby, Kansas. As late as 1972 he was still being mentioned in Boxoffice as the owner of the Colby Theatre.