Friday, June 10, 2016

Bob Piper's Corner - March 22, 1987

March 22, 1987
Theaters in Chariton in my lifetime -

As long as I can remember, there has always been a theater just about where the Ritz is now. The first I remember was the Ward Theater. It was on the ground floor of a huge three-story building. Offices were on the second floor and the K.P. Lodge on the third floor, all reached by narrow stairways. The big room on the top floor was used for parties and public dances. The building was ruled unsafe and dancing was banned, especially the Charleston step.

The new theater on this spot was called the Lincoln Theater. After the big fire, the new theater was called the Ritz, a very wonderful place. One must remember two of the most important people in town were the superintendent of schools and the theater manager. Theater managers were very influential in guiding people’ lives through motion pictures. No TV for competition.

Later, a theater started just north of the city water office in the first room of the Brown block. It was called the Iris. It had a little lower grade of pictures, and consequently the price was cheaper. It was five cents for years, but with World War I a war tax of one cent was added. It’s hard to believe but this was a burden on people. The tax was also on fountain drinks, etc.

I remember someone saw a picture in Des Moines that had some pictures of the Kaiser in it. When it came to Chariton, people shot double-pointed tacks with rubber bands and ruined the screen. The next time I saw this happen was when a William S. Hart movie was showing. He was a western star, and this picture was the first of his where a woman was part of it. It had always been men only, so the people shot up the screen with tacks. I never knew of this to happen again. Every now and then the film would catch on fire. The crowd left the theater by a side door. When it was over and the picture started again, people came in who had not paid in the first place. Dozens of them. As a rule, when the picture was half over, people came in the side door and no one seemed to care. One of my teachers was assistant manager and lent a rather formal air to the place, wearing formal dress.

Another theater started where Lloyd Moore’s shop was. It was the Strand and ran a little more risqué pictures. This was a mistake, and it closed before long. It really was owned by the Lincoln Theater, and was to keep other theaters out.

More later -

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