Historic Movie Theaters of Columbia, Missouri

by Dianna Borsi O'Brien

Overview

From converted saloons and warehouses to movie palaces and multiplexes, for more than one hundred years, Columbia's movie theaters have reflected the changes around them. In 1928, the Hall Theatre showed its first talkie, the third debut of talkies in Missouri. America fell in love with cars, and Columbia's three drive-ins featured pony rides, monkeys and playgrounds. In response to segregation, which forced Black patrons to sit in the balcony, in 1949 two Black entrepreneurs built the Tiger Theatre, a double-duty movie theater and nightclub. Today, Columbia features a cinema in a repurposed soda bottling plant and holds the international documentary festival True/False Film Fest. Author Dianna Borsi O'Brien recounts the history of all twenty-eight of Columbia's movie theaters.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467146401
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	10/11/2021
Series:	Lost
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	1,107,546
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Dianna Borsi O'Brien attended the School of Journalism at the University of Missouri and fell in love with the city. In 2010, a magazine assignment to write about the city's historic properties program led to her falling in love with learning and writing about Columbia history—a love that hasn't abated since. That love ushered her into creating a website to share her enthusiasm about Columbia's amazing history, from movie theaters to cemeteries and everything in between. That site, CoMoHistoricPlaces.com, continues to grow and draws hundreds of visitors every month. When she's not looking for some obscure historic detail for her website, Dianna can be found reading, hiking, traveling with her husband or walking her naughty dog, Zippy.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 7

Part I Movies Come to Columbia

1 Why Movie Theaters Matter 13

Part II Is It an Opera House or a Saloon?

2 The Hader Opera House, 1894-1901: Columbia's First Movie Theater 21

3 The Airdome, 1902-1919: From Tent Theater to Skating Rink 24

4 Nickelodeon, 1904-1921: From Hat Store to Movie Theater 28

5 Columbia Theatre, 1907-1929: Dramatic Theater to Movie House to Laundry 32

6 The Gem, the Elite Theater and the Negro Nickelodeon, 1908-1909: Three Open and Close 37

7 The "M" and the Star Theaters, 1909-1916: Beyond Saloons and Tents 41

Part III Theaters Become Destinations

8 The Hall Theatre, 1916-1971: Let the Good Times Roll 47

9 The Cozy Theatre, 1921-1926: David Takes on Goliath 57

10 The Varsity Theatre, 1927-1972: Today's Blue Note 62

11 The Missouri Theatre: Built in 1928, Saved in 1987 76

Part IV Commonwealth Comes to Columbia

12 The Uptown, 1935-1986: A New Business Model 95

13 The Boone, 1939-1955: A Beloved B-Movie Venue 105

14 Tiger Theatre, 1949-1960s: Columbia's Only Black-Owned Movie Theater 109

15 Broadway Drive-In Theatre, 1949-1973: Columbia's First Drive-In 114

16 Parkade Drive-In Theatre, 1953-1961: An Unusual Concession Stand 119

17 Sky-Hi Drive-In Theatre, 1965-1986: Looking for Dark Skies 124

Part V Your Choice: Quality, Quantity or Quirky

18 The Cinema Theatre, 1966-1998: Columbia's First Shopping Center Theater and Its Biggest Screen 129

19 The Forum, Forum 8, 1967-Present: Columbia's Second Shopping Center Theater 132

20 The Olde Un Theatres, 1971-Present: Columbia's Only Woman-Run Theater 135

21 The Campus I & II, 1971-1997: Columbia's First Multiplex 140

22 Biscayne 3 Cinemas, 1972-1998: From Family Theater to Dollar Movies 143

23 White/Gate Village Twin Theatre, 1973-1976: A Three-Year Mystery 145

24 Columbia Mall 4 Theatre, 1986-2000: Columbia's Last Shopping Center Multiplex 147

25 Hollywood Stadium 14/Regal Columbia and RPX, 1997-Present: Columbia's Largest Multiplex 149

26 Ragtag Cinema, 1998-Present: Full Circle with a Twist 152

Notes 159

Index 169

About the Author 173