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Ritz Theatre
Photo from the Darren Snow collection.
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803 N Rolla St
Rolla MO
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| Record #7540 |
Opened: July 19, 1941
Closed: June 18, 1995
Demolished: 1998
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Capacity:
Architect(s):
Architectural Style(s):
National Register:
Current Organ: none |
| Also Known As: |
| Previously operated by: Mildred Rauth Circuit, Commonwealth Theatres, United Artists Theatres, Crown Cinema Corporation |
Information for this tour was contributed by Darren Snow. OPENED: Sat. 7/19/41; 7 PM; "The Gang's All Here." CLOSED: Sun. 6/18/95; "Braveheart." DEMOLISHED: Sun. 5/30/98.
City Attorney Eugene E. Northern presided over the Ritz's formal opening in the absence of Mayor W.D. Jones; opening-day ads touted "Western Electric Sound" in a theatre "Air-Conditioned by Refrigeration." Admission was 10c and 20c. The first manager was Mrs. Mildred Karsch.
In its early days, the Ritz -- which sometimes featured live acts like Max Terhune and his dummy "Elmer" -- advertised itself as "The DELUXE Theatre." Early Ritz ads trumpeted "The DELUXE Theatre." When the new Uptown Theatre opened nearby just five months later, ads for the Ritz defensively huffed: "STILL -- The Best of EVERYTHING at the LOWEST ADMISSION." Not to mention "Go to the Ritz -- Everybody's Doing It!" 1949 ads claimed: "Always 70 degrees cool!"
In its early years, the Ritz was an independent operation that gamely fought off the chain theatres that popped up all around it -- but it, too, eventually became part of a theatre circuit.
After closing in 1995, the Ritz sat empty for three years. I was able to take a look around inside three months before the demolition; the theatre's doors had been left unlocked and vandals had torn out the screen, uprooted seats and demolished doors. Pigeons had taken over the projection room, and a curious memento had been left in the balcony: a Superman costume was found on the floor, covered by a crumpled plastic bag.
A nearby church bought the site to allow for expansion, and when the Ritz was torn down, the Rolla Daily News ran four front-page photos of the demolition of the adjoining car dealership -- but the Ritz was cropped out in each one, and never mentioned in the captions. No respect! Photos
Photos remain the property of the Member and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the Member. |
Photos from the Darren Snow collection.
56 KB · 625x497 |
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Last featured 7/3/2004. Last edited 12/19/2021.
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