About 4th Street Theatre
The 4th Street Theatre opened in 1914 as a vaudeville & movie venue serving the booming Magic City of Moberly. Designed by architect Ludwig Abt, the Theatre was operated by the O'Keefe Brothers until 1963 when B&B Movie Company purchased the space. In 1997, the Bills family donated the Theatre to the Randolph County Historical Society when their new theater was built on Highway 63.
When the renovations began, what was a familiar landmark for many Moberly residents revealed hidden treasures of sculpture and architecture that had been covered up over the course of 83 years.
“When renovations began, it became clear what a jewel we truly had in our possession,” Project Design/Construction Manager Joe Snodgrass said. “As we pulled down walls and opened the space up, the original Theatre began to slowly reappear.”
To handle the daily operations and reconstruction, a governing board and non-profit status were established. The caretakers made a firm decision: the Theatre would be restored, but with no debt. Fundraising began in earnest with multiple drives and calls for donations. Citizens and corporations alike stepped forward to invest in the past while looking forward to the future.
“It’s been 20 years since the Theatre was given to the community, but what we have today is a strong testimony of hard work, ingenuity, and the tenacity of people like Carolee Hazlet who had a dream and saw the possibilities,” said board member Bobby Riley. “Moberly should be proud of what it has accomplished.”
Today, the 4th Street Theatre is a performing arts center and meeting space, featuring the latest in digital projection, sound, and lighting technology. With a seating capacity of nearly 300, the Theatre regularly hosts community, corporate, and arts events including classic movies, weddings, and monthly Blues Jam nights for local musicians.
The Owners...
The O'Keefe Brothers Grocery, the owner of the land, built the beautiful and historic 4th Street Theatre in 1913 for use as a motion picture and vaudeville Theatre. They employed the famous Moberly architect, Ludwig Abt. They also employed Robert Sannerman of Kansas City, Missouri. Everett E. Tritch and Fred A. Selby formed a partnership to lease the vaudevillian/movie house. During this time, several managers operated the theater until 1956. The theater remained closed for several years until Oliver Penton and Don Robb managed it from 1962-1965. The O'Keefe Brothers then sold it to B & B Movie Company, owned by Elmer Bills of Salisbury, Missouri, who operated it until 1997. At that time Mr. Bills donated the theatre to the Randolph County Historical Society. It is now owned by the Moberly Community 4th Street Theatre who is continuing the restoration. It started with vaudeville and movies and continued as a movie house for eighty-three years.
“Irish Eyes Are Smiling” Motion Picture Poster (PC: IMDB.com)
“Something For The Boys” Motion Picture Poster (PC: IMDB.com)
Circa 1944: Showing “Irish Eyes Are Smiling” & “Something for the Boys” on the marquee. (PC: “A Pictorial History of Randolph County”)
The Architect...
Ludwig Abt was an aggressive and energetic architect who was able to pursue to advantage his profession in a new society in a new world, unfettered by tradition and dogma. He emigrated from Germany and after working in several cities decided to return to Germany for further studies, especially in the use of reinforced concrete. He returned settling in Kansas City for a while then answered the need for knowledge of reinforced concrete. Frank Lloyd Wright was one of the first American architects to exploit this material in 1910. After working for a while he decided to settle in Moberly, Missouri. A quest for knowledge and pursuit of the best way to create buildings and solve practical problems became a characteristic of Mr. Abt's work. Mr. Abt's advertising motto was "Ludwig Abt, Architect, Ideas Furnished" and this is what he did. He became known for his designs of churches, movie palaces, colleges, such that his buildings became the most important elements in many a townscape. The Fourth Street Theatre project has possession of Mr. Abt's original drawings and plans of the theatre. Abt later brought in Kay Cleavinger, a young architect and the firm eventually became J.K. Cleavinger & Associates.
Laura Sawyer stars in “An Hour Before Dawn,” produced in 1913 by the Famous Players Film Company, which later became Paramount Pictures. (PC: IMDB.com)
The Opening...
The first program on opening day, February 8, 1914, was the vaudeville show, "The Three Elliotts", a high-class musical act of famous harpists and soloists, followed by the first picture being shown, a three-reel photoplay entitled "An Hour Before Dawn", starring Laura Sawyer. The seating capacity was 1000 but the newspaper reported that over 2000 passed through the doors to see the beautiful heavy mahogany swinging doors, wainscoting of white marble, ornate terra cotta trimmings in beautiful color schemes of greens and old ivory. The exterior of the building was massive and composed of terra cotta and dark red palens of brick, with a huge copper-covered porte cochete enhanced by the suspending and erection of many electric lights.
Fun Facts...
Early ticket prices were adults: ten cents, children under 10 years: 5 cents.
The theatre had two machines to "throw" pictures on the curtain.
A large Wurlitzer orchestration electric piano that simulated an 18-piece orchestra.
At one time, entertainment was not allowed in the city of Moberly on Sunday afternoons, so the theatre served as a youth center for the local Catholic parishes.
Bobby Carlton played at the 4th Theatre, later becoming famous for his timeless Popular song "JaDa."
Pre-war Moberly had four opera houses and four movie houses. In the '50s, a Drive-In theatre opened and is one of the few in the country still operating today. While the city hosts a five-screen multiplex adjacent to the original Drive-In, the Fourth Street Theatre is the only remaining historic theatre left in Moberly today.