Plaza Theater

[W. Gray]

The Elk County history book says the Crooks theater in the 100s block of Wabash was remodeled in 1930 to seat 600 people. The Crooks eventually became the Plaza. The building was torn down in the 80s, maybe.

I probably did not step foot in the Plaza after 1955 or so but I do not remember it being large enough to hold 600 seats. That would be big enough to hold over half the town in the 1930s. I think it did have a balcony? The seats were all wood and after the demolition one string of them wound up in my uncle's barbershop as patron seating.

In 1953, I was watching a movie in the Plaza called "Gun Belt." We had arrived in Howard that afternoon and us grand kids always hit the Plaza the first night in town. The movie was a western and was on my must see list.

One of the stars was Arthur Andrew Kelm.

Even though any movie was great stuff back then, I must have been tired from the trip and slept through almost the entire film. I was really disappointed in myself for missing the performance by this Kelm fellow who was an up and coming movie star. It was not until the Western Channel got started that I was able to see Gun Belt again. By then it was not so interesting.

Arthur Andrew Kelm was liked tremendously by the boys and was a heart throb of the girls—but no one at the time was aware of his life style.

Kelm became one of the biggest box office draws of the fifties. His real name was Tab Hunter.

[W. Gray]

According to Cinema History Around the World, the Plaza Theater, Howard, Kansas, had a capacity of 438. That is still rather large.

If the theater sat a configuration of five on the left, then an aisle, ten in the center, then an aisle, and five on the right that would be twenty people wide  in 21 or 22 rows.

The Morris Theater in Moline had a capacity of 221.

The Pasttime Theater in Grenola had a capacity of 250.

[frawin]

Waldo, I remember the Old Theater well. When I was in the first Grade my brother Neil had a Grocery Store in Howard, I worked there Everyday After School and on Saturdays. I boxed Eggs, Sacked Potatoes, Sorted Pop Bottles and anything else I was told to do. Neil was like a Father to me, he really treated me Great. He paid me 50cents a week, that was a lot of Money to me then in1945. On Friday Nights I was allowed to go to the Movies at the Plaza Theater, it cost 12 Cents for me to get in, a Bag of Popcorn was 5 Cents, and a Coke from the Grill next Door was a 5 cents. I had a Quarter left to save in my Piggy Bank, and I had 3 cents to buy 3 packages of Kits from McKees 5 and 10 Store. I was Rich. Babe and Byron Morris had the Theater at Howard and the one at Moline. If memory serves me right, Carl Cooley and George Gorman alternated in Running Film Projector. Babe was tough, she walked the Aisles making everyone stay Quiet, she would put her Finger up to her Mouth and give a SHHH and you better stay Quiet. I am wondering if any of you Forum Readers remember any of this.

[patyrn]

Absolutely correct, Frank!  When I was young, the admission was 12 cents.  I think it then jumped to 25 cents and then crept up through the years.  Babe was quite a "landlord" of the theatre............

[W. Gray]

This should moisten your eyes a little.



The Plaza Theater. Right next to what was then Doug's Place on the north.

[frawin]

Waldo both pictures bring back lots of memories. If memory serves me right, the first person , I remember running the Pool Hall was Emmett Krause, after Emmet, I think was Wes Dennett, Then Whitey Hamilton, Wes opened a Pool Hall on the West side of the Street, I think in the Building where the Library is now. I left Howard and don't know who had the Pool Hall then. I was never a Beer drinker, and only went in the Pool Hall on occasion to shoot Pool or Snooker and I wasn't very good at either. I knew Doug and his Father Paul ran the one on the Eastside for awhile.

[frawin]

Waldo, they need to Name you Mr. Howard and Elk County History. You have accumulated an Encyclopedia of Pictures and History on Both Elk County and Howard. I have been adding all the Pictures and History you have been posting, to my Elk County Files. Keep them coming, I think everyone that reads the Forum is enjoying everything you POST, A BIG THANK you to you.

[W. Gray]

Thanks, Frank.

[Wilma]

Waldo, I find your posts very interesting, too.  Especially the history on Elk County and Howard.  I can remember when the highway went through Howard instead of around it, but we usually came into Howard from the west.  My husband and I spent five years in Ottawa County and when we moved back to this area, the highway had been changed.  Since we settled in Severy, we would enter Howard from the north and seldom took the new highway any further south.  The old highway going through Moline, then east to Elk Falls is very interesting.  I didn't know that it ever did that, but I do know the way into Moline from west of Howard and I think that my husband probably mentioned that it was part of the old highway.

[W. Gray]

Waldo, I find your posts very interesting, too.  Especially the history on Elk County and Howard.  I can remember when the highway went through Howard instead of around it, but we usually came into Howard from the west.  My husband and I spent five years in Ottawa County and when we moved back to this area, the highway had been changed.  Since we settled in Severy, we would enter Howard from the north and seldom took the new highway any further south.  The old highway going through Moline, then east to Elk Falls is very interesting.  I didn't know that it ever did that, but I do know the way into Moline from west of Howard and I think that my husband probably mentioned that it was part of the old highway.

Thanks Wilma, I have several micofilm reels of a number of Howard and Elk County newspapers that I would like to go back through and find some things. But nowadays I get dizzy looking at moving microfilm and it is no longer much fun. Wish I had them on DVD then I could work at home and do it much more efficiently and quicker.

The libraries here have microfilm machines that only view a third of a newspaper width and length at a time. KSHS has microfilm readers that show a half page full width at at time, which is much better. But, I have not been there in a number of years.