Moving pictures brought
much pleasure to many people.
A short
item in the Tabor Beacon of February 27, 1930, states
“Talking pictures will make their appearance in Tabor on
Saturday of this week when manager C. M. Miller will show
Grand Parade.”
A June 19,
1930 list of businesses shows Edward Awe as manager of The
Tabor Theater.
A story
dated August 31, 1932, has the following information – “Isis
Theatre will be the name of the local theatre which will be
opened on September 9, 1932, under lease by M. W. Shoemaker
from Omaha. Mr. Shoemaker was here last week and completed
arrangements for the opening of the theatre and will
announce his programs as soon as his booking is completed.”
Many of us
remember Max Shoemaker, his wife and son, who lived in Tabor
for many years.
The theatre
was in a small building at the north end of the west side of
the business area in Tabor. The movies were shown on a
screen from a projector located in a tiny room above the
entryway and ticket booth. A person was hired to run the
projector, change the reels of film at the appropriate
times, etc. This small room was hot in summer and cold in
winter but served its purpose, as many local people filled
the theatre seats night after night.
The Tabor
theater, like most small town theaters, was a long narrow
building among the other businesses in town. It ran deep
enough to accommodate a screen and stage at the far end,
several rows of seating on a sloping floor and a ticket
booth and small concession stand at the front near the
entrance. Popcorn and small candies were sold. The walls
adjacent to the screen were covered with long, very heavy,
velvet drapery, for the purpose of improving the acoustics
in the building.
In the
1930s, we had no television and DVD exposure to the handsome
heroes and beautiful leading ladies that were seen on the
movie screen, so they quickly became our idols and each
teenager did their personal swooning for their favorite. It
was here we first met Clark Gable, Robert Taylor, Cary
Grant, Van Johnson, Alan Ladd and other heroes, and the
fellows met Judy Garland, Deanna Durbin, Joan Fontaine,
Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford and many more lovely ladies.
An
advertisement for the Isis Theatre from 1945 lists “The
Doughgirls” with Ann Sheridan, Alexis Smith and Jane Wyman
showing on May 13 and 14 and “The Big Noise” with Stan
Laurel and Oliver Hardy on May 15 and 16 (Sunday through
Wednesday). The following week’s movies were “Marriage is a
Private Affair” with Lana Turner, James Craig and John
Hodiak and “Experiment Perilous” with Hedy Lamarr, George
Brent and Paul Lukas.
A
request came in recently from the Iowa Historical Society
for information about the local movie theaters that used to
be scattered across the state. Our Fremont County towns
nearly all had theaters at one time or another. Some had
earlier “Opera Houses.” (Tabor Opera House, built in 1893,
was demolished in August of 1996.) We are trying to find
information on them in as much detail as possible. Thanks to
people like Pat Claiborne who are already sharing with us we
have a start. If you have any knowledge on this subject
would you please send it to the Fremont County Historical
Society, Attention View from the Attic, Box 687
Sidney, Iowa 51652?
