Historical Significance
The opening of the Missouri Theatre on October 5, 1928, was an exciting event for the citizens of Columbia. A full-page ad in the Columbia Tribune on October 4, 1928, exclaimed: "Formal Opening of your new Missouri Theatre—Friday Evening… A $400,000 Showhouse of Unrivaled Beauty and Extravagant Setting in Central Missouri. The Magnificent Splendor of This Palace of Amusement Will Dazzle and Thrill You."
The Columbia Missourian reported the next day that almost three hundred invited guests occupied the special seating. The public followed and was hushed by the magnificence of the lobby, with its thick red carpets-into which were woven the Great Seal of Missouri and the letter M-red and gold tapestries and baskets of flowers. The theater management received telegrams of congratulation from United Artists in Hollywood, from stars such as John Barrymore, Charles Chaplin, Gloria Swanson, Buster Keaton, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford, and from film-makers such as Carl Laemmle and Samuel Goldwyn.
On opening night, the crowd applauded the music of Bob Crowley at the Robert Morton organ console and master of ceremonies Jack Keith at the piano with his Missouri Orchestra. The evening of enchantment was completed by a newsreel, a cartoon, dancing during the stage show and the feature picture, "Steamboat Bill Jr.," a United Artists film with Buster Keaton and Ernest Torrence. The Missouri Rockets, later to become the core of the Radio City Rockettes, were the dancers for the evening. Leslie Townes Hope, later known as Bob Hope, was reported to have been part of the dance troupe performing at the Missouri Theatre. Columbia residents could enjoy all this at the Missouri Theatre for an admission of 25 cents for matinees, or 25 cents (balcony) and 35 cents (floor) for evening shows. Children were admitted for 10 cents at all times.
The Missouri Theatre, because of its size and elegance, was a challenge to maintain and operate from its beginning in 1928. In 1953, the theater was leased to Commonwealth Theaters, Inc., which successfully operated the theater until 1983. Due to the development of multiscreen cinemas in Columbia, the theater struggled with profits from a single screen for five more years, staying open until January 7, 1988, when the Missouri Symphony Society purchased the Missouri Theatre.
Though the Missouri Theatre has remained one of Columbia's central entertainment gathering places and home of the Missouri Symphony Orchestra, this grand performance show palace is in drastic need of restoration. Restoring the Missouri Theatre to a historically authentic yet functional multi-use center for the arts in downtown Columbia is a top priority for its owners. Plaster crumbles off the walls. Plumbing and electrical fixtures must be updated. At present, inefficient air distribution creates temperature extremes. Primitive stage and backstage facilities limit the type and number of performances the theater can handle. The light board and sound system dated to the 1960s, and the 40 plus year old seating has seen better days. But…The Show Must Go On! And with your help, it will.
A Valuable Community Asset
It is now time to bring the Missouri Theatre back to its original grandeur to create an artistic home for local and national performing arts groups, visual artists and the new generation of audiences who will create new memories from old.