11/21/97
By: J. Hurley and Roberta Hagood

Showboat performances, musicals, melodramas and other live productions drew audiences in Hannibal long before the first movies were made, or movie theatres were built. The first movie of any sort was shown in the Nickelodeon Theatre at 205 N. Main St. in Hannibal in 1897.

Curious spectators regarded the first motion pictures as a novelty, not as entertainment. Seeing people in motion came first in "peep-shows" and Mutoscope parlors in the downtown area.

Movies in the United States were invented in the Thomas Edison studio long after the discovery of the electric light and the camera. Early use of cameras required the instrument and the subject be immobile ­ and the photographing of moving objects with versatile camera movements brought about the creation of motion pictures.

One method, at first, was to line up six to12 cameras in a row, and snap the person or moving object in a series of shots as the object moved in front of each camera. Many other attempts to film moving objects were tried before cameras could film fast enough and film was produced in strips. Projecting the picture on a large screen, usually made of canvas, also required ingenuity and invention.

Indoor movies
As stated above ­ the first theatre in Hannibal devoted to movies was the Nickelodeon on North Main Street.

This same name was used in tiny theatres in many towns ­ so called because of the 5-cent admission fee. The Hannibal Nickelodeon audience sat on benches in an atmosphere which lacked ventilation, and the pictures were glaring black and white. Patrons watched flat flickering images walk haltingly across the screen, just moving for the sake of moving, no plot involved.

The proprietor, M.J. Walsh, had to purchase the films outright, as, at this time, this was the only way of distributing films. Films were not rented until about 1910. Walsh would show the same movie over and over. He advertised movies thrice weekly. Eventually, chairs replaced benches and patrons were more comfortable. Bach movie shown was three minutes long. They were either Edison's Vitascope films, or Cinematographic films by a French producer named Lumiere.

The first performance at the Hannibal Nickelodeon consisted of three films: first, an Edison film of the Leigh Sisters giving an "Umbrella Dance" with the filming on a stage; second, a film made outdoors depicting waves breaking on a seashore which caused the spectators to fear that the waves might really come to close to then; and third, a French movie, "The Arrival of the Mail Train" which was so realistic the audience cringed for fear of being run over.

The Nickelodeon changed hands in 1906. The name was changed to People's Theatre and the admission was raised to 10 cents. Showings were advertised at 2 p.m., 7:30 p.m., and 8:30 p.m. Each showing was a full hour in length ­ 45 minutes were devoted to vaudeville and 15 minutes to movies, which by this time had simple plots.

One film shown was "The Great Train Robbery" produced in 1903. It is noted because it had the best early plot. It showed a dance hall scene, and thugs terrorizing the town. They bound and gagged a railroad telegraph operator and then boarded the train and began their dastardly robbing. Horsemen arrived and captured them. It had a happy ending when the telegraph operator vas freed. One scene showed one of the horsemen facing the audience with a pistol trained on the patrons. It was claimed that it was so realistic that it caused patrons to scream and gasp.

Summer movies shown outdoors
In Hannibal, at first, summer movies were not shown in a theatre, but on large outdoor screens, usually made from white canvas but sometimes white bed sheets were used. People flocked to Smith Park, located at the end of the early streetcar line near St.Mary's Avenue and Hawkins streets. The park encompassed the flat area below the present Smith Funeral Home, and the area ­ the-hill across St. Mary's Avenue ­ including the present site of the St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary grounds.

People were not attracted to Smith Park to see the poorly screened movies. They went to dance or to see drama and vaudeville performances. The movies were just a little "extra" provided by the management. Seated on the ground, or sometimes on the dance platform, many People had their first glimpse at a movie. The first one, shown in July 1904, lasted three minutes. It featured the Œ'Woods Sisters."

By the summer of 1908, Biograph Company movies directed by D.W. Griffith were shown every night at Smith Park. The first one was "The Adventures of Dollie," a 12-minute story of a kidnapped child, hidden in a barrel which fell into a river and splashed over a huge waterfall, but ending with a happy reunion with her parents.

Most previous movies had been filmed on a stage, but "The Adventures Of Dollie" was filmed out-of-doors requiring expert camera maneuvering. The early movies were made in New York or New Jersey. Hollywood was, at that time, unknown. In later years D.W. Griffith introduced the first "movie stars" including Mary Pickford, Lillian Gish and Mae Marsh. But the earliest movies did not feature "stars." Budgets required much cheaper actors and labor.

At the magnificent Park Theatre at Fifth and Center Streets, which had opened in 1882 and had brought many of the nation's most famous actors and musicians to their stage, a movie screen was devised. When three-minute movies were available, they were shown along with the regular live performances.

On Oct. 18, 1901, Thomas Edison's movie of the procession or President McKinley's funeral was shown, having been filmed at Canton, Ohio, on Sept. 19th of that year.

Robal Park
By May 1913, in Mainland Park, later known as Robal Park, the Skydome Outdoor Theatre was operating. At its opening, a Keystone Cop movie was shown. A famous director, Max Bennett, who worked for Biograph Films, set up his own studio in Hollywood. Thence his Keystone Cops came tumbling into nationwide screens with their ill fitting uniforms and "Tin Lizzie" autos. Sennett made 140 comedy films in 1912. Pies traveled through the air on invisible wires to smash faces ­ a hallmark of slap stick comedies. In 1914, Sennett discovered Charlie Chaplin and also assembled and showed his own group of "bathing beauties" in modest swim suits.

Movies continued to improve. The Western Movies were introduced. William S. Hart was their first hero. Tom Felix came much later. Serials were introduced on Saturday matinees. The hero, or heroine such as Pearl White, was always left at the end of the movie in a precarious position ­ such as hanging over a cliff, or tied to a railroad track with a train coming. Youngsters who attended the matinees had to attend the next week to see what happened to her. She would be well and alive at the start of the next week's show.

New movie theatres appeared downtown in Hannibal as the old silent films improved and became popular.

Sound became important in movies
The importance of sound accompanying sight in the movies to make them more realistic was realized in early movies ­ even in the nickelodeon theatres. Managers of movie theaters were aware that noises within the theatre detracted from patron's enjoyment. The projector was usually placed in the midst of the audience and it made an unpleasant clatter. Coughing, rattling paper candy bags, restless shuffling of feet, chatter of children ­ all made it difficult to follow the plot or plan of the film. Initially a "piano-player" was hired to counteract the in-house noises. He banged away at tunes he considered appropriate, or knew. Later when movies developed more detailed plots, a book of instructions for the piano player suggesting the best tunes for certain episodes, came with the film.

Suggestions were: to accompany comedy ­ Schuman's Traumerei; for pastoral scenes ­ Mendlesohn's Spring Song; chase scenes ­ Rossinis' William Tell Overture; night scenes ­ Beethovan's Moonlight Sonata; and love scenes ­ Hearts and Flowers.

Within a few years the piano was augmented by violin and drum. Then the "pit" orchestra became popular. Many Hannibal musicians moved from theatre to theatre. They first played at the Park Theatre, then the Star Theatre, and then the Orpheum. On July 20, 1925, the Star Theatre dedicated a fine pipe organ which added enjoyment to the silent movies.

The arrival of "talkies" and soon after "color" in films made a revolutionary change in movies. The first sound movie in Hannibal was shown at the Star Theatre in May 1912. It was Al Jolson in the Jazz Singer. Most of this film was silent with titles and printed explanations about what was happening on the screen. The sound portion consisted of only a few songs by Jolson and a few lines of dialogue.

Soon, "100 percent sound" films were developed. Theatres had to be converted to make use of "talkies." The first sound movies had a 15 to 17 inch phonograph record which was played simultaneously with the picture. It was disconcerting if the two were not in sync. This process was known as Vitaphone Sound. Later, a sound track was part of the film. This proved satisfactory.

Heating and cooling of facilities was a major problem throughout the years. Renovations in the 1940s brought the first reasonably adequate cooling systems.

Color films
In 1929 Warner Brothers produced a color process known as Technicolor. That same year, the Orpheum Theatre of Hannibal was prepared to show sound movies. That theatre was still noted featuring "live" theatre productions.

Many innovations made movies more popular. In 1927, the Fox Movietone News appeared. These were reels of short worldwide news stories projected between movie features. Later the wide screen was introduced, adding to the artistic value of movies.

Movie Theaters come to Hannibal
In 1907, the Star Theatre in the 200 block of South Main Street glowed its first movie. The theatre owner claimed to have seating for 800. As the quality of the movies improved, Hannibal people recognized the actors as "stars." Those who attended the movies thought of themselves as "movie fans." Afternoon shows called "matinees" were contrived to interest the female population. Some of the actors of this era were Dorothy Gish, Constance Talmage, Harold Lloyd, Douglas Fairbanks, Rudolph Valentino, Richard Barthelmess, Colleen Moore, Charles Ray and many more.

It was in the Star Theatre that the first epic film, "Birth Of A Nation," was seen in 1916. This film was three hours long and made film history due to its excellence.

In 1911, the Gem Theatre appeared at 1206 Broadway. It was within walking distance of many homes, and families attended its shows. The next year the Rex Theatre opened at 111-113 North Main. It was a vaudeville house, but showed short motion pictures. Many theatres in the following years showed both vaudeville and silent films.

The Broadway Star, first known as the Majestic, at 217 Broadway operated from 1912 through 1933. Western films had become important. This theatre was popular with youngsters. It presented films and serials. Ventilation in the building was bad and the uncomplimentary name of Dirty Foot Inn was the unofficial moniker used lay some citizens to identify the theatre.

The Orpheum Theatre opened Jan. 24, 1922, shoving the silent film, "Smiling Through," starring Jane Cowl. The Orpheum was owned by J. B. Price who also owned most of the other operating theatres in town. The Orpheum was and is at Fifth and Broadway. The interior of the theatre was luxurious and it seated 1,300 people. Stage shows were also shown there, and many well-known stage personalities came to perform. Some of them were Ed Wynn, Eddie Cantor, John Barton, Olga Petrova, Raymond Hitchcock, Paul Whiteman and others.

During the Great Depression Days of the 1930s, the writers of this article were dating. They attended a movie at the Orpheum with another couple, Allen Eichenberger and Dorothy Roland. It happened to be "Bank Night" which was a scheme to entice more moviegoers. Stubs of tickets from each patron were placed in a hat. During an intermission one stub was drawn and the lucky holder of that ticket received $5 in cash. Allen Fichenberger paid the admission but there was an agreement that if any of the four in the group won, we would divide the bank night money between the two couples. My ticket was the winning one. I divided the $5 with Allen. With my $2.50 I bought our marriage license and ever since have had fond memories of the Orpheum Theatre.

The Orpheum's name was changed to The Tom Sawyer and it was closed in 1966 as a theatre. In 1990 Hannibal-LaGrange College began using and managing the building following a disastrous fire at the college which destroyed its auditorium.

In 1937, Edward Rosecrans opened the Rialto Theatre at 503 Broadway. It was operated 20 years, closing in 1957. It furnished diversion during World War II days.

In 1950, drive-in theatres became numerous nationwide. A large outdoor screen was used, and car parking spaces comprised the theatre. The admission charge was made by the carload. Families watched movies from their own automobiles and sound was piped into each car. A refreshment stand and projection booth was located in the center of the theatre. Hannibal's Sky High Drive In opened in 1950 on Highway MM.

In 1966, the Huck Finn Theatre located in the Huck Finn .Shopping Center on Master's Avenue opened. It operated into the 1980s.

Hannibal's only movie theatre at present is Cinema Three at the Northport Plaza.