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June 22, 1998 Dodge Theatre relives premiere By Haven Schreiber
The Dodge Theatre might not have had 70,000 people streaming by it Saturday, but it celebrated its grand opening with a re-premiere of the movie that made it famous. "The premiere of the movie was no doubt the most important historical aspect about this theater," said owner Mike Burkhart. "It is the single largest event to ever happen in Dodge City. Seventy thousand people came into Dodge City for it, and there were 150 Hollywood movie stars in this theater. The premiere was responsible for the beginnings of Dodge City Days." Burkhart and his wife, Mindy, began renovating the theater, which is housed in a building they have owned for 14 years, in October 1997. The Burkharts had leased out the theater for several years, but when the lease was up in October, Mike chose to keep the theater open. "I had two choices. I could have locked it up, and it would have been easier on all of us, but I decided to restore it to what it once was," he said. "I am a bit of a history buff, and I've restored several properties around town." The grand opening celebration began at noon Saturday, with an antique car show on Gunsmoke Street and tours of the theater. The tour include a look at memorabilia housed in the theater, including an usher's shirt from the original "Dodge City" premiere and a copy of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch with a story about the Titanic sinking. It was the first time the public got a chance to see the theater since the Burkharts began renovating it. The street in front of the theater came alive with gunfire during the Boot Hill Gunfighters show. It was followed by a ribbon cutting and the official opening of the theater, followed by the re-premiere of "Dodge City," starring Errol Flynn and Ann Sheridan. Before the movie began, several city dignitaries took to the stage to talk about the history of the theater and Dodge City. Several of the speakers reflected on their memories of the theater. City Manager John Deardoff said he and his wife had just celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary earlier, and that the theater had been a special part of their courtship. "Our first date was in this theater," Deardoff said. "We came here to see Indiana Jones. This place has a lot of special memories." Dodge City Marshall Ron Long remembered coming to the theater for the original premiere of the movie, and not being able to get close to it, he said. Mayor Gerald Schmidt addressed the audience of 250 and told them they were lucky. "We are really lucky. We don't have to re-create history, we just re-live it," Schmidt said. "On April 1, 1939, Errol Flynn and a whole list of celebrities were in this theater. This is one more entertainment factor to keep people interested in the history of Dodge City." During the festivities, Mindy Burkhart was made an honorary Miss Kitty and Mike was deputized as an honorary marshall. The crowd was then entertained by the Boot Hill Can-Can Dancers, who invited anyone from the audience to learn how to can-can. Then it was time for the movie. While the members of the audience varied in age from those who might have been there for the original premiere to those who might have never heard of the movie, they were all gathered for this moment --Ê the re-premiere of a movie named for Dodge City, in a theater restored to its original luster. "My wife, my kids, Zack and Michael, and my in-laws have all worked very hard to get this theater re-opened," Mike said. "It is very important to have this facility open for the community. We are going to do some different things, and I thank the community for its support. We also hope we can count on your ongoing support." The theater will house a coffee shop and Victorian Mercantile store, which will operate from 8 a.m. t0 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The movies will range from first-run, westerns and classics to kiddie movies, and times will be announced. The theater will also host live stage productions, concerts, dinner theater productions, seminars and private parties. |
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Movie House History - Classic
Theaters Of Kansas © 2007
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The
cars parked on Gunsmoke Street on Saturday might have been
like those parked in front of the theater on April 1, 1939,
when 70,000 people poured into Dodge City for the premiere
of the movie, "Dodge City."