By KAREN MADORIN
Imagine the years of the Dust Bowl and Depression in western Kansas--hard times for the toughest. Residents in Trego County with a little cash could escape in their local theatre. Owner C. B. Kelly made sure his patrons got their money’s worth when they attended movies.
When Kelly rebuilt the theatre, he included heating and cooling systems in its basement so audiences could watch in comfort any time of the year. By 1936, he added a new “washed cooling system.” Based on the description, it may have worked like an evaporative cooler with the local newspaper reporting in the summer of ‘36, “The system had a good workout and keeps temperatures at a low point.”
In addition to regularly updating business infrastructure and adding a marquee in 1936, Kelly invited vaudeville acts to perform during intermissions between his popular Hollywood productions. In the early '30s, Kansan Milburn Stone (later Gunsmoke’s Doc Adams) performed a vaudeville act in the Kelly Theatre with his partner--one-time WaKeeney resident J.O. Strain.
Not only did Kelly hire vaudeville performers to attract crowds, CB encouraged locals to share talent, which resulted in a series of short movies about Trego County life.
By the late 1930s, one of Kelly’s employees, Avon Gregg accessed a home movie camera. Kelly encouraged him to film current events in the area which were screened along with professional films.
One production involved Richard Owen’s family near Voda celebrating a 50th wedding anniversary. Gregg also snapped and shared candid street scenes. Another film documented building a bridge over the Smoky Hill south of Voda. One more captured footage of Chas Phillips and Roy Parsons displaying large fish from Seattle while another revealed a local business unloading oranges. The movie of fireman fighting Clifton Brown’s garage fire on Julia Marshall’s property undoubtedly had the crowd holding their breath in alarm. (If anyone has these films, please share them with Trego County Historical Society so they can be digitized and saved.)
A rabbit drive on the Hille Farm southwest of WaKeeney received considerable publicity. According to the Western Kansas World, a crowd of 7,000 from the area and eastern parts of Kansas participated. CB’s employee capitalized and filmed it. According to the Feb. 14, 1935 Western Kansas World, Kelly showed these at the “Kelly Theatre each night for the balance of the week in connection with the rest of the show.”
In addition to showcasing local films, Kelly hired performers such as Buck Owens and his Cowboy Movie Band, The Dixie Ramblers, and “Rita Ty Bel--Hollywood’s Famous Lady Double Actress” to accompany features such as "Storm Over Bengal." His efforts kept his theatre open.
Many consider rabbit drives a sign of hard times. In 1939, Kelly responded with a reduction in admission rates. He dropped Saturday night movie fees to 10 cents each for adults and children. Tuesday and Wednesday attendance required 25 cents for two. No mention appeared regarding Kelly reducing staff, but a July article referenced that CB now “devoted his entire time to the Kelly Theatre and quit managing the Staatz Hotel.”
Though local families struggled throughout the Depression, CB Kelly made certain that the WaKeeney region could forget their troubles at his theatre.
As a bonus, he encouraged local talent to document residents’ lives and share those films. What a thrill to attend movies and see yourself on screen.
Karen Madorin is a retired teacher, writer, photographer, outdoors lover, and sixth-generation Kansan.