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| HISTORY of the RITZ THEATRE |
 
The original Ritz Theatre
The building which houses the Ritz Theatre on the northeast corner of the Centerville Iowa Square was built in 1893. The building housed The Daily Citizen and a printing office. The Majestic Theatre was opened in the Daily Citizen building in the early 1900s. After undergoing several changes in ownership, the theatre was remodeled and became the Orpheum. The Orpheum changed hands several times. Mr. Leo Moore, owner of the Majestic Theatre in Centerville (that Majestic was located one block south of the southeast corner of the Centerville Square), purchased and remodeled the Orpheum. When the remodeling was completed in 1926, the Orpheum Theatre became The Ritz Theatre. When it opened in 1926, the grand opening movie at the Ritz Theatre was "Subway Sadie" which was also in its premier showing. "Subway Sadie" was a First National Pictures silent film; there is no known copy in existence today.
It was at the Ritz Theatre that people came to see the movie that had been filmed on location on Centerville's Town Square. The stars of the 1921 silent movie were Norma Talmadge and Harrison Ford. The title was Loves Redemption: Its a Wonderful Thing
The following link Ritz Grand Opening is a copy of the grand opening announcement in the local Centerville paper. You can zoom in on this PDF file to read the text!
Northeast Corner of the Square
Centerville, IA 52544
Phone: 641 895 4515
Project Manager's Office Located at 201 W. Van Buren St.
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