Ismo Theatre

206 W. Chickasha Street,
Chickasha, OK 73018

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dallasmovietheaters
dallasmovietheaters on October 1, 2022 at 5:56 pm

The Chickasha Theatre launched on February 20, 1926 with Monte Blue in “The Limited Mail" at 206 West Chickasha Street, 73018. C.B. Hudson took on the venue in January of 1932 and gave it a major refresh. It reopened on June 1, 1932 as the New Midwest Theatre with William Haines in “Are You Listening?”

Southern Theatres closed here moving a block away to the former Kozy Theatre as the New, New Midwest Theatre. Unfortunately, it suffered a major fire on April 2, 1936. So the former location was opened for a short period as the Ismo Theatre beginning on April 19, 1936. The Ismo Theatre continued, however, even when the New, New, New Midwest relaunched post-fire. Then Southern Theatres acquired the Ritz Theatre from Consolidated Theatres. When Southern took on the Ritz, they closed the Ismo. The Ismo Theatre was shuttered here permanently on December 4, 1937 with a local talent amateur night show. The building has been demolished and replaced.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on November 24, 2016 at 4:41 am

This brief item from the May 1, 1926, issue of Motion Picture News indicates that the Chickasha Theatre had opened earlier that year:

“Mrs. Phil Isley of the Midwest Film Exchange has purchased a half interest in her father-in-law’s theatre at Chickasha, having bought Mr. Grace’s interest in it. Although the Chickasha Theatre has been running only a month or so, the business has been so favorable that more seats are to be added soon.”
An earlier item in another trade journal had noted the Isley and Grace had bought a building in Chickasha and were remodeling it into a modern movie theater. The Isley family were significant figures in the theater business in Oklahoma, Texas and California for several decades.

Phil and Flora Isley’s daughter, Phylis, enjoyed considerable success as a movie star under her screen name, Jennifer Jones.