Wonderland Theatre

The September 14, 1907, issue of The Moving Picture World had this news about the Wonderland’s near escape from disaster:

“The inflammable nature of the celluloid used in casting the motion pictures at Jennen’s Wonderland theatorium, on Main street, between Markham and Second, almost started a costly fire at Little Rock, Ark. The deck on which the lantern is operated was the only thing damaged by the blaze except three reels of films. The interior of the building was drenched by the fire department, which promptly answered the alarm, but within an hour or so the show was running as usual. Only three or four spectators were present at the time of the fire, and they had no difficulty in making their escape. The operator of the lantern had stopped the mechanism, but had neither taken away the reel nor shut off the powerful electric light, which is a part of the machine. As a consequence the highly inflammable celluloid films being exposed too long to the blaze of the light, took fire. Ordinarily when the machine is in operation and the reel is swiftly rotated, no part of the celluloid ribbon is exposed to the light long enough to be in danger of catching fire, but for some reason the reel was stopped, and as the light was not turned off, it soon was aflame.”