Gem Theatre
229 E. Main Street,
Festus,
MO
63028
229 E. Main Street,
Festus,
MO
63028
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H.E. Miller opened the Idle Hour in 1911. It closed after his new streamlined Miller Theatre opened in late December of 1936. The Idle Hour was idled closing on December 31, 1936 with “After the Thin Man” which had opened the Miller days prior. The Idle Hour was used for sporadic live events thereafter.
Miller’s Gem Theatre was a reboot of the Idle Hour Theatre nicknamed Miller’s Junior Theatre. It was relaunched to counter the new Highway Theatre close by in Crystal City. The new Idle Hour opened on April 24, 1947 with “Lone Hand Texan” and “A Boy, A Girl and a Dog.” It was a dud and by year’s end was reduced to just twice a week operation. A policy change allowed African Americans in the balcony on Friday nights (only). That didn’t help and the Gem was no diamond in the rough so Miller simply bought out the competing Highway Theatre in Crystal City and closed the Gem on May 13, 1948 with “Pursued” and “Their First Mistake.” It was used for sporadic live events into 1950. Co-Ed Garments overhauled the property for special machinery work and for storage ending its cinematic operations (and was decidedly not still open in 1958).
The Idle Hour Theatre opened in 1911 and closed as a movie house on December 29, 1936 with Shirley Temple in “Temple Stowaway” (unknown if extras added) due to the opening of the Miller Theatre nearby. It would eventually become a special events house. In February 1946 following modernization, the Idle Hour Theatre was renamed “Miller Junior Theatre”.
On April 24, 1947, movies returned to the former Idle Hour and reopened as the Gem Theatre.