Downtown Theatre: The Will Rogers

Wondering if you remember trekking downtown, seven blocks or more, with a date in the middle of winter - - to see a movie at the Will Rogers, plus the shivering return trip to campus? I did that more than once before I had a car.

The Will Rogers Theatre first opened February 8, 1938 with 1,000 seats in its single auditorium. It was twinned / split down the middle to make two screens in October 1984 and was later closed in 2010. The Will Rogers was taken over by new owners in 2012, restoration and reopening is planned.

A 30-minute documentary (Click on the URL below) by Rick Riccio of Lerna, Illinois, explores the history of the Will Rogers Theatre in Charleston, Illinois - - thru interviews with family members of people that helped build and run the theater, as well as former employees, and also patrons that attended the theater through the the years.

https://youtu.be/75NPb4tF1qk (Length: 30 minutes)