Beloit, Kansas
In 1914, William Seraphim Gabel constructed the new Beloit Opera House with a budgeted cost of $15,000, an estimated value of $447,015 in 2023.
New Management
Time Change Tribulations
On September 4, 1919 attempts to organize his showings to accomodate the two time zones. It seems some people recognized one but not the other.
Daylight saving time was established by the Standard Time Act of 1918. The Act was intended to save electricity for seven months of the year, during World War I.[8] DST was repealed in 1919 over a Presidential veto,[9] but standard time in time zones remained in law, with the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) having the authority over time zone boundaries. Daylight time became a local matter.
Wikipedia
Engagement Extraordinary!
No Power, No Show
A real problem due to the national coal strike.
A New Year – 30% Increased Admission Price
During 1917 and 1918, film exhibitors turned newly minted, potentially harmful, government regulations to their advantage. In the fall of 1917, the federal government instituted a tax on theater admissions. Exhibitors passed the cost on to their consumers explaining it as another way that the ticket buyer was helping the government to finance the war. “Remember This Tax Goes to U.S. Government. Every Penny Spent Helps Load a Rifle in France. DO YOUR BIT.”
encyclopedia.1914-1918-online
Expanding the Brand
1933
The Dickinson theater in Beloit, Kansas. Assuming the picture was taken in 1933, the year “The Song of Songs” was released.
Birthday Extravaganza
December 1938
Gabel Exits the Theatre Business
