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I am 85-years old and a onetime resident of Edwardsville. I saw the Jazz Singer
with my parents. I think the whole city of Edwardsville saw it. I was very young. I remember seeing Gene Autry and Smiley Burnette after their show. All the kids walked down Main Street with them. They stopped at Schwarz Drug where they looked over a set of golf clubs. This was on a Sunday.
One Sunday afternoon, I received a handout with a special number. I think it was the Mickey Mouse Club. After the show, all the kids would walk to Motters Drug to look in the window for the winning numbers. If your handout
number matched a number in the window, you won a specific prize. I won a couple of times. After the first remodeling, the Wildey had a blue-type mirror in the center of the entry to the seats. Almost everyone entering would walk
into the mirror. All the kids would watch. It was more exciting than watching the picture. They had a contest onstage. I won five dollars for being the first to whistle after eating a large amount of crackers. Five dollars in
those Depression days was a lot of money. On New Year's Eve, all the kids from South Fillmore would go to the show and sit in one of the box seats. Two box seats were on either side. This became a tradition. Something bad I
remember was African-Americans had to enter the Wildey by walking up the fire escape. They were all seated in one area, the balcony. What a shame. Jack Wesley Calve, Sr. |
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I have many happy memories of the "Old Wildey." First, there were those great "serials" (next chapter next
week). Of course every chapter ended with a "cliff hanger." Now this was back in the late 1920's. Admission was $0.10. Two features, (a&b) news reel, maybe a cartoon or comedy, and "Coming
Attractions." The very best seats were in the first row of the balcony. I can still remember some of the titles - "The Collegians" (mostly college athletic contests), "Silent Flyer" (a man invented a silent aircraft
engine, and the bad guys were always trying to steal the plans for it), "The Wolf Man" (a not so good western), and "The Cisco Kid" (a good western). The old cowboy stars were Tom Mix, Hoot Gibeon, Ken Maynard, etc. … don't
forget "Hoppy." I was one of three cheerleaders at Jr. High about this time. One day Mr. Lewis, the manager of the Wildey, came to school to see us cheerleaders (3 of us). He wanted us to be cheerleaders
for the new club he was forming "The Mickey Mouse Club." We met on Friday nights before the show in the upstairs ballroom for "Mickey Mouse" time. The only perk I remember is free admission to all shows!
Ah yes, "those were the days my friend. I am now 91 years old! Jeb Bollman
Edwardsville |
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A man, who wished to remain anonymous, relayed this story. In the 1920's, he and two other boys used to sit on the
curb between the Wildey and Weber Funeral Home. They would wait until the organist, Ernest Herstwurm, would exit the side door for a smoke break. Mr. Herstwurm would ask them why they weren't watching the movie.
They would reply that they did not have any money. He would leave the door unlocked so that they could get in. They evidently did this repeatedly. |
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