This Week in Odessa History

Odessa had a movie theater in 1913. The films were silent with piano accompaniment to provide the mood.

There is the story of the silent movie era in Odessa when someone brought a dog into the theater. The film had reached its climax, with the villain ready to choke the heroine, when suddenly the dog barked. It practically sent the audience into a panic.

The Dime was the first movie theater in Odessa. Our files don’t tell us exactly where this theater was located, but it was somewhere on the south side of First Avenue, between what is now Division and Alder streets.

By 1917, the Empress Theater was opened. It occupied what today is the western half of Ramm hardware. At first, it had folding chairs. Then, auditorium seating was installed. Capacity was about 250. During the 1920s and 1930s, it was typical of small-town movie houses.

The big news of June 1929 was that “talkies” were coming to town. For the first time voices of the movie performer would be heard. This proved to be the undoing of some reigning stars of the time, like Marion Davies, who stuttered.

Odessa, like the rest of the nation, was fascinated by ‘talkies,’ which had arrived in Spokane at least two years earlier. It was front-page news when the first sound film came to Odessa.

Here is how The Odessa Record reported it on June 7, 1929:

The installation of talkie equipment at the Empress Theater has been completed, and the first tryout will take place with the showing of a talkie comedy Sunday night. This will determine if it is working satisfactorily.

The owners of the Empress, C.A. Bragg and H.F. Ottestad, announce that they are going to open with an all-talking feature picture “The Idle Rich,” featuring Conrad Nagel and Bessie Love. This is one of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s bit special pictures and has not yet been shown in Spokane.

The management considers itself fortunate in securing such a film for its opening talkie number. Tonight and tomorrow night, an all-talking comedy with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, ‘Unaccustomed As We Are,’ will be shown. This will give Odessa movie-goers an idea of the workings of the Empress Theater’s new equipment.

Besides the sound equipment, the management is making numerous other improvements in the show house. It is also placing contracts for a line of high-grade pictures to give patrons the best the market affords.

Patrons of movies in but few towns the size of Odessa have the privilege of attending talkie shows, which the Empress, like other places of business here, will not spare expense to give its customers the best there is in its line in appreciation of the excellent patronage it receives.

100 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

May 23, 1913

This is commencement week has been well filled with exercises commemorating the fourth annual commencement of the Odessa high school.

The Presbyterians, Methodists and German Congregationalists united in the service, and the church was prettily decorated with flowers for the occasion.

The resident pastors, members of the school board and faculty occupied seats on the platform, while the five graduates, dressed in black caps and gowns, occupied seats directly in front of the pulpit.

75 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

May 26,1938

Golden Brothers circus, combining a series of first class acts with others, had one interested spectator during the closing moments, when Sheriff Charles E. McCaffery responded to a call stating that gambling games and short change artists were with the crowd.

The eighth district of the American Legion of Washington has won fourth place in the state for membership, having reached 101 percent of its quota, it was announced Saturday when legionnaires gathered at Cheney for the district convention.

To prevent dust through the business section of Odessa, the town council this week employed a blade and broom to cut off rough spots and sweep the accumulations away.

50 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

May 23,1963

Dr. James Condon and Dr. John Condon have opened a new dental office in Odessa. They specialize in children’s work. Mrs. Frank E. Wraspir is receptionist.

The addition to Odessa’s professional men gives the town two dental offices, four medical doctors, two attorneys. The Memorial hospital with its 31 employees, serves as an adjunct to the medical care provided for the community.

When weather broke into the warm season it was sudden. Last Thursday night saw temperatures fall to freezing at night, in the low 70s during the day. Monday saw 86 recorded in daytime and 54 at night, in an abrupt change.

A continuing wind has dried surface moisture and lawns are being sprinkled.

Baccalaureate services on Sunday evening in the high school auditorium will herald the start of senior week, climaxing with graduation on Wednesday night. There are 31 members of the graduating class.

The Rev. John A. Birchard will be the speaker at the Baccalaureate.

25 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

May 26, 1988

Odessa’s contribution to the Centennial Quilt construction program is part of the 1989 state centennial celebration.

The quilt constructed over a period of months in the basement of the English Congregational Church by volunteer workers, will be judged in a state quilting contest.

Following its statewide display during the centennial year, the quilt will finally gain a permanent resting place at Odessa’s museum in late 1989 or early 1990.

The Odessa community float with Odessa Jr. Miss Teresa Repp and princesses Kelly Schafer and Becki Jantz aboard, began its voyage through the downtown streets last Thursday evening on the introduction trip the float takes annually. Two nights later, the float earned the Queen’s trophy at the Spokane Lilac Festival’s Torchlight Parade.

10 Years Ago

From The Odessa Record

May 22, 2003

The Odessa School Board Monday night approved plans to begin the process for purchase of a 35x165-foot parcel of land adjacent to Finney Field and the bus garage.

Superintendent Warren Reeves said the straight access/egress route to the bus garage passes through the property, and if it should be blocked, an egress point farther north would have to be established, necessitating the cost of adding a culvert.

The monthly meetings of the Odessa Chamber of Commerce are likely to revert to their noontime schedule next fall because of lack of attendance at the last two 7 p.m. trial meetings.

It looks like there’s hope for the rural hospitals with nursing homes of Washington State, most of them in eastern Washington, including the Odessa Memorial Healthcare Center, to keep their doors open in spite of the current health care crisis caused by the state legislature’s budget bungling.

OMHC, along with hospitals and nursing homes in Tonasket, Davenport, Republic, Newport and Omak, along with 11 other rural hospitals across the state, can be reasonably assured this week that they can keep their doors open after this summer, when state and federal funds to make up for the revenue that Medicaid wouldn’t pay, were due to run out.