CAPRI THEATRE 1986
strooms were. The restrooms were directly
above the lobby with windows looking
out onto Main Street. You walked in the
Ladies Lounge and you were not in [a
bathroom]. You were in an open space
that was carpeted, and along one curving
wall there were mirrors. There was a
vanity built in along there with little velvet-covered
stools that sat in front of it.
You could sit down and pretend you were
a princess or a movie star or all sorts of
wonderful things.”
She described a candy shop being in
between the theaters. “This was true of
many, many theaters, the way they were
designed, where you have the box office
in the middle and then the doors and
then a little shop on each side as part of
the theater design. The little shop between
the Capitol and the Ottumwa was
a candy shop,” said Myers Naumann.
She also highlighted the difference in the
styles of movies the theaters offered.
The Ottumwa had the “fun technicolor
movies and a lot of musicals and Walt
Disney movies like ‘Cinderella.’
“I remember vividly being a little girl
going to see Irving Berlin’s ‘Easter
Parade’ at the Ottumwa and how exciting
it was and how beautiful the movie was.
I couldn’t have been more than 4.
“The Capitol always had the serious
movies,” Myers Naumann added.
It was also smaller and featured a much
simpler design. “Originally, they had a
box office up at the sidewalk that was
just a box office,” she said. “It was not
nice and round and all that like we had
next door. You walked in and I think that
you did get your popcorn — they did just
have a narrow little hall running across
separating the box office from the theater
seats with tiny little restrooms.
“There were two aisles, one on each side
and there were only like four seats along
the exterior walls and then 10 or 12
down the middle. Here’s two aisles and
here’s the screen.”
At the time, both theaters featured only
a single screen. “Multiple screens had
not even been conceived of,” said Myers
Naumann.
However, the Capitol and Ottumwa were
not the only theaters in town. Myers
Naumann recalls two more being in the
200 block of East Main Street, the Rialto
and the Strand.
“Neither one of those showed first-run
Senior
Lifestyles Expo
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2020
BRIDGE VIEW CENTER, OTTUMWA
WE STAND BEHIND
What you’re standing on.
• Carpet
• Counter Tops
• Window Treatments
• Vinyl
• Kitchens
• Fireplaces
6 We Are OTTUMWA
• Free Admission and Parking
• Free Health Screenings
• Informative Guest Speakers
• Prizes and Giveaways
• 60+ exhibitors with senior services,
activities and products
Mark Your Calendars and plan to be a part of
an event truly dedicated to Senior Citizens!
EDGE RETAILER
Regional Dealer
of the Year
545 N. Weller • Ottumwa, IA • (641) 683-4084