Streaming services, be advised – you can’t keep a good movie theater down.

People have predicted the death knell of movie theaters for years, but they continue to be a draw for those who love a good, old-fashioned moviegoing experience. Those experiences you remember vividly from your youth remain available at small, independently-owned venues throughout Kansas, Missouri, and the rest of the country. They have a long history, whose richness matches the loyalty of the customers who visit them regularly. In this issue of Discover Vintage America, we take a peek behind the curtain of just a few.

The Glenwood Arts and The Rio Theatre – Overland Park, KS

This year, twin brothers Ben and Brian Mossman celebrate 40 years in business as the Fine Arts Group, which has owned and operated independent movie theaters in the Kansas City metro area since 1982.

The Mossman brothers’ current theaters – both located in Overland Park – are The Glenwood Arts and The Rio. Like most businesses, the theaters closed in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic; the five-screen Glenwood Arts has since reopened, and the single-screen Rio remains temporarily closed.

Over the years, the Fine Arts Group’s theaters have come and gone, though they’re still spoken of lovingly by former customers – The Fine Arts Theatre, The Englewood, and Red Bridge, just to name a few.

Glenwood Arts and The Rio

Both the Glenwood Arts and The Rio offer guests a moviegoing experience that simply can’t be found with large chains like AMC or Cinemark. Before the Glenwood Arts Theatre moved to its current location in the Ranchmart Shopping Center and merged with the shuttered Leawood Theater – which had been owned by Kansas City-based Commonwealth Theaters since the late 1960s before it closed in the 1990s – the Mossmans were able to salvage multiple items, including the original Glenwood’s colorful, atomic-age marquee (which remains in storage). Step into the lobby of the Glenwood Arts and you’ll see original film posters from classic movies like “Duel Au Soleil” (1946) and “Singin’ in the Rain” (1952) among portraits of old-time movie stars like Ava Gardner and James Dean. A neon sign simply reading “Refreshments” buzzes above the concession stand, a large wooden plaque bearing the visages of the twin gryphons of comedy and drama hangs outside auditorium number one (it’s just one of the relics the Mossmans brought over from the Glenwood Arts Theatre in the now-defunct Metcalf South Shopping Center at 95th and Metcalf – that theater operated from 2002-2015, and bore the name of its predecessor, the original Glenwood, which operated from 1966 to 2000). The Glenwood Arts retains the Leawood Theatre’s original seats, and its crest appears splayed across the lobby’s teal-and-purple carpet.

Our customers are valued

“Our customers are valued. We try to give them information or strike a conversation with them,” says Ben Mossman, president and co-owner of The Fine Arts Group. “We don’t say, ‘Give us your money and go in.’ In one sense, it’s a step back in time. We have artifacts that dictate that. Our theater is neon and glass brick.”

The clientele of both theaters skews older, and though they’re returning to the Glenwood Arts, it’s been a slow climb to get back to attendance numbers that justify adding more showtimes to the theater’s roster.

“Our clientele was more reserved in going out into a group function. They were the first to stay away and the last to come back, mostly due to their age and whether they had health issues,” Mossman notes.

The Overland Theater, which originally opened on Christmas Day in 1946 and would later become The Rio, remains a favorite local landmark of moviegoers. Located near downtown Overland Park, the theater hosted Theatre for Young America in the late 1970s and was sold to the city in 1987. The Mossmans would eventually purchase the building in 1993, and after a years-long renovation process, the thater reopened on June 30, 2000.

“The theater had been brought to life again with all its old style and much of its original material intact,” according to the Johnson County Department of Parks and Recreation. “The revitalized façade features new peach-colored porcelain tiles, neon lighting, aluminum trim, rebuilt poster cases, and a recreated marquee and glass block ticket booth.”

Rumors about the fate of the still-closed Rio have swirled on social media for months, leading followers to speculate whether the theater will remain permanently closed. Mossman says the Rio will reopen once business at the Glenwood Arts is high enough to warrant opening the single-screen location and spending money on its electrical and heating/cooling bills, and upkeep. Another issue is the need for more employees – like so many other small businesses across the country, the Fine Arts Group has had difficulty finding employees in recent months.

“We can’t get help,” Mossman says. “We couldn’t even add showtimes (at the Glenwood Arts), but we don’t have enough help.”

For more, including the Boulevard’s seasonal film calendar and swap meet schedule, visit www.boulevarddrivein.com.

And be sure to catch a flick at The Screenland Armour – North Kansas City, MO
The Armour Theater, built in 1928, during the era when “talkies” were the new fad in film, was bought in 2008 by developer Butch Rigby and renovated in 2012 by Adam Roberts and his business partner and brother-in-law Brent Miller. The two renamed the venue The Screenland Armour.

Specializing in independent and classic films – with a few first-run movies thrown in for good measure —  the Screenland Armour celebrated an expansion in 2018, adding two screens, new projectors, sound systems, seats, and even a pizza shop (because what else would you pair with their extensive beer list?).

There are still vintage touches at the Screenland Armour, including its neon exterior signage and vintage arcade games. Be sure, too, to visit the Screenland Tapcade in the Crossroads Art District, featuring a full-service restaurant, arcade games, and regular trivia nights.

Visit www.screenland.com for tickets and showtimes.

Author’s disclosure: Corbin is the social media manager for The Glenwood Arts Theatre in Overland Park, KS.