Records indicated to Kalie McAlexander that “The Great Canary Murder Case” was the first motion picture screened at Liberty Hall, and that it was released in 1924.
But that film came out in 1929, so the actual first is still a mystery.
Although the specific date and movie aren’t yet known, McAlexander said documentation points to around 100 years ago, sometime during the 1924-25 season. That was when the building at Seventh and Massachusetts streets in downtown Lawrence was named Dickinson Theater.
“I still haven’t really been able to find that exact information,” said McAlexander, the venue’s cinema, office and marketing manager. “I just need to buckle down and do some more research. I’m very interested in Liberty Hall history, and I’m always trying to find old articles.”
McAlexander first began working at the historic theater and venue for a few months in 2014 when she was a University of Kansas student. She returned in December 2020.
Lawrence Times columnist Tom Harper in a March column shared the ways McAlexander has helped revitalize programming at Liberty Hall. McAlexander said repertory film screenings far outshine new releases when it comes to attendance and audience engagement.
“Especially because we have an old theater, the vibe feels right when you’re watching something that’s in black and white or has an old time-y vibe,” she said. “It feels like it connects a little bit better in an old theater more than seeing something at a Cineplex.”
Liberty Hall has launched a new series for the centennial. The theater plans to screen a different 1925 silent movie from its collection every month throughout the year, and then 1926 movies in 2026, and so on.
McAlexander said silent films, which she’s especially interested in, often use title cards for descriptions or dialogue and sometimes insert sound effects.
The silent series began with a screening of “Tumbleweeds,” set in 1890s Kansas. “Battleship Potemkin” is set to follow on Thursday, June 5.
Seasons, along with a host of other elements, matter when choosing the next film to be screened at Liberty Hall, McAlexander said. The vibe’s got to be right.
“Those are just such summer movies to me,” McAlexander said.
Stay up to date on upcoming screenings on the theater’s Instagram account, @libertyhallinc, and Facebook page.
Movie tickets and other information can be found at liberty-hall.com.
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Maya Hodison (she/her), equity reporter, can be reached at mhodison@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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