There was one main reason the Mishler was able to attract the very best in theatrical entertainment – its geographical location on the PRR main line. Altoona was a convenient first day’s stop for road shows coming out of New York and Philadelphia on tour.
The theatre also became known for a discriminating audience, whose attitude toward the production was often a preview of opinion at other stops on the tour. In other words, if the show went well in Altoona, it was a good sign.
George Burns, the famous stand-up comedian with the cigar-chomping monologue and the husky voice, used this idea to form the title of a book of memories They Loved Me in Altoona.
Information gathered from local newspapers, personal interviews, and surviving Mishler Theatre playbills gives us an overview of the many famous performers who graced the stage of the Mishler.
1908 and 1909 were largely devoted to vaudeville, minstrel and burlesque entertainment that included:
In 1913 something new came to the Mishler. Billed as the “most marvelous invention of the age” – The Genuine Thomas A. Edison Talking Motion Pictures – this invention, dismissed as a curiosity, was to have a profound effect on the Mishler Theatre and, ultimately on the world of entertainment.
Mr. Mishler, being the astute showman that he was, was not long in seeing new possibilities for his theatre. Local papers carried the announcement that the installation of a cooling plant in the Mishler had made it eminently suitable for showing summer movies. He was quick to point out that his programs would not interfere with other houses in town, since only “educational, travel and great plays of the highest quality” would be shown.
With the advent of the “talkies”, it was becoming more and more difficult to schedule road shows, and in 1923, 61 year old Isaac Mishler expressed a desire to retire from show business, and the Mishler was offered for sale.
It was not until January of 1931 that the Mishler was sold to A. Notopolous, owner of several motion picture theatres. From that time until the 1960’s the theatre was used primarily for movies, with an annual recital by the Ruth Barnes School of Dance.
In 1919, 1920, and 1921, the movies replaced stage shows more and more. In May of 1919 there were 14 days devoted to movies, and in June of that year there was nothing but movies in the Mishler.
Performers and attractions that have been known to have appeared, but for which dates of performances are not known:
Blair County Arts Foundation
Mishler Theatre
©2024 Mishler Theatre. All Rights Reserved.
