MALEK Theatre

September 14, 1943

Bob and Dorothy sold the Uptown Theatre in Gladbrook to LeRoy McMahn. It was bought and sold several more times before it was closed for good.

Dorothy’s brother, Ray Rowden, and his wife, Virginia, moved into the upstairs apartment and ran the theatre after Bob and Dorothy moved to Independence to run the Grand Theatre. Ray later enlisted in the military and was the army base projectionist in Denver. In the early part of 1943 Dorothy temporarily lived in Gladbrook with her parents to help manage the theatre while Ray was gone. They were looking for a buyer but no one could afford the $4,000 deposit.

The Uptown Theatre eventually became the Uptown Lounge & Supper Club in the 2000s and has since changed hands and remodeled into Spanky’s, a bar and restaurant.