Fort Dodge, Iowa

ROMPER ROOM, hosted by Janet Wiewel, was another kiddie show on KQTV. The show was a big hit with the children of Fort Dodge.

They loved the set Miss Janet with her 'Do Bee' puppet. It remained on the air for 5 1/2 years until 1970.

Romper Room was a franchised television program. Each program opens with a greeting from the hostess and the Pledge of Allegiance in American broadcasts. The hostess and her group of children then embark on 30 or 60 minutes of games, exercises, songs, story-telling and moral lessons, which were regularly accompanied by background music. The hostess (or sometimes the children in cadence) would ask, "Mr. Music, please!" or "We're ready, Mr. Music," to prompt the background music. The young cast, which ranged from four to five years old, was rotated every two months. Many of the hostesses had prior experience working with small children and many were former kindergarten teachers.

Etiquette was a focus of Romper Room. The hostesses were always addressed as "Miss." The show also had a mascot, Mr. Do-Bee. Mr. Do-Bee was an oversized bumblebee who came to teach the children proper deportment. He was noted for always starting his sentence with "Do Bee," as in the imperative "Do be"; for example, "Do Bee good boys and girls for your parents!" There was also a "Mr. Don't Bee" to show children exactly what they should not do. Do-Bee balloons were made available for purchase to the public. Each balloon featured a painted sketch of Do-Bee. When the balloons were inflated and then released, they would fly around slowly and emit a buzzing sound.

The hostess would also serve milk and cookies to the children. Before eating, they would recite the Romper Room prayer: "God is great, God is good. Let us thank Him for our food. Amen."

At the end of each broadcast, the hostess would look through a "magic mirror"—actually an open frame with a handle, the size, and shape of a hand mirror—and recite the rhyme, "Romper, stomper, bomper boo. Tell me, tell me, tell me, do. Magic Mirror, tell me today, did all my friends have fun at play?" She would then name the children she saw in "television land," saying, for example, "I can see Kathleen and Owen and Julie and Jimmy and Kelly and Tommy and Bobby and Jennifer and Martin" and so forth. Children were encouraged to mail in their names, which would be read on the air (first names only).

Source:

History of UHF Television: www.uhftelevison.com

Wikipedia

Betty Pannick

Floyd of Rosedale

It all started in 1934 when the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers played a football game against the University of Iowa Hawkeyes. Iowa’s running back, Ozzie Simons, who was one of the few black players at the time, was singled out to be hit with excessive force during a 48-12 home loss to Minnesota. It’s said that Simmons was knocked unconscious three times before leaving the game in the second quarter.

Back then, Minnesota, coached by Bernie Bierman, was a national power. On its way to the 1934 national championship, the Gophers routed Iowa, 48-12, at Iowa Stadium. More than the lopsided score, the Gophers’ tactics angered some Hawkeyes fans.

They claimed the Gophers targeted the star back and safety Ozzie Simmons, nicknamed the Ebony Eel, one of the few black players in the Big Ten. According to newspaper reports, Simmons was knocked unconscious three times before leaving the game in the second quarter. Eleven years earlier, Iowa State’s first black athlete, Jack Trice, died of injuries sustained in a game at Minnesota. (Iowa State’s stadium is named for Trice.)

Simmons, who died in 2001, told The Star Tribune of Minneapolis in a 1988 interview that he sustained bruised ribs from late hits and piling on. “I really had the feeling they were after me because I was good,” he said. “Oh, I think me being black added a little oomph to it.”

Both teams were undefeated heading into their 1935 game, also in Iowa City. Iowa fans were growing impatient with opponents trying to rough up Simmons. When it happened during a 19-0 victory at Illinois, two Iowa players reportedly approached the Illini huddle and threatened to run them out of the stadium if they didn’t knock it off. (That story was told by the Hawkeyes’ radio announcer, a fellow named Ronald Reagan.)

The day before the game, Herring issued a statement that read: “The University of Iowa football team will defeat the University of Minnesota tomorrow. Those Minnesotans will find 10 other top-notch football players besides Ozzie Simmons against them this year. Moreover, if the officials stand for any rough tactics like Minnesota used last year, I’m sure the crowd won’t.”

Minnesota coach Bierman responded by moving a Gophers practice from Davenport, Iowa, across the state line to Rock Island, Ill. And, he requested police protection when the team arrived in Iowa City by train and vowed never to play the Hawkeyes again if any threats were carried out.

Minnesota Governor Floyd Olson, after reading Iowa Governor Herring’s comments in the morning newspapers, sent a telegram to Iowa Governor, Clyde Herring, on game-day morning, which read, “Dear Clyde, Minnesota folks are excited over your statement about the Iowa crowd lynching the Minnesota football team. I assured them that you are a law-abiding gentleman and are only trying to get to our goat. The Minnesota team will tackle clean, but, oh! how hard, Clyde. If you seriously think Iowa has any chance to win, I will bet you a Minnesota prize hog against an Iowa prize hog that Minnesota wins today. The loser must deliver the hog in person to the winner. Accept my bet through a reporter. You are getting odds because Minnesota raises better hogs than Iowa. My best personal regards and condolences.”

Herring accepted the wager. The Gophers won 13-6 without incident and Iowa star, Ozzie Simmons, played an injury-free game. Afterward, the Minnesota players went out of their way to compliment Simmons, and Simmons praised the Gophers for their clean, hard-fought play.

Herring obtained an award-winning prize pig which had been donated by Allen Loomis, the owner of Rosedale Farms near Fort Dodge. Dubbed Floyd, after the Minnesota governor, the pig was the brother of Blue Boy from the Will Rogers’ movie “State Fair.” A few days following the game, Herring collected Floyd of Rosedale and personally walked him into Olson’s carpeted office to present him his reward for winning the game.

Floyd took up residence at the Minnesota agriculture campus. They kept him in the swine barn and he was put in his own pen. He didn’t take up residence there for very long. A few months later, it was learned that the University of Minnesota had sold Floyd for $50 to a farmer in southeast Minnesota. It was later learned that Floyd reportedly died of cholera in July 1936 and was buried on that farm, located midway between the two campuses.

Since the two schools could not continue wagering on a live pig, Governor Olson commissioned St. Paul sculptor, Charles Brioschi, to capture Floyd’s image. The result was a 98-pound bronze trophy, 21 inches long and 15 inches high. Iowa and Minnesota have played for Floyd of Rosedale every year since. The winner of the game is entitled to keep the trophy until the following year’s contest. Floyd of Rosedale has served as a symbol of fairness, equality and civility. The Floyd of Rosedale Trophy is one of the most recognized trophies in Division 1 college football today, and it all started with a pig from Fort Dodge.

Sources: * New York Times Article…Nov. 25, 2010

Shagging the Drag

Central Avenue

Shagging the Drag was a real tradition in Fort Dodge during the 50s,60’s and 70’s. It was an enjoyable pastime for many Fort Dodge teenagers and even young adults. To “Shag the Drag” meant driving up and down Central Avenue, around the City Square and back east to either The State Bank or the Silver Fox Restaurant. Teenagers would turn around in the bank or restaurant’s parking lot and start the cruise again. On Friday and Saturday nights, one trip from the east end of Central Avenue, around the square and back could take as long as 15-20 minutes because the traffic was so heavy.

The point was to “see and be seen”; see someone you had a crush on, or someone you wanted to meet or maybe just talk to! Sometimes, the teens would park their cars on the City Square and get out and talk to other people on the Square and just “hang out.” As often happens with congregated teenagers, occasionally, a fight might break out on the City Square. Police often new when trouble was brewing with the kids shagging the drag, and would patrol the area to help keep the peace.

Some teenagers had great cars – so shagging the drag was the opportunity to show them off. Others merely drove in their parents’ cars – old vehicles, station wagons, motorcycles – anything that had wheels.

The State Bank had a “weather ball” which would let passers-by know what to expect. If you called its Time and Temperature telephone line, one of its messages stated that if the weather ball light was “Blinking – Precipitation on the Way”. There was also a fountain under the weather ball and sometimes a prankster would put laundry detergent in it, causing it to overflow with lots of suds!

As a nostalgic Fort Dodge tradition, Shagging the Drag was a harmless and fun social activity and pastime for so many teenagers. They didn’t use too much gas (after all, Central Avenue is just a few blocks long!) and teenagers would pile into cars, looking at who was driving by and just enjoying each other.

With three movie theaters and many other stores and bars on Central Avenue, downtown Fort Dodge was a bustling center of social activity. Shagging the drag provided many teens and young adults growing up in Fort Dodge with great times and a lot of fun memories. For many, it was the place were great friendships were made. And even for some, it was where they met their future spouse.

Uncle Dick’s Funhouse

UNCLE DICK'S FUN HOUSE, hosted by Dick Johnson was a kiddie show that quickly found a huge audience with F.D. children. Dick Johnson started in 1950 with a radio program. In 1953 he came to KVFD TV at Ed Breen's invitation. He served as an announcer, weatherman and newscaster. A time slot opened up after the Eve's Kitchen show and Breen asked Johnson if he would host a children's program at that time. The show had access to cartoon shows and old one-reeler movies with performers like Laurel and Hardy. Johnson was a talented sketch artist and cartoonist. The success of the show shocked WHO in Des Moines, which lost all its audience in the F.D. area in that time slot due to the popularity of Uncle Dick. Later the show became a 15 minute episode called 'Birthday Party'. It went off the air in 1970.

For years, Dick Johnson put smiles on the faces of hundreds of Fort Dodge girls and boys and helped many of them usher in another birthday — made all the more special by celebrating it on live television.

“Those kids were the highlight of my whole life,” said Johnson at his 90th birthday party in his home in Great Falls, Montana. “The main focus of the whole show was kids who had a birthday. I was just there. The show wasn’t about me. It was about the kids.”

“Ed called me into his office and in his usual casual way, he said, ‘Starting next Monday, you’ll have the 5 to 5:30 slot after Eve to do a ‘kiddy’ show,” said Johnson, then a newscaster. Breen said he could get a contract for some cartoons and old “one-reelers” for such talents as Laurel and Hardy.

“We built a set, ran some promos to have parents write in to schedule a birthday party on the show which Ed named Uncle Dick’s Funhouse. We didn’t even have videotape at that time so we had to do all the promotions with slides and old fashioned ‘opaque’ cards. Fortunately, I had frittered away way too much time in my high school history and English classes doodling caricatures and similar pencil drawings, so Ed suggested I draw pictures for the kids and fill the time between commercials and film.”

“My favorite part was interviewing the kids,” Johnson said. “There wasn’t a day gone by that didn’t have a guest group, a birthday party. Parents would call and schedule a birthday some months ahead. I interviewed the kids and asked what their interests were, names of their pets; that was fun. I will never forget one boy who told me he used to have a dog, but that the dog pooped on his mother’s dress and she made him get rid of it. I shared that with Art Linkletter’s ‘Kids Say The Darndest Things’ and he used it.

“I’d ask them what they’d like me to draw. When Eve did some cooking, we would let the kids sample it. It was one of the most-watched shows in the territory for all the time we did it.”

The show was televised from 5 to 5:30 p.m. five days a week and it ran for more than six years.

Johnson grew up in Eagle Grove, where he attended high school and junior college. Blessed with a good voice, he was doing broadcasting and commercials while attending Drake University in Des Moines. He left college for a job as a disc jockey and later news director at a Spencer radio station, and then worked at a Carroll radio station before coming to KVFD radio in 1953.

Johnson was also an avid barber shopper for 72 years, singing in such quartets as the Chordhuskers” and the “Bunkhouse Bums.” He joined the Society for Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America while attending Drake and his 72-year tenure ranked him in the top .05 percent of the society’s 20,000 members.

Later in his television career, Dick Johnson moved to Great Falls, Montana, and took a job as a television newsman. Johnson stated “I fell in love with Montana – the fishing, the hunting, the outdoors. I had been in Montana all my life and I just didn’t know it until I got there.”

Source: Betty Pannick

Fort Dodge Messenger

Eve’s Kitchen

Eve Rubenstein was born in Fort Dodge. She attended public schools. In 1930 at age 24 she married Charles Rubenstein, who was 27. Charles died suddenly in 1953. Casting around for a career, she was approached by Ed Breen, the owner of KVFD radio station. He had recently purchased a television station, KQTV - Channel 21, and was looking for programming ideas. Eve was given an hour long time slot, Monday through Friday. Her program was called 'Eve's Kitchen', and featured live cooking demonstrations. Her program was followed by 'Uncle Dick's Funhouse' and often the children attending would be given samples of the food cooked on Eve's program.

Eve’s Kitchen began as a cooking show with guest chefs. As time went on, it evolved and expanded to include fashion merchandising, programming about community service projects and “The Garden Club of the Air”. Iowa Central Community College fashion merchandising students participated in the program once a week, providing information on textiles and the history of fashion. The students prepared their own slides and appeared on the air as part of their fashion curriculum.

“The Garden Club of the Air” was on the program every week for twelve years, never duplicating programs. It emphasized the therapeutic aspects of gardening and horticulture. It received numerous awards, including one from the National Red Cross.

Eve Rubenstein produced the program herself, and averaged an amazing ninety guests per week. She was very supportive of public service. Members of local civic groups, student musicians and consumer information specialists often appeared on her program. Eve also wanted to increase mail to hospital and nursing home patients. Staff from local facilities would appear on the program, addressing the psychological problems of their patients. An increase in mail to those facilities occurred after this project had begun.

Eve Rubenstein once stated “The real celebrities are the people you serve. I want to bring them on the show, to make them think. Television is part of the home. People in Fort Dodge have more time to watch TV than people in larger cities. Here TV personalities are considered part of the family. Everybody has a good story, if you just take the time to seek it out.”

She also believed “Local television is not a movie; its’ a community service. The program is the people who are on it, exchanging ideas to build a better Iowa.”

By 1972 Eve had been on the air for 19 years--more than any other woman in the United States. In 1988 she was given an award as 'Fort Dodge's Most Respected Citizen'. She also received a Fashion Reporters Award in New York from Mayor John Lindsay. She was also inducted into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame in 1992.

Eve's Kitchen was a staple of KQTV for the entire time the station was on the air.

Eve Rubenstein died in 1993 and is buried in North Lawn Cemetery beside her husband Charles.

For more information about Eve Rubenstein, go to her bio under ICONIC PEOPLE.

Source:

* Des Moines Register

Fessler Opera House

Fort Dodge served as the central point for railroads, agriculture, medical and retail services. It also served as a center for entertainment and theaters served as a significant form of entertainment for Fort Dodge and the surrounding area. In Fort Dodge, there have been at least 32 theaters offering a variety of entertainment.

The latter half of the 1800’s and early 1900’s was a time of great change for the American theater. It was a time of tremendous growth in population in America and in Fort Dodge. Americans had more leisure time and better standards of living, and they looked to the theater to provide entertainment -- laughter, glitter, and sentimentality. The expanding transportation system in the United States allowed actors and actresses to tour the country, bringing professional theater to many towns and cities that had never before experienced it. As the population of the country grew rapidly, the number of theaters grew as well. From the 1850s until the turn of the century, thousands of new theaters were built, and Fort Dodge was no exception.

Early American theaters were, in fact, called "opera houses" to make them sound more respectable than the word "theater," which was sometimes associated with disreputable establishments. Naming a venue an "opera house" was be a deliberate choice to attract a broader and more "proper" audience. By the late 19th century, these venues were common in towns across the country, and while they hosted a wide variety of live performances like plays, musicals, and lectures, they rarely featured actual operas.

In the later part of the 1800’s through the first half of the 1900’s, American theater served as a form of entertainment and socialization, providing a shared cultural experience for diverse audiences from different backgrounds. Plays and movies often depicted American characters, settings, and themes, contributing to the development of a distinct American cultural identity. Theater reflected and promoted American values and ideals, such as liberty, democracy, and individualism, which resonated with the nation's growing sense of nationalism. Performances also functioned as a platform for social and political commentary, with plays addressing contemporary issues and debates. In the 1950’s the popularity of television and its expansion into American homes played a significant role in the decline of traditional theater attendance.

Before electricity, early theaters presented travelling vaudeville shows, musical performances and plays. Different sets were raised and lowered manually from above the stage by stagehands. Basic benches lined the open spaces in front of the stage where the audience sat. Some of these “theaters” were located in vacant store fronts.

Between 1870 and 1920 in Iowa about 1,500 opera houses were built. The term "opera house" referred to a multipurpose community hall that hosted a variety of entertainment, not just opera. These buildings, constructed in towns and cities across Iowa and the United States, served as centers for cultural activity and were often built by local businesspeople or civic groups to signify their town's importance and civilization. They hosted traveling theater troupes, vaudeville shows, concerts, lectures, and dances, and were often built with shops on the ground floor and the performance hall above.

The first theater In Fort Dodge was actually called an opera house. The Fessler Opera House was opened by David Fessler, who lived from 1830 – 1896. Fessler was a fur trader and merchant, who emigrated from Germany in 1858. The Fessler Opera House was located on the 2nd floor of the Fessler clothing store. (The first clothing store in Fort Dodge). Located on Central Avenue near the Court House, the Fessler Opera House welcomed travelling theater groups, operas and other shows and events in this frontier town of early Fort Dodge.

Hand powered projector circa 1905 (photo courtesy of eBay)

The first motion pictures were created in the late 1800’s. Projectors for these productions were operated by hand and the speed of the movie depended upon the strength of the person turning the lever. Some of the screens in the early theaters were simply white cloth or a wall painted white.

Later, when electricity became available, it was much touted in the theaters in Fort Dodge. This modern invention brought all sorts of luxury to the entertainment world, both in the film quality and in the comfort of the audience. Some of the longer movies came on multiple reels. While the reels were being changed, audiences enjoyed vaudeville performances, sing-a-longs, and a game called “Screengo”, which was similar to BINGO.

Empire and Delight Theaters advertise their electricity

In 1907, the Empire and Delight Theaters were the first to have electricity in Fort Dodge, paving the way for a new form of entertainment. At one point, when this revolutionary type of entertainment was in its infancy, people began to question the value of movies. A case was then made for movies because they “kept men out of bars and pool halls”.

Movies became an affordable form of entertainment for people - admission was 5 cents. Thus, the Greek term “Nickelodeon” was used. “Nickelodeon” literally means “theater of the nickel”.

A Family Theatorium was opened on First Avenue South in the former Alexis Theater. It promised to offer family friendly movies—which might be a clue to what actions were to come from the community on censoring movies. A newspaper article from 1907 said that

BT Hutchinson and Harry Snell would build a theater on Central and 8th Street to replace the “eyesore of billboards” on the corner. It seems quite a bit of positive marketing was done to ensure the public felt positively about movies as a type of entertainment. In 1910 the Snell Building was ultimately built on that space.

Later, “Blue Laws” required that most retail, sporting and entertainment establishments be closed on Sundays (to encourage church attendance). Cases were made against these Blue Laws, by the movie theater industry in particular, because many people worked six days a week and the only day they could attend a movie was on a Sunday. A plea was made to Iowa’s Attorney General in 1917 to change this, but a vote was taken by the House and it was decided by a margin of 79 to 25 that the Blue Laws had to remain in place and did so for many years.

Censoring movies was proposed in 1920 by a group of community members. Various community members met with theater owners and asked how to delete portions of the movies. They learned that movies had to be shown as presented. The Mayor then made the comment that they needed to be careful not to draw attention to any potentially objectionable movies because on one occasion, when people heard about the movie The Mother and the Law (which supposedly had questionable morals), the attendance was standing room only!

Matinees were a result of that meeting because movie people agreed to run movies appropriate for children on Saturday afternoons.

Rialto Theater

Rialto Theater

The Rialto Theater, located at 604 Central Avenue, opened its doors on January 1, 1920. It was an elaborate and ornate venue designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival style by architect Henry J. Elsenpeter. The Rialto was not just a theater but a cultural landmark, reflecting both the artistic ambitions of its era and the architectural beauty of its style.

Rialto Theater

The Rialto had 755 seats and a $15,000 Kimball pipe organ (approximately $240,000 in 2025). It also had a balcony, unique for theaters in Fort Dodge at that time. The Rialto had leather upholstered seats and a state-of-the-art heating and cooling system (eight automatic heating and cooling ventilating systems, five in the theater and three in the balcony), lights with dimmers and modern and luxurious restrooms.

The name “Rialto” was often used for theaters for two reasons, the first is the reference to

the beautiful and ornate Rialto Bridge in Venice, Italy, and secondly, the name Rialto was often associated with entertainment for the general public – not just the wealthy.

The Rialto was the first to offer “Talkies” with Al Jolson. Later, when Gone With the Wind premiered, the Rialto displayed actual costumes from the movie in the lobby. The Rialto Theater offered “all day” matinees for children on Saturdays which allowed mothers to drop off their children for 10 cents for the entire day.

Rialto Theater Interior

Other Notable Theaters

Princess Theater

Princess Theater on North 9th Street. Both movies and live performances. This building later became the First National Bank (In 2025, it is approximately where the Wells Fargo drive-through is located).

First National Bank / Wells Fargo Drive-Through

Majestic Theater

The Majestic Theater opened in 1912, with seating for 436.

Pokadot Theater

Dodge Theater

Subsequently, it became the POKADOT Theater, but closed during World War II due to a lack of movies. It later reopened under the name Dodge Theater and boasted the first two-person “Love Seats”. The Dodge Theater eventually closed in the 1970’s. It was located on Central Avenue just west of 12th Street.

The Strand Theatre opened on November 28, 1916 with Francis X Bushman in “Romeo and Juliet”. In 1927 it was equipped with a Barton 2 manual 4 ranks organ. Seating was listed at 572 people. It closed in the 1960’s for a while, but then re-opened as the Astro.

Hilltop Drive-In Theater

22153 Old Hwy 169, Fort Dodge

(Where Oberg Trucking is located in 2025)

The Hilltop Drive-In Theater opened around 1951, and by 1969 it was known as the Fort Dodge Drive-In Theater. Its car capacity was approximately 226 cars. Individual speakers were installed on posts next to each parking spot so patrons could hear the movie. Movies would be shown after sunset. A concession stand provided hot dogs, hamburgers and fun snacks, although patrons could bring their popcorn, snacks and drinks. Drive-Ins were very popular for families and couples because they provided a relaxed and private atmosphere.

Concession Stand at FD Drive-In Theater

Many people remember going to the drive in as children, wearing pajamas, bring blankets and pillows in the car and watch movies with their family. Drive-In theaters were popular for young couples’ dates because they provided a romantic setting that was somewhat private in comparison to a regular movie theater. The popularity of drive-In theaters increased in the 1950’s because of the number of people who had cars, the casual atmosphere they offered, and their very affordable admission prices.

Drive-In theaters eventually lost popularity due to the increase in televisions in homes and the growth of multi-plex theaters. The Fort Dodge Drive-in Theater closed in 1991.

Drive-In Theater Speaker that was located next to the viewers' parking spot

The numerous theaters that called Fort Dodge home provided thousands of hours of entertainment for many people. As times and people’s tastes changed, the theaters eventually closed. Today, the Fort 8 Theater, which opened in 1999, provides eight smaller movie theaters in one building located at 1417 Central in Fort Dodge. It is the only theater in Fort Dodge. There are several performing arts facilities in the community that continue to host live events: Decker Auditorium at Iowa Central Community College, Hawkeye Community Theater, Phillips Auditorium, Fort Dodge Middle School Auditorium, Olesen Park Band Shell and the Little Theater at Fort Dodge Senior High. Fort Dodge continues to be a regional center for the arts and hosts many theatrical, musical and live events annually.

Theaters

Sources: Fort Dodge Messenger

In Old Fort Dodge

Historic Homes of Fort Dodge

Cinematreasures.org

Historictheaters.org George D. Glenn and Richard L. Poole. The Opera House of Iowa. ISU Press, 1993.

Jeanine Nemitz

Lori Gascho Wikipedia

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