I am 85-years old and a onetime resident of Edwardsville.  I saw the Jazz Singer with my parents.  I think the whole city of Edwardsville saw it. I was very young.  I remember seeing Gene Autry and Smiley Burnette after their show. All the kids walked down Main Street with them. They stopped at Schwarz Drug where they looked over a set of golf clubs. This was on a Sunday. 

One Sunday afternoon, I received a handout with a special number. I think it was the Mickey Mouse Club. After the show, all the kids would walk to Motter's Drug to look in the window for the winning numbers. If your handout number matched a number in the window, you won a specific prize. I won a couple of times. 

After the first remodeling, the Wildey had a blue-type mirror in the center of the entry to the seats. Almost everyone entering would walk into the mirror. All the kids would watch. It was more exciting than watching the picture. 

They had a contest onstage. I won five dollars for being the first to whistle after eating a large amount of crackers. Five dollars in those Depression days was a lot of money. 

On New Year's Eve, all the kids from South Fillmore would go to the show and sit in one of the box seats. Two box seats were on either side. This became a tradition. 

Something bad I remember was African-Americans had to enter the Wildey by walking up the fire escape. They were all seated in one area, the balcony. What a shame. 

Jack Wesley Calve, Sr.