An expectant crowd outside the Husker Theater on December 24, 1948. NSHS RG2183-1948-1224
This crowd in front of the Husker Theater at 1444 O Street in Lincoln was treated to a free holiday show on December 24, 1948. Although the Husker’s advertisement in the Lincoln Star the day of the show stressed that “Everyone is Invited,” such events were often aimed at a young audience. Local merchants frequently sponsored free children’s shows or movies during the holidays so that parents could shop while their kids attended the event.
Another Lincoln theater, the Varsity, advertised a special holiday double feature with animal stars: Adventures of Gallant Bess, the “wonder horse of all time in the story to cheer all hearts,” and Rusty Leads the Way, in which a boy and his dog help a bitter blind girl adjust to life.
The weather cooperated to enhance the holiday in 1948 by delivering a white Christmas, with Lincoln receiving seven inches of snow and the Nebraska Panhandle receiving up to fifteen inches, according to the Star.
The photograph above is from the MacDonald Studio Collection of Lincoln. – Patricia C. Gaster, Assistant Editor / Publications
