Chariton's venerable Ritz Theater building, now home to Connecticut Yankee Pedaller --- one of Iowa's premier bicycle shops --- has had a varied career since it was constructed in 1927 and then rebuilt after a fire in 1930.
What may have been Lucas County's first lingerie fashion show was among the milestones --- an event considered rather daring when staged jointly during November of 1930 by Spurgeon's department store and theater management.
This is how the theater looked that year. Built on the south side of the square during 1927, everything but the facade had been heavily damaged during the great southside fire of February, 1930, then quickly rebuilt so that it could reopen during late May.
The fashion show was among the notable events of the resurrected theater's first year --- and so remarkable that it made the male newspaper editors who wrote promotional stories about it for the front pages of their respective Leader and Herald-Patriot positively giddy. Here's the story published in The Herald-Patriot on Nov. 6:
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Every male member of the Ritz theatre personnel will be "fired" and their places will be taken by members of the fair sex Wednesday afternoon, and the chance for a man to enter the theatre will be even slimmer than that of the well-known snowball in that place made famous by those who are addicted to profanity. Not even a peek can mere man take for the show is for women only and those who attend will be privileged to see the latest styles of intimate feminine apparel charmingly worn by eight popular Chariton misses.
The show, a lingerie and boudoir attire fashion review, is being sponsored by the Spurgeon Mercantile Co. in cooperation with the Ritz management and according to Manager Harry Weber of the Ritz, a man will be just as popular at the theatre on that date as a mouse at the weekly meeting of the ladies aid society. Mrs.Weber will replace her husband as manager of the theatre. Miss Lora Elder will be assistant manager and Miss Ina Carlson, of the Spurgeon store, will act as matron. Miss Margaret Shockey will be the pianist and the following models will appear in the show: Ardath Dunshee, Marjorie Haltom, Carolyn Sollis, Elizabeth Ritson, Leta Wilhite, Thelma Reese, Grace Smith and Gene Anderson.
The showing of lingerie and boudoir apparel will follow the regular Wednesday matinee at the Ritz and every lady in the community is urged to see the latest styles of unmentionables and thingamajigs for the women folk paraded in a fashion review by the charming models. There'll be fluffy silky things that are nobody's business as far as menfolk are concerned, and there'll be all sorts of feminine apparel that the well-dressed woman wears but of which the public knoweth not. All these will be of the latest approved creation and taken from the large stocks at the Spurgeon store.
Ribbons, laces, silks, satins and all those shimmering materials which suit the fancy of miss and madam, all woven into cleverly designed apparel, will be displayed. "This season's lingerie is the cleverest we have ever sold," says E.S. Foster, manager of the Spurgeon store, "and we know that the ladies will be delighted with the beautiful creations and are confident that this new departure in fashion shows will strike the popular fancy here.
"It's a show for the women this time," says Manager Weber of the Ritz, "and us menfolk can only guess what takes place."
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The follow-up report consisted of a paragraph in the next Herald-Patriot edition noting that the event had been well attended but offering no details.
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