A piece of Dixon history: L.G. Rorer, the man behind the curtain

Editor’s Note: This is the third of three installments about the history of The Dixon: Historic Theatre.

DIXON – No one would dispute that Leonard G. Rorer was the man responsible for building the Dixon Theater on Galena Avenue in 1922.

His role was so significant, his last name was emblazoned in large letters on the original terrazzo floor in the theater lobby. In its construction, Rorer insisted on “quality throughout” and he led the venture to a successful run for decades.

Yet, the theater originally was owned by 300 stockholders, not one man. Rorer was a major stockholder and he served as the primary theater official, even into the 1950s.

1936: The Lee Theater

The Dixon Theater was enormously popular throughout the 1920s and ‘30s. Building on that popularity, Rorer led the effort to build a second theater in downtown Dixon, only a half block away.

In 1936, George Lindquist, of Lindquist Construction of St. Charles, won the bid for erecting a “modern motion and sound picture theater” on the north side of East First Street. The project, Lindquist’s first in Dixon, was required to use only local labor and local materials.

Since the Dixon Theater was named after the city, the Lee Theater was named after the county. Smaller than its big sister, the Lee Theater seated 700-800 on one floor, had no dressing rooms, no balcony and no stage except for a speaking platform.

As the country was climbing out of the Great Depression, the 1936 Lee Theater fed the community’s growing appetite for entertainment. Rorer reserved the Dixon Theater for “only feature film releases,” while the Lee Theater showed “another class of pictures.”

1937: Reagan’s first movie

The next year, Dixon’s own Ronald Reagan landed a movie contract with Warner Brothers. All Dixon was abuzz with pride over the startling success of its hometown boy. Leonard Rorer then used the Lee Theater to host the world premiere of Reagan’s very first movie, “Love is On the Air,” in October 1937.

Reagan loved the honor and wrote a personal letter to Rorer. “I can’t tell you … how grateful I am to you for exhibiting my first picture,” said the new movie star. “I must confess, however, to a bit of homesickness for what will always be my home town. I think I’d give my share of the national debt to be there right now.”

The Lee Theater served the community for almost 30 years. In 1965, Dixon’s new Osco Drug Store completely remodeled the Lee Theater into a drug store. Later, Kline’s department store expanded from its location next door and moved into the Osco/Lee Theater building at 105 E. First St.

1950: Salary controversy

For almost 30 years, Rorer had gained a reputation as a genial and benevolent community-minded citizen. But in 1950, a front-page controversy erupted over his salary and charges of favoritism to his relatives.

On June 6, 1950, the Telegraph reported that stockholders were furious when they realized that exorbitant salaries had essentially eliminated payment of dividends for that year. It’s not as though box office income was suffering; net earnings in 1949 were a whopping $179,000 (the equivalent of $2.4 million in 2025).

A key source of contention was L. G. Rorer’s salary: $15,600 a year. That may not sound like much today, but in 1950 the average household income was $3,300. Adjusted for inflation, $15,600 in 1950 is about $210,000 in 2025.

Nepotism, too

Stockholders also learned that Frank Rorer, Leonard’s brother, was paid a $6,500 salary (twice the average household income), and Frank had been ill and not working for years. When Frank died in March 1952, his obituary said he retired in 1947.

In addition, Howard Emerson “Em” Rorer, Frank’s son, who had been serving as the manager of the Dixon and Lee theaters, was paid $7,800 a year (about $105,000 in 2025 dollars). By the end of the year, Howard was no longer working for the theater.

1950: Midway Drive-In Theater

In spite of the controversy, Rorer, 58, continued to expand the theater company. In August 1950, Rorer and the Dixon Theater Company opened the Midway Drive-In Theater between Dixon and Sterling. The new outdoor theater, located near Prairieville, included space for more than 600 cars on 11 ramps, a large playground and a full concession stand.

That same month, Rorer helped to bring Ronald Reagan back to town for “Injun Summer Days.” The four-day festival, also billed as the “Ronald Reagan Homecoming,” featured Reagan dedicating the new Memorial Pool, the new Reynolds Field and a new wing of KSB Hospital.

Reagan and the Rorer horse

Reagan also famously led a 600-horse parade that wound its way through the north and south sides of town. His perch atop the lead horse has now become immortalized in his famous statue on Dixon’s riverfront. But few realize that Reagan’s palomino, named Golden Chance, was owned by Leonard G. Rorer, who loaned it to Reagan for the parade.

Later that day, Reagan returned to Rorer’s Dixon Theater and greeted enthusiastic hometown audiences in two appearances on the stage.

1951: New management

The 1950 salary controversy increased pressure for a change in theater management. In September 1951, the Lee-Dix Theater Corporation took over management of the Dixon, Lee, and Midway theaters. Thereafter, it appears that none of the Rorers managed any of the theater operations.

When Leonard Rorer died in 1956 at age 73, the Telegraph reported his death on page 1, describing him as the “pioneer motion picture theater operator in Dixon.” He was buried at Chapel Hill in Dixon.

Over the years, the Dixon Theater has been owned and managed by several entities that have worked to refresh and maintain its role as a treasured civic centerpiece. The Historic Dixon Theatre Group purchased the theater in 2019. The mayor and City Council appoints its board, but it operates as an independent body.

Thanks to a $1.2 million federal grant and $300,000 in local matching funds, the newly renovated historic theater reopened on March 2, 2025. On Friday, April 11, Tori Highley will speak about the theater’s history for Dixon’s annual Founder’s Day presentation at the Loveland Community House.

• Dixon native Tom Wadsworth is a writer, speaker and occasional historian. He holds a Ph.D. in New Testament.