Jay Wooten Collection

Jay P. Wooten Sr., known to all as simply Jay Wooten, was a Dodge City resident during the 1930’s. He came to Dodge City in 1932 under the employment of the Fox Theatre Company. He managed several movie theaters here in Dodge City, and eventually gained an ownership interest in theaters, both motion picture and live, plus a few other entertainment venues here in town. He was best known for being the primary promoter of the world premiere of the film “Dodge City”, which occurred in Dodge City in 1939.

Mr. Wooten was born on 01-06-1906 in Louisiana, Missouri to Mr. and Mrs. A. H. Wooten. Shortly after Jay’s birth, the family moved to Liberal, Kansas and he spent his childhood years there. While still living in Liberal, he married Helen Emrie on October 30, 1927.

He came to Dodge City in August of 1932. He had managed a theater in Liberal, being employed by the Fox Theatre Company. Though he was only 26 years old, he quickly became well known in Dodge City by virtue of dealing with the public due to his job, plus his active involvements in civic organizations and community events. He was recognized by nearly all of the city’s residents, and many more in the surrounding area.

Mr. Wooten gained notoriety in Dodge City by installing one of the first air conditioning systems in town at the Fox Dodge Theater on Walnut Street (now known as Gunsmoke Street). After the system was up and running, during the cooler seasons Mr. Wooten elected to run the ventilation function alone for the purpose of exchanging and filtering the air within the theater. This was during the Dust Bowl era, and doing so made the theater even more attractive to the public.

Jay was a people person with a knack for communication, inspiration, and promotion. He was involved in several civic clubs and actively helped with community events. These natural abilities served him well in 1939, when he led the effort to bring the world premiere of the movie “Dodge City” to town. Many people in both Dodge City and Hollywood worked together to produce the event, but Jay Wooten, more than any other single person was responsible for its success. By all accounts, it was and still is the largest event in terms of attendance ever held in Dodge City. Estimates vary from 50,000 to 100,000 visitors to town, at a time when Dodge City’s population was about 8,000.

Over time Jay took over the management of several theaters in town, and along with some partners became an owner as well. He also managed some other entertainment ventures, most notably the Chalk Beeson Theater and the Ritz Ballroom that was located on its upper level.

Fox promoted Wooten to a position in Hutchinson, Kansas in March, 1940. He stayed in the movie business his entire life, and later in his career he was in a partnership that owned and managed many theaters in Kansas. He continued to visit Dodge City on occasion till late in his life. Jay P. Wooten Sr. died on 03-04-1984 and was buried in Liberal, Kansas.