This looks like a relevant and interesting documentary: The Last Picture Shows. It’s about all those small town movie houses that still exist, even as Hollywood tries to strangle us all.
Filmmaker Rustin Thompson journeys into the American West on a search for traces of what was once a center of small-town life: the movie theater. On the trip, he finds long abandoned and forgotten cinemas; movie houses that have fallen into disrepair; theaters recently closed, theaters struggling to hold on, and theaters that—thanks to their thoughtful caretakers—are not only surviving but thriving. Between the stops along the way, Rustin poetically intersperses excerpts from Peter Bogdanovich’s 1971 classic film The Last Picture Show, as well as reflections on past and present hardships facing the film exhibition industry. The Last Picture Shows is not only a timely portrait of an industry in crisis, one facing the headwinds of consolidation, streaming, and the diminishing theatrical experience, but it also reminds viewers that even in vast cinema deserts, there are oases of community and gathering that remain, where the movie house continues to be a place of wonder, contemplation, and connection.
There were actually two centers of small-town life in Morris, the railroad station and the theater. The railroad station is a wreck right now, with no passenger rail service to our town. The theater probably fits into the category of “struggling to hold on,” but we are currently in the black, just barely. We’ve got costly plans to revitalize the theater right now, mostly mundane stuff like a $30,000 expense to repair the roof, and further down the road we plan to remodel the run-down restrooms, and update the marquee. These are daunting costs, especially for an institution only this year boasted a net profit of about $5000. We figure if we keep plugging away, pennies at a time, we’ll eventually get there.
Meanwhile, the next closest theater in the small town of Benson, the DeMarce Theater, has a “For Sale” sign posted. I don’t know if they’re failing, or if the owners are just aware of how much work it takes to keep these businesses afloat.
The Brentwood neighborhood in Jacksonville where I lived in until I was 7 had a neighborhood movie theater. It’s where the kids went on Saturday morning to see Roy Rogers and Gene Autry and whatever else was playing. The theater closed in 1956, which would be shortly after I stopped going because we moved. The building still stands and is a library now.
The San Francisco area has quit a few local theater operations. In Marin County alone, there are three or four old movie houses still showing films. Of course there are plenty of mainstream, first run movie houses, too.
There are two of those in my local area.
One was a historic old art deco theatre that was last owned by one of the chains.
It needed a lot of renovation so they donated it to a local group as a nonprofit community theatre on the condition that they never show first run movies.
They have an active schedule with old movies, rock concerts, punk rock concerts, plays, comedy shows, and whatever else they can book. They are apparently making enough to stay open but they have renovations planned that they can’t pay for either.
The other is further away and I don’t know much about them.
Apparently it is owned by someone who just wants to run an old movie theatre.
It was remodeled a few decades ago and seems to be in good condition.
I’ve never been to a movie there but am keeping on eye on the schedule for something I want to see.
It is currently showing the same movie as the Morris theater, Resident Evil.
The one I have been in a few times and really like, is the McDonald theatre in Eugene.
It’s big at 800 seats and has kept a lot of its art deco construction.
They book mostly music acts, rock and contemporary pop music,
I just checked and in October they have Judy Collins and Steel Pulse (reggae).
Too bad. Morris was once on the route of the Great Northern’s Empire Builder. Amtrak’s version of that train now runs through Staples to Fargo.
Eagle River, WI, the closest town to where I spend my summer months, has two old-time theaters on the main street, which is called Wall St for some reason. Both have been converted to touristy shopping centers.
I actually, thought the one on the south side of the street was still a theater because I remember my daughter bringing her two kids there to see a movie on a rainy day when they were little. But I checked a recent street view to be sure and it looks like that one is now a craft and hobby center, among other things.