| Over forty years ago, a movie theatre
| |
| | late 1930s, Justus remodeled an older
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| didn't need to be located in a shopping
| |
| | building into a theatre in Dallas City,
|
| mall to attract sufficient patrons. As
| |
| | Illinois, sixteen miles north of
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| other small, privately owned businesses
| |
| | Carthage. The theatre, he recalled, had a
|
| had done before them, small-town movies
| |
| | "beautiful front lobby with walk-up front
|
| theatres survived -- and, in some cases,
| |
| | steps" which "later became illegal
|
| even thrived -- for several decades. One
| |
| | because it was a fire hazard." The Dallas
|
| may still occasionally find independent
| |
| | Theatre made a profit during World War II
|
| theatres grinding away in small towns
| |
| | but , he added, was the first of his
|
| located far enough away from metropolitan
| |
| | three small-town theatres to "dry up." A
|
| areas, but one is more likely to find
| |
| | quonset hut theatre was constructed in
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| abandoned buildings with empty marquess
| |
| | the river town of Warsaw after World War
|
| that often resemble the rusted prows of
| |
| | II. It outlasted the older theatre in
|
| old ships. Some old theatre buildings
| |
| | Dallas City, but it never, according to
|
| serve as shells for churches and small
| |
| | Justus, made money. A large theatre
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| businesses, but even many of these
| |
| | circuit made him a considerable offer in
|
| buildings wear such skimpy camouflage
| |
| | the early 1950s for all three of his
|
| that someone passing through town can
| |
| | theatres, but, despite the gradual
|
| easily guess the role they once played as
| |
| | shifting of populations away from small
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| a local center for a shared community
| |
| | communities, he declined. He said that he
|
| experience. After the nature of the
| |
| | just didn't want to get out of the
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| community changed, after the local people
| |
| | theatre business.Television contributed
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| began identifying with the national
| |
| | to changes in the rural communities,
|
| television community, the local
| |
| | particularly when nearby Quincy acquired
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| exhibitors stepped up the public
| |
| | a TV station in the early 1950s, but a
|
| spectacle through promotional showmanship
| |
| | shift away from the shared experience of
|
| in order to revitalize not only its role
| |
| | small-town living was equally to blame.
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| in the community but often the local
| |
| | Justus' theatres lost customers no faster
|
| community spirit itself. These converted
| |
| | than many other local businesses, such as
|
| marquees remind us not only of abandoned
| |
| | furniture dealerships and dry goods
|
| ships but of shabby circus tents that
| |
| | stores. Despite efforts of theatre
|
| remain long after the circus has left
| |
| | exhibitors and other merchants to keep
|
| town; they may bear few traces of their
| |
| | their integral roles alive in a shrinking
|
| former role in the community rituals, but
| |
| | community, transportation facilitated the
|
| the memories of the personal efforts of
| |
| | migration of residents to urban areas
|
| local showmen to keep the circus alive in
| |
| | where they established suburban
|
| the face of cultural change will keep
| |
| | communities complete with ubiquitous
|
| that circus and the knowledge of the
| |
| | shopping centers and malls. New theatres
|
| cultural significance alive within
| |
| | cropped up inside these shopping areas,
|
| us.Before people relied so heavily on
| |
| | later becoming twins and multiplexes, but
|
| automobiles, and before they were afraid
| |
| | they generally failed to offer patrons
|
| to walk more than a few city blocks, many
| |
| | any sense of participating in communal
|
| towns of less than a thousand people had
| |
| | rituals. Watching films projected by
|
| their own theatre which residents often
| |
| | automated equipment while seated among
|
| labeled "the show house" or "the picture
| |
| | strangers in a shoebox-sized shopping
|
| show." Residents of the western Illinois
| |
| | mall theatre (in some urban areas) bore
|
| town of Carthage, for example, saw two
| |
| | little resemblance to the experience of
|
| show houses in its business district not
| |
| | watching a movie with neighbors and
|
| long after the beginning of the 20th
| |
| | relatives at the local "show
|
| century, but only one of them survived
| |
| | house."Patrons in small communities did
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| for long. The Woodbine Theatre, named
| |
| | not have to wait sixteen weeks or to
|
| after the crawling vine that grew on the
| |
| | drive around the city for a new film
|
| east side of the brick building, was not
| |
| | because the small theatres ran several
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| the first theatre in the town of over
| |
| | changes a week. Justus recalled that his
|
| three thousand people, but the
| |
| | own theatres would run "a Sunday-Monday
|
| showmanship of its owner caused the
| |
| | movie, a Tuesday bank night, a
|
| competition to go out of business.The
| |
| | Wednesday-Thursday, then a Friday and
|
| first Woodbine was converted into a
| |
| | Saturday. We got to the point where we
|
| theatre in 1917 by Charles Arthur Garard.
| |
| | were open three days a week. First it was
|
| C.A., as he was called, had already
| |
| | Thursday-Friday-Saturday-Sunday; then it
|
| operated a local dairy and a downtown ice
| |
| | was Friday, Saturday, and Sunday." The
|
| cream parlor which offered five-cent ice
| |
| | Carthage community supported the theatre
|
| cream sodas, confections, five-cent
| |
| | during the week nights in the late 1950s
|
| crushed fruit souffles, and a tobacco
| |
| | and early 1960s, but the Warsaw Theatre
|
| called Garard's Royal Blue. He was a
| |
| | dwindled down to Saturday and Sunday
|
| shrewd businessman, but he was also a
| |
| | showings, sometimes with a different film
|
| fanciful dreamer who needed to be held in
| |
| | each night. Students from the local
|
| check by his pragmatic and even shrewder
| |
| | four-year liberal arts college in
|
| wife. Bertha, who often accompanied the
| |
| | Carthage kept Friday night attendance
|
| silent movies shown in his theatre with
| |
| | strong at the Woodbine, but high school
|
| her piano, kept him from selling the
| |
| | football games severely limited Friday
|
| theatre and drifting off into other
| |
| | attendance in Warsaw.Another factor that
|
| projects, such as the growing of
| |
| | "made it so tough for the little towns,"
|
| grapefruits in Florida. When C.A. died,
| |
| | according to Justus, was that the
|
| she took over as proprietor until her
| |
| | independent exhibitors "couldn't get the
|
| youngest son, Justus, became old enough
| |
| | product until it had played the bigger
|
| to help her.Justus recalled in June of
| |
| | places," such as Quincy, which is about
|
| 1981 how his father never really had a
| |
| | forty miles south of Carthage, or Keokuk,
|
| chance to enjoy any substantial returns
| |
| | which sits just across the Mississippi
|
| from the theatre for ten years after he
| |
| | River on the southeastern tip of Iowa.
|
| converted it. "We would've been out of
| |
| | Because he was an independent, he had to
|
| business if it hadn't been for talking
| |
| | wait six weeks to play a film that was
|
| movies," Justus said, the earliest of
| |
| | booked first in Quincy, Keokuk, or at
|
| which "were very hard to understand." The
| |
| | other nearby circuit theatres. "If we
|
| Woodbine was the first theatre in the
| |
| | could've played the film the next week,"
|
| area to show talking pictures, which were
| |
| | Justus added, "Why, the people would have
|
| sound-on-disc like Warner Brothers'
| |
| | stayed home to see it. But they knew that
|
| Vitaphone system (shown in the
| |
| | we weren't gonna have it for awhile. So
|
| black-and-white TV promos for the 1955
| |
| | they'd go to Keokuk."Among later gimmicks
|
| film HELEN OF TROY and included in the
| |
| | employed to stir local community interest
|
| DVD and VHS copies of that film). The
| |
| | were Halloween midnight shows and four
|
| first sound films were "only
| |
| | features run each New Year's Eve, but the
|
| part-talkies. They would use some
| |
| | biggest seasonal event in Carthage was
|
| dialogue, then [the characters] would
| |
| | the annual series of merchant-sponsored
|
| soar into song." Because sound equipment
| |
| | Christmas films. Before each Christmas
|
| was expensive to install, he and a friend
| |
| | season, Justus purchased a Filmack
|
| Oliver Kirschner constructed their own
| |
| | trailer for the merchants, and a salesman
|
| sound system. Cast-iron record turntables
| |
| | from St. Louis sold the merchants a spot
|
| were cast at an industrial plant sixteen
| |
| | on the trailer for $37.50. The merchants
|
| miles away in Keokuk, Iowa, and attached
| |
| | were also given tickets or complimentary
|
| to the projector drive. Since sound
| |
| | passes for the theatre that were good any
|
| projectors operated at 34
| |
| | time, but the Christmas films -- usually
|
| frames-per-second, they revised a way to
| |
| | chosen for the children of those parents
|
| speed up their projectors to synchronize
| |
| | who were encouraged to do Christmas
|
| the film with the soundtrack on the
| |
| | shopping in town -- were shown free to
|
| record. Occasionally, "the needle would
| |
| | the community. The popcorn, of course,
|
| jump out of the groove," and the
| |
| | wasn't free. I can remember stuffing
|
| projectionist would have to "pick it up
| |
| | sacks full of popcorn and handing them
|
| and set it on the right groove by
| |
| | across the glass counter to pushy patrons
|
| watching carefully and following the
| |
| | who had to pay. . . not $3.00. . . but
|
| sound." He recalled that they had to do
| |
| | ten cents.The midnight Halloween showings
|
| this for two or three years until the
| |
| | of horror double-features were the ones
|
| advent of sound-on-film. Whenever the
| |
| | that I found to be particularly fun.
|
| needles would jump from one groove to the
| |
| | Justus often ran double bills like THE
|
| next because of over-modulation, the
| |
| | FLY and THE RETURN OF THE FLY and AIP's I
|
| customers would patiently wait for the
| |
| | WAS A TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN (1957) with
|
| projectionists to synchronize the record
| |
| | UA's THE RETURN OF DRACULA (1958). For
|
| with the film.The introduction of
| |
| | the latter, in Warsaw, I shaped white
|
| sound-on-film, which Justus recalled was
| |
| | cardboard into a castle which covered the
|
| here to stay by 1933, required that he,
| |
| | left exit. Above the exit, appropriately
|
| like other exhibitors, insert an
| |
| | enough for Halloween, was a clock which
|
| expensive sound head into the projector.
| |
| | advertised a local funeral home. (I often
|
| Because some films were released as
| |
| | wondered why funeral home clocks were
|
| sound-on-disc and some were released as
| |
| | displayed in small movie theatres in
|
| sound-on-film, such as Fox's Movietone
| |
| | those days. Were patrons being reminded
|
| system, many exhibitors had to choose
| |
| | that their lives were ticking away while
|
| between one system or the other.
| |
| | the films were flickering on the screen?)
|
| "Consequently," said Justus, "we weren't
| |
| | I stretched a wire from the projection
|
| playing any Fox pictures. Paramount came
| |
| | booth to the exit, located immediately to
|
| out with the records and Fox with the
| |
| | the left of the screen, and draped a
|
| sound-on-film." Once he installed the
| |
| | white bed sheet over a clothes hanger.
|
| sound-on-film system, he no longer used
| |
| | During a high point of one of the films,
|
| the disc system because he was never
| |
| | I stood in the exit doorway with my girl
|
| "able to completely overcome that wavery
| |
| | friend and jerked on the string attached
|
| noise. The music would go up and
| |
| | to the hanger, intending to pull my ghost
|
| down."Although C.A. died shortly after
| |
| | down to the exit over the heads of the
|
| the sound-on-disc system was working, he
| |
| | audience. The ghost emerged from the
|
| never saw the business at his theatre
| |
| | small projection window on cue, but the
|
| improve. Justus saw a gradual improvement
| |
| | hanger became hung-up on the wire and
|
| "along about 1937." This increase in
| |
| | refused to travel as I had intended. I
|
| patronage came about not because many
| |
| | tugged on the string and it snapped, so
|
| small-town citizens were interested in
| |
| | the projectionist gave the hanger a push.
|
| the latest technical improvements or in
| |
| | When the houselights came on at the end
|
| having their lives enriched by the
| |
| | of the feature, I saw my intended deus ex
|
| imaginative visions of such geniuses as
| |
| | machina suspended in plain view in the
|
| Orson Welles; they merely wanted
| |
| | center of the auditorium. Maybe this
|
| entertainment that would whisk them away
| |
| | failure was why Justus limited all of my
|
| from their humdrum lives -- and an excuse
| |
| | future promotion efforts to the lobby and
|
| to get out of the house. They didn't
| |
| | outside the theatre; maybe he decided
|
| expect to be surprised by the plot or
| |
| | that I had been influenced too much by
|
| ending and didn't really want to be
| |
| | the gimmicks of such master showmen as
|
| intellectually challenged. They were as
| |
| | William Castle (for such films as THE
|
| excited about seeing their favorite
| |
| | HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, THE TINGLER, MR.
|
| romantic leads involved in the latest
| |
| | SARDONICUS, HOMICIDAL, and THIRTEEN
|
| routine star vehicles as they were about
| |
| | GHOSTS). Of all of the Castle films that
|
| seeing the burning of Atlanta.The fact
| |
| | Justus played, I can only remember the
|
| that GONE WITH THE WIND (1939) was a hit
| |
| | colored glasses for the original THIRTEEN
|
| in Carthage may or may not have been the
| |
| | GHOSTS being particularly effective.
|
| result of Justus renting the side of a
| |
| | [Further details about horror movie
|
| barn where he and his friends pasted up a
| |
| | promotions can be found in the companion
|
| 24-sheet display touting the popular
| |
| | article BLACK-AND-WHITE HALLOWEEN HORROR
|
| classic. Many of the films that we today
| |
| | HITS: I WAS A TEENAGE UNDEAD WITCH, which
|
| regard as classics were, at the time,
| |
| | is available online.]These are only a few
|
| little more than run-of-the-mill
| |
| | examples of promotional machinations that
|
| programmers. CASABLANCA (1942), for
| |
| | were necessary to boost ticket sales for
|
| example, was merely a modest romantic
| |
| | the second-run films shown by
|
| thriller with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid
| |
| | independent, small-town exhibitors. Many
|
| Bergman acting as stand-ins for our
| |
| | of the earlier gimmicks, such as bank
|
| exotic fantasies; they turned the
| |
| | night and merchant-sponsored Christmas
|
| attention of small-town patrons away from
| |
| | shows, brought in a few extra dollars,
|
| their personal issues while the
| |
| | but it is doubtful whether the later and
|
| caricatured Nazi villains provided
| |
| | more flamboyant gimmicks greatly affected
|
| targets for their anger. In most
| |
| | ticket sales. BOXOFFICE magazine and
|
| instances, what was playing at the local
| |
| | press sheets for the individual films
|
| theatre was irrelevant, whether it be a
| |
| | offered exploitation tips, many of which
|
| film like WIZARD OF OZ (1939), which
| |
| | required the ordering expensive supplies,
|
| initially did disappointing business but
| |
| | but the struggling independent had to
|
| was later perceived to be a classic, or
| |
| | primarily rely on his own imagination to
|
| films with appropriate titles like
| |
| | create makeshift, inexpensive
|
| SMALL-TOWN GIRL (1936). It was a
| |
| | promotions.Justus Garard* claimed to be
|
| community activity that was as vital to
| |
| | one of the last independent exhibitors in
|
| the town as the Saturday night band
| |
| | the area to go out of business. The
|
| concerts when the white-painted wooden
| |
| | Woodbine Theatre in Carthage was sold to
|
| bandstand was hauled to the center of
| |
| | the neighboring auto dealer in 1969 and
|
| Main Street.An activity that Justus
| |
| | eventually converted into a showroom for
|
| promoted in his small town to help
| |
| | new cars. The interior of his theatre,
|
| improve theatre patronage was bank night.
| |
| | when my brother and I saw it shortly
|
| Bank night was a gimmick that worked like
| |
| | after it had been gutted for this
|
| this: the patrons would register in a
| |
| | purpose, resembled the interior of the
|
| large book, and attached to each
| |
| | small-town movie theatre in the superb
|
| registration form was a numbered tag
| |
| | and touching Italian film CINEMA PARADISO
|
| which Justus or an employee placed in a
| |
| | (1989). The Dallas and Warsaw theatres,
|
| large drum. The drum was hauled out in
| |
| | although closed long ago, still resemble
|
| front of the theatre audience after the
| |
| | movie theatres; the latter, used as a
|
| first showing on Tuesday nights where a
| |
| | storage area for antiques, still has its
|
| local merchant or other prominent citizen
| |
| | prow of a marquee that juts out over the
|
| would draw out a number and announce it
| |
| | sidewalk. Not much has changed in the
|
| to the audience. If the person holding
| |
| | river town of Warsaw, but on Saturday
|
| that number sat in the theatre at that
| |
| | nights, without the bandstand with local
|
| moment, he or she would claim the money.
| |
| | citizens playing instruments while kids
|
| "If not," Justus added, "the money was
| |
| | skip around it, and without the
|
| put into what we called bank night and
| |
| | glittering marquee of the old movie
|
| held over until the next week. We'd add
| |
| | theatre, Main Street seems much darker,
|
| fifty dollars a week." A fifty dollar
| |
| | and a lot lonelier. Perhaps only a few
|
| night would hardly pay for the showing,
| |
| | independent exhibitors, like those in
|
| and the theatre wouldn't start making
| |
| | small, midwestern towns like Carthage and
|
| money until the jackpot reached around
| |
| | Warsaw, resorted to the above-mentioned
|
| $200 or $300. "Then we'd fill the
| |
| | gimmicks, and perhaps the death knell for
|
| theatre," he said, and this didn't
| |
| | the mom and pop theatre operation had
|
| include "all the people who came down and
| |
| | been sounded long before the staging of
|
| gambled in the afternoons." Of course, a
| |
| | many of the later promotional efforts,
|
| weekly winner would have wiped out the
| |
| | but like the sailors on ships which many
|
| business, so Justus, like other
| |
| | of these still-existing theatre fronts
|
| independent exhibitors, took a gamble
| |
| | resemble, the tenacious independents
|
| with this particular gimmick.Another
| |
| | refused to go down without a fight.[Note:
|
| gimmick to bolster limping ticket sales
| |
| | *Justus Garard's statements were taken
|
| involved the distribution of sets of
| |
| | from an interview conducted by Sam Garard
|
| silverware one piece at a time until the
| |
| | in June 1981 at a Daytona, Florida,
|
| patron had collected an entire set. These
| |
| | cinema draft house owned by Sam at the
|
| sets -- knives, forks, spoons, and ladles
| |
| | time. I am indebted to both my father who
|
| -- were easier to handle than dishes;
| |
| | passed away in May of 1988 and younger
|
| dishes were shipped in barrels and often
| |
| | brother for the information which
|
| arrived broken. Unlike today, exhibitors
| |
| | supports my own recollections. Some of
|
| actually made the bulk of their profits
| |
| | these memories have been utilized as
|
| from ticket sales. The limited offerings
| |
| | background for my novels WATERFIELD and
|
| of the concession stands in small
| |
| | CLOSED FOR THE SEASON.]All rights
|
| theatres -- long before the days of hot
| |
| | reserved.Charles J. Garard is a writer
|
| dog warmers and cheese-covered tortilla
| |
| | and professor of British literature,
|
| chips -- provided only a small percent of
| |
| | American literature, mythology, and film
|
| the revenue. The best years for ticket
| |
| | studies. He has taught for two colleges,
|
| sales, added Justus, were during World
| |
| | two community colleges, and two
|
| War II.While Justus was an officer in the
| |
| | universities (most recently a university
|
| Navy in 1943, a fire started in the
| |
| | in Anshan, China). His nonfiction book on
|
| furnace and consumed the entire theatre.
| |
| | film POINT OF VIEW IN FICTION AND FILM:
|
| His uncle, prominent architect Edgar
| |
| | FOCUS ON JOHN FOWLES is available from
|
| Payne, drew up blueprints for a wider,
| |
| | Amazon. His interests include mainstream
|
| single-floor theatre, and construction
| |
| | fiction (with his father's movie theatres
|
| began immediately under Kirschner's
| |
| | forming the background of two novels),
|
| supervision. The new building had no
| |
| | science-fiction time travel, and horror;
|
| balcony, but it did contain a soundproof
| |
| | he is now working on a novel about
|
| cry room on the second floor. The seating
| |
| | Atlantis and is gathering his notes for a
|
| capacity of the theatre was 500 seats,
| |
| | novel about China. He lives in Atlanta,
|
| and this was later reduced to 350.In the
| |
| | Georgia, USA.
|
