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