Old single screen movie theatres are a hobby of mine.  Not all small town theaters are great places to see movies.  Most of the theaters I have been in are run down, have poor pictures, sound, and very poor presentations.  Most of these theaters are usually mom & pop operations run by kids.  They do the best they can.  These old theater buildings are very expensive to maintain.  With the ever falling movie attendance due to video rentals,  these theaters eventually close their doors forever.    There are a few theatres that have been taken care of through the years, and the owners have been able to keep them up and make improvements.  Theaters are all unique, and a big part of our American history.

As a hobby, I have been involved with a few single screen theatres. I help in getting good used equipment and installed in some of these old theaters that need upgrading, and are trying to stay alive.

    Through the years I have become friends with the owner of the Lorraine Theater, Greg Boardman.  I have since assisted in some of the theatre equipment upgrades, movie premiers, and  in the construction and design of a second screen called the Lorraine 2.
    The Lorraine 2 is a small 50 seat theater build like a Hollywood Directors Screening room.  The building was built in 1898, and was last used as a gift shop before it was made into a theatre.  It has carpeting, and seats with rows spaced far apart.  The booth has a 1930's Super Simplex projector, and Dolby CP-50 sound processor for Stereo sound.
    It was rewarding building, designing, and wiring the  projection booth in about a weeks time for the opening of the 'Truman Show" back in 1998.  We were fine tuning all the way up to showtime!
 
 

   The Pecos Theater is on Route 66 in the town of Santa Rosa New Mexico .   The town has a population of about 2500.  The nearest theater is over an hour away.  The Pecos Theatre is made of rock and adobe. Many of the buildings in this area are also made of adobe.  The inside is really cool.  It hasn't changed since the 30s, and is a real trip back into history.
    I stumbled on this theater on my vacation in 1998.  I saw the movie "Something About Mary".    This is when I met the owner, Rudy Sanchez.  After the movie, he showed me the projection booth, we got talking,  and I ended up working with him on some minor projector problems until 2am in the morning.  I had a great time working with the the old Arc lamphouses, and vintage projection equipment.  Rudy, and I have become good friends.
    This 1930's Movie Theater operated two of it's original Super Simplex projectors on a changeover system, and Peerless Arc lamphouses until May of 2005.  The theatre now operates with one of its original projectors, a Strong 2K Xenon Lamphouse, and a platter system.  It still has a mono Ballantine tube amplifier for sound.
Rudy is pretty much a one man show.  Sells concessions during the movie, and before the platter system, had to runs up the  stairs to the booth to make reel changes every 20 minutes or so.
       I really enjoy visiting this small town theater.  I learn about the equipment, about life in a small town, and help to preserve a bit of our history.  The people here are very friendly, and make you feel like family.
 
 

 

Rudy adjusts the ARC lamphouse for the test run.

 

July 2005
After 5 years of having the equipment, Rudy finally had projector #1 removed from the booth, had the Strong Super Lumx Xenon Lamphouse installed on projector #2, and installed a platter

 Rudy holds up his vintage Cinemascope lens

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Pictures of Theaters in Small Towns I have seen on my vacations

To See A List Of All Movie Theatres In The Country, And The Around The World, Go To...
http://www.cinematour.com

See a Cinerama Drive In Theatre in California from the 60's  http://www.capital.net/com/jaytp/CINEDRIV.HTM

History of Drive- in Theatres in Tucson AZ
http://207.201.186.75/drivein/drive-in.htm

Drive in Theatre History site!  with links to many drive-in  theatres!
http://www.driveintheater.com/
 

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