Out to the movies

My children and I had gone to the theater to see "Batman vs. Superman" which is a very long movie. Recently remodeled, the theater had installed new seats, which were greatly appreciated!

Unfortunately, remodeling left some problems that have always been my pet peeves anyway. First, there are no bright ceiling lights on at any time; so finding a seat, or even finding the steps to climb when going in or coming out of the movie is difficult. I hope they correct this.

The historical names of Nevada theaters are now missing on entryways into viewing areas. Instead, they are now labeled Auditorium 1, 2, etc. When the current theater opened with six screens for movies, each theater was named to represent all the former theaters in Nevada. Losing that tie to its heritage is a loss for the Century Six! And one more cutting of today's ties to the past. Century Six can take pride in the history of theaters in Nevada! I hope this is a temporary glitch to be quickly fixed.

Small past theaters in town were the Lyric, Liberty, Willis, Grand, Nemo and the Photoplay. The historic movie theaters honored in The Century Six Theater were the Nickel, Arbo, Rex, Star, and the Fox.

Since the first theater, The Nickel, opened in 1907 at 112 E. Cherry St., Nevada has welcomed viewers who came in from this county and many surrounding counties for a night out.

The Arbo was a big hit in the 1930s and 1940s. Its location seems lost to history.

The Star Theater, at 110 S. Main, was originally Carter's Livery Barn, but opened its doors as a theater in 1917. Celebrity visitors included Wallace Berry and Smiley Burnett. There were stage shows as well as movies with amateur hours, a glass blower and a ukulele contest with five dollars in gold to the winner! Magicians, dance recitals and fortunetellers all graced the stage at the Star Theater. Drawings of ticket stubs were held for prizes.

The Star Theater building morphed into the Fox Theater at that same location just off the square in the mid 1950s. The Fox was in operation as a one-screen, then a three-screen movie theater until the late 1990s when the Century Six was built east of town.

The Fox had a balcony that lined the wall just in front of the projection booth. The balcony was always a big deal for teens. It had its own entrances with stairs on each side of the theater just before the main seating area.

Front rows were reserved for preteens who loved the larger than life screen characters, particularly the monsters!

The beauty of the Fox was the bright lighting on the high ceilings. The lights were on between shows and moviegoers could locate friends and easily maneuver their every step in the theater.

These bright lights slowly faded when it was movie time. The old red velvet curtain went up, the projector light lit up the screen and the magic began! By the way, the dimming of the ceiling lights is a theater, and now movie tradition, that is centuries old around the world. As is the opening or raising of the curtain. Of course then as now, previews of coming attractions were first, then a cartoon or two and maybe a newsreel or even a serialized short were next.

Other great assets were ushers who used flashlights to help people find seats in the darkened theater after the movie started. This was the movie experience of old that made people feel they were doing something beyond watching television on a big screen. This was a dating classic and an outing of prestige for adults. It was the beginning of several generations of children's love of movies.

Nevada is fortunate to have a local theater. People still travel for miles to view first run (meaning currently being released) movies on the weekends they open in much larger cities across the nation. With the new seating, the beautiful new lobby floor and the quicker access concessions, there is much to be proud of in our hometown theater!

However, I feel some of the magical "night out at the movies" feel is slipping. Please, bring back a curtain for the screens, or at least a projected image of a curtain. Have reliable lighting between showings so people can find their seating easily and safely. Replace the names of the old theaters that Century Six was named for! If putting them in the electronic light is not cost effective, then paint the names on the entry doors to each theater.

We love our movies and the great opportunity to view them in comfort at a hometown theater.

Till the next time friends, remember, there is nothing better than dinner and a movie!