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The history of the Roxy Updated 2/13/2008 When moving pictures took off in the early 1900s as a form of entertainment, the race was on in nearly every town to bring this novel new diversion to the citizens. In most smaller towns, an existing storefront was converted for use as a theatre. Of course, this called for a lot of compromises in quality, but who cared -- the movies were in town! According to local newspapers,
Forsyth's first movies were shown in a makeshift facility near
the Commercial Hotel (now the Howdy) for a few years in the early
1900s. Forsyth's first full-time movie theatre, the Star, was located in
a converted store building at 963 Main Street. This building
is two doors In 1922, Minnesotans Frank Faust and Tony Wolke were traveling to see a theatre in Polson, Montana. They didn't buy it, but on the way home they stopped in Forsyth to visit a mutual friend. Before they could get out of town, they found out the Lincoln Paramount Theatre was for sale, and purchased it. Business was good enough that in 1924, Faust and Wolke were able to purchase the Home Trading Company building, which was on the corner of 10th Avenue and Main Street. They operated a car dealership out of that building, until it was damaged by fire in 1929. The movie business was growing along with Forsyth's population, and by early 1930 the big news was sound. The Lincoln Paramount, of course, was a silent theatre, and had become too small to handle the growing crowds, so Faust and Wolke decided to build a new "talking" theatre on the site of the fire-damaged Home Trading building.
After only six years of operation, Tony Wolke died. His wife, Minnie, took over his interests, so the theatre continued to be operated by "Faust and Wolke." Eventually, Harvey Wolke (son of Tony and Minnie) became involved, and after Minnie's death in 1955, he continued to operate the theatre until the early 1960s. Frank Faust retired in 1957. Harvey Wolke eventually sold out to Roy Welter, who ran the business until 1967. In the 1950s, TV was presenting a strong challenge to the theatre industry. To make matters worse, movie quality at the time was at a low ebb. The hard times were finally too much. Roy Welter closed the Roxy in the spring of 1967. You can't keep a good theatre
down, though, and it was only a few months before the Roxy was
purchased by Forsyth business owners Don and Georgia Herndon.
They opened in the fall of 1967 with the Sidney Poitier film
"Up the Down Staircase." The Herndons operated the theatre until March 1979, when they sold it to Mike Blakesley and his brother-in-law Tom Clifford. Both had been employed by the theatre as projectionists. The Roxy has seen many remodelings and improvements over the years. In 1940, a popcorn machine was placed in the outer lobby. In 1953, the screen was enlarged to its current 30-foot-wide size, and the concession stand was built in the inner lobby. Three iron posts, which held up the balcony, were replaced by a steel beam, thereby improving the viewing for people in the back of the auditorium. The tradition of periodic upgrades was continued when Blakesley and Clifford took over the business. Soon after their purchase of the theatre, the exterior was repainted; new carpet was installed; and within a year, all-new projection and sound equipment was installed. The biggest remodel in the theatre's history took place in 1982, with the installation of new seats and fabric wall coverings. In 1987, Clifford left the
business. Blakesley turned attention to the growing demand for improved
movie sound, adding
Ultra Stereo sound in 1992 and DTS Digital Sound in 1995. The neon
marquee was restored in several steps; the projection booth windows
(long boarded over) were replaced; and the building was repainted
yet again in 1996. The ancient "Arctic Nu-Air Blower," a major
source of pride in 1930 but just a sweat-inducing swamp cooler
in the 1990s, was replaced with a modern air-conditioning system. In 2000, Mike Blakesley got married, and he and his wife Lynn soon launched another record-setting project: The 1982 seats were replaced with modern chairs with cupholders; the carpeting was replaced with a patterned style that recalled the original carpet in the building; and the auditorium wall coverings were replaced with more contemporary colors. No detail was spared: Even the light bulbs in the concession stand were replaced with special bulbs which enhance the colors of the candy and popcorn. In February of 2006, the sound system in the Roxy was given another major upgrade with the addition of Dolby Digital Sound. The Dolby system replaced the aging Ultra Stereo/DTS hybrid system, and exchanged the original three amplifiers for five QSC amps, recognized around the world as the best in cinema technology. In early 2008, a major cosmetic improvment to the lobby took place. The 1982-era brick paneling was replaced with textured drywall, bringing the lobby finishes back to the way they were originally. The original ceiling of the concession stand ceiling was exposed and restored, as was the original stucco work in the balcony stairway and the stage area. What does the future hold? Time will
tell, but rumor has it that the Roxy's restrooms, which are on the small
side, are scheduled for an update eventually. And the specter of
Digital Cinema looms down the road somewhere, too. But whatever
happens, it's clear that the Roxy will remain at the forefront of the
exhibition industry while retaining the small-town charm that makes it
such a fun place to go to a movie. |
west of where the Roxy is now.
(You can see it in this picture -- it is the building near the
left, with four vertical windows.) The Star Theatre was renamed
the Lincoln Paramount in 1918.
The
lots were cleared, and the Roxy Theatre was built in the summer
of 1930, at a cost of $35,000. The theatre opened on September
6 with the film "The Bad One," starring Dolores Del
Rio. Adult admission was 50¢ for auditorium seats, 60¢
for the balcony.
