Hm, in my memory “Star Wars” ran at the Rialto (rather than the Palace), which fell near the same time and in similar fashion, to make way for Civic Center construction. I saw it at the Rialto in the fall of ‘77, some weeks into its run. Of course one must remember that few realized at its release that it would be a major hit- it was viewed as simply another in a line of sci-fi interest movies. Also there wasn’t yet the concept of a “blockbuster” movie. A hint at that had come a couple years before with “Jaws”. I did see “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “Every Which Way But Loose” at the Palace in its final years.
Also the catchphrase was “If it will play in Peoria, it will play anywhere”. Meaning not that Peoria can particularly discern quality, but rather that it’s an “everyman” community with tastes predictive for success across geography and social strata. Peoria was once widely used as a test market for various products.
I might take issue with declaring the Palace to be the “best known” downtown theater. Across the street stood the Madison, which was at the least its equal. It almost amazingly still stands after decades of closure and neglect but finally seems on the cusp of being saved and renovated.
One glitch with the historical report; the Hahns operated until 1979, not 1997. The Palace was at that time the Reynolds' first moviehouse purchase, and he would go on buy other smaller-market houses, and to feature day-of-release showings.
The Palace was both repaired/reopened following the 2010 tornado and recently converted to digital projection with a great deal of community support. However, the Reynolds have been withdrawing from the industry, and have been challenged in continuing to operate at a profit while servicing remaining debt from the repairs and digital updating. They have accordingly listed the Palace for sale (as well as the Garden in Canton).
It is a tremendous challenge to operate a small-town single-screen moviehouse in 2015, particularly as the major studios ratchet up terms of pricing and audience size. I recall predictions from a few years ago that the conversion to digital would ease movie availabilities and costs, with the need for producing, transporting and handling film prints eliminated, but sadly this seems not the case. The studios seem to be more out for the almighty dollar than ever.
We recently had a presentation by a manager at the Chillicothe 2-screener, which a civic group purchased from Reynolds a few years ago and operates on a not-for-profit basis to benefit youth organizations, as we in Elmwood assess the future for the Palace. He detailed the aforementioned challenges.
Obviously the Garden did not make the conversion to digital prior to closing this year, as implied by this report. It is for sale, and one could likely get a really good deal on it. I saw a film there last year, and the audio was awful. I don’t quite understand how Fulton County and its largest town cannot support a quality moviehouse.
Hm, in my memory “Star Wars” ran at the Rialto (rather than the Palace), which fell near the same time and in similar fashion, to make way for Civic Center construction. I saw it at the Rialto in the fall of ‘77, some weeks into its run. Of course one must remember that few realized at its release that it would be a major hit- it was viewed as simply another in a line of sci-fi interest movies. Also there wasn’t yet the concept of a “blockbuster” movie. A hint at that had come a couple years before with “Jaws”. I did see “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “Every Which Way But Loose” at the Palace in its final years.
Also the catchphrase was “If it will play in Peoria, it will play anywhere”. Meaning not that Peoria can particularly discern quality, but rather that it’s an “everyman” community with tastes predictive for success across geography and social strata. Peoria was once widely used as a test market for various products.
I might take issue with declaring the Palace to be the “best known” downtown theater. Across the street stood the Madison, which was at the least its equal. It almost amazingly still stands after decades of closure and neglect but finally seems on the cusp of being saved and renovated.
One glitch with the historical report; the Hahns operated until 1979, not 1997. The Palace was at that time the Reynolds' first moviehouse purchase, and he would go on buy other smaller-market houses, and to feature day-of-release showings.
The Palace was both repaired/reopened following the 2010 tornado and recently converted to digital projection with a great deal of community support. However, the Reynolds have been withdrawing from the industry, and have been challenged in continuing to operate at a profit while servicing remaining debt from the repairs and digital updating. They have accordingly listed the Palace for sale (as well as the Garden in Canton).
It is a tremendous challenge to operate a small-town single-screen moviehouse in 2015, particularly as the major studios ratchet up terms of pricing and audience size. I recall predictions from a few years ago that the conversion to digital would ease movie availabilities and costs, with the need for producing, transporting and handling film prints eliminated, but sadly this seems not the case. The studios seem to be more out for the almighty dollar than ever.
We recently had a presentation by a manager at the Chillicothe 2-screener, which a civic group purchased from Reynolds a few years ago and operates on a not-for-profit basis to benefit youth organizations, as we in Elmwood assess the future for the Palace. He detailed the aforementioned challenges.
Obviously the Garden did not make the conversion to digital prior to closing this year, as implied by this report. It is for sale, and one could likely get a really good deal on it. I saw a film there last year, and the audio was awful. I don’t quite understand how Fulton County and its largest town cannot support a quality moviehouse.