Historic Red Lodge theater
making the switch to digital
By ED KEMMICK | May 3, 2012
RED LODGE — Lee J. Hanchett stumbled into the movie business in the mid-1980s. Almost 30 years later, he's still at it, operating what he says is the oldest cinema in Montana built as a movie theater and still used for that purpose. And though the Roman Theatre, built in 1917, is showing its age, it remains a popular part of the Red Lodge entertainment scene — popular enough to justify the installation of a digital projector and sound system, which is being done this week. Hanchett said he's still operating the Roman because it's a business but also because it's good for Red Lodge.
"It's a service that this community would suffer if this weren't here," he said.
Jeff Anderson is inspired by similar motives. He and his wife, former Red Lodge Mayor Betsy Scanlin, have owned the Roman Theatre building since 2000, and they are financing the transition to digital technology.
Hanchett, Anderson and Scanlin are as much museum caretakers as business owners. They enjoy maintaining an important part of local history. Anderson remembers going to the Roman Theatre as a young boy and being scolded by "Scary Mary" Roman, who was the daughter or possibly the granddaughter of Steve Roman, the Italian immigrant who built the theater. Anderson's family moved to Billings in 1956 and went up to Red Lodge to ski almost every weekend in the winter. He said he's skied at Red Lodge Mountain every year but one since 1956. "And I missed one year because I had a broken leg," he said.
... in the mid-1980s, the operator of the Roman Theatre asked Hanchett if he'd come in sometimes and help him run the place. Hanchett did that for a couple of years and learned how everything worked. The previous owner must have figured Hanchett had learned enough. "One day he said, 'The business is yours. I'm out of here.' Literally," Hanchett said.
It has been the perfect Red Lodge job, he said, running the theater at night and skiing and hiking during the day. He is also an independent broker — a rarity in the business these days — who decides what movies to bring in and works directly with movie industry people in Hollywood. He and Anderson do what needs to be done to keep the old theater going.
"Running this place is like an iceberg, partner. Ninety percent of it's underwater," Hanchett said.
Anderson, a lifelong carpenter, does much of the labor himself, within reason.
The theater seats about 200 people, with 120 plastic-back theater seats, made in the 1980s, taking up the center of the auditorium. On the sides are metal chairs that Hanchett dates to the 1930s, about the same time the talkies nudged out silent films. Scattered throughout the auditorium are a few couches and a recliner. A few of the original chairs are upstairs, in the twin balconies that are no longer used for seating.
There is also a stage in front of the movie screen, used over the years for the occasional live concert, dance recital or high school drama production.
The Roman was closed last week to prepare for the digital conversion, which is taking place this week. The theater will reopen this Saturday with a showing of "The Lorax" at 7:15 p.m. Hanchett is clearly excited about the switch to digital, and about the prospect of keeping the Roman alive. "It'd probably be different if it was just a little box in the mall," he said.
From the Billings Gazette