Projection cameras were outfitted with special “Cinemascope” lenses in 1954 to accommodate the wide screen pictures of the time, and surround sound speakers, with four track stereophonic sound, were installed in 1955. At this time the projectors still used carbon arc lamp projection. Carbon arc lamps operate at high powers and produce high intensity white light... ...These dangerous lamps were replaced in the 1995 with Xenon lamp houses. In 2015 the conversion to digital projection was completed. This allows movies and various other content to be played.
In 1999 as a condition of getting the film “Star Wars The Phantom Menace” Dolby Digital Sound was installed with improved surround sound.
In the late 1970s, Schultz installed a huge 18x35-foot screen to accommodate popular 3D movies, increasing the screen size by 227 square feet. Today less that 1,000 big screens remain in the U.S. as multi-plex theaters with smaller theaters and smaller screens have become the norm.
During the lifetime of the theater, there have been a few world premiers at Cody Theatre. “The Young Land” premiered in May of 1959, the western drama film starring Patrick Wayne (son of John Wayne) and Dennis Hopper. “Great American Cowboy” the 1973 documentary film by Keith Merrill. The film, which won the 1973 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, is about the battle between two rodeo stars for the world championship: veteran Larry Mahan and newcomer Phil Lyne. The documentary [was] partially filmed during the Cody Stampede celebration. Although admission to the premier was $5, a pricey sum in the 1973, “people swarmed in,” Schultz recalls, making it possible to collect the admission price. The movie didn’t fare as well at other box offices around the country and lived a short life in theaters.
The Cody Theatre hosted the regional world premiers of the 1994 movie “8 Seconds” about professional bull rider Lane Frost. The premier was planned as a benefit for the Northwest College Rodeo Team, and although the Big Horn Basin was blanketed with 14 inches of snow that night, the movie still attracted a crowd of about 200 people.
“An Unfinished Life”, the movie based on the book of the same name written by local author Mark Spragg premiered on Sept 9, 2005. The movie starred Robert Redford, Jennifer Lopez and Morgan Freeman and is set on a ranch near the town on Ishawooa, Wyoming. Mr Spragg and Virginia Korus Spragg wrote the screenplay for this film.
There have been a few controversies about the movies shown at the Cody Theatre. In the 1970’s x-rated films were shown and were even listed on the printed monthly calendar. In 2006 the Oscar Winning film “Brokeback Mountain” depicted the controversial story of a forbidden and secretive relationship between two cowboys and their lives over the years. It played to good crowds although there were many letters to the editor of the Cody Enterprise concerning the content of the film.
In 2007, Dan Miller rented the theater auditorium for his Cowboy Music Revue. This was a live show featuring authentic cowboy music throughout the summer months.
In 2015, Wiley Newsome decided to begin to show movies again as well as offer a venue for live music, gaming and community events. After a projection and sound upgrade to digital and a few other upgrades, the Cody Theatre will reopen in the Spring of 2016.
From the Cody Theatre