Viewfinder: The Movies

It's been nearly a decade since the lights inside The Movies--Hellertown's 1940 Streamline Moderne movie theater--dimmed for the last time. That hasn't changed the public's affection for the venerable cinema, however.

After Patch reader Patty Souders once known as the Sauconia, a number of other visitors to the site chimed in with their first-hand memories of the theater and hopes for its future.

"Having a theater in a small community is great," wrote Mary Anne Looby. "When we moved here 20 years ago we were thrilled to have someplace close by."

"Back then...the place was quirky," she recalled. "Ticket taker, snack attendant and usher were usually the same person! We loved it!"

Looby recommended attempting to start "some kind of endowment" to fund the theater's restoration.

"Maybe we could form a 'theater for humanity' and get volunteers to do the work. Then, whoever owns it could open and show current films."

"Anyone interested in a 'Save the Theater' movement?" Looby asked.

Patch reader Jen, 37, said she can recall visiting the theater as a kid, and lamented the fact that it is no longer open for her family to enjoy.

"I would like to share something with my daughter that I did in this town as a kid," she wrote. "I do hope something does get done and also hope it doesn't get knocked down."

"The Roxy made it in Northampton. Why can't we do it, too?" she asked, referencing the restored 1921 movie house in the Borough of Northampton.

Patch columnist Arthur Joel Katz also commented on The Movies' fate, but observed that the challenges associated with operating a profitable establishment might be considerable.

"All that is needed is lots of money and an audience," he wrote. "Opening the theater as a stage space might fill a void, but it is extremely doubtful that such an effort would be a money making proposition."

"I would love to see it happen, but I don't know anyone brave enough to try," he added.

Katz also noted that providing parking in the vicinity could be a challenge for any potential operator.

Jen agreed that parking "has always been an issue," but pointed out that there is presently an "open lot right across the street."

What do you think about The Movies and its future? Would you like to see it restored to its former glory? Would you like to see the building saved, but used as something other than a cinema? Would you support a grassroots effort to purchase and revitalize this architecturally significant building or even to list it on the National Historic Register of Places? 

Share your ideas, thoughts and memories of The Movies with us in the comments section below.