Ask any Lansingite over the age of 50 about movie houses they frequented in their youth, and no doubt they'll sigh and smile, and list names like The State, Gladmer, and Michigan theaters. A slightly younger generation will recall the Spartan Triplex, or perhaps The Odeon. The memories and stories attached to these names are rich with nostalgia and a deep fondness by which you can't help but be touched. While virtually all of the theaters akin to those above have sadly faded from the Lansing area landscape, a few special gems remain.
We start by taking a front row seat at two area movie theaters that still offer an intimate, unique experience; the Sun Theatres in Grand Ledge and Williamston. And, as the red-velvet curtain closes, we'll step into the Wayback Machine as we share a couple recollections of just what made those old movies houses so special.
The Sun Theatre – Grand Ledge
Chuck Pantera purchased
The Sun Theatre on Grand Ledge's main drag over a handshake in a local restaurant in 1989. The handshake ensured that the Sun would continue a legacy running since 1931. "It's been a movie theater its whole life," Pantera proudly explains.
Pantera's smile and enthusiasm are well known around Grand Ledge, as is his commitment to Sun customers. With $2 ticket prices and a kids' movie meal that costs a mere $3, the theater is popular for deal-seeking parents. Pantera understands that the community appreciates the price, and that it affords many families the opportunity to go to the movies that wouldn't be able to otherwise. "It's important to us," he says. "It's important that we provide this place, especially as you think about the economy, or the cost of gas, or the struggle of the single parent."
Operating the family-run affair from that handshake in 1989 through the graduation of his children in 1999, Pantera sold the theater to pursue ventures outside the theater business. Almost 10 years later, he once again reached out his hand in ownership of the Sun; this time to pick back up the reins from the owners whose daughter was ailing.
A host of renovations have been made to the Sun over the years, including a new brick façade, an updated marquee, new seats (with cupholders!), and an upgraded heating and cooling system. None of which have been as jarring as the latest improvement, spurred by Hollywood's changing technology. "We went digital in November and now I’m trying to figure out how to pay back $65,000," Chuck laughs.
While much has changed to accommodate the times at the Sun, Pantera strives to ensure one thing never will: the ticket prices. Despite his major investment, customers will not feel the impact at the box office. Instead, Pantera has launched a donation campaign in the attempts to recoup his retirement savings.
Chuck, who says the Sun sees about 30,000-40,000 patrons a year, believes the Grand Ledge is a special place. "This community wants to help. You rarely hear a 'no' out here," he says.
The Sun Theatre - Williamston
On the opposite side of the Lansing-area reaches sits the
Williamston Sun Theatre, vigilantly run by the Robitaille family for over 30 years. The deal over this Sun theater was done over a haircut at the local barbershop.
"My father was getting his haircut when the owner of the theater came into the barbershop and declared he was going to sell the rundown building. Dad offered to purchase it, and as soon as his haircut was through, he and the owner drew up a attorney's office up the street," explains owner, Dan Robitaille. The senior Robitaille casually mentioned the theater to his wife upon returning home. "My mother offered that they should burn it," he says with a chuckle.
Rather than burn it, the family set out to save what remained of the Sun Theatre in December of 1979. They did what the community said couldn't be done and re-opened the theater in February of 1980.
A graduate of Williamston high school, Dan virtually grew up in the theater, working every job you could imagine. That's why, when his parents decided to retire to Florida in 2000, it was a natural step for he and wife Lisa, to assume ownership. "We were the only ones dumb enough," they joke, though quick to say in all seriousness, "No, we were fortunate enough to be able to do so."
Much like their cousin Sun, the Williamston Sun strives to keep ticket prices low. Tickets are $4 and popcorn starts at 25 cents. "It's important to keep community close. Where else can you drop your kids off and not worry about them, knowing they're safe? It's a dying experience," explains Lisa.
Feeling the technology strain, the Robitailles are in the process of raising funds to complete digital projection upgrades. The response from the community thus far has been incredible, they say. "We received a Christmas card from an 89 year-old woman with a donation and a note that explained what the theater meant to her. People donate to help keep the theater alive for their grandkids since it was so important to them in their youth," Lisa says.
Theaters of yesteryear
What is it about these experiences that keep people coming back? Likely, the same thing that prompts the sigh and smile from folks as they reminisce about their movie-going experiences from an age gone by.
Local theater history buff, Kurt Wanamaker watched as both the Gladmer, which stood at N. Washington Street from 1872 to 1979, and the Michigan Theatre, which lived on the other end of Washington from 1920 to 1980, were demolished. "I watched as they were taken down, but I also listened to the scores of onlookers, who told stories of their first date or first kiss," he recalls. "They were real memories. It surprised me when I watched seniors rush over to claim the fallen bricks, rushing for keepsakes of memories they didn't ever want to forget."
Haslett resident, Anne Hansknecht recalls her rebellious youth, spent accordingly at the Spartan Triplex, which lived in Frandor from 1967 to 1994: "I remember going to the midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and of course doing all of the things one is supposed to do: the rice, the squirt guns, smoking, drinking, singing, yelling, and dancing the Time Warp. As an 18 year-old, what was not to love about acting like a rebel?"
What's missing from our modern theaters is that sense of community, that sense of intimacy. That quiet sense of feeling a part of something bigger than oneself. In a landscape dominated by a bigger-faster-harder mentality, the few remaining movie houses welcome us to slow down and spend time - and perhaps a bucket of affordable popcorn - with our neighbors.
(A note from the writer: caught the historic movie theater bug? Set aside an hour or five to do some Googling of the old theaters mentioned above. You'll be both delighted and depressed in the same breath. –VGW)
Stay tuned for the final "Many Faces of Lansing Theatre" installment. We’d love to hear from you about your favorite place to experience new, edgy theater, and why!
--
Veronica Gracia-Wing is the innovation editor for Capital Gains.
Photos ©
Dave Trumpie
Dave Trumpie is the managing photographer for Capital Gains. He is a freelance photographer and owner of
Trumpie Photography.