Cinema

Cinema TheatreOne of the oldest operating movie houses in the U.S.Lauri Githens Hatch3/1/2004 -- The one-screen Cinema Theatre, nestled in the heart of Rochester's funky South Wedge neighborhood, is a faded but still-grand lady — one with enough quirky charm up her sleeve to remind you that she was, and remains, The Real Thing. 1. The building's turquoise and salmon colors and Art Deco-stenciled doors evoke bygone eras. So do its prices. Nightly double features of second-run or independent films are a mere $3 a ticket. Candy, drinks and popcorn cost 50 cents to $1.50. Refills on drinks and popcorn are 75 cents. But The Cinema is not resolutely stuck in the past. The sound system plays anything from Beethoven to Bob Marley. And upstairs is a small, reservation-only room for customers who have children and need a private viewing. Or … other needs. “We've hidden engagement rings in boxes of popcorn many times,” says owner JoAnn Morreale. The Cinema has stood at 957 S. Clinton Ave. since around 1910, making it one of the oldest continuously operating movie houses in the United States — and possibly the only one with a cat. An abandoned tabby known variously as Princess, Kitty and Baby promptly erupts with a “Prrrrrowww” and slinks into the seats when a visitor arrives. “She'll be back,” says Morreale. “By the time the movie starts, she'll be on someone's lap.” Most likely that person will be a regular customer who has been coming on a specific night for years. Many are on a first-name basis with the staff and show up bearing gifts or homemade goodies. Requests for certain films are honored when possible. One woman handed over a debut film made by her son, a student at Syracuse University; the staff happily played it a few nights later. Different? “Absolutely,” says Morreale, who has owned The Cinema since 1985. And she wants to keep it that way as ever-larger multiplexes dot suburbia. “People respond to the little things, like the room for kids and the low prices. They pay, and then thank us. Can you imagine that?” Some are so eager to catch up on films they stay for the whole day on weekends, catching the 2 p.m. double feature, ducking out for a quick dinner, and then returning for the 7 p.m. double feature. “That's $6 to see four movies,” marvels the owner. “A lot of people do this because it's such good value. They just hang out all weekend.” Morreale, 53, is still an earth science teacher at Edison Technical and Occupational Education Center. But after buying The Cinema, she realized she now owned a historic treasure. “It's a real anchor for this neighborhood,” she says, nodding toward Asian and Indian groceries, a Russian-owned liquor store and Victorian homes as she walks the block alongside the theatre. An expensive anchor, too. Morreale has dumped some $100,000 into remodeling and improvements over the years, including dusky rose fireproof curtains and siding for the lower walls. “I always thought it would be great to own a theater like this,” Morreale explains. “Catch me when I'm scrubbing out one of the toilets and I might not say that. But sometimes I'll watch a movie by myself, or at night after everyone has left happy, I'll remember, ‘Ah, this is why I do this: It's fun.'” [email protected]
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