Landmarks: Historic Theaters Keep It Reel

The show goes on at these Golden Age cinemas.
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The Fowler Theatre
111 E. 5th St., Fowler, 765-884-8191, fowlertheatre.com
Opened: 1940. Adult admission: $5. The premiere: Reopening Fourth of July weekend for first-run movies Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings. Coming attraction: The next phase of restoration will bring new seats, screens, and sound systems by the end of the year.

The Historic Artcraft Theatre

57 N. Main St., Franklin, 317-736-6853, historicartcrafttheatre.org
Opened: 1922. Adult admission: $5. Now showing: Classics, crowd-pleasers, and, as always for evening shows, a kitschy pre-show routine featuring door prizes, a live-action skit, a cartoon (in the tradition of Golden Age cinema), and standing for the national anthem.
Strand Theatre
215 S. Harrison St., Shelbyville, 317-421-ARTS, strand-theatre-shelbyville.org
Opened: 1916. Adult admission: Free to $10, usually $5. Now showing: B-horror double features every Friday. “There’s nothing like sitting in the balcony watching an old movie,” says managing director David Finkel.

The Ritz Theater

201 W. Ohio St., Rockville, 765-569-7529, parkeplayers.com
Opened: 1912. Adult admission: $6. Now showing: First-run flicks on Wednesdays and weekends. But a vintage Cretors Hollywood 48 popcorn popper that has been in operation since 1949 steals the spotlight.

Eagles Theatre

106 W. Market St., Wabash, 260-563-3272, eaglestheatre.com
Opened: 1906. Adult Admission: $5, and $3 for matinees. Now showing: First-run movies Friday through Sunday; screenings of past blockbusters on Mondays; and independent films coming this fall.

State Theatre

321 E. Market St., Logansport, 574-753-4648, buttermypopcorn.com
Opened: 1940. Adult admission: $7. Now showing: First-run movies on two screens Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays in the Art Deco building.
Photo by Tony Valainis.
This article is a web exclusive. A portion of it originally appeared in the June 2012 issue.