THINGS
THINGS TO
THINGS TO FEEL THE BRUNT OF THE PANDEMIC AND THE SUBSEQUENT
SHUT DOWN...THE
ENTERTAINMENT
INDUSTRY.
ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY. CONCERTS...CEASED.
INDUSTRY. CONCERTS...CEASED. PLAYS...POSTPONED.
CONCERTS...CEASED. PLAYS...POSTPONED. FILMS...FROZEN.
PLAYS...POSTPONED. FILMS...FROZEN. WHEN HOLLYWOOD HIT
THE BRAKES ON MAKING
MOVIES...AND MOVIE
RELEASES MOVING TO
STREAMING VIDEO...THAT
MEANT MOVIE THEATRES
WERE LEFT EMPTY
HANDED.
YOU MAY HAVE NOTICE
THEM AROUND
TOWN...WITH 80S
CLASSICS ON THE
MARQUEE...ANYTHING TO
GET CUSTOMERS TO COME
IN.
SMALL TOWNS THEATRES
HAVE TRIED TO DO THE
SAME THING.
TAKE BURLEY, IDAHO, FOR
EXAMPLE.
TWO THINGS YOU MAY
NOT HAVE KNOWN ABOUT
BURLEY.
IT'S CITY LIMITS LIE
WITHIN WITHIN TWO
SEPARATE COUNTIES...AND
THEY HAVE A THEATRE
THAT'S BEEN IN BUSINESS
FOR MORE THAN A 100
YEARS.
MEANING...IT'S MADE IT
THROUGH ONE
PANDEMIC...BUT IT MAY
NOT MAKE IT THROUGH
ANOTHER ONE.
MORE THAN A CENTURY
OF SHOWS HAVE BEEN
SEEN AT THE BURLEY
THEATRE
"IT'S AN OLD BUILDING
ABOUT A 110 YEARS OLD
BUILT SOMEWHERE 1910,
1912 I DON'T KNOW THE
EXACT DATE OF THE
BUILDING."
WHAT WE DO KNOW...IS IT
OPENED IN "FIRST CLASS
CONDITION" IN OCTOBER
OF 1914.
IT'S BEEN A CINEMA
STAPLE OF BURLEY SINCE.
AND THE FABRIC OF BOB
HARRIS' FAMILY FOR 100
YEARS.
"WE TOOK OVER IN 1920."
"THAT'S A LONG TIME."
"THAT'S A LONG TIME
YEAH WE'RE ACTUALLY
INTO OUR FIFTH
GENERATION OF OUR
FAMILY THAT'S BEEN
INVOLVED IN THE THEATRE
SO."
THAT FOURTH
GENERATION...
"CAN YOU SEE ME NOW? I
CAN SEE YOU NOW, YES."
...INCLUDES BOB'S
DAUGHTER, KIM.
"I STARTED WORKING AT
THE THEATRE WHEN I WAS
13."
"I WORKED IN
CONCESSIONS AND
HONESTLY I WORKED AT
THE THEATRE UNTIL I
GRADUATED FROM HIGH
SCHOOL AND THEN I
WENT TO COLLEGE AT
ISU."
"DROVE TO POCATELLO
EVERYDAY WORKED AT
THE THEATRE AGAIN UNTIL
I GRADUATED FROM
COLLEGE."
KIM BECAME A TEACHER,
GOT MARRIED, HAD
KIDS...BUT COULDN'T
QUITE SEPARATE FROM
THE SMELL OF FRESHLY
POPPED CORN.
"I'VE NEVER BOUGHT
MICROWAVE
POPCORN...HAHAHA."
MICROWAVE POPCORN...HAHAHA." WHICH IS WHY HER
DAD...PUT HER AND HER
HUSBAND AT THE HELM
THREE YEARS AGO.
"AND YOU KNOW,
HONESTLY THAT PLACE IS
ONE OF THE PLACES THAT
I HAVE MY BEST MEMORIES
OF MY LIFE."
WHILE IT'S BEEN AWHILE
SINCE THE BURLEY HAS
SHOWN FIRST-RUN
MOVIES...IT'S ALWAYS BEEN
A GO-TO FOR AREA
FAMILIES.
"AND YOU KNOW
HONESTLY, WE KINDA DO
IT AS A SERVICE TO THE
COMMUNITY, IT NEVER
MAKES MONEY BUT
PEOPLE NEED THAT, YOU
KNOW, PEOPLE NEED TO
BE ABLE TO COME TO THE
MOVIE FOR TWO DOLLARS
AND IF WE BREAK EVEN
THEN WE'RE HAPPY."
THAT
THAT HAPPY HALTED WHEN COVID IT. BUT THE BURLEY WAS
ABLE TO REOPEN THIS
SUMMER.
AND WITH HOLLYWOOD
ON HIATUS...THAT MEANT
THEY GOT TO SELECT
WHAT WAS SHOWN.
"WE GOT TO RUN ALL
THESE FUN MOVIES THAT
WE REMEMBERED THAT WE
THOUGHT FAMILIES
WOULD LOVE TO SEE AND
IT WORKED OK FOR THE
FIRST COUPLE OF WEEKS
BUT THEN YOU KNOW
OUR ATTENDANCE JUST
DIED."
WHICH IS WHY...THEY
DECIDED TO SHUTTER THE
CINEMA...AT LEAST FOR
NOW...AT THE END OF
AUGUST.
THE MEMORIES ROLLED IN
ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
"OH IT'S A VERY DIFFICULT
DECISION ONE THING
BURLEY DOESN'T NEED IS
ANOTHER EMPTY
BUILDING."
BUILDING."
BUT
BUT IT
BUT IT HAS LEFT AT LEAST ONE EMPTY HEART. "IT WAS KIND OF LIKE
PUTTING A PATCH ON A
LIFE RAFT, YOU KNOW, WE
HAD TO CUT WHERE WE
COULD THE PLACE THAT
NEVER MAKES A PROFIT
KIND OF HAS TO GO FIRST
WE
WE ALWAYS
WE ALWAYS JOKE THAT THEATRE IS JUST ONE OF OUR KIDS...WE WORRY
ABOUT IT...IT'S JUST OUR
FIFTH KID, YOU KNOW?"
WHEN
WHEN FAST
WHEN FAST AND THE FURIOUS FINISHED ON THAT LAST NIGHT IN LATE
AUGUST...BOB TOLD KIM
THEY WOULD BE BACK...IN
TIME.
BUT EVEN KIM
KNOWS...TIME'S ARE A-
CHANGIN.
"WHAT IF THAT WAS
YOUR LAST NIGHT?"
"YOU KNOW, MY DAD
PROMISED ME IT
WOULDN'T BE AND I
WANT TO HOLD HIM TO
THE PROMISE BUT YOU
KNOW WHAT IF IT WAS?
THERE ARE BIGGER THINGS
IN LIFE THERE'S A LOT
MORE GOING ON THAN
OUR LITTLE PART OF THE
WORLD BUT IT WOULD BE
KIND OF LIKE LOSING A
MEMBER OF THE FAMILY."
A
A FAMILY
A FAMILY MEMBER THAT SURVIVED A FLU PANDEMIC...A
DEPRESSION...WORLD
PANDEMIC...A DEPRESSION...WORLD WARS...THE INVENTION OF
HOME VIDEO...DIGITAL
PROJECTORS...AND
STREAMING SERVICES.
AND OTHER THAN
RENOVATIONS...IT HAS
NEVER SHUT DOWN FOR
ANY OTHER LENGTH OF
TIME.
IT'S NOW BEEN MORE
THAN A MONTH...BUT BOB
TOLD US TODAY...THEY
WILL