Without our steady patrons the Biograph would not have happened for long. Amazingly, it lasted 15 years in a town without pity, movie-wise.In truth, it wouldn't have lasted at all without a loyal cadre of regulars, who were in the place all the time. No such regular was more appreciated for her support than Donna Parker, the blonde in the Christmas card to the right.
For people who go to movies frequently, theaters can be temples, or hideouts, or merely diversions. As businesses, in most situations they rarely seem stable for long. There's always the next crisis. For a repertory cinema the edge was keener.
The Biograph's regulars felt our mood swings, the ups and downs. They knew it was always just hanging by a thread. Then, one day, it wasn't.
