The Show Must Go On

By Elizabeth Schneider

August 22 -- Aero Theater owner Chris Allen isn't leaving without a fight. This Saturday the financially ailing movie theater on Montana Avenue will feature a screening of the classic "Casablanca," complete with drinks and dinner, in an effort to raise much-needed funds to keep the theater afloat.

This will be the second such fundraiser hosted by Allen, whose financial woes have been mounting over the years due to declining ticket sales. A July fundraiser managed to pull in $40,000, but the theater still owes landlord Jim Rosenfeld $20,000 in back rent.

The theater's financial straits, however, have served as a wake up call for neighborhood movie buffs, who for years have flocked to the city's last neighborhood picture show to watch the latest independent films and revived classics.

There has been a "renewed sense of interest in the theater," said Steve Smart, who has spent the past seven years working the Aero's ticket booth, concession stand and projection booth. "We just had to wake up the neighborhood."

Two years ago many believed the theater's troubles were over. In September 2000 Robert Redford's Sundance Film Centers submitted plans to the City to restore the historic theater and turn it into a independent film venue with two screens and two adjoining restaurants. The theater had been the boyhood cinema of the Hollywood icon.

The revival was to have been a joint effort between Redford's organization and General Cinemas. However, in October of the same year General Cinemas filed for Chapter 11. Shortly afterward, Redford pulled out of the deal.

Allen hopes that by hosting special events each month he will be able to draw the crowds back to the theater. Next month he will begin working in conjunction with the Montanna Avenue children's bookstore, Every Picture Tells a Story. The bookshop will hold readings prior to the screenings of classic children's movies and cartoons on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

"We're going to do things differently then other theaters," he said. "I want to draw the people in to have a good time. That's what this is all about."

Built by the Donald Douglas Company in 1939, the Aero Theater was originally opened 24 hours for aircraft workers who worked in shifts around the clock. It wasn't long before the theater became a thriving neighborhood venue for generations of Santa Monicans.

As Santa Monica's last remaining neighborhood movie house, it looks like it will be up to Aero fans to save the show. For more information visit the theater's website at www.aerotheatre.com