Normal Theater, 1937

1937.  The small town of Normal, Illinois sat quiet in mostly obscurity.  A few shops, a coffee house, a church, open fields, old gents topped with fedoras, young women in sun-dresses and bonnets, children racing across empty streets throwing a ball around, big blue skies, students clutching books to chest, cherry-red Chevys, powder blue Fords, genuine smiles worn by genuine folks of a small quaint place. 

These are the images that come to mind when we think of 1937, a blast from the past thanks in part to Marty McFly, delivering us to the years just prior of the second World War.  Yet, in this conservative and gentle town, a new structure was unveiled to the homely folks of Normal, Illinois-- a structure of epic proportions and glittering neon lights, a monumental building that would change forever the appearance of the “normal” Normal. 

The sun goes down and the lights come on:  glowing greens, radical reds, flashing whites, blasting bulbs, young men and young women starting young love, ma and pop coming to catch a show, the hustle, the bustle, the laughter, the glee, the horror, the grins, smiles, everyone in town coming to meet at this new extraordinary building that sprouted up like a pyramid in a cornfield.  The diamond in the rough.

The Art-Deco exterior of the tantalizing building bringing a taste of the high-art to those who are accustomed to buildings being used for utility only, none appealing to the eye like this history altering building.  The people wait in line anxiously with cash in hand, the usual local gossip trumped by the anticipation of being the first ones to break in this new establishment.

A massive spotlight swirls in the sky and the lines begin to move, the chatter breaking down as an addictive silence takes over those that have been waiting.  The line moves and into the High-Modern style interior they go:  pink walls, blue walls, pastel hues, quite unlike anything these people have experienced before.  The smell of popcorn permeates the walls, children clutching their parents legs, young couples, old duos, friendly faces, students, farmers, workers, shop-owners, everyone from town, even people outside pass each other as they enter the dimly lit theaters one at a time.

Quietly people take their seats.  The curtains draw.  The lights dim.  The doors close.  The reel spins.  The theater has opened. 

The times would alter and change the theater, being a commercial enterprise, and it would slowly dwindle away and lose that magical allure it had in 1937.  The paint would fade and be washed in white.  The movies would keep up with the new, forgetting the old that it was born from, until 1993.  The city of Normal would take back its treasure, re-discover the beauty it once possessed, remove it from the shackles of modernity and return to the time it was meant to be lost in. -- Bob Okroi