Rare, historic films at Pella Cinema show window into the past

Aug. 9—PELLA — The Pella community got to peek through a window into the town's past at Pella Cinema during a presentation and special viewing of two rare, historic films.

The event took place Sunday afternoon. Pella historian Bruce Boertje gave a presentation on the history of movie theaters in the community, starting in 1907 and running through the current cinema. Following the presentation, the crowd was treated to a special viewing of two rare films. First, a 1931 comedy-style movie titled "Our Own Gang Comedy," filmed in Pella and starring local schoolchildren, and second, a documentary featuring footage from Tulip Time celebrations in 1967 and 1968.

Scott Vanden Berg, who presented along with Boertje, first received the films from John Sybenga, Jr. of Arizona. John Sybenga Jr. is the son of John Sybenga, who starred in the film. The reels, which at the time were printed on nitrate stock, are highly flammable, meaning that an estimated 90% of films from the era have been lost. The Pella films survived because they were kept on the closet floor of John Sybenga Jr.'s mother. The rediscovery of these films from Pella's history show a rare insight into what the town looked like nearly 100 years ago.

"When they brought them in for me to see, we said we've got to get these shown to everybody else," said Pella Historical Director Valerie Van Kooten.

The first movie theater in Pella, according to Boertje, was located on the south side of the square. Called the Electric Palace and owned by Henry De Gooyer, who also built the Pella Opera House, this theater operated from 1907 to 1916.

"Originally, it was located where Work of Our Hands is, on Washington Street next to the Klokkenspel, but it was only there about six months," Boertje says. "The owner had problems with insurance and couldn't get fire insurance for the building."

The Electric Palace moved to the south side of the square, and was the original building in what is now the Jaarsma Bakery expansion.

In 1912, the Kozy Theater joined the community on the east side of the square, where Thistles Flower Market is now located, until closing in 1916 along with the Electric Palace.

After both theaters closed, De Gooyer moved his projector equipment into the building that had been the Kozy Theater. The building was reopened as the Elite Theater for just three years, from 1916-19.

In 1919, the Elite Theater was replaced by the Alamo, which operated as a theater in Pella until 1928. The Alamo played big-name movies including a Charlie Chaplin film called "The Circus."

"Owners and managers of the theater just turned over like crazy," Boertje says. "Generally, about every year there'd be a new owner of the theaters, and a lot of times, every few months there'd be new managers. It's kind of humorous, the Pella Chronicle, whenever there's a new manager, they'd say 'Oh, we're getting this great new manager, he's really going to know what he's doing. He's going to bring in the best pictures, and he's really going to fix the place up nice.' And by the time he left, it was the same, and they would say 'It's going to be much better than the last person.'"

"It was always roses going in and thorns going out," Boertje says.

After the Alamo closed, the Strand Theater opened from 1928 until 1931, when it was replaced by the Pella Theater, which was owned by Oscar Benson. Benson had the idea to film a comedy set in the town of Pella starring the schoolchildren of the area. The film, called "Our Own Gang Comedy," was funded by local businesses and functioned as an early example of product placement in film advertisement.

Benson operated the Pella Theater for just three years. In 1938, the New Holland Theater replaced the Pella Theater and remained in business until 1949, when Robert Fridley and Beverly Mahon, of New Sharon, took it over and reopened it once more under the name Holland Theater. Fridley and Mahon also owned the New Sharon Fridley Theater, eventually opening the multi-state chain of Fridley Theaters.

The second incarnation of the Holland Theater remained open until 1965, when the theater closed due to inadequate equipment and poor building condition. After about a year, however, the Pella youth weren't willing to go on without a theater for much longer.

"There was enough people that missed the theater — and especially young people — that an organization was formed called The Pella Theater Corporation," Boertje says. "There were 59 investors in Pella. Each bought shares of stock, $100 dollars per share, and they raised enough money that they purchased this building."

The building in question was where the Pella Historical Society had its museum at the time. When it was converted into a theater, it could seat 350 people.

The theater opened in 1966 and remained in that location until the Pella Cinema opened in 2000. The cinema remains Pella's operating movie theater to this day, the last in a long line of movie theaters to serve a community that a rich history with film.

Channing Rucks can be reached at crucks@oskyherald.com.