On July 18, 1985, Bob and Kathy Ezra brought the Crystal Theatre on Main Street of Carbondale back to life. Nearly 40 years later, the couple prepares to pass on the torch of the fully operational, well-cared-for and beloved single-screen cinema.
A brief history
The Crystal Theatre space, housed in the historic Dinkel Building, initially served as part of the W.M. Dinkel Mercantile store after being added to the original structure in 1912. Around 1949, the space was converted to the movie theatre we know today, and a dividing wall was constructed to separate it from the store. In September of that first year, the theatre screened “Red Stallion in the Rockies,” which was filmed in and around Carbondale with an opening shot of Mt. Sopris. The theatre promoted the film as a “SPECIAL SHOW! Carbondale’s Own Picture!”
According to the April 18, 1953 edition of Motion Picture Magazine, Lloyd Greve “added the Crystal, Carbondale, Colorado, to his operations.” At the time, Greve owned theatres in Eagle, Minturn and Steamboat. The movie business took a hit with television reaching most every American home, and around 1962 the theatre closed.
In the late ‘60s, the grandson of William Dinkel (the building’s namesake), Wallace “Wally” de Beque, screened films as fundraisers for the Recreation Department. In the ‘70s it was used for live theatre, the local talent show and a 16mm film series sponsored by the Carbondale Council on Arts and Humanities (now Carbondale Arts).
Moving in
Meanwhile, on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, the Ezras were looking to make a move. After a short stint in Texas, they set their sights on Carbondale.
They discovered the area by way of Colorado Mountain College’s (CMC) photography program, and Bob’s interest thereof. In 1979, Bob, Kathy and their son Bryan arrived in the Valley. Bob was a carpenter, Kathy was a nurse, and they both had a love for film. The recession at the time nudged them to seriously consider their dream business.
While living in Martha’s Vineyard, they were introduced to the Sparrow Film Society, which screened independent movies on 16mm film upstairs in a church. The model spawned the dream in Carbondale.
Bob met Brad Hendricks while working on a house outside of Glenwood Springs. One day, in Hendricks’ kitchen, he suggested the Crystal Theatre as a viable option to carry out the Ezras’ vision. By that time, the space had been condemned, but that didn’t stop them from having a look. “The rest, as they say, is history,” Bob told The Sopris Sun.
After meeting with the landlords at the time, Betty and Wally de Beque, the two waited on pins and needles for an answer. “We didn’t know at that point that Wally was a man of few words,” Kathy joked. Not being able to take it any longer, Bob called de Beque, who agreed over the phone that it could work.
Not having the collateral at the time, de Beque went as far as co-signing a $17,000 loan for the renovations. Bob, along with some good friends, went to work. A year and a half later, the Crystal Theatre reopened its doors once again, with a brand new marquee and all the magic of the movies.
“The bottom line is: the theatre would not exist without Wally,” noted Kathy.
There was no heat coming into the place at the time, because the radiators were disconnected from the original coal-fired furnace. Until that was fixed, it was a frigid job. They reduced the size of the projection booth, which initially had a “cry room” with a big EZ chair for mothers and their howling babies.
The old seats in the lobby are what remains of the original 210. They bought equipment from a theatre in Minturn, including the seats, which they disassembled, buffed, painted and reupholstered before installing.
There were a lot more seats in the Minturn theatre than the 125 the Crystal called for, so Kathy and Lynn Burton, a long-time friend, sat in one at a time and did a “butt check” to find the best ones.
Ch-ch-changes
Nothing lasts forever. In 2014, they upgraded to the seats we see today. A buyer for the outgoing seating fell through, and they were running out of options as to what to do with them — the salvage yard being a depressing and unfavorable one. So, they put out an ad letting people know they’d be giving the seats away. As the team pulled the seats from the auditorium, “There was a line down the block,” said Bob, “and in less than two hours they were all gone.”
For the first 12 years of operation, Bob and Kathy laid out a monthly calendar to distribute. People lamented seeing a note at the bottom of the final calendar stating that it would, indeed, be the last. They made up for it by making magnets with the Crystal’s phone number, and by continuing to place an ad in the Valley Journal. Today, people generally reference the internet for upcoming showings, but still have the option to call, or check The Sopris Sun calendar.
Before the digital age, movies would arrive via UPS in two to three cans with three to four 20-minute reels in each can. The reels would be spliced by hand and spun through a platter system to the projector.
There were lots of moving parts, and, though an employee would be present during screenings, it was not rare for Bob and Kathy to get a call at home and have to jump on a bike to go fix a reel.
In the mid ‘90s, the theatre upgraded to Dolby digital sound, but the big change to digital projection came in 2013. It was projected to be much more convenient and reliable than film, “Yet we were still kicking and screaming,” Bob quipped.
And, it wasn’t going to be cheap. The Ezras even considered taking a second mortgage out on their home to meet the inevitable transition. But, the community, loving everything the Crystal Theatre had to offer, rallied to chip in. After a five-week fundraising campaign, it “was just unbelievable,” Kathy said of the community support. “It’s a responsibility that people gave us to take care of.”
For any given showing, Bob and Kathy will hang out in the lobby or sit in the back row with the rest of the audience; they’re always there to clean up and close the place down..
The sale
“We’re selling because, basically, I’m ready to retire,” said Kathy. “It’s as simple as that.” Although, Kathy doesn’t particularly like the term “retire” because, “there’s always things to do.” She added, “We’ve been doing this for close to forty years … and I’m just ready to move on, have some fun and see what’s out there.”
The duo want to see it remain a movie theatre, and feel a responsibility to find the right buyer who will keep it so. They’re committed to help with a transition for as long as it takes and plan to be there at least until early summer. “We’re not going anywhere anytime soon,” Bob assured.
“We’re looking for a seamless transition with a new owner, slash owners, who are as passionate about the movies as we are,” said Kathy. “I think what people embrace about this place is that it’s about movies. I’d like to see that continue.”
She concluded, “People place so much value on the theatre. It still blows my mind every night when people leave and they thank us.” In her mind, she always thinks, “If you weren’t here, we wouldn’t be here. So, it’s a reciprocal thank-you.”
