NEW TIMES: How old is the Fremont Theatre?
FOWLER: It was built in 1942 and has been used as a movie theatre ever since. It’s been through some changes and upgrades, but all the art deco work is original.
NEW TIMES: Do you still use film reels?
FOWLER: No, the movies come on hard drives that plug into a projector.
NEW TIMES: What are some of the most memorable movies you’ve shown?
FOWLER: I wasn’t here for the Star Wars films, but Spider Man and Pirates of the Caribbean were really big. Also our rewind movies are really fun.
NEW TIMES: What are those?
FOWLER: We have a classic series, where we show really old films, and we have a rewind series, which are more cult classics like The Princess Bride and Super Troopers. We hand out ballots to viewers who decide which movies we show.
NEW TIMES: With Netflix and Blockbuster being so popular, how does the Fremont compete?
FOWLER: We have a lot of features like 3-D capability, a new sound system, and neon lighting. We also try to get celebrities to attend our movies. We’ve had Peter Fonda, Morgan Freeman, and David Crosby from Crosby, Stills & Nash all come here. We really try to cater to our audience and give them a special movie experience they can’t get anywhere else.
This article appears in Aug 14-21, 2008.