Hemet Theatre, saved from fire, is still threatened

One of the Inland Empire's oldest movie theaters has been as significant a part of growing up for San Jacinto Valley residents as their first kiss, first taste of independence and first job.

And so when Oneida Montemayor-Barrera heard a rumor that the 442-seat Hemet Theatre on Florida Avenue had burned down Wednesday, "I felt like I lost someone," she said.

But thanks to firefighters and the concrete used in its construction in 1921, the single-screen theater survived the fire that claimed three adjacent downtown businesses.

That survival, however, is threatened by new enemies: the economy and competition. The theater is paid for, but co-owners Dave Bernal and Emerson Bixby barely have enough cash to keep the heat and lights on. They spent most of their money -- about $315,000 -- on the building. And ticket sales are poor for their mixture of year-old first-run movies, black-and-white classics and cult films.

So the Hemet was put up for sale before the fire, even as the owners attempted to raise enough money to keep their childhood dream of co-owning a theater alive.

Bernal said Monday that the Hemet will be closed while smoke and water damage is repaired. He expected to receive estimates today. The fire destroyed Ellen's Nails, Elite Florist and Document Solutions, along with antiques stored by Salwa Greco, the owner of the building that houses all three shops.

Hemet Fire Chief Matt Shobert said his department received thanks from "10 different folks from 10 different walks of life." The initial investigation points to faulty wiring in the near-century-old building, he said.

Bernal said he has heard from worried Hemet patrons across the country.

"We're on the ropes," he said, "but we're hoping for a comeback."

ONE CITY, ONE SCREEN

For decades, the Hemet was the only show in town.

William Martin opened the first Hemet Theatre in 1915. After an earthquake damaged much of downtown in 1918, he constructed the current building using reinforced concrete.

Theater chain Krikorian opened a 12-plex in Hemet in 1994 and Metropolitan opened 12 screens in San Jacinto the next year. Regal now operates both. Holiday Cinemas operated three screens for years until it closed in 2000.

The Hemet, bowing to competition, showed its last movie under the Martin family ownership in 1995. Bernal and Emerson Bixby reopened the Hemet in 2004.

Rich Loomis, 73, knew Harold Martin, grandson of William Martin.

"This was the greatest place to go when we were kids," said Loomis, a former turkey rancher who still lives in Hemet. "The movies were real good, and the loges were the place all of us studs made out with our girlfriends."

He enjoyed "War and Peace," which debuted in 1956.

Montemayor-Barrera, 48, fondly remembers sitting in the ornate theater and watching "Planet of the Apes" when it debuted in 1968.

"It was the first movie I was ever allowed to go see," the San Jacinto resident said. "Being a little girl, it seemed so big to me. It seemed grand."

Her memories of the loge section, with its thick, padded recliners, are different than Loomis'.

She said sitting in the more-expensive loge offered moviegoers a certain status, but she lamented that she couldn't afford those tickets.

Tom Wilson, 57, cleaned the Hemet in the late 1960s when he was a student at San Jacinto High School.

"They had refrigerated air conditioning and it was really a pleasure to go in there," Wilson recalled.

He also remembered the heavy curtain that separated the smoking room from the rest of the theater. Touching the curtain would produce a puff of smoke, Wilson said.

TROUBLED TIMES

Although the Hemet survived the fire, the theater won't endure on sentiment alone.

To make money to keep the theater, the owners have hosted weddings, birthday parties and held screenings for groups that used them as fundraisers. Bixby, 47, who writes and produces sci-fi and social satire films, is hocking his vintage movie poster collection.

And they have brought a staple of the small screen to their screen: video games.

On Saturdays, customers can play "Left 4 Dead 2," "Modern Warfare 2," "Lego Batman" or their own video game on the theater's Xbox system and the approximate 50-foot-by-20-foot screen. The cost is $5 for 10 minutes, or $45 for an hour. Customers can also rent the theater for video games on weekdays.

"So far the response has been pretty good. The kids seem to like it," said Bernal, 44, who makes a living selling movie memorabilia and running Internet businesses.

Last Saturday, the marquee announced free gaming that day. No one showed up the first hour, and eventually a few people -- "actually a couple," Bixby said -- trickled in.

That's how it has been for the Hemet.

Before the fire, the theater was averaging 80 customers for Disney's 2009 animated movie "The Princess and the Frog," even though tickets were only $5 -- "Free if you bring Halle Berry," Bixby added.

He said 56 people turned out for "Wild Hogs," a 2007 tale about suburban biker wannabes that starred Tim Allen and John Travolta. But he lamented that only seven people showed up -- "one for each Oscar," Bixby said -- for "Lawrence of Arabia".

THE FUTURE

Bixby said before the fire that he wanted to fix some seats, improve the sound system and paint the place.

"It was built in 1921 but it looks like it was built in 1921," he said.

At the time the Martins were selling, there was talk about leasing the theater to community drama groups through an agreement with the city.

Hemet Mayor Eric McBride said last year that stage shows could help invigorate the downtown by drawing restaurants and coffee shops.

Bernal said he would like to do live events, but permits and insurance are too costly.

Recent happenings show there is hope for the Hemet, with the right plan.

Riverside's Fox Theater, built in 1929, reopened last week as a performing arts center that hosted singer Sheryl Crow on Friday. Banning's three-screen Fox Cineplex Theatres, built in 1928, was renovated in November and its owners report improved business.

Meanwhile, that "For Sale" sign sits ominously in the window of the Hemet, beneath the posters of coming attractions.

HEMET THEATRE

Address: 216 E. Florida Ave., Hemet

Phone: 951-658-7123

Web site: www.historichemettheatre.com

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