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The opening night feature was A Midsummer Night's Dream starring James Cagney and Olivia de Havilland. Robert Levine purchased the theatre in the mid-60's and re-named it after his parents, Nathan and Rose, whose images still grace the walls. Phillips and Thom Vourlas took it over in 1977, when the "historic Ghent" area was pretty much just the NARO and the restaurant next door.
The NARO Cinema's 75th Anniversary will be celebrated on Thursday, February 24, 2011, with a screening of one of the most famous films of 1936, Charlie Chaplain's Modern Times .
The cinema house shows the Rocky Horror Picture Show twice a month as well as on Halloween. Depending on how you calculate it, the NARO ranks first, second or third for longest-running RHPS in the U.S., according to the movie's fan-run, Frequently Asked Questions website.
The NARO also offers an annual Green Screen Film Festival of feature films and shorts, about sustainability issues, which is coordinated with community seminars.
Years ago, when I brought my preteen to see Cyrano de Bergerac starring Gerard Depardieu, Phillips was manning the door. When he saw her, he cautioned me, "Do you realize this is a foreign film, with subtitles?" "Yes," I responded, "but I think it's good to expose her to art house fare."
Phillips laughed, "Well, so do I, and I'll contribute to her education - she's my guest!" as he waved her in.
That Retro Flavor
You can still get a bag of what Vourlas calls "the best popcorn in the state" made in their antique popcorn machine. And the NARO is the only theater I've been to that offers the indispensable brewer's yeast to sprinkle on top! Tasty baklava and fresh-baked brownies are unique but reasonably priced concession stand staples.
After selecting your treats, climb the teeny weeny stairwells up to the balcony for the best seats in the house.
If you're not lucky enough to live near any of the vintage cinema houses mentioned, find one near you on the art house theater map at http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/yourlens/arthousetheaters/ and have a great time at the movies!
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