Lincoln Theatre carries on as the movie world turns digitial

Josh and Tina Moore were looking for a home in Troy when a phone call, out of the blue, left them with much more.

A house painter by trade, Josh Moore moved to Libby to help run his father’s painting business in 2004. He spent that summer saving money and looking for a place to settle down. Tina arrived shortly after and the couple lived in Libby. But the town 20 minutes west attracted the two.

While scouring the housing market in 2008, a prior customer of Josh Moore’s rang. Bert Wilson owned Lincoln Theatre with his wife, Margee, and they had been praying about what to do with it before moving out of state.  

“They said our names came up, and they thought we were the perfect couple,” Josh Moore said. “We’re like, ‘A movie theater? We’re too busy to even go see a movie.’”

The theater included an attached house behind the screen and an adjacent café.

“The theater and café were the selling points, actually,” Josh Moore said.

The Moores bought the property and everything in it — down to the cash in the theater till — for substantially less than the asking price. Between couples the exchange is considered a “blessing” founded on religious benevolence.  

Built by Philip “Pete” Thomas Mettler in the fall of 1924, the theater has changed hands several times, but never closed since showing “The Virginian” at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 13, 1924 to a crowd so large the Troy Tribune reported “chairs were placed in the aisles so none were turned away.”

But times are changing and the 90-year-old theater still shows 35mm film. Production companies have flirted with the idea of no longer producing 35mm film for years, and Paramount Pictures recently became the first industry giant to call it quits when it announced “Anchorman 2” as the last in the non-digital line.

“We’ve been dark for three weeks because there are so few prints in the region,” Tina Moore said. “Little guys like us are few and far between.”

Fundraising efforts since 2010 raised $8,000, a far cry from the $45,000 needed to purchase a digital projector similar to the one that revitalized Libby’s Dome Theatre last year. Lincoln Theater currently uses a DVD projector.

“A digital projector would mean we don’t lose our one winter entertainment that does not require a skill,” Tina Moore said. “Even during the Depression, theaters made a profit. It’s such a community outlet.”

Tina Moore operates the neighboring Preview Café during the day. The tiny shop offers “five-star burgers” like the Robin Williams, a ?- or ? -pound patty served with grilled onions and chipotle ranch sauce. Different appetites may prefer a Sloppy Joe Pesci. The café turns enough profit to carry the theater, one of six Lincoln Theaters in the nation.

The purchase of a town historical landmark has been a lot of work for the Moores.

“I’d never seen a projector before buying the place,” Josh Moore said. “I’ve had to rewire the popcorn machine two or three times already. It was a lot of scrubbing and cleaning when we first moved in.”

Not to say the couple does not enjoy their position. Tina Moore revels every opportunity to say, “Come on over and let’s watch a movie.” The Assembly of God Church members host sunrise services in the theater, showing a recorded sunrise during ceremonies.

“Mr. Peabody & Sherman” will light the theater up next weekend for the first show in a month.

“This theater gives us purpose in Troy,” Josh Moore said. “I believe God put us here.”