The Callicoon Movie Theater

By Athan Maroulis | Edited by Peggy Gartin

ike Alfredo, the movie theater projectionist in the 1988 film Cinema Paradiso, movie characters have often proven themselves to be my best friends. L a pre‑war art deco facade. The theater, reportedly one of only 17 like it in the country, boasted more than 500 seats. Today, that stands at a more practical capacity of 380.

There’s Ilsa and Rick, Rhett and Scarlett, Luke and Leia, While Starck was quite the player in area movie houses,

Norma Desmond, George Bailey and Harry Lime, to name the Harden became the main link in a chain of regional a few of my most loyal pals. Far away from their Holly‑ cinemas owned by Harvey D. English and his wife Eva of woodland world of swaying palm trees and bungalows lays nearby Hancock. The H.D. English theater chain of Harden a filmic oasis nestled in the Catskills, a time capsule called Theaters was a major operation; at the time of the 1948 the Callicoon Theater. I was hooked the first time I laid grand opening of the Harden in Callicoon, the chain even eyes on it. Not long ago, the entire community feared what sponsored their own radio program, broadcast locally over could happen when the theater hit the real estate market.

But suddenly some old movie magic happened: the perfect new proprietor stepped in and saved the day. That person is Krissy Smith, a native New Yorker, with her heart, mind and experience all in the right place. I enjoyed my conver‑ sation with Krissy, which I’ll get to in a minute. First, a little background on the star of this piece.

The Callicoon Theater was originally opened as the Harden

Theatre on July 8th, 1948, and has continuously operated for the last 72 years, the longest tenure of any movie theater in Sullivan County. On that July evening the marquee read Green Grass of Wyoming starring Peggy Cummins, a Technicolor oater primarily remembered today for an uncredited extra named Marilyn Monroe. Built by local businessman Fred Starck, the Harden’s unique Quonset hut design, a prefabricated steel structure used during the war, was melded to a dreamy lobby building, complete with

WVOS. While the Harden Theatre itself was known as the crown jewel, the chain operated a number of movie houses in the area. Their Jeffersonville theater, the Maple, is long gone, but two of their former locales still stand: the Capitol in Hancock, now an eatery, and the Park, which is now the beloved Tusten Theatre, a Delaware Valley Arts Alliance performance space in Narrowsburg. Bear in mind, in the pre‑television era nearly every village and town in Sullivan County had a movie theater. In fact, the town of Liberty boasted as many as three theaters within a stone’s throw of each other, and added a drive‑in theater in ‘49. Liberty, the town, had an actual movie palace called the Liberty, opened in 1924 by Vaudevillian Joe Dealy. It contained 850 seats along with a number of luxurious chande‑ liers and a massive Wurtlitzer organ that was heard during intermission. Meanwhile, the Harden carried on un‑ til 1964, when it was renamed the Ar‑ den by the new owners James “Mick‑ ey” Roche and Warren Doetsch. (I have a sneaking suspicion they simply removed the ‘H’ off of Hard‑ en on the marquee.) The Arden was eventually sold in 1986 to Jim and Barbara Kayton, who lovingly operat‑ ed the theater year‑round for the next 32 years (for a number of years prior, the theater was primarily a seasonal operation). The Kaytons updated the entire sound and projection system along with the wondrous new marquee that reflected the new name, the Callicoon Theater. Ironically, according to Sullivan County historian John Conway, seven decades earlier the name had come full‑circle when the afore‑ mentioned Fred Starck, who really got around, had operated another Callicoon Theater around 1915 featuring silent films. Which leads us back to Krissy Smith, who bought this Callicoon Theater in 2017.

Krissy, who had purchased a home in Callicoon Center in 2015, simply fell in love with the area. Originally trained as a theatrical director both here and abroad, Krissy later rose through the ranks at Brook‑ lyn’s St. Ann’s Warehouse to eventually become the general manager. St. Ann’s, a performance arts haven located quite literally under the Brooklyn Bridge, kept Krissy busy with various productions for a decade until she decided she needed a change. From the get go, Krissy admired the freedom that businesses in this area had, prompting her to wonder if she too could build a business that could work in the region. That’s about the time that the Callicoon Theater became available. Krissy reached out to trusty Joe Freda of Freda Real Estate and the rest was history. After years of juggling the numerous moving parts of a theatrical production, Krissy seems quite content with the pace of daily duties necessary for operating a movie house. When I asked Krissy if she was a movie buff she said, “yes,” while adding “everyone is a film buff,” and to that I must agree. There’s a touch of excitement is Krissy’s voice when she talks about the future which includes plans to do outdoor movies, festivals (she already did a successful one in 2019 with the “Wild and Scenic Film Festival” that showcased the best in environmental films). Yet Krissy also has her feet firmly planted on the Catskills ground and humbly states that she really wants to keep ticket prices reason‑ able, offering a place that everyone can come together with “a little bit for everyone” in a curated calendar of films. Krissy has also involved the theater in various fundraising for the local youth center, the aforemen‑ tioned DVAA, and even our indis‑ pensable NPR radio affiliate WJFF. When she first opened the theater, Krissy said she was moved by people from the community that thanked her for continuing the Callicoon Theater and what it meant to them in their lives. Krissy Smith is the right person for this job and represents the kind of proprietor that wants to bring something meaningful to the community that is traditional, yet with a fresh, modern twist.

In closing, I am once again reminded of Alfredo in Cinema Paradiso who said, “Life isn’t like in the movies. Life... is much harder.” At the time of this writing, we are all amidst a terrible crisis, but the world will eventually get back to normal. Much like during wars and tragedies of the past, people will need the movies, and a time will return when we can all sit together in the dark and share in the magic of the silver screen. I’ll see you at the Callicoon Theater, hopefully sooner than later. Movies will always be “the stuff that dreams are made of,” so grab some popcorn and take your seat, the feature is about to begin.