January 2010

GEMS AT THE JEM

By Amy Hahn

Harmony has the answer to the winter blahs: Oscar-winning Best Pictures from the 1930s shown on the big screen at the historic JEM Theatre. A total of 10 Academy Award winners will be shown January through March. From the first Western to win Best Picture (Cimarron, 1931) to a classic Frank Capra comedy (You Can’t Take it With You, 1938), there is a genre to suit everyone’s tastes.

The inspiration
The Harmony Arts Board (HAB), a non-profit organization that presents activities helping to enhance the arts in Harmony, is the organizer of this unique event. The Gems at the JEM resulted from a community arts survey indicating a strong interest for such an event.

“One of the goals of our board is to maximize the use of various entertainment venues,” says Lori Slindee, HAB member. “As we are lucky enough to have an active movie theater with supportive owners (Michelle and Paul Haugerud) who are open to working with our group, a classic movie series is a natural fit.”

The venue
The JEM is a mainstay of Harmony’s Main Avenue. And although once upon a time, similar theaters lighted up main streets of practically every small town in Fillmore County, the JEM is now the lone survivor. 

J.M. Rostvold first opened the theater in 1940. It is believed the theater’s name was created when Rostvold sandwiched an E between the initials of his first and middle names. After being sold in 1943, it operated as a bowling alley until 1947. The building sat vacant until 1961 when it reopened as a movie theater.

The JEM’s longevity wouldn’t be possible without the commitment of a variety of local residents who bought and maintained the theater through the years, all dedicated to keeping it open for cinematic entertainment.
And one of the best parts about the JEM is real buttered popcorn—moviegoers can bring an ice cream pail and fill it for $2.50.

A possible annual event
Dan Tieffenbacher, another HAB member, predicts the three most popular movies of Gems at the JEM will be It Happened One Night (1934), Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), and Gone With the Wind (1939), because these are probably the most familiar to moviegoers. Could it be because each stars Clark Gable, dubbed “The King”? Perhaps. It certainly doesn’t hurt.

If the event is successful, there is hope for another movie series in 2011.

“We looked from the beginning at creating an annual event,” said Slindee. “Oscar winners always have drawn considerable public interest; thus, they seem to be a safe bet to still be popular enough to attract moviegoers. We hope to build on the series by offering the 1940s next year.”