14 • The Columbia Valley Pioneer
February 18, 2011
Builder of original Toby Theatre passes away, By Samantha Stokell Pioneer Staff Before Charles “Morley” Hogan and his sister Eileen “Billie” Morgan built the Toby Theatre in 1952, residents of the Columbia Valley traveled to Golden or Cranbrook to watch the moving pictures. Sadly, while the theatre still stands as a monument to a bygone era, Morley Hogan passed away peacefully at the Nanaimo Regional Hospital on Vancouver Island on January 25th, 2011 at the age of 90. In the pre-television days of the early 50s, Morley and his brother-in-law Clint Morgan decided Invermere deserved its own movie theatre and set about designing and building one based on the Yoho Theatre in Golden. Unfortunately, Clint died in a drowning accident before their dream could become realized; but his wife (Morley’s sister Billie) decided to follow through with their dream and in 1952 the Toby opened its doors for the first time. Billie and Morley named it after the Toby Creek and because they thought the name looked good in neon lights. After the first year Morley operated the projector and every second night a new movie was shown, with
two shows every night and a 10 to 15 minute intermission. Movies started with cartoons, news reels and previews. Saturdays had matinees at 1 p.m., where children could sit anywhere in the theatre. Usually children had to sit in the first two front rows of the theatre during the evening films. Prices for admission in those days were 60 cents for adults, 35 for students and 25 for children. Popcorn was just 10 cents and no drinks were allowed. Heat for the theatre came from a Kirks automatic coal stoker; the coal was brought into Athalmer by rail then hauled by truck to the theatre. In Morley’s days, the employees were his sister, Irene Hemmelgarn (his future wife, who still lives in Parksville, B.C.), Annie Reid, Marge Reid and Maxine Merrilies. In 1966, Morley sold the theatre to Steve and Kay Kapowski of Radium, who owned the Radium Drive-In Theatre. They built an addition to the theatre in 1970 and sold it to current owners Ron and Elizabeth Peters in 1971. The Peters have spent the past 40 years putting ev-
erything and then some into the upkeep and running of this small-town, independent movie theatre. They live in an apartment over the theatre and raised two daughters there, with bedrooms built beneath the auditorium stage. There’s even a brick toy chest in the main lobby, which still has PlayMobil toys inside. Today, the theatre defies description. While the outside is white-washed with the lower-third layered in brick by Ron and Elizabeth for easier maintenance, the inside is a fantasy for cinephiles or connoisseurs of retro-design. The lobby walls are decorated with posters, promotional items and VHS cassettes from when the Peters expanded the business to include rentals. Steer horns and glass pistols purchased at the Calgary Stampede decorate the walls to make the Albertan visitors feel more at home. Brown shag carpet stars accent the acoustic tile lobby ceiling and Elizabeth and Ron repaired some water damage from years past with a mirror and chandelier. That chandelier in the lobby however, pales in comparison to the one hanging above the entrance to the theatre auditorium. The chandelier would make any dining room jealous of its grandeur and was the couples’ first major purchase for their new business venture. Once inside the theatre, the retro continues. Woodbacked chairs with red carpet and vinyl seats from when the Peters purchased the theatre await movie-goers and love-seats are available, too, for couples on a date night.
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