Sonoma County's best-kept secret? Monte Rio's 75-year-old movie house 'still kicking'

An historic movie theater on the Russian River continues to swim against the currents that have shuttered cinemas across the country.

But a new partnership is trying to breathe new life in Monte Rio Theater & Extravaganza by blending first-run Hollywood screenings, classic films and live musical performances.

Monte Rio Theater co-owner David Lockhart’s origin story is similar to many recent transplants to rural Sonoma County.

At the height of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 the actor and filmmaker had just moved his family to the Russian River area to stay in his family’s summer cabin

“And there was a ‘For Sale’ sign on the movie theater ,” Lockhart recalled. “And at first I just I thought maybe they might need some help but it turned out. Yeah, they were. definitely  – they were done, they were passing the baton."

The theater had been purchased in 2014 by more than two-dozen investors that had pooled resources to buy the theater a decade ago after the long-time owners retired.

But three years in , Lockhart has found that it isn't easy getting people to venture out to see a movie. People have gotten used to isolating themselves rather than have that collective experience of watching a film.

“We could do the alone thing for a little bit but I think people crave on a primal level to be with other people,” Lockhart said.

Ticket sales don’t always reflect this and across the county movie houses have been shuttering for decades. Healdsburg lost its Raven Film Center ; Santa Rosa long ago bid farewell to the Rialto on the city’s east side which showed arthouse films

But somehow Monte Rio’s small theater has bucked that trend. The Rio Theater first opened in 1949 on the banks of the Russian River after a devastating flood destroyed its predecessor. Crafted from a war-surplus corrugated metal Quonset hut, it's a long, half-cylinder seating around 170 people.

Fifteen minutes out from showtime and people are filing in. This month Lockhart is offering a $10 membership deal that gets you into the classic movies he shows during the week. He saves the first-run films for the weekend.

But a recent Wednesday offering was the 1980 screwball comedy classic Airplane !

“We'll keep on testing and figuring out what people want to see,” Lockhart said.

First in line is Gus St Marie. He said he’s been coming here since he was a kid.

“And I'm almost 80 years old,” St. Marie chuckled. “It's a wonderful place and I'm glad it's still up and kicking.”

But its longevity can not be taken for granted. Lockhart has tried to pack it in before. He put a “For Sale” sign up last year .

“We had people that were interested in buying,” Lockhart said. But most were interested in repurposing the site into something other than a classic cinema.

Unwilling to see the cinema screen go dark, Lockhart kept looking. Enter fellow filmmaker Rachel Price . She’d recently moved to the area and rented out the theater to screen one of her own documentaries. The two got to talking and its future seems secure – for now .

“He said we're looking for a financial partner and a creative partner, so that's how I got involved,” Price said.

But the movies are just one draw. A day after the Airplane ! screening people are  outside on the one-acre lawn for some rock and roll: there are two acts outside and a headliner setting up under the silver screen.

Brian Francis Baudoin just finished a solo set of country and rock covers. The Louisiana-born guitarist says the crowd is small but he feels the scene is building,

“You know as soon as we get the word out, it could be the best kept secret in Sonoma County,” Baudoin said.

Drummer Chad Johnson is getting ready for his band Inyan Kin to end the evening on the theater’s indoor stage. He also sees potential with this venue that attracts diverse types of music for an all-ages crowd.

“I think it's going to be the thing that you know sets Monte Rio off,” Johnson said.

The four-piece weaves a set of psychedelic rock with full color visuals projected on the movie screen above. Musicians in the area say there are fewer places to perform in public.

“Sadly in the area all the venues are drying up,” said Inyan Kin guitarist Joe Williams.  “And there used to be a ton more.”

Williams said he’s appreciative of the Monte Rio Theater’s ownership that allows performers to be creative and try new things to lure more people from the community to venture out.

“David (Lockhart) has a cool, open mindset,” Williams said. “If you got a cool idea and you could try to make it happen – let's try to make it happen.”

The “For Sale” sign is off the building. Now, it will be up to the community to break away from 21st century habits: get off the couch and see a film or – live band – surrounded by friends, neighbors and yes, strangers inside this historic 75-year-old movie house.