I was with Eric Hanna and Ms. Jo Tatum the day Eric closed the deal to purchase Dubach’s dilapidated old GEM theater. You had to see it to believe how bad it was. Spare tires on top of the old wooden seats sitting alongside a campaign poster – all covered with decades of dust. One didn’t have to see the mice to know they were there and how much they must be loving the dark dank environment.
Before work started, my wife Linda and went in with Eric on day to look around. Never one to keep her first impressions to herself, Linda softly said to me, “Eric’s wife must really love him to go along with this.” Of course, Suzanne Hanna does love Eric and was completely on board with his idea of bringing the GEM Theater back to life. But on that day, with a hole in the roof so big one could see the clouds, it was almost unimaginable how much work it was going to take to bring this venue up to snuff.
Eric assembled a devoted group of volunteers (friends and cousins, mostly) for several clean up days and to help unload a semi-truck full of theater chairs he bought and had brought down from Minnesota. Then the new screen, the digital projectors, sound system – he was always looking to save some money by heading to Maine to bring something back to Louisiana that once belonged in a now-closed theater.
To keep the knotty pine look of the lobby, he purchased a laser paint stripper that made the vintage wood look like it did in the 50’s. I dropped by one day to see how the work was coming along. When Eric removed his goggles, I couldn’t help but laugh because he looked like a raccoon.
Eric spent many days working at the theater alone and watched over contractors as they repaired the roof redid some plumbing, installed new comfortable theater seating, installed digital projectors, etc. He chose the interior paint color and went with maroon – in honor of his high school alma mater – and paid close attention to every detail – from the popcorn maker to the soda fountain.
Linda and I were sitting around yesterday (as usual) retired with nothing much to do when I received a Facebook notification from the GEM Theater that the new Michael Jackson movie “Michael” was showing at the GEM. We’ve been Jackson 5 fans ever since our teen years. Back in the early 70’s, I practically wore out their 8-track tape listening to “ABC”, ““Got to Be There”, “Never Can Say Goodbye” and “I Want You Back” while driving back and forth to Athens to see Linda.
We’d been waiting for a good reason to go to the GEM Theater, and this was it! We purchased tickets online, made our seat selections, drove over from Minden for the 7 p.m. showing.
The movie covered the Jackson’s path from Gary, Indiana – a steel mill town – all the way to sold out arenas all over the world. The young actor playing Michael – Jaafar Jackson – is actually Jermaine Jackson’s son and explains how he was able to handle all the dance moves and vocal chops of his late uncle.
Being back at the GEM Theater made me think of some lines from a Lyle Lovett song “This Old Porch.”
And this old porch is the Palace walk-in
On the main street of Texas
That’s never seen the day
Of G and R and X’s
With that ’62 poster
That’s almost faded down
And a screen without a picture
Since Giant came to town
Hats off to Eric Hanna and, more importantly, his dear wife Suzzane who loved him enough to let him bring this precious slice of history back to us.