Introduction
Nestled quietly in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania is the Campus Theatre - one of the few remaining single screen art deco theaters that still populates America.
Opened in January of 1941, just eleven months shy of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Campus Theatre played an interesting role in the war effort at the height of the international conflict. From selling war bonds and stamps in the lobby to hosting U.S.O. events, the movie theater played it’s part in raising both funds and morale in support of the U.S. campaign on dismantling the Axis powers during the global war.
Though these practices are interesting in their own regard, this project is centered around a more non-traditional means by which the Campus Theatre, and many other movie theaters of the era influenced the war effort — through film exhibition.
Significance
This project is unique in it's effort to map out a small movie theaters activities during the Second World War in an attempt to uncover more about Hollywood, American society at large and the theater itself during this time period.
Why did some films take longer than others to arrive in Lewisburg from New York? What types of films was the theater showing the week leading up to Pearl Harbor and the week following the tragic bombing of the naval base?
These and similar questions have answers which speak volumes about a variety of topics. In fact, the project may prove to ask infinitely more questions than it reveals the answers to for some. By looking at the screenings and events that took place at the Campus Theatre during its first five years of operations a number of trends related to film production, distribution and exhibition are revealed. One can gain a deeper understanding of Hollywood’s block booking and blind selling practices a few years before they were outlawed by the Supreme Court in 1948.