Our History
Cody resident Jim Corder began the constructing the theatre in 1936. A state-of-the-art facility, the building was reported built for a whopping $60,000, but came in for about $10,000 less, recalls longtime owner John Schultz.
“Slave Ship”, starring Wallace Beery, was the first picture shown at Cody Theatre on July 8, 1937. Schultz began leasing the theatre from Coder’s son in 1963 and assumed ownership about five years later. He continued to run the movie theatre until 1992, when he sold it to Bob and Sandy Newsome. In January 2019, Ryan and Elizabeth Fernandez, a couple both born and raised in Cody, Wyoming purchased The Cody Theatre and building from the Newsome’s. The Fernandez’s are excited to see what the future holds for this historic location.
When first built, the new movie theatre was filled with 672 seats crammed into the building. When Schultz took over management, he removed 192 seats “ so people didn’t have to stand” when others needed to get by. In 2007, the Newsomes replaced and reconfigured the seating. In 2018, a larger performance platform was built for the live musical “Wild West Spectacular” staged during the summer.
When the Cody Theatre was first built, it was the town’s main source of entertainment, movies were shown to a full house almost nightly and the bill changed every three or four nights. Admission was 10 cents and the cost for renting a movie from the production studios ranged $25 -$100. “It was hard to make a profit” based on ticket prices, Schultz recalls, and owner Jim Corder didn’t want to put in a snack bar which is where theatre owners make their profit.
If movie goers wanted a treat after they purchased their movie ticket, they could exit the theatre with their ticket stubs and go next door to the “The Fountain” shop where they could get popcorn, candy, pop or Taylor ice cream. But Corder would not allow pop back inside the theatre. Schultz built a snack bar when he took over the theatre and “feels bad” that he put the “other guy” out of business.
Projection cameras were outfitted with special “Cinemascope” lenses in 1954 to accommodate the wide screen pictures of the time, and surround sound speakers, with four track stereophonic sound, were installed in 1955. At this time the projectors still used carbon arc lamp projection. Carbon arc lamps consist of two carbon rod electrodes in open air, supplied by a current-limiting ballast. The electric arc is struck by touching the rods then separating them. The ensuing arc heats the carbon tips to white heat. Carbon arc lamps operate at high powers and produce high intensity white light. These dangerous lamps were replaced in the 1995 with Xenon lamp houses. Xenon lamps are much safer and provide quality light projection. In 2015, the conversion to digital projection was completed. This allows movies and various other content to be played.
In the late 1970s, Schultz installed a huge 18x35-foot screen to accommodate popular 3D movies, increasing the screen size by 227 square feet. Today less that 1,000 big screens remain in the U.S. as multi-plex theaters with smaller theaters and smaller screens have become the norm.
In 1999, as a condition of getting the film “Star Wars The Phantom Menace”, Dolby Digital Sound was installed with improved surround sound.
Over the lifetime of the theatre, there have been a few world premiers at Cody Theatre. “The Young Land” premiered in May of 1959, the western drama film starring Patrick Wayne (son of John Wayne) and Dennis Hopper. “Great American Cowboy” the 1973 documentary film by Keith Merrill. The film, which won the 1973 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, is about the battle between two rodeo stars for the world championship: veteran Larry Mahan and newcomer Phil Lyne. The documentary partially filmed during the Cody Stampede celebration. Although admission to the premier was $5, a pricey sum in the 1973, “people swarmed in,” Schultz recalls, making it possible to collect the admission price. The movie didn’t fare as well at other box offices around the country and lived a short life in theaters.
The Cody Theatre hosted the regional world premiers of the 1994 movie “8 Seconds” about professional bull rider Lane Frost. The premier was planned as a benefit for the Northwest College Rodeo Team, and although the Big Horn Basin was blanketed with 14 inches of snow that night, the movie still attracted a crowd of about 200 people.
“An Unfinished Life”, the movie based on the book of the same name written by local author Mark Spragg premiered on Sept 9, 2005. The movie starred Robert Redford, Jennifer Lopez, and Morgan Freeman and is set on a ranch near the town on Ishawooa, Wyoming. Mr Spragg and Virginia Korus Spragg wrote the screenplay for this film.
There have been a few controversies about the movies shown at the Cody Theatre. In the 1970’s, x-rated films were shown and were even listed on the printed monthly calendar. In 2006, the Oscar Winning film “Brokeback Mountain” depicted the controversial story of a forbidden and secretive relationship between two cowboys and their lives over the years. It played to good crowds although there were many letters to the editor of the Cody Enterprise concerning the content of the film.
In 2007, Dan Miller rented the theater for his Cowboy Music Revue. This was a live show featuring authentic cowboy music throughout the summer months.
In 2015, Wiley Newsome decided to begin to show movies again as well as offer a venue for live music, gaming, and community events. After a projection and sound upgrade to digital and a few other upgrades, the Cody Theatre reopened in the Spring of 2016.
In the summer of 2016, The Cody Theatre became home to award winning “Wild West Spectacular”; an original live full-length historical and hysterical musical about Buffalo Bill and his Wild West Show produced by Cody's very own local nonprofit performing arts organization, Rocky Mountain Dance Theatre. The show continues to run for several weeks during the summer and is great for all ages.
In fall of 2021, The Cody Theatre Company performing arts group was formed offering live stage plays and Improv events throughout the year for the public. Open auditions are common, offering performing opportunities for thespians in the area.
Summer 2022, brought some exciting new changes as Clem’s Canteen & Creamery opened during the summer in our historic theatre lobby named after Clem ,the saloon bar keep in the summer Wild West Spectacular the Musical. Clem’s is open daily during the summers to the public and to theatre goers offering grilled sandwiches, wagyu and plain hotdogs, popcorn, soda, tea, lemonade, lactose free soft serve, and Cascade Glacier dipped ice cream bars made to your liking.
ADA- Being a historic theatre right downtown, we sadly are not the best in accessibility. Handicap parking is only on the side streets. Wheelchairs are able to get in and out of the building and theatre as there are no stairs. There is a section in the back of the theatre designated for wheelchairs and companion seats. The bathrooms are very tight and not ideal. In short, yes, we are but being a historic building it’s definitely not as open or modern.