Above from top: Fire consumes the Strand Theatre on the early morning of November 7, 1960. Even though fire as soon detected, the theatre went up in smoke and could not be saved. Forty years of movie going at this location appeared to have ended on that date; the wreckage and rubble of the Strand would rest on the site for more than a year, creating a public eyesore in Alma; a photo of the new Strand Theatre as it approached its opening in mid-January 1962; new theatre oner Keith Musser (left) had been manager of the Strand for six years in the 1950s. A forty year veteran as a theatre operator, Musser was the man to help put the Strand back on Alma’s map – and got people to come to the movies. Musser accepts the keys from builder A. Carl Schmidt of Hillsdale. In the center is J. Donald Sullivan who was the building inspector in Alma.

Alma lost a well-known place the day before one of the closest Presidential elections in American history.

It was 4:23 a.m. on Monday, November 7, 1960, when John Zigray, a newspaper boy, saw flames and smoke shooting from the rear of Alma’s Strand Theatre. Zigray ran around the corner to the Alma police station to report the fire, and the alarm rang five minutes later. However, in only a short time, the flames shot up 25 to 30 feet above the roof when the first fire truck arrived. By 7:00 a.m., the fire was nearly out, but the interior of the Strand was gone, resulting in over $100,000 in damages. In addition, fireman James Peck fell from a ladder and was treated for chest injuries while putting out the flames.

Although the fire started in the rear of the building, the Strand’s walls failed to collapse. Many who saw the theatre the next day marveled that the marquee remained, hanging dangerously over the sidewalk. The following afternoon, a crane came with a wrecking ball to take down the marquee for fear of it being a public hazard. Alma City Hall remained undamaged, probably due to the double brick walls adjoining the Strand. However, as the Strand’s remains slowly cooled, a pile of debris formed that sat on the premises for months to come.

Before the fire, the Strand Theatre showed movies in Alma for forty years; now, more was needed to build a new theatre in 1960. In response to not having a theatre in Alma, the city quickly supported showing Saturday movies at the Alma Community Center. In April 1961, owner Dolores Cassady offered the city thirty days to purchase the Strand’s 53-foot lot for $25,000. City commissioners quickly replied that the price was too high and gave Cassady thirty days to clean up the remaining debris.

In late June 1961, Carl Schmidt, a Hillsdale contractor and former theatre manager, bought the property to rebuild the Strand. He quickly proposed an “escrow plan” to see how badly Alma movie patrons wanted a new theatre. For $25, anyone could buy advance tickets for 52 future movies. If sales were poor, Schmidt proposed turning the property into a retail store. Fortunately for Alma moviegoers, Schmidt went ahead with his plans to rebuild the theatre. Although the opening date for the new Strand was moved back several times, on Thursday, February 1, 1962, almost fifteen months after the fire, a new Strand Theatre debuted in Alma.

Carl Schmidt surprised many in Alma when he announced that he sold the new building just one month later to Keith Musser, a former manager with ties to the old Strand. Musser was experienced with movie theatres and had many ideas about getting people to the movies. Given the city’s desire for a new theatre, Musser appeared to be the right man at the right time.

This time, the new Strand had only 600 seats and no longer had a balcony. It did have a cry room, party room, wider seats, new projectors, and a screen measuring 36 feet. After Alma Mayor Robert Anthony cut the ribbon on opening night, viewers watched a drama, “Madison Avenue,” and “Swinging Along,” a musical comedy. The first big blockbuster to appear at the Strand took place a month later, on March 8, 1962, with the premiere of “Spartacus,” starring Kirk Douglas. The Strand Theatre was back in business and showed movies in downtown Alma again for the next thirty years.

Copyright 2024 James M. Goodspeed