Ohio Theater Reopening – Dec. 1971

A few months ago (back here), I had written about how the Ohio Theater, a mainstay movie house in Downtown Lorain since 1924, closed in early September 1971.

But as regular blog contributor Alan Hopewell had noted in a comment, the curtains hadn’t come down for good quite yet.

On December 4, 1971, the above article and photo appeared on the movie page of the Journal. It noted, “The Ohio Theater is displaying a sign on its marquee saying ‘Watch for Opening’ but the new manager says he doesn’t even know when that will be.

“There was talk that the Ohio would open last week but the opening was delayed and when the theater will open is very uncertain.”

I like the response from the new manager, Chester Scullark, when asked by Journal Staff Writer Hugh Gallagher as to what kind of movies that the Ohio would be showing. “I know from beans,” was his reply.

Twenty days later, we had our answer: XXX rated – and Judge John S. Kolena of Lorain Municipal Court wasn’t very happy about it. The article below, which appeared in the Journal on December 24, 1971, tells the story of how the judge ‘went to the movies’ to see for himself if the films were obscene.

After the theater closed for the night, the manager was arrested and the films confiscated.

The funniest line of the article is the last paragraph. It reads, “Throughout the filming, people drifted in and out of the theater. The judge and the people with him seemed surprised when an elderly couple ambled down the aisle and took seats up front."