The Reo Theatre Circuit, a sprawling entertainment empire that included movie theatres in Vanderhoof and Smithers, was the first cinema company to operate in the Lakes District. Owned by Robert Cecil Steele, the Vanderhoof businessman who later served as this area’s Member of the Legislative Assembly, the Reo Theatre Circuit included a mobile operation that traveled to smaller communities in the Central Interior. Cecil and his portable projector were regulars at the Burns Lake, Decker Lake, and Francois Lake community halls for more than a decade.
In May 1946, a handful of citizens decided to enter the movie business. Dubbed the “Burns Lake Welfare Committee,” they purchased a 16mm projector and began showing films in town. The Burns Lake Welfare Committee’s efforts, while well-intentioned, left something to be desired. Because the group lacked a 35mm projector (the format in which most new releases were shot), it could only show old movies. The films that came to town between 1946 and 1950 were already well past their “best before” dates. Scattergood Rides High, a comedy released by RKO Pictures in May 1942, didn’t play at the Burns Lake Community Hall until Saturday, Sept 14, 1946.
The job of building a permanent theatre defaulted to an out-of-towner with more experience. In October 1949, Steele hired Ted Lovas of Decker Lake to build a 37’x90’ theatre at the corner of Alaska Way Drive (Highway 16) and Third Avenue. Work on the theatre dragged more than a year. The facility was scheduled to open by Labour Day, but the September long weekend came and went. So did October. Finally, in November, Steele decided to open his new 304-seat cinema (named, like its sisters in Vanderhoof and Smithers, the “Reo”) even though it still lacked its trademark stucco siding.
John Baker and Tom Forsyth took over as the Reo’s new owners in July 1968. One of the first things they did was change the theatre’s name to the “Beacon.” Baker and Forsyth sold the Beacon Theatre sometime in the 1970s. Arnold Faber owned it for many years, then sold it in the 1980s. Tom Finch and his family ran the Beacon after that, and even brought in live acts like The Mercy Brothers.
The theatre closed for the first time in the early 2000s. It sat empty until purchased by Jim Liddle and Rosann Blackburn in December 2005. Their big plans never panned out. After enjoying a brief resurgence, the theatre closed again. The building sat empty for almost four years. Then, in April 2010, local film buffs formed the Lakes District Film Appreciation Society and set their sights on Burns Lake’s sixty-year-old cinema. The Beacon Theatre opened to great fanfare in December 2010. The first movie to play in the refurbished building was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It sold out.
The Lakes District Film Appreciation Society still operates the Beacon. The iconic building remains one of Canada’s only community-owned theatres and a fixture on Burns Lake’s crooked Main Street.
In May 1946, a handful of citizens decided to enter the movie business. Dubbed the “Burns Lake Welfare Committee,” they purchased a 16mm projector and began showing films in town. The Burns Lake Welfare Committee’s efforts, while well-intentioned, left something to be desired. Because the group lacked a 35mm projector (the format in which most new releases were shot), it could only show old movies. The films that came to town between 1946 and 1950 were already well past their “best before” dates. Scattergood Rides High, a comedy released by RKO Pictures in May 1942, didn’t play at the Burns Lake Community Hall until Saturday, Sept 14, 1946.
The job of building a permanent theatre defaulted to an out-of-towner with more experience. In October 1949, Steele hired Ted Lovas of Decker Lake to build a 37’x90’ theatre at the corner of Alaska Way Drive (Highway 16) and Third Avenue. Work on the theatre dragged more than a year. The facility was scheduled to open by Labour Day, but the September long weekend came and went. So did October. Finally, in November, Steele decided to open his new 304-seat cinema (named, like its sisters in Vanderhoof and Smithers, the “Reo”) even though it still lacked its trademark stucco siding.
John Baker and Tom Forsyth took over as the Reo’s new owners in July 1968. One of the first things they did was change the theatre’s name to the “Beacon.” Baker and Forsyth sold the Beacon Theatre sometime in the 1970s. Arnold Faber owned it for many years, then sold it in the 1980s. Tom Finch and his family ran the Beacon after that, and even brought in live acts like The Mercy Brothers.
The theatre closed for the first time in the early 2000s. It sat empty until purchased by Jim Liddle and Rosann Blackburn in December 2005. Their big plans never panned out. After enjoying a brief resurgence, the theatre closed again. The building sat empty for almost four years. Then, in April 2010, local film buffs formed the Lakes District Film Appreciation Society and set their sights on Burns Lake’s sixty-year-old cinema. The Beacon Theatre opened to great fanfare in December 2010. The first movie to play in the refurbished building was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It sold out.
The Lakes District Film Appreciation Society still operates the Beacon. The iconic building remains one of Canada’s only community-owned theatres and a fixture on Burns Lake’s crooked Main Street.
