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My name is Alex and I am five years old.  I have special memories of the big "concert" in the Hyart.  For the past 3 years I have danced with my Aunt Jen as a can can girl during the follies.  I REALLY like the Hyart and hope to dance there some more!!  When my birthday comes, I think that it is time to can can because I have a summer birthday!

Alexandra Coffey, Laramie Wyoming

My name is Erin and I'm 17 and I have only lived in Lovell for 2 years. In that time I have had the opportunity to perform in plays,musical,the rose queen pageant, and the Follies on the Hyart stage. I enjoined it so very much. I am so very greatful for the effort the community has put in,to bring back the memories and create new ones that will last forever. Thank you.

Erin Moore, Lovell Wyoming

I can remember attending movies as a young child at the Hyart; being part of performances as a teenager on the stage, and now teaching my own children to respect, while still enjoying, the "diamond" that we have available to us.  The Hyart is in the heart of anyone who has ever lived in this area.  It is a jewel that must not be hidden; shine it up and let everyone view it!!

Jessica Workman-Garza

The Hyart was my first job, and what a great job it was.  We got to see and meet nearly everyone in the Big Horn Basin at one time or another.  The Bischoff family was really fun to work for, but they also expected us to behave. Mr. Bischoff was kind, but business like,  Mrs. Bischoff was a grand lady, and Loretta was always fun.  Simone Bischoff worked with us a lot, and we loved her to be there. As I think back, I can never remember the Hyart being dirty.  Your feet didn't stick to the floor when you stood up.  They took great pains to make sure we (Lovell) had the best of everything.  The popcorn was tender, the pop was never watered down, and everyone was nice to one another.  I loved working there.  I am a volunteer there now, and it is just as much fun now as it was then.

Sharon Cozzens Roth

It seems I grew up attending events at the Hyart.  As a young child it was considered a status symbol to get a seat in the first row center and watch the movies on that huge screen that loomed over me on every Saturday afternoon.  As I grew older, my preference in seats moved toward the back in gradual steps.  Finally in my teens, on either Friday or Saturday night, the last row of the balcony was where you could find me and many others of my generation.  We were sure we were safe from prying eyes in that position!  I now wonder who we thought we were fooling by sitting there. Now days my peers and I have settled comfortably in the middle section where we put on our trifocals, adjust our hearing aids, and stow our canes next to our seat.  When I look up and see that the Loretta Bischoff, who is patrolling the isles, sometimes looks a lot like my niece, EmRee Pugmire, I always do a double take.  Yes, some things change. On the other hand the experience of movie going at the Hyart is, as always, a special event in my life.

Jan Moncur Gray

I remember as a newly minted 7-year-old, my parents brought me and my sister from Cody to Lovell to see the openning of "Tom Thumb," a wonderful childrens story and a special effects extravaganza in the late 1950s.  We spent the night with an aunt and uncle in Lovell, the only time I can remember we did that, although we used to visit them fairly regularly.
     I recall being amazed that such a beautiful movie theater was located in Lovell.  The old Cody Theater was, and is, pretty nice, but nowhere near the "movie palace" that is the Hyart.  I've since gone on to work in various movie houses around Utah, Montana and Wyoming, and I'm very pleased to see the effort that has gone into restoring the Hyart to its glory.  Keep up the good work.  You'll see me there soon, enjoying the experience of the Hyart once again!

Mack Frost

I grew up in the 80s at the Hyart. Footloose, and Spies Like Us and Dances with Wolves. I attended the Follies every year. I "booed" at the villians and cheered the heros at the melodramas. I sang along and tapped my toes to variety shows. And like every other girl for 3 generations, I wanted to be a  Rose City Rockette, and a Mustang Dolly. I heard a concert pianist performance for the first time at the Hyart. Can words express my dissappointment at my first trip to a "city" theater in Billings? A tin box, with expensive popcorn, and none of the grandeur or drama of the Hyart Theater. My kids love to attend with me now, and I am so glad that they have the opportunity to attend 'events' as grand as a matinee at the Hyart.

Heather Harvey Sawaya

My name is Megan and I have been to the theater many times and I have also been in the follies many times. To go to the theater and watch movies is pretty cool. It is really cool to have a theater close to home. I am glad we are going to have a theater close to home now. I also really enjoy watching the movies they show here.

Megan Banks

My name is Jillian and I am 8. I like having the Hyart so that I can go and watch movies every weekend. I always have something to do thanks to the Hyart. I also like having a theater so close to home and not having always to go to Powell and see movies. It is very cool.

Jillian Banks

The Hyart is an experience that everyone should have the opportunity to experience.  As a young child the movies engulfed us on the "big" screen. As a young teen it gave us the, well supervised, independence we all longed for.  In the summer there were the follies that gave everyone the opportunity to dress up and socialize. What a wonderful gift Mrs. Pugmire and her friends have brought back to all of us.

A great fan of the Hyart

The first movie I was ever allowed to go to without an adult was "The Fox and the Hound" in the early 80's  Where?  At the Hyart.  It's great to see that it is still around after all of these years.  Thanks for the memories!

Shanna Woodard

In the "1950's" my sisters and I would spend two or three weeks of each summer at my grandmother's (Irene Humphrey) home in Powell, WY. The Hyart in Lovell had recently opened and she and our uncle, (Ober Clore) took us to all the best movies such as "Carousel" and "Oklahoma." It was our big social event of the year and we would put on our best dresses and I felt like a princess as I entered the theater. As I took in the beautiful gilded wood work and the huge velvet curtains, I felt as if I was entering a palace. I will never forget the feeling of being in that theater and how I loved those movies.

JoAnne Haverlan-Billings, Montana

I was born and raised in Lovell and spent 7 years being a part of the Hyart. I think the last movie I saw there before it was closed in the early 90's was "Hook". Not having many peer friends growing up, I got to express myself through working on the stage. Through Loretta's kindness and John Lee's patience I spent hours and hours building the school/ community play sets, painting them, running the lights, curtains, and sound. I also helped build a new sound booth, ran new wiring for a new speaker system, and refinished the stage floor. I am extreamly proud and greatful for the time I got to spend there. Whenever I'm in town now I always make sure I go see a new movie! It's great to see it open again..

Spencer Hawley-Lehi, Utah

Please share any past experiences or memories you have of the Hyart Theater.

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For those of you who don't know, the Bischoff family has been in the motion picture exhibition business since 1913. At that time, my grandfather Bischoff had a big family, and the ranch and farms were not sufficient to support them. He purchased a Ford car, outfitted it with a generator and a projector, and went to the towns around the Big Horn Basin. This was done in the evenings, after he had put in a full day on the ranch, and he would take some of his kids with him. He would show the movie in churches and meeting halls.

He then purchased a building, where Rocky's is, and the whole family was involved in selling tickets, ushering, running the projector, and cleaning.

The floor was flat, and many things were held in the building. The seats were moved to the side, and roller skating and dancing was done. Traveling plays, magicians, acrobats, musicals, Chataquas, were all presented on the stage.

When my father, Hy, was married, he managed the Armada, as it was called, and purchased a building in Cowley where he showed movies on circuit with the movies in Lovell. he also ran a theatre in Thermopolis, which was managed by his brother-in-law, Ray Katzenbach.

During this time, the whole family was still involved at the Armada in Lovell. Simone, Pauline, Helen, Virga, sold tickets and cleaned the building. Bob, Gene, Hy ran the projectors. Della played the piano for the silent movies.

In 1949 Hy decided to build a new theatre across the street from the Armada. He purchased the land and planned the building with his Uncle, Roy Olson, and in 1950 they started construction. The cement was mixed in a small mixer on the back of a tractor. Orvil Wilcock constructed the metal trusses for the roof from railroad rails salvaged from old mines at Bearcreek, Montana. this was because the Korean War had begun, and there were no metal beams available. The young men who helped at the beginning went with the National Guard to Korea, and Hy found some older people to help.

The Hyart had the newest technology, and was considered the best theatre in the whole region within a 500 mile radius. Two years after it opened, Cinemascope and Steroephonic sound came out, and Hy then put the 40' by 20' curved screen and additional speakers required for presenting the best movies.

Hy was approached by members of the community to have Community Concerts. At that time he purchased a grand piano, added more curtains and lights, and stage mounted controls for the lights and curtains. Community concerts were sold out every year for several years.

There were Lovell School plays, band and choir concerts, Messiah put on by the Cowley School, Mustang Follies, and now the Arts Council programs.

...History by Loretta Bischoff

 

 

Most of my appreciation of the Hyart comes from my husband. He grew up in Lovell and spent many an entertaining night at the Hyart. He was a little stinker though... letting loose a jar full of garter snakes during a scary movie once... Oh well!! I have been able to attedn movies at the Hyart myself and I must say that it is magnificent!! Thank you for keeping the nostalgia alive!!!

Brenda-Henderson, Nevada

Oh what wonderful memories I have of the Hyart!  I remember hearing the projector and there were a few times the "tape" broke.  But they always had the movie playing again right away.  Before the movie was always a cartoon and a black and white news story.  Everyone that worked there was always nice.  I don't think I ever saw Loretta without a smile for us patrons.

Debbie Wilder Ipson-West Jordan, Utah

It is awesome being able to go to the Hyart just about every week to the movies and see the crowds walking in. Now I dont have to travel anywhere else to watch a movie. It is really great and i hope stays open always.

Steven Durtsche-Lovell.

 

 

 

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