On the corner of Prytania and Leontine streets lies a hidden treasure.

A red brick building nestled beside pastel Uptown homes resides there.

It doesn’t look like much.

The neat exterior houses two potted plants, a glassed-in movie poster and a silent box office.

Its sign reads, “Prytania.”

It doesn’t say that this historic site is one-of-a-kind.

According to manager Darrin Alexander, the single-screen movie theater that opened in 1918 has survived two fires and many hurricanes.

The lower bricks on the interior walls are stained from flooding.

Now this theater is facing a far more serious threat than natural disasters.

The Prytania Theater is up for sale.

The theater, which was reopened in 1998 under new ownership, is patronized by those who refuse to see the neighborhood theater close.

Older people especially fight to keep this relic alive.

As the only single-screen movie house left in the New Orleans area, it is a remnant of days when 30-screen megaplexes were nonexistent.

“People like to come in and keep the theater open for that reason,” said Prytania cashier Melissa Heno.

Alexander agrees that some patrons only see shows at the Prytania because they dislike the treatment they receive at the larger theaters.

“I’ve worked for those other theaters,” he said. “Sure, they can show ‘X-Men’ five times an hour, but the Prytania has character.”

The Prytania has the oldest operating single screen left in New Orleans.

“‘The Wizard of Oz’ and ‘Gone With the Wind’ had original screenings here,” Alexander says.

The theater does possess an old-fashioned charm.

The screening room has a balcony, a curtain and a stage.

It seats only 282 people.

Alexander even claims that the theater houses a ghost.

Occasionally, the staff says it hears noises coming from a closet.

Once, a door flew open and knocked a manager across the room.

“The manager went flying,” Alexander says. “We leave the ghost alone now.”

Character, however, might not be enough to keep the Prytania’s doors open.

According to Alexander, movie choice can make or break the theater’s business. Although it opened in 1998 as a Landmark Theater showing art films, the opening of Canal Place allowed it to begin showing more mainstream movies.

The switch has been good for the Prytania.

“‘Harry Potter’ made a lot of money. So did ‘Chicago,'” Alexander says. “These movies attracted a wide audience and a large crowd.”

However, since the Prytania can only show one film at a time, movies are selected carefully.

According to rules of engagement, the Prytania is required by contract to hold on to movies for a certain length of time before switching.

The screening can last anywhere from three weeks to several months.

This can lead to slow business as well as bored workers.

“We had ‘Chicago’ for three months,” Alexander says. “By the end of the run, I had seen it 180 times. It was fun for the first week or two, but after that I began to hate it.”

The Prytania is unique in that the movies screened there are hand selected according to viewer’s needs.

For example, “Anger Management” just finished a run at the theater.

Alexander said that it was chosen because with the onset of war, people needed to laugh.

Mary Lanaux, communications sophomore, agrees that the Prytania offers something special.

She has been going to the theater to see movies since her freshman year, and says that she doesn’t like to go anywhere else.

“It’s like going back in time,” Lanaux says. “It doesn’t have the same appeal as the megaplexes. I always walk out of the Prytania feeling happier and more relaxed. It’s the experience, not the movie, that makes a difference.”

The Prytania theater will continue to screen movies throughout the summer months. Upcoming features include “The Matrix Reloaded” and possibly “Legally Blonde 2.”

“We’re just trying to stay open as one of the oldest theaters in the country,” Alexander says.

For now, the Prytania’s screen will continue to flicker.

ABOVE

Joseph and Shirley Greiner watch the new movie “Identity” at the Prytania on Tuesday. Many older people are involved in the campaign to keep the historical theater open. More information is available at www.theprytania.com.