The Historic Ritz Cinema was built in 1928 and was originally called the Palace Theater,  Through the years, patrons have watched vaudeville shows, silent films as well as famous classics such as “Gone With the Wind” starring Clark Gable, Vivian Lee, and Thomas Mitchell.  The movie was produced by MGM and released in 1939 at a cost of 3.977 million.  It received 10 Academy Awards and has grossed over 390 million dollars.

The Ritz was closed for many decades before it was reopened January 25, 2006 by Bill Alger.  It was returned to its historic presences including murals on the cinema walls painted by South Bend, Indiana artists Theodora (Teddy Doktor) Makielski and or her brother-in-law Leon Makielski.

In December of 2011 the Historic Ritz Cinema went digital and replaced the old sound system with a state of the art surround sound.

In December of 2012, the Historic Ritz Cinema was presented with the Beautification and Improvement Award from the Rensselaer Chamber of Commerce.  We were very humbled and proud to accept this award.  Thank you, Jasper and surrounding counties for recognizing our efforts to keep a Historic Cinema open in a time when many are having to close their doors.