A little bit of Hollywood has landed on the prairie. It’s not everyday a small Midwest town gets to host a Hollywood-style premiere, so Dell Rapids is rolling out the red carpet.
“It’s exciting! It always gives you the adrenaline rush to be to be able to do it, this is what the movie business is about! Lets have some fun with it.” said Jeff Logan, president of Logan Luxury Theatres.
The Dells Theatre is the Upper Midwest premiere for the movie “Walt Before Mickey” and the movie’s producers have flown in to join the festivities.
“I’m just excited to be here, it’s my first time in South Dakota and i know from my partner it’s his first time and we are just blessed to be here.” said Arthur L. Bernstein, who also plays a role onscreen.
The question many of you are probably asking is why Dell Rapids? Both producers say the answer is easy, theatre owner Jeff Logan and his early belief that this movie was special.
“After he saw the movie, he really understood that this movie relates to a lot of people and how hard it is to operate a business, he just felt it was the right fit to premiere it in Dell Rapids.” said Armando Gutierrez.
We all remember that famous mouse and the empire that followed, but very few know the story of Disney’s early years. This movie hopes to change that.
“Walt overcame everything that the average American went through, so it was done in a way that everybody can relate to the journey.” said Gutierrez.
And after visiting Dell Rapids, the producers say they may have made one mistake while filming.
“This looks like where we filmed the movie! I mean seriously I was talking to Arthur saying we probably could’ve filmed the whole movie here!” said Gutierrez.
However, getting to bask in the light of Hollywood, albeit for just one night, is a fair consolation.
“This is awesome! This theater is classic! You know 1938, it’s as old as Superman! I mean how can you beat that?” said Bernstein.
The movie “Walt Before Mickey” runs throughout the week at the Dells Theatre. Similar red carpet events are planned for Friday in Mitchell and Saturday in Huron.
