BREAKING THE SILENCE

Re: “Rehabbed Silent Movie Theatre Gives ‘Em Something to Talk About” (Oct. 25):

It’s not the new kid on the block nor would I have called it a “crusty old gem.” John and Dorothy Hampton opened it as a silent cinema in 1942. Lawrence Austin reopened it in 1991, and in 1999, I spent seven months restoring it and then seven years keeping the theater alive and well.

“Full-fledged revival house”? So showing “Ninja Turtles III” makes it full-fledged? The Silent Movie Theatre was the ultimate revival house; now it is just another New Beverly.

Charlie Lustman

Idyllwild

Lustman owned the theater from 1999 to 2006.