A SHOW TO BANK ON

Saturday matinees, buttered popcorn and the infamous love seats disappeared from the Camp Bowie Theater long ago, but expect to find a new attraction emblazoned across the marquee next month.

If all goes well, Camp Bowie National Bank, 3859 Camp Bowie Blvd., will open for business in the same theater that first brought Gary Cooper to the silver screen in Fort Worth.

A popular Fort Worth landmark for decades, the theater has recently been restored, the movie screen has been replaced by a modern-day vault, and the interior has been modernized, according to Barclay Ryall, president of the recently chartered bank.

Although the shell of the theater looks much as it did in 1931 when the Zeloski family built it on their home site, the interior is unquestionably modern, with four skylights cut into the ceiling, a massive painting by a Houston artist sprawled across a wall and a maroon and green color scheme designed by Barbara Wederan.

The only evidence of the theater’s past will be the art deco balcony that has been converted into office space.

The exterior still resembles a theater but the building has not seen an audience since 1982, when the theater closed its doors after audiences dwindled. Less than a year later, Summit Bancshares purchased the property. Renovation began earlier this year.

Dallas showman Bill O’Donnell purchased the building in 1955 and operated it until 1974, when Plitt Theaters (formerly Interstate Theaters) took the financial reins.

Ryall says he knows of no other bank in a theater. Customers, he says, must wait until December for an answer to the much-asked question, “Will you sell popcorn in the lobby?”