Teton Theatre

The Teton Theatre operated for 70 years from 1942 until 2012 and was a beloved business in a historic building. It was originally built in 1942 by Bruce Porter, who also owned the adjacent Rainbow Theatre, and ran the first movie theatre in Jackson in the Clubhouse in the 1920s. He built and opened the Teton Theatre to operate as a dedicated movie theatre, with modern technology and stadium seating. The descendants of Bruce Porter renovated the theater building in 2018 and preserved many of the original features, including the exterior marquee. It currently operates as a pizza restaurant.

In 1931 Bruce Porter, the pharmacist at Jackson Drug, purchased the Rainbow Theatre which was located along North Cache Street just north of the Teton Theatre. He operated the building as a community recreation space, with events like benefit dances, meetings, plays, and movies. In 1937 he built the current Jackson Drug building on the corner of North Cache and E Deloney on the Town Square. Previously, Porter had run the Jackson Theatre out of the second floor in the Clubhouse with Stephen Leek. They often showed movies from Leek’s own collection, or popular silent films from Hollywood. 

In the early 1920s several silent films were shot in Jackson Hole, and the residents were hired by the production company for a variety of roles. They helped with location scouting, wrangling livestock, set construction, and even housing the cast and directors. Jackson Hole’s scenery and welcoming locals became a popular film destination, which continued through the 1950s during the peak of the western genre. Local theatres like Porter’s would show the films to the locals, sometimes almost a year after it had premiered in larger cities. Films like “The Cowboy and the Lady (1922),” “3 Bad Men (1926),” “The Yankee Senor (1926),” and “The Big Trail (1930)” put Jackson Hole on the map for Hollywood and the viewing public. The 1920s were a golden year when dude ranches operated at their height, and shared the same scenery visible in the movies. Part of the popularity of coming out to experience the cowboy lifestyle was seeing it on the big screen.

In 1941 Bruce Porter saw a need to open a dedicated theatre in Jackson. The Rainbow Theatre was more of a multi-purpose building, which required a lot of set-up and take-down for each type of event. Porter began construction on the Teton Theatre in June, and hauled the same stone from Victor, Idaho that he used in the Jackson Drug building construction. The two modern stone ashlar buildings created an impressive introduction to those entering Jackson from the north down Cache Street. Construction took longer than expected, and the winter season stalled work until the next spring. On May 28, 1941 the Teton Theatre officially opened, with special sloped floor and attached seating. The newest technology was installed, with two projectors and black light equipment. Modern amenities like air conditioning were included, and acoustic engineers were hired to ensure the sound was optimized for the space. Porter also included a stage so plays and other musical shows could take place when the projectors weren’t in use.

The adjacent drugstore supplied the popcorn, candy, and soda, Porter had made sure the Theatre did not have its own concession. Movie advertisements in the 1940s had showings every day of the week, with two movies on offer. The first advertisement in June 1942 announced “Meet John Doe” had showings on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. “They Meet Again” was shown on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Time’s weren’t included in the ads, so it’s likely the large neon marquee on the exterior contained more information. Only a day after the opening of the Teton Theatre, the manager for the Rainbow Theatre resigned, and moved out of Jackson Hole. The Rainbow Theatre then sat vacant for several decades until 1972 when it reopened as Dirty Jack’s Wild West Theater.

The Teton Theatre continued operation until 2012. The building sat vacant until 2018 when descendants of Bruce Porter renovated the space into a restaurant. They preserved the stage area, and the exterior marquee. Currently, the building operates as a pizza restaurant.

Cassity, Michael. "Teton Theater," Form prepared for the Teton County Historic Preservation Board,

"Jackson Drug Co.," Jackson Hole News, May 25, 1983.

"Our Restaurant," Hand Fire Pizza. https://handfirepizza.com/our-restaurant/

"Town Square History," Jackson Hole News, May 16, 1974.