"It's a Wonderful Life"
Redford Theatre
Detroit, Mich.
Dec. 19, 2025
In today’s cinema-going culture, chain multiplexes with reclining seats, personally delivered, overpriced concessions and the latest blockbusters have become the norm. Tucked away in the corner of northwest Detroit lies an alternative, with a glowing marquee harkening back to a more classic time and serving as a beacon for the city’s Old Redford neighborhood.
With the slogan, “The Way Movies Were Meant to Be Seen,” Detroit’s Redford Theatre is a unique cinematic experience that goes well beyond a simple screening. The historic, volunteer-run theater opened in 1928 as a neighborhood movie house and has been in continuous operation ever since, now specializing in classic and cult films. At $7 a ticket, it’s also one of the most affordable movie-going experiences around.
A visit to the theater itself is a treat. The 1661-seat, three-story building is built more like a traditional live-performance theater than a modern cinema with a full stage, velvet curtain and balcony seating. Its Japanese motif features traditional Japanese architecture, figures in historical kimonos and a Mount Fuji, topped by a sparkling starry night on the ceiling.
The highlight of the theater is its Barton Theatre Pipe Organ, which makes it one of the few theaters in Metro Detroit to have its original organ. Owned by the Motor City Theatre Organ Society, the theater makes good use of the instrument with performances before every show and during intermission with a variety of classic, nostalgic and often film-related songs ranging from “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” to Christmas carols to the theme from “Star Wars.”
Its movie series is released every six months with films like “The Wizard of Oz,” “Casablanca,” and “Singin’ in the Rain” in regular rotation as well as more recent favorites like “The Big Lebowski,” “The Princess Bride,” and “Harry Potter.” Redford offers themed weekends, including its “Three Stooges,” film noir and classic cartoons festivals, plus its silent film festival, where the organ is on full display. Actors from some of the most classic films also make regular appearances, like Mickey Kuhn, the former child actor who played Beau Wilkes in “Gone with the Wind,” and Mary Badham, who played Scout in “To Kill a Mockingbird” and returns to the theater in April.
After the organ overture, each screening begins with an introduction that gives a short overview of the film and some fun facts and history. Every film – regardless of length – also features an intermission, where the organ returns and the theater draws prizes, which usually includes a 50/50 raffle, a gift basket and a custom t-shirt screened with a print of the film by their in-house maker, “Larry the T-Shirt Guy.”
The theater really shines at Christmastime when it’s dressed to the nines with lights, Christmas trees and a massive moving train set displayed in front of the stage. December fills the screen with Christmas classics like “White Christmas,” “Miracle on 34th Street” and “It’s a Wonderful Life,” which I saw on Friday and left few dry eyes in the audience.
A visit to the Redford Theatre is a journey back in time in more ways than one. For me, it’s a chance to see classics I’d normally not seek out on my own and take advantage of the rare opportunity to experience them on the big screen. Old Hollywood musicals – some with glorious singalong options – are also regular draws for me, and watching them with other fans adds another layer of energy and excitement. In the age of endless at-home streaming options and cookie cutter megaplexes, viewing a film at the Redford Theatre is a charming cinematic experience that takes going to the movies to the next level and is a must-do experience for cinephiles visiting Detroit.
