DEBUT OF TROPIC CINEMA’S PEGGY DOW THEATER TO STAR ACTRESS DOW

KEY WEST, Florida Keys — A theater named for actress Peggy Dow is to debut at Key West’s Tropic Cinema Friday and Saturday, Jan. 15-16, with a film series and reception starring the actress.

The luxurious 50-seat theater is the fourth at the Tropic Cinema, an 8,000-square-foot film center and multipurpose theater at 416 Eaton St. in Key West’s historic Old Town district.

Featuring a state-of-the-art sound system and both 35-millimeter and digital projection capabilities, the Peggy Dow Theater is the first expansion to the five-year-old cinema facility. Grand opening events are to kick off Jan. 15 with a 6 p.m. reception and showing of Dow’s best-known film, “Harvey,” in which she appeared with James Stewart. Vibrant and personable even in her 80s, Dow will be on hand to answer questions and greet filmgoers.

The following day, beginning at 1 p.m., film buffs can view a series of Dow’s other films from the late 1940s and ‘50s. Titles are to include “You Never Can Tell” starring Dick Powell, “Woman in Hiding,” a classic film noir with Ida Lupino and Howard Duff and “Bright Victory” in which Dow starred opposite Arthur Kennedy.

For the Tropic Cinema’s executive director, Matthew Helmerich, the theater’s grand opening has a special significance. Helmerich is Peggy Dow’s son and his family’s Helmerich Foundation donated the lead private grant for the venue’s creation.

“Mom loves the Tropic Cinema and loves the movies, so the Tropic was a natural institution she and my dad could support,” said Helmerich. “She's thrilled to be coming to Key West to open the theater.”

Tropic Cinema is a nonprofit independent film multiplex dedicated to showing new, independent, alternative and foreign films. Its lobby and theaters also are the site of community cultural events ranging from jazz concerts to theatrical performances.

Tickets for the Peggy Dow Theater’s Friday night grand opening reception and screening of “Harvey” are $100 per person with all proceeds benefiting Tropic Cinema. Admission to the Saturday films is free to the public.

For more information and tickets, as well as information about the Tropic Cinema, call (305) 294-5857 or visit tropiccinema.com.

For lodging information in Key West, contact the Key West Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-LAST-KEY (800-527-8539) or explore this Web site.