Showboat to screen documentary film on Polson restaurant

Richwine’s Burgerville in Polson celebrates its 58th year in business the weekend of July 17-19. Owner Marcia Moen is the daughter of Enoch and Lucille Richwine, who purchased Burgerville in 1962. Adding a third generation to the mix, Marcia’s daughter Cassidy works alongside her mother. Marcia calls these annual anniversary celebrations Burgerville Days, during which two $58 gift certificates are drawn from the pool of entries on each of the three days.

In conjunction with Burgerville Days, “Burgers, Fries & Family Ties”, a feature length documentary film about Richwine’s Burgerville, opens on Friday, July 17 at the new Showboat Cinemas stadium-seating theatre in Polson.

“Burgers, Fries & Family Ties,” which premiered at the Showboat Cinemas in March, will run multiple times daily from Friday, July 17 through Thursday, July 23, which will afford Polson’s summer residents and visitors an opportunity to see it. The film will also be airing on Montana PBS this fall.

“Burgers, Fries & Family Ties” has won multiple awards, which include the Spokane International Film Festival’s “Jury Award Winner: Best of the Northwest Feature” and “Audience Award Winner: Best of the Northwest Feature”, and the IndieFEST Film Awards Award of Merit.

Polson Theatres, Inc. is putting the finishing touches on its new Showboat Cinemas state-of-the-art cinema complex, which will feature six stadium-seating auditoriums, each replete with a unique color scheme and retro stained-glass lighting fixtures. Showboat Cinemas will also feature more concessions options, including fresh-popped caramel corn made on site.

Polson Theatres, Inc. owners Howard and Ayron Pickerill got into the movie exhibition business back in 1971, and now have a chain of theaters in Montana and one in Idaho. Chief Operating Officers Becky and Gary Dupuis and Becky’s dad, Howard, have been actively involved in the hands-on construction of the ambitious Showboat Cinemas project. And, as with many family-run businesses, it’s been “all hands on deck”, with the Dupuis’ son Tyler and daughter Lydia also on the crew.

Three generations of two families, running two storied business in a small Montana town. That’s what attracted “Burgers, Fries & Family Ties” producer/director David W. King to make a film about Richwine’s Burgerville.

King offers, “People ought to know about this place and the family behind it!”

Over a period of 18 months, using as many as eight cameras at a time, King covered many facets of Burgerville’s finely-tuned operation, which is overseen by Marcia, usually sevens days a week.

David’s wife, Jessica, co-produced “Burgers, Fries & Family Ties” with him, and their son Marcus, at 3, is already an avid Burgerville french fries aficionado. Marcus’s 1-year-old sister Claire also recently joined the fries fan club.

The key to Richwine’s Burgerville’s success? According to King, it’s “The wonderful people who have made Richwine’s Burgerville one of America’s best family-run restaurants for well over half a century. “Burgers, Fries & Family Ties” is our love letter to Richwine’s Burgerville, and we hope people enjoy it as much as we enjoyed making it -- and savoring all those great meals during the process!”

To bring this story full-circle, Showboat Cinemas’ Gary and Becky Dupuis, who are featured in the film, grew up going to Richwine’s Burgerville, and are still regular customers. So, when King approached them about screening the film they were enthusiastic from the start. David and Jessica co-produce the Flathead Lake International Cinemafest (FLIC) each January at the Showboat Cinemas, so they go back many years with Gary and Becky, with all sharing a love of movies in general, and Montana-centric productions in specific.

“Burgers, Fries & Family Ties” is a universally-appealing story about longtime friends and family. The film’s roots run deep, just like the people who make up the close-knit community of Polson.