I disagree. To begin with, movies were much more ephemeral back in the late '40's and early 50's. Not only was the period in question before VCR or DVD but there were no TV airings for most people, remember TV didn't become a big thing until the mid 1950's or so. Heck, even when I was a kid in the 1960's, it was a couple of years after it left theatres before a movie would show up on tv, even longer before it would become a late-nite regular. There were, in larger cities, theatres that specialized in re-runs but they tended to a higher class of flick than "Ticket to Tomahawk" or "Colorado Territory." And, from what my elders used to say, movies, other than really big hits, weren't in town that long since there were so many coming out of the factories every few days.
So where does my Dad come in? (apologies to those who have suffered through me posting this story before) Back in '48 or '49 Mom and Dad were driving to Arizona to visit Mom's folks[1] Dad was tlking to somebody he met at a motel[2] who told him about this wierd train from Durango to Silverton that went through really incredible scenery that you couldn't see from the hiway and that was going to be torn up soon. Since this was in the years BC[3] they decided to spend a day and check it out. They enjoyed it, although neither of them were railfans in the slightest, and proceeded to tell people to try it out. I can remember Dad telling people at rest stops, motels, etc. who were heading to Colorado about the Silverton, not to mention anybody in our part of Iowa who was heading that way. The pitch remained the same right into the late 1980's[4]: "Don't miss it. Great Scenery, can't see it from the hiway. They'll be tearing it up any year now."
That kind of word of mouth, by Dad and people like him and the people they told, their kids, etc, etc. are what, IMO, made the Silverton what it was by the mid to late 1950's.
hank
[1] Grandpa had a lung problem(s) that he picked up in France in '18 so they moved to Scottsdale as soon as all the kids were grown & flown in '40
[2] Or a Gas Station or a Cafe, I'm a bit fuzzy on the details. Yes Victoria, we used to actually *talk* to people we ran into in public places who we'd never met before. Living on the edge.
[3] The folks got married in '45 but didn't start having children until they were sure that they would be ok when (not if) the Depression came back. IE: when Mom got tenure at ISC in '52.
[4] Last time I heard Dad doing it, he died in '92