BELLIS, Nelverna Eichlin – (1906-1978) was the no-nonsense manager of the Barn Theatre in Frenchtown for most of its existence – from the 1940s into the '70s. (Note the 1966 calendar on the wall of her office.)
According to her great-great-granddaughter Heidi Haver, “Nelverna was known for being very strict with customers who would put their shoes on the chairs. She only gave one warning before dragging people out by the shirt collar with no refund… Nelverna would walk up and down the aisles and tell teenagers on dates to keep their heads up above the seats, so she knew they weren't smooching!” She is also said to have slapped the hands of hand-holders.
Although she was “Mrs. Bellis” for most of her tenure, after her husband, John, died in 1969, she became Mrs. Cyril Livingston. She lived on Harrison Street.
The last manager was Tom Cooper. Managing the Barn was one of his three jobs. He also worked for the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission, and for Delaware Valley High School as an athletic trainer. Full disclosure: He often let me in for free because I liked to give the theater free publicity in the Del Val News. Maybe I'd have done the theater more good if I'd paid.
The Barn was at the corner of Harrison and Twelfth streets. It closed in 1989 and was later converted for other uses.
From "Rick's Frenchtown Encyclopedia"
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