A longtime owner of one of the city's landmark cinemas is being remembered as a lasting influence on the central Ohio movie community.

Frank Marzetti, who owned Studio 35 in the Clintonville neighborhood for almost three decades after buying it in 1953, died July18 at 81. A memorial service took place yesterday.

"He was a quite a character," said John Conti, owner of Studio 35 from 1995 to 2003. "Columbus has lost a legend in the movie-theater business.

"His legacy is still Studio 35, because it is still standing and he was innovative enough to keep it going." Conti said Marzetti "did anything he could to keep the theater alive and going - and it worked."

Marzetti bought the single-screen venue when it was called the Indianola. After leasing it for a few years, he returned to run it in the mid-1960s with his wife, Sally, eventually renaming the place Marzetti's Studio 35 (in reference to 35mm film).

Under the watch of the Marzettis, Studio 35 became known for its twin, triple and even quadruple bills - from Beatles marathons to the works of the Marx Brothers - at lower-than-average ticket prices.

A 1995 Dispatch profile of Studio 35 said: "The theater thrived during the late '60s and '70s, when Marzetti booked memorable double features: The Grapes of Wrath and Paper Moon, Grand Prix and The Dirty Dozen, any two Cheech-and-Chong vehicles."

In 1972, Marzetti obtained a liquor license and began serving beer alongside pizza. The Marzettis' innovative approach to running an independent movie theater was featured in 1978 in a front-page article in The Wall Street Journal.

"He was a pioneer," said current owner Eric Brembeck. "Without a doubt, he was the foundation of the place."

Daughter Terra Marzetti, 51, of Upper Arlington fondly recalls childhood days spent at the theater with her parents.

"They were amazing, very entertaining years," she said.

"People came to see them - not necessarily the movie all the time."

nchordas@dispatch.com