GRAHAM — Timothy “Tim Bob” Matthews, manager and former owner of the Graham Cinema, died Monday in his apartment above the theater that he ran for 32 years.

"We are going to truly miss him,” Graham Mayor Jerry Peterman said. “He’s one of Graham’s icons that made downtown Graham what it is today."

The cinema, with its $4 tickets and $1 popcorn, is known as a place where families could afford a night out.

"He always charged even dollars because he did not like handling change," said Chuck Talley, who now owns the cinema with his wife Jennifer.

Matthews was known also for the recordings he left at 336-226-1488 with movie times, ratings and reviews.

“Tim was always very honest about the movies,” Peterman said. “He’d say, ‘Save your money,’ and things like that.”

“He liked chick flicks,” said Scott, his oldest son. “He loved ‘Fried Green Tomatoes’ and ‘Sleepless in Seattle’; he didn’t really like action movies."

He also recorded jokes, not all of which can be repeated here. Let’s just say the punchline to the first joke on his last recording was, “‘Honey, you didn’t act like that 40 years ago,’ and she said, ‘Well, 40 years ago that fence wasn’t electrified.’”

John Isley, co-host of the John Boy and Billy radio show, grew up in Graham and started using Matthews' recordings on the show and recommending them to other DJs. It became more popular and for a time Matthews could be heard from coast to coast and beyond.

"At its peak he was doing live remotes from Australia and Spain,” Talley said.

Matthews came from Raleigh to Graham some time in the 1970s, Scott said, and went to work at the cinema in the early 1980s. Tickets were $4.

“Which was first-run back then.” Scott said. “It was not doing very well.”

Right before the theater went under, Scott said, instead of a first-run movie, the owner showed “ET” and sold tickets for $1. Instead of selling 200 tickets that week, he sold 2,000. Tim Matthews saw the potential for second-run movies and bought the theater in 1984. He sold tickets for $1 and popcorn for 50 cents.

The cinema became a center for downtown social life, and Matthews was at the heart of it. Scott Matthews, who worked with his father at the cinema for the past 22 years, said when the line would back up at the concession stand, it was probably his father stopping to talk to someone.

“He loved the customers,” Matthews said. “He loved that answering machine he did; he loved making people laugh. I don’t know; he just loved being around people."

He sold the cinema to the Talleys years ago but stayed on to manage the place, and he is not done there: His memorial service will be there at 11 a.m. Oct. 15.

“That’s what he would have wanted,” Talley said. “Tim wouldn’t want everyone to show up in suits; he would just want everyone to show up.”