Monks Jazz Club
Reminiscences of Movie Attending Past
RECEIVED Tue., Aug. 26, 2003
I enjoyed Michael Ventura's reminiscences about going to the movies in the era before television ["Letters @ 3AM," Aug. 22]. I went to many movies here, beginning in the 1940s, and many of my experiences paralleled Mr. Ventura's. We children did, indeed, go downtown to the theatres unaccompanied. Our parents were glad to be rid of us for a part of their own free time, and we were glad to be out on our own.
Saturday morning double and triple features were regular staples at a couple of long-gone movie houses (the Queen, at Seventh and Congress, and the Capitol, on West Sixth). While it is true that movies weren't made exclusively for children, there was a subset of films which were such B-grade clunkers (many of the Westerns) or that were so silly (Abbott and Costello, etc.) that they were largely identified with the Saturday morning shows.
Those shows were occasionally accompanied by some onstage promotional event or contest of interest to kids, such as a demonstration of Duncan yo-yo techniques. The tricks with the yo-yos were performed by high-school kids, who seemed supercool to us grade-schoolers.
Years later I remember watching The Thing in the Paramount, I think. After the show when my friends and I came outside, we really did follow the final warning of the film to "Look to the skies!"
Fun times. I think admission was about 19 cents in the Forties.
Saturday morning double and triple features were regular staples at a couple of long-gone movie houses (the Queen, at Seventh and Congress, and the Capitol, on West Sixth). While it is true that movies weren't made exclusively for children, there was a subset of films which were such B-grade clunkers (many of the Westerns) or that were so silly (Abbott and Costello, etc.) that they were largely identified with the Saturday morning shows.
Those shows were occasionally accompanied by some onstage promotional event or contest of interest to kids, such as a demonstration of Duncan yo-yo techniques. The tricks with the yo-yos were performed by high-school kids, who seemed supercool to us grade-schoolers.
Years later I remember watching The Thing in the Paramount, I think. After the show when my friends and I came outside, we really did follow the final warning of the film to "Look to the skies!"
Fun times. I think admission was about 19 cents in the Forties.
John Meadows
