Or better: add a prompt to our app (so we aren't distracting others) where we could just press a button for 'please check my theater'. Not trying to trivialize.. but imagine of something like this was available when those people were killed watching Batman?
As corporate greed has increased, and the drive for quarterly growth of profits rather than slow and steady growth has prevailed, unnecessary expenses have been eliminated. People came to watch the movie in the dark, not to look at the fancy walls, chandeliers, or curtains on the screen. So, why bother making the place look beautiful?
It’s easy to look back at the past with rose colored glasses, and many things about it are amazing. I love the 30s movies that show glimpses of automats in cities. Just remember, people didn’t have air conditioning in their homes until the 50s or 60s or later. Antibiotics didn’t become readily available until after WW2. (Imagine getting a strep throat or UTI or tooth abscess today without having antibiotics to take.). I do think cry rooms need to make a comeback!
@@RLucas3000 True, for everything that was better back in the day, there were things that were worse. It's still nice to recognize and remember the good things, and hope, even in vain, for their return.
In fact, that was one of the first major uses of air conditioning in the USA, cooling down movie theaters. Home air conditioning didn't arrive until well after World War II.
My older brother won a set of dishes at the movie theater when he was 8 years old in 1958. He was so happy, and my mom had those dishes for years. I haven't thought of this until I saw your video. Thank you for it.
Wow! Imagine winning a whole set of dishes all at one time! And especially at age 8. I was never that lucky to win something like that. Thank you for watching and sharing your memories.
When I was a kid, the local theater gave out Christmas gifts before (or after) the movie. I didn't get called for a gift and I swear it scarred me for life lol. I was so mad leaving that place. I think I was about 6 or 7 years old. This was the early 60's.
Item give aways (like dishes) brought more people to the movies...but 99% of this not that you'd get a whole set-- you got one piece of a set, so that next week you'd come back for the next piece so you'd be collecting until you had the whole set.
While intermissions were there in the past for the projectionist to change reels, nowadays with more movies pushing way past the 2-hour point are the norm and some are 3 hours +, it would seem like a good idea to bring back intermissions to give people a chance to go to the bathroom or get more snacks(where theaters make most of their money nowadays).
It really would be beneficial for the theaters to have intermissions during the longer films. People would definitely spend more at the snack bars. Thank you for watching!
Even as long ago as the 1940s, many theatres used a two-projector system. This allowed the projectionist to thread up the next reel while one was playing, and could then switch over instantly with no break necessary. Later on this was replaced by a platter system where the entire film could be held on one enormous reel and run through a single projector. I have been to showings of modern movies such as Pirates of the Caribbean 2, where they've had a 15-minute intermission halfway through the movie. Bollywood films also usually have intermissions.
I was talking about this the other day when talking about the time I saw Dances with Wolves. The projector broke or something about halfway through, it wasn't a reel change because they offered us free popcorn and soda for the inconvenience and we all filed into the lobby. It was a nice break. I'm sure dad used it to go outside for a smoke.
A nurse on duty? In a movie theater? Wow that's amazing! I actually had never heard of the cry room before. It's fun to know about these things that don't exist anymore. Thanks for the educational video! 😊
When I was a little boy (5 or 6 yrs old) the movie theatre was my baby sitter. My mother would take me in, seat me, tell me not to move, and come get me when she finished doing whatever she needed to do. I remember hearing her tell the ticket lady that she would be back for me in about an hour. She took me to western shows. She didn’t pay attention to what time the movie actually started so I usually came in somewhere in the middle. I hated when she returned to get me. Life was good.
Yup, same here. Certain days it was really cheap and those were the times we would hit the mall. Me in the theater and her out shopping. It would have been the early/ mid 70's.
I absolutely love this new entry. I grew up during the 1960s and the Oasis Theatre was one block from our apartment in Queens, NY. It was a grand, Egyptian-themed theatre with a large downstairs lobby where the restrooms were located. I still remember walking in late to a movie and hanging around for the movie to restart and stay until I caught the first part missed. Mom and Dad would tell me about how grand it was in their day. Today's movie experience pales by comparison.
Also, that theatre seen at the 6:18 mark in this video makes it look like an outdoor amphitheater with that lit blue ceiling. It had to be wonderful feeling like you were watching a movie there.
I was born in Brooklyn NY in 1961 and the first movie I was taken too was the 10 commandments, wouldn't have been my first choice but I was about 3yrs old and I had no say so. My foster mother at the time took me there. I remember being by the very small candy kiosk. And watching "Movietone" that section had the news, cartoons and some commercials, I think.
Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories of the Oasis theater. That really sounds like it was a nice theater. I would love to see one themed like that. The theater with the blue sky inside it is still open in Tampa Bay, Florida. It's pretty well known and there really aren't as many of those types around anymore. I sure hope we can preserve what we do have though.
@@RhettyforHistory Thank you for the information about the Tampa Bay theatre! I relocated two hours from that area and will definitely be paying a visit. I'm also in agreement that we should be protecting what movie palaces there are. In NJ, a newer theater that was in operation in the 1970s was purchased and converted into a performance theatre for a theater company. Another North of that was made into a concert hall. With the movie industry devoting more of their product to streaming services, the multiplexes of today may well see themselves out. It's sad but those beautiful old palaces are truly historical landmarks that need preserving.
After a long time watching movies, you left the theater to find night had fallen and your mind still thinking about the movie you just saw, it really transported you to a fantasy place so snapping back to reality really took me a few minutes.
@@RhettyforHistoryThey still are a great way to escape reality. That being said with streaming services, movies on demand, etc. the experience has changed quite a bit.
As an American living in Asia, I get a similar feeling when I watch Hollywood movies here! In the movie, the characters are speaking English while in famous American cities. It feels like I'm in America again. But then when I step out of the theater, I'm reminded that I'm in Asia again, and it takes me a moment to adjust again, haha.
I remember the very large and wide screens that don't exist anymore. Cinerama, Todd-A-O, and other super wide formats were a treat. Some of the movie screens from about 1950 - 1970 were gigantic.
Cinerama and Cinemascope weren't just wide screens, but curved. If you got a seat near the center aisle, you could see the movie scenes seem to wrap around you. I got to see "2001: A Space Odyssey" in Cinerama, and it was great. Cinemascope used a special wide-screen movie film, but Cinerama used three separate projectors whose images had to be synchronized.
The "IMAX" you see now, is not the original IMAX. The IMAX film standard originally used 70 mm film in specially built cameras, then run through the theaters projectors horizontally. This technique produced an area that is about 8.3 times as large as the 35 mm format, and about 3.4 times as large as 70 mm film run through the projector vertically. Today's "IMAX" is projected on "gigantic" screens, but is basically not the original concept.
@@stevenlitvintchouk3131 Cinerama used 3 projectors, Able, Baker, and Charlie, to get that wiiiiiide picture. People don't think of it that way, but projectors were like microscopes: You're taking a picture .7 inches across, and projecting it onto a 40 foot screen.
I miss the days of these classic theaters! Not just the beauty of the buildings themselves, but the whole deal--- The lights outside, two main attractions with a wonderful intermission that included coming attractions and a cartoon or two. Yes, even smoking in the theater. In high school Friday and Saturday nights were the busiest nights, of course. The concession counter had the best hot buttered (real butter) popcorn, fountain sodas, several types of candy and at the Palm Theater, they sold ice cream bon-bons --- little scoops of ice cream dipped in chocolate.
I often find it ironic when people fight to save old theaters. The reason theses theaters are being torn down is because nobody is going to them. That includes the people trying to save it,
@@tremorsfan This...I can see maybe one theater holding onto an old school style in a big city. But of course, its audio and screen would have to be massively updated. Maybe like a uber luxury theater, with very cushy seats and sells alcohol etc.
It really used to be quite the experience to go to the theater. I think a lot of younger folks have missed out on some of those older days of fun. Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories Nia!
@@tremorsfan tickets prices alone unfortunately can be reason enough to have driven a lot of movie goers away. There's an old movie theater in my hood that managed to save the building with much of its interior preserved and turned it into a book store. Too bad that hasn't happened more often.
I live in a town that still has an old fashioned theater! It was wearing down a bit in the 90s. But someone bought it an refurbished it. It’s lovely! It has an actual stage, so they also host live performances. What a treasure to have! And yes! It has the red velvet curtains!
As a child of the 50s, this brings back great memories, thank you. When I was about 10 my friends and I were allowed to walk a couple blocks to our local small town theater. Ours was the Martin Theater, a chain pretty much in Georgia, Florida, Alabama. Our average size theater had hard backed chairs with cushioned auto-fold seats. The screen did have the huge velvet curtain, and what a thrill when curtains would open! I remember the serial Buck Rogers, and classic cartoons of Woody Woodpecker, Road Runner, Elmer Fudd was my favorite character. Cost for children for feature films was 15 cents, a quarter for adults! The crying room, oh yes, I have faint memory of sitting in that room with my Mom. Milk Duds! When we finished the box we would blow through open end for a sound effect. In summertime we would go barefoot everywhere, so I well remember the sticky theater floors from spilled cokes. On Saturday mornings the price of admission was an empty bag of Golden Flake potato chips...next door to theater was a drug store that sold small bags for 5 cents; we would buy a bag and either gulp the chips down or empty them in nearest trash can and then present the bag at window for entry. Lastly, we never ever referred to our local theater as a "theater," it was always the "picture show."
Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories with the Martin Theater. It really sounds like you had some great times and made some wonderful memories there. I enjoyed reading what you had to say and it was really detailed!
Being born in the 60's many of the really fancy theatres were already gone, but I did get to experience a few. Even as a kid I realized how majestic these old theatres were compared to the new plainer ones that were replacing them. The old velour seats, molded ceilings and velvet curtains were really something. One of the old theatres in the town I grew up in had box seats along the side wall, I seem to remember hearing that it had a stage for old vaudeville shows, plays and opera before it became a movie theatre. When you showed that slide about coming to the lobby to get a treat, the song immediately popped into my head and I started to sing it. Thanks for another walk down memory lane.
You're welcome and thank you for watching Eric. Some of these old theaters were really fancy. Any theater could be exciting to go to back then. If you missed it back then there was no telling when or if you would ever be able to see it. That is not the case now.
I will never forget visiting my cousin who lived in Newark, NJ in the early 80s. We saw a triple feature of Blade Runner/Sharkey's Machine/Life Force in the old, decrepit castle-type movie place in the heart of the bombed out downtown. But I still remember being mezmerized by ornate antiquity. I remember thinking that that place must have truly a House of Art back in the day.
There one in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and its called the Astor Theatre and its over 100 years old and had that atmospheric look. I used to work there and the council wanted to close it down, but a cinema company called "Palace Theatre" bought it and now owns the building. Astor Theatre played all types of films from new releases to old black and white films and I used to take my grandma when she was alive there to see old black and white films.
All that plaster ornamentation became a maintenance nightmare as the theaters aged, with chunks of plaster chipping off and falling on people's heads. That might have caused the early demise of some theaters. When I was a kid, one of our downtown theaters was closed after a fire next door led to some water and smoke damage. The theater was never reopened and was ultimately torn down along with the building which had the fire.
@PC No yes, the specific one I mentioned had that problem with the plaster. The box seats along the side of the theater were closed because they were afraid they'd fall. It was sad when they tore it down, but it really wasn't worth saving and it was the only building left on the block right downtown, so I'd guess the land was valuable.
Thank you for a great video! I spent 40 years working in movie theatres. I started as a relief concession attendant the concession attendant then projectionist then manager and was manager of the year for one of the largest theatre companies in America. During my four decades I saw countless changes. I remember the days of people dressing up to go to the movies and were respectful of others by being quiet to a very self centered public who usually dressed down and could care less if their talking or cel phone bothered others. I remember the majestic waterfall curtains would rise and a hush fell over the audience in anticipation. Back in the day what are now known as "previews of coming attractions" were called trailers because they played after the movie ended. The two greatest threats to theatres today are greed and home entertainment. Greed has two parts, the movie stars and the theatre owners. I remember when Burt Reynolds received a five million dollar contract to star in a movie everyone thought it was kinda cool but they didn't stop to think how that would effect ticket and concession prices. Couple that with the greed on the part of the owners which caused them to build simple square auditoriums without screen curtains and their total lack of respect for their theatre managers and staff by not paying them fair wage and understaffing theatres which caused the public to take out their frustrations on the theatre manager and staff. Home entertainment is the second great threat to theatres. With the elaborate home entertainment equipment, streaming services and how quick movies can be played at home more and more people simply wait. Back in the day people ate at home and went out for their entertainment. There was a theatre in almost every town and very few restaurants but notice now how few theatres there are and how many restaurants. Yet in my humble opinion greed on the part of the movie stars and theatre owners is the greatest threat to the survival of theatres! I truly enjoyed your video for it brought back many fond memories. Mike
The movie theaters were much more elegant then and I liked outdoor ticket booths. I miss the old fashioned drive in movies too.its a shame they are mostly all gone.
I remember that feeling when your parents let you go to the movies with your friends for the first time by yourselves! We felt so grown up!! Though they still wouldn’t let us buy popcorn- jiffy pop from home stuffed in our coats!😊
I was born in 75, but lucky enough to witness the very end of - what would be then - "modern" ushers and the Capitol and Lyric theatres in my hometown of Kitchener, Canada. Absolutely gorgeous structures. From the marquee to the ticket booth to the lavish elongated lobby to the elegant concession stand and straight into the plush, single theatre. Sadly, the Capitol is long gone, and the Lyric, which I coincidentally was a bouncer during university, has been a night club for many years now. The interior elevated that club. The music however.....
I will never forget visiting my cousin who lived in Newark, NJ in the early 80s. We saw a triple feature of Blade Runner/Sharkey's Machine/Life Force in the old, decrepit castle-type movie place in the heart of the bombed out downtown. But I still remember being mezmerized by ornate antiquity. I remember thinking that that place must have truly a House of Art back in the day.
There’s still a theater in Des Moines that is like the theater you described at the very beginning called the Varsity Theater. It’s a historical landmark and can’t be torn down and they play a range of new films and old films. I’ve been to it and it’s pretty cool. Thanks for the video man, have a great weekend!
That really sounds like a great theater and it's really good news to hear that it is still in operation. So many seem to have disappeared. Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories Jared. I hope you had a great weekend as well.
In the 1980s and even early 1990s I remember one of our local theaters still had the majestic red curtains with gold braid that would rise when it was showtime. I can hardly believe that was during my lifetime. Pretty cool.
The very first movie I ever saw on the big screen was "Escape from New York" back in 1981 when I was 5 years old at a little local neighborhood theater in St. Louis. A few years back I had the chance to drive through my old neighborhood and saw that the theater was now a pawn shop, which broke my heart a little bit, but it was good to see the original building still intact and bustling with activity.
It really is sad to see some of these old theaters disappearing. I'm curious if you could even tell it was once a theater now? Thank you for watching Johnny!
@@RhettyforHistory A little bit. The old marquee is still there, but instead of the latest attractions and movie times, it now has "PAWN KING" scrolled across the front of it. Guess I know where to go if I'm looking for a slightly used crown.
I'm from a younger generation, but I remember my dad telling me about how going to cinema used to be. I agree it's a lot less fun these days, especially with the 30 minutes of ads that play right as the movie is supposed to start--you basically have no escape from it! I've known people who've had their experiences ruined by rowdy kids too, cry rooms should make a comeback. I made it a point to dress nicely when I went to the cinema too. I've only been to the movies 3 times and haven't gone back since the pandemic, mostly due to ticket prices and the fact that most movies just don't interest me these days. I really did enjoy going to the cinema despite these setbacks though and I wish those fancy old theatre settings would make a comeback. They look so elegant!
Los Angeles still has some special showings called “Last Remaining Seats” in our old movie palaces. They are just as grand as ever. Also the El Capitan on Hollywood Blvd is a restored old theater.
My first job was at the concession stand at our town's first multiplex- 4 screens! It was 1979 and the best part was all the popcorn and soda you wanted as long as you brought your own cup/bowl. When you buy it at the theater, you're paying for the containers. Also, 1979 had some great and not-so-great movies, but I could watch them all, though maybe not in continuous sessions. (Americathon, anyone?) But, It was great as a first job!
Movie theaters didn't have a break when the projectionist had to put on a new reel (the film only stopped if it broke or some other accident). The projection room had 2 projectors. As one ran the other had the next reel all set up. At the end of a reel (each about 20 min) the projectionist would see a small round "hole" (or white small circle) in the upper right had corner to tell him to get ready to switch on the other projector. The white circle would flash, then a few more seconds, the second circle would flash and the other projector would start, so there would be no interruption in the film.
My children find it hard to believe when I tell them that most movie theaters were stand-alone buildings-no multiplex theaters; and you could also come in at any point during the movie, stay over and then watch the movie from the beginning. Theaters also would show cartoons before the main feature. Fortunately, there is still one grand movie theater in Georgia-the Fox Theater. It’s mainly used for stage productions, but every now and again, they will show a movie. It’s an Atlanta landmark and is absolutely beautiful. It survived many attempts from developers to be demolished.
Developers always want to demolish these beautiful old landmarks. What is WRONG with these people? It's a shame everything in this time is just disposable like it's just trash. 😢
In Australia , the audience stood up when "God Save The Queen " was played before the start of the movie! This was in the 1960s and probably earlier. I would find this difficult to believe had I not been there myself when taken in context with present day values !
@@murraykitson1436 Interesting. I don't remember whether they played the national anthem in the US, but I don't think so. They did and do at the beginning of sports events and concerts though.
II grew up in the 70's-late 80's. I turned 21 in 1989 And I remember going to the next town over that had refurbished an old theatre in the late 90's to 2000's. When I was a kid it was the "Dollar Theatre" As a teen in the from 1982-1988 we saw plenty of movies that were only 1 week old for one dollar, popcorn was $1.50 for the giant tub, same for a Largest coke, and a bag of candy- came out to 4 dollars and 1 dollar for the film so we didn't need to carry more than 10 dollars per person to see a movie and stuff are selves a few more bucks and we'd get nachos and hotdogs if we didn't eat dinner lol now I that would cost you about 50 bucks per person. thanks for these videosnd 80's good memoies
Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories with us. A lot has changed in theaters as well as the whole movie experience in the last 20 years. I have some fond memories there as you have stated but I haven't been in years. Many movies just seem to skip the whole theater part or aren't there for very long.
You picked another great topics. Darn I'm old. Enjoyable memories as you usually do for us. Thank you my friend as another warm memory relive. Your great. Keep on, your the best...
@@RhettyforHistory you have helped some great memories become recent memories again. Enjoy your choices and especially the facts and the presentation. Your the greatest!!
The Princess Theatre in Edmonton has long had a cry room. The main thing missing from movie theatres today is good movies, about people, made for adult audiences.
Believe me, if ever someone wished a time machine could exist, it's me! I can't cope with the insanity that is nowadays' world - and I'm not old! I just want to go back, pick up my cat that died some years ago and then go together with him back to the 1980's! I was only a child - later young teenager - in the 80's but everything was still normal then... unlike now!
@@LittleKitty22 I'd go back to the l940's or l93o's to begin, so by the time the sixties arrived I'd be old enough to enjoy them yet wise enough not to be destroyed by them. Plus there's a lot of pre-sixties history I'd want to be there to see.
There were three theaters in downtown Cedar Rapids, IA when I was growing up. The Iowa, The Paramount and The World Theaters. They were beautiful. The World Theater had the biggest crystal chandelier I think I've ever seen.
Rhett, I really enjoyed this feature about things that no longer exist in movie theaters. I remember some of the things you mentioned in your video, but some I didn't know about. I never heard about the "cry room," and smoking in the theater. Great presentation and photos, too. Have a fantastic holiday weekend. Take care 🐎
Thank you for this sweet look back!!! I remember walking from the school to the movie theater as a class to see "Romeo and Juliet". This channel makes me smile 😊
@@spankynater4242 I didn't really hear the projector either until I started working in the theatre. When running the projector is part of your job, you learn to hear it. And now I miss it.
After seeing most movies at the drive-in or the newer multiplex, I saw The Empire Strikes Back at the old single screen theater and what I remember most was how soft and comfortable the seats were.
I remember going to a downtown movie theater in the early 60's when I was a kid. The theater had a balcony and it was much fancier then the little cubby holes they call theaters now. I even remember the name of the movie I saw, it was "How the West was Won'. I even remember the first movie I saw at a drive in when I was 5 years old, it was 'The Ten Commandments' at the Custer Drive In in Monroe, Michigan, those were the days.
I went to a large single-screen theater several times in the 1990s before it closed down due to competition from the multiplexes. It had everything - curtains, balconies and they even played the audio from the movie through speakers in the bathroom, so you wouldn't miss too much of the plot!
Awesome upload as always the Tampa theater is amazing my wife and I try and go there at least once a month and I got to say I wish there were still more older theaters around they have a lot of history
I have never been there but I have always wanted to go. That is a pretty famous one and I included one interior pic of that one in the video. Thank you for watching!
Thank you Rhett for yet another marvellous video ❤ The poster of Raquel Welch at 03:30 is the same that Andy Dufresne uses to cover his escape hole in the epic movie ″The Shawshank Redemption″
Thank you for watching and giving us a little more information. I love that movie but I have not seen it in a long time. I guess I never noticed that little detail.
@@rayjohnson2387 Andy had 3 posters to cover the hole during the 27 years it took him to dig the tunnel: first Rita, then Marilyn and finally Raquel ❤
I remember in 1982 when "Annie" first premiered at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, they did the unthinkable! They did a single showing only (NO double feature!!) and the raised the ticket price from the standard $2.50 to a whopping $5 a ticket! This was a huge gamble to see what would happen and....it worked! People PAID the new $5 ticket price to see a single movie only! After that, all the major theaters (AMC, Pacific, Edwards, etc) followed suite and raised their prices to match and started showing a single movie! :(
I remember it always being freezing cold in the theater. I remember ushers but not smoking in theater. I miss the Drive thru!! This was awesome, as always. Thank you and Happy Easter 🐰😊
I remember back in the smoking days in movie theaters, they used to run a PSA with actor Henry Fonda where he would say "By order of the Fire Commissioner smoking is allowed in the last nine rows of this movie theater..."
Yes Rhett, we always looked forward to Saturday night. Always bought a chocolate ice. We always put our best clothes on . Hope you Sarah & family are well love from Africa ❤️ 🌍
Sometimes theaters had multiple projectors set up to reduce reel changes. This was later replaced by the platter system where the employees hooked all the reels together as one long reel (different orientation) and then you just setup from the new location to repeat the process (if I remember right I haven't used one since the early 90s).
I instantly recognized the 2nd and 3rd shots you used of the “cry rooms”. I grew up just south of the theater in Houghton Lake, Michigan, called The Pines, where that is from. The theater and its cry room are still there. It’s kind of a local landmark, built with logs like a huge log cabin. It has lots of taxidermy in the lobby, and a very northern decor with things like show shoes and fishing poles on the side walls of the theater itself. It was actually designed by the same person who designed the famous and much bigger and more elaborate Fox Theatre in downtown Detroit. Although I do prefer the clearer, bigger screens of today, as well as the much better digital surround sound, for the most part I miss everything else that movie theaters used to be. The beautiful decor, no ads beforehand with constant noise, no rumbling seats, ushers, people dressing a little nicer, the beautiful marquees, and just that magic feeling they used to have.
I love the intermission cartoons, they hold a special place in my heart. I wasn't alive during the days of the drive in or these old style theatres. Luckily I have a drive in theatre about an hour from me. Sadly, I never got to experience the speakers on our car, but we do utilize portable radio. I fully support bringing back ushers and cry rooms! Great video as always sir, such respect and admiration for old cinema. I love being able to experience some of it with my kids now too!
You forgot one other popular feature of old theaters. The cinema organist. In the fancier theaters a pipe organist would entertain the audience before the movies and coming attractions would play. The organ would rise up in front of the main stage and disappear before the screening. We still have one here at our downtown Ohio Theater. We have another multiplex cinema downtown that not only still projects analog film, they even have a 70mm film projector for special screening of Panavision 70mm prints.
@@RhettyforHistory Downtown New Orleans, the Saenger Theatre had a massive Robert Morton pipe organ. Unfortunately, its console was under water during hurricane Katrina and I don't think it's ever been or will be replaced. TTBOMK, the pipe work is still in the two chambers on either side of the stage. A terrible loss, IMO.
My mom used to take me to dusk to dawn creature features at the drive-in when I was a kid and I have the best memories of seeing some awesome horror movies on the big screen. We'd get pizza or burgers from the concession stand and I'd sit on the hood of the car and have a picnic while watching the movies. My mom would bring a book to read and she would give me the speaker so I could hear. Wonderful childhood memories. I miss those days.
Wow! Can you imagine people smoking in a movie theater. As a child my parents mostly they took us to drive in theaters. It was a lot of fun and my parents definitely smoked there . Ha!!
I know, right. At the high school my mother attended in the early 1980s the teachers were allowed to smoke in the teachers lounge. Her principal, Mr. Johnson, was a heavy smoker and Mom can still recall looking through the window on the door while passing by to go between classes and could see the haze of smoke hovering the ceiling. 😉 At the elementary school I attended in the 1990s the inside of the building was smoke free however teachers who were smoker's could still light up as long as they stepped outside and closed the door. All our classrooms had teacher's aids so that wasn't an issue. Now it's gotten to where no one is allowed to smoke on school property not even in their cars, which is a good thing I'm grateful for.
I really enjoyed going to the Drive In. We would get so excited to go and my Dad always tricked my brothers and I into washing the car and cleaning the windows really good so we could see the film. Those are memories I will never forget. Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories Paul!
T-E-R-R-I-F-I-C !! Just came across your channel. It is outstanding. Even though from that time, I learned new things of which previously I was unaware. I recall the ladies dressing to-the-nines just to go shopping! Now 'going casual' has morphed to slobbery with all the rest that goes with it -- ha! I cannot help but to subscribe +, so impressed and grateful as I am.
My neighborhood movie theater back in the 70's, the Community Theater in Queens Village, NY, always showed double features... You'd go in late morning and you'd came out by "high noon" and it would take a while for your eyes to adjust to the sunlight...😂
In my home town we had an old theatre like this. Liberty Theatre. One screen only. Back in the 80’s it was $1 for a ticket. They would show “new release” movies after they were being phased out of the big theatres. From what I understand it’s still in operation today. Back when Dances With Wolves came out I saw it about 5 times in that theatre. They would even do intermissions during the film and we would go out to the lobby for tea sandwiches and drinks. I miss that theatre.
Dances With Wolves was such a great movie and it is even better on the big screen. It's very scenic. Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories with us Kevin.
Interesting video Rhetty. Had never heard of cry rooms before. Elvis Presley actually worked as a usher at the movies before he became famous. Our old movie theater in my hometown is still standing from the 1920s. It's not a movie theater anymore but the outside looks the same but inside it's a 2 story office building. I know some lawyers have offices up there. I think that it quit being a movie theater sometime in the late 1970s.
It's great to hear that they have kept the old theater and repurposed it. Not everyone does that. It's also interesting to think about having Elvis as your usher. Thank you for watching!
Cry rooms made a comeback in the early 00s. But I noticed they quickly fell back out of favor once theaters reopened after the Toilet Paper Apocalypse.
It's much nicer to see old movie theatres being repurposed, as opposed to their being turn down. I live in Los Angeles and a lot of the old theatres here have been repurposed too. Every year we have something called The Last Remaining Seats where classic movies are shown for one night only in some of those theatres and the money raised goes towards The Los Angeles Conservancy, which works towards the preservation of historical architectural sites.
Until relatively recently, a multiplex I went to had a "cry room" (although they called it a VIP room) in a couple of the screens. It had a window at the front, a telephone to the front desk and its own sound system, so you could have it as loud or quiet as you want. I often went in there because I couldn't stand how loud it was in the main auditorium!
The change from double features to a single movie occurred in the mid 60's. Double feature movies ran around 60 to 70 minutes, when they changed to single movie format, the running time was 90 minutes minimum. Of course, prior to the change there were "special " movies like Ben Hur, or Ten Commandments that were usually single movie events.
Movies like Ben Hur and The Ten Commandments were called "roadshow movies." A "roadshow theatrical release" was the practice of screening a film in a limited number of venues prior to general release. It was a marketing ploy designed to get people talking about the movie, and that is why they were single feature events. Not only that, but back in the day, movie theaters would sell books of coupons that could be used as generic tickets, but one couldn't use them to get into a roadshow theatrical release.
I miss these kind of theaters. The Arlington theater in Indianapolis was the the first one that came to mind. The drive-in is also has the best memory of my youngest sister. Bambi was looking for his mother and went he yelled MOTHER she did too. Lol while sitting on the tailgate of our station wagon. She was 2 by the.
I remember in a few theaters in my area, they would have a pianist play down at the front of the theater near the stage. Theaters were a LOT bigger and you could choose your own seat once you got inside instead of have to pick the seat when you buy the ticket. Remember "Sensuround"? The 3 movies I remember with this feature were "Earthquake, Midway, and Rollercoaster ". Then certain movies were shown in 70mm stereophonic sound ( maybe it was quadrophonic sound). The 60's and 70's were some of the greatest times for movies.
There really were some great films and going to the theater was a great experience. If you didn't see them there then there was no telling when of if you would even be able to see them. VCRs and cable really changed that. Now streaming services seem like they have changed it more than anything. Thank you for watching and sharing your memories Gregg!
I remember Roller Coaster was playing in the theater next to us when seeing Star Wars for the first time in 1977 at our local 3 screen state of the art mall movie house. The walls kept shaking during the movie due to the Sensuround. It was definitely a forerunner of the modern day sound we have today.
For me, 70mm Six Track Dolby Stereo format presentations of the mid 70's and the 80's are my favorite... High resolution images and High fidelity multichannel sound were amazing and unique and something you couldn't experience at home...
This was great Rhett, absolutely loved 🥰 it. I haven’t been for many years, it’s just not the same. I miss the ushers helping you to your seat and the intervals to take a break ,but what I miss more: is when people did what they were supposed to do and just shut up and watch the movie. Thanks Rhett ❤️Jodie 🇦🇺
It's changed a lot. I also felt that people were more friendly with each other out in the lobby before they were allowed to enter the theater. I think that sort of picked back up after the movie ended too. Thank you for watching and sharing your memories and thoughts Jodie!
I grew up in the suburbs of S Ontario Canada. There was a big drive-in theatre right next door. It was the early 70s and people were a lot ruder than decades before. Every night all the customers would honk their horns while impatiently waiting for the double feature to start. But I got used to it. I would sit on the roof of my house and tune into AM 640 on my 6 million dollar man radio. The drive-in is long gone but I retain good memories...
Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories where you grew up. That would have been quite the experience living next to a theater like that.
This is one of the best part of growing up! I love & miss the theater experience! In LA I went to the Egyptian Theater, & it was Grand! Loved it . Great Job Rhetty!
When you talked about how people dressed, it made me think about something I'd been told about how people's behavior can be affected by what they wear: better dressed usually leads to better behavior and a better sense of importance - one reason lowly positions like usher/bellhop/doorman have such fancy uniforms. I'm all for expressing yourself through clothing and being comfortable, but wax nostalgic for the days of more formal dresswear. In the late 70s/early 80s going to a cheap movie after church was the best treat, and sometimes there would even be a triple feature for 99 cents!
Loved this, Rhett. My parents would drop off my brothers and I every Sat. morning at Lakeside theater and would pick us up in time for dinner. $1.00 would get us in, buy us a hot dog, popcorn, candy or coke and we would be set for the double feature. In 1961, Gone With The Wind was rereleased and it was a big production to get to go to see it. My grandparents took me and we dressed up in our best. My grandfather wore a suit, my grandmother had her best jewelry on and I wore my best Sunday dress. It was an occasion, looked like a Hollywood Premier right here in OKC. I really enjoyed walking down this memory lane!
Thank you for watching and telling us about some of your memories. I always love to hear about how things were in Oklahoma City! Sounds like you have some wonderful memories at Lakeside!
The Columbo episode "Forgotten Lady" includes a very good description of what happens behind the scenes as a projectionist. Most reels came in at around 20 minutes, meaning that a 10-minute intermission was half the reel-change time that they usually had to rewind and spool up the next reel. I've been at a film where they accidentally ran the reels out-of-order. Oops!
The first theater you showed, the Artcraft is in Franklin Indiana. Used to live a few blocks from there and they still show old films there. It's a great theater!
Late 1960s early 1970s, my friends and I would go to the theater, pay 75 cents, watch the cartoon, then the first feature and then the second feature But we would stay in our seats and watch the cartoon again, the first feature again and the second feature again. We watched Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid so many times we could recite the lines. The Good Ol' Days!
Very interesting video. I didn't know about cry rooms. I went to theaters way back in the 80's when I was a teenager because it was one of the few things to do in a small town on a Friday or Saturday night. Now that I'm old I won't step foot into a movie theater because I really can't stand crowds and I get very uncomfortable watching a long movie even in comfortable chairs. I've come to the conclusion that the old days were really the best times because I think everything was simpler and our brains weren't submerged in information overload.
Where I live, we’re lucky enough to still have a few old theaters in existence, which are the theaters I usually go to both because of aesthetics and price. There’s a one-screen theater around the corner that shows first-run movies for $5 and an old theater (that now has multiple screens) about 15 minutes away that costs $8.
If you've never been to an Alamo Draft House, go. It's far more of an old school experience. Hundreds of beers available, good food that they serve to you right in your seat, and ZERO tolerance for talking and cell phone use. Pull your cell phone out and you're GONE, no warnings. They escort you right out. Plus, they're always doing really cool promos, like showing every movie that came out in the summer 30 years ago, or doing Universal monster weeks. They even play recordings of those who have been kicked out of the theater and have called in to complain before every show, and remind you to not be like them. I really wish every theater was like that.
Thank you Rhetty for History for your nostalgic videos. I remember the Fox theater in St Louis where Stan Kann played the mighty Wurlitzer pipe organ that rose up on a platform where he would perform before the movie started. Back in the day St Louis had several truly grand theaters. I'm dating myself but those were special times.
Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories in Saint Louis. That really does sound like one heck of a theater there. It's sort of sad that things like that don't seem to be around as much anymore.
I can remember going to the movies in the mid 70's (??) and seeing, for the very first time, a car commercial right in the middle of the coming attractions!! I'll never forget it! Everyone in the theater BOO'd and JEER'd! Some even threw their popcorn at the screen! A TV commercial!!?? At the movies?! Unheard of! Impossible!! Many complained, but that was the start and you know the rest.........
I was just talking about Dish Night with my mom. My grandpa told her that when he was a kid, the people who showed up for dish night would forget that they were holding china on their lap. They would get up to use the bathroom or get something from the concession stand and their plates would smash on the floor during the middle of the feature, followed by a round of applause and laughter by the rest of the audience. Certainly a different time!
we still have a drive in theater just a 30 minute drive away. the only problem is that during the summertime it's so late getting dark that if you stay for the full double feature, you might not get out until near 1 am
Lol 1am? At my local drive-in during the month of June, the 1st feature usually has to start around 10:00-10:30pm. So never mind the 2nd feature. They usually do triple features during the weekend, but it’s hard to do around summer solstice. When Eclipse, the 3rd instalment of the Twilight Saga, came out, my local drive-in did a triple feature by also showing Twilight and New Moon. By the time it was done, it was past 5:30am and it was light out. By the time we got home 30min later, it was fully daytime. 😂 Sunset and sunrise is different depending where you live. I was really surprised when we went vacationing to San Diego mid-July and it was dark at 8pm! 😮
One consistent thing of going to the movies in the 1980s was that funny “please don’t litter in the theater” short that played before the previews with the kids getting stuck in their own gum.
Seeing a picture of Tampa Theatre in this video made me smile- it still exists and shows lots of films both new and old. Sometimes they even bring out the live organ for showings of silent films :) My favorite movie theatre of all time!
In my 60s and 70s experience there were often different prices for seating. Some had loge seating or a balcony for example. In my local theater the front rows were cheapest, hard seats, not much padding. For a little more you could get a cushier seat that rocked a little bit. Much more comfortable.
Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories. Some of that style of seating has been brought back to some of the upper scale newer theaters.
Im in the UK and many of the things apply here too. I loved the old style cinema buildings which always have character, Im lucky that one is preserved in my home town and has a Tudor feel to the auditorium. Some things you just dont want to change. I also miss the Double Bill. Another thing you dont get anymore here is at weekends they used to do special shows for children on Saturdays whilst parents got things like shopping done. No well known films, but as mentioned, there was a serial, a cartoon or two followed by an hour long adventure or drama made by the Childrens Film Foundation, there are some of their films on TH-cam. If there is a kids club on at a Multiplex its just cheaper tickets to an older film, less of a personal experience. Excellent video!
Thank you for watching and sharing your memories of the old theaters. That's great that there is still one going near you. I love the old Tudor style so that would be perfect! I prefer those older ones over the newer ones any day.
Near where I live is a building that used to be a cinema. It still looks like a cinema from the front with the steps, round marquee area and huge clock on the front. However, it closed down many years ago and was converted into a bingo hall, then an electrical retailer.
Thanks for the memories. My dad and grand-dad were theater projectionists, as was I when in high-school. Also an usher with flashlight and blazer jacket. Mid 1950s. Patrons were well mannered, for the most part. There to see the film, not munching on something the entire time. Television ruined theater audience comportment. Used to yacking and munching in front of the tube, many carried those private habits into the public theater. I haven't been in one for some time. Sound too loud, cell-phones buzzing, patrons bla-blabing. Plus content of films... super-heros and re-makes of re-makes. I prefer the oldies found on u-tube. Thank you.
I like to add a few more things to the list of stuff you no longer see at the movie theaters. Seats used to be all on one level, so if you were short like me you had to either try to look above the person's head that was sitting in front of you, or sit on the ends seats, and try to look around them. Thank GOD for stadium seats! Another thing is the budget movie theaters where they would show movies that have been out for a while, and they would charge you like a dollar, or two as opposed to the main theaters that would charge you anywhere from around $4 up to $8 dollars depending on the time of day. If there was a movie you wanted to see, but you felt kind of iffy about it, you would wait until they hit the budget movie theater, and watch it there instead of spending the big bucks at the main theaters, and be disappointed. That, or you waited until they came out on VHS to rent. Yeah, that was the 90's/early 2000's for ya.
Dollar movies were really big in the 80s and 90s and it really wasn't a bad deal. After awhile the facilities started getting really ran down and they started closing around where I am. Thank you for watching and sharing your memories with us.
@@RhettyforHistory Yeah, that's what happened to the one I used to go to when I lived in Louisville growing up. Then they remodeled it, and jacked up the prices. The final blow came when Covid hit. That's when they decided to close it about a year ago because nobody wanted to go to an old rundown movie theater where they can go to the new one in the mall for about the same price.
I live by Vancouver BC Canada, and we still have a few budget theatres. But when I first moved here in ‘98 we had more. And within a few months of me moving, I actually started working at the largest multiplex in Canada with 20 screens from the time it opened. A few months later, I got a full time job for the gov’t but kept working at the movie theatre for a while not so much for the wages (I was making minimum wage which was half of what I was making hourly at my day job) but to be able to see free movies whenever I wanted to.
I was an usherette in the first twin theatre in Lynnwood, Wa in the mid 60’s. I had a terrible time with men who refused to put there feet down. I was 4’10” and weighed 100 lbs so they just ignore me. I was transferred to the candy counter and felt more comfortable. Also enjoyed the free movies on our day off.
This brings back memories of the Casa Linda theater in Dallas. It was an over-the-top rococo palace, with lavish 'Powder' rooms and a richly appointed Cry Room. Too cool.
One of the ones you featured the 4 Star movie theater on Wilshire in Los Angeles, that's where I first saw the Bowery Boys! Great movie, great theater but it's no longer there
I used to love the glamour and style of the old theatres AND the Mighty Wurlitzer organs or an organ of another make. In the video you showed two such instruments, one in the Alabama Theatre but back in the day, you'd get a whole package of entertainment, not just films. Many of the larger theatres had an orchestra and large orchestral theatre pipe organ. Both would play before the show and at interval. Here in Melbourne, Australia we had many theatres equipped with theatre pipe organs and as you entered the building early, you would hear the masterly playing of such an instrument. It was a thrilling experience going to a theatre not only to see the films but for the whole entertainment package. One of our top city theatres is going through a re-birth right now and has been fully restored by the new owners. It opened in 1924 and had a large Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ. When TV came to Australia in 1956, it spelled the death-nell for many theatres and the organ was sold to a group of people who put their heads and wallets together, bought the organ and placed it in a suburban theatre. The original theatre (the Capitol Theatre) has now been renovated and the organ, which is in pristine condition and almost 100 years old, is going back to it's original home and will be re-opened in 2024 for both the centenary of both the theatre and the organ.
Thank you for watching and telling us about some of the theaters that are in Australia. That is also great news that there will be one reopening in 2024.
Talk about nostalgia! When I was a kid theaters still had ushers walking around with their flashlights, as well as the physical curtains that opened as the movie began. I can remember saying something out loud to my mother while the curtain was still shut and being shushed by her. Everyone whispered like we were attending a Catholic church service or something lol. I still do this out of habit actually. I also remember the speakers at drive-in theaters, too! I miss the drive-in that we used to have where I live. It was demolished about 20 or so years ago and a hotel and gas station were built on that spot. In the late 90's I went to a double feature actually. The movies being shown were Armageddon and Deep Impact.
Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories at the theater. Sounds like you had some good times there. I know exactly what you are talking about with being hushed. Back in the day they weren't places to fool around.
I remember seeing STAR WARS in my local hometown theater. I remember well sitting in those comfy overstuffed chairs, listening to soft music, and waiting patiently for the big velour curtains before me to slowly part- warm popcorn in my lap. Back then, going to the movies was a true event.
I also remember in the 1970s that, in our local theaters, thee were late shows at 11:30 pm on Saturday nights. The theater downtown showed the sophisticated "Adult" movies and the newer theater showed the "Black" movies that weren't shown in prime time. We might laugh at this today, but that was considered special entertainment then.
The paramount in seattle is a wonderful theater. Its mostly a concert venue now, but they still have their original wurlitzer organ and they still occasionally run silent films.
I remember when you could go to the Movies an get Popcorn and a drink all for a $1.00 it was a lot of fun. It was also very rare for my Family, when you have a big family it's rare. I also remember the Intermission they would advertise the food an drinks an also advertised or suggested you take the little ones potty as they really frowned upon someone getting up. I remember Women with very young Children getting up they didn't really say much to them. What was more fun was the Drive in. The whole Family could go for 1 low price espically on car load days. Kids getting out to play on the play ground before the movie starts. If you had a Station wagon like we did you could pop alot of popcorn an get drinks and hide it all away where nobody knew. That was always the best. Loved it. ❤❤
Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories in the theater and drive in. I really loved going to the drive in theater. Something about being in your own space yet out under the open sky. But I have a lot of fond memories at both.
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I wish there was still at least one usher in a theater making sure people mind their manners.
These days, it would have to be, at least, a bouncer, if not an armed guard!
Thank you for watching Jeffrey!
These days, the usher would probably get shot, sadly.
YES! If not, give us a number where we could text a manager for problems
Or better: add a prompt to our app (so we aren't distracting others) where we could just press a button for 'please check my theater'. Not trying to trivialize.. but imagine of something like this was available when those people were killed watching Batman?
I am 49 years old and the older I get the more I realize that my grandparents had amazing things. The decorum of the 30's to the 50's were beautiful.
They really were beautiful and fancy. Thank you for watching Dennis.
As corporate greed has increased, and the drive for quarterly growth of profits rather than slow and steady growth has prevailed, unnecessary expenses have been eliminated. People came to watch the movie in the dark, not to look at the fancy walls, chandeliers, or curtains on the screen. So, why bother making the place look beautiful?
That they were.👍👍👍📽️
It’s easy to look back at the past with rose colored glasses, and many things about it are amazing. I love the 30s movies that show glimpses of automats in cities. Just remember, people didn’t have air conditioning in their homes until the 50s or 60s or later. Antibiotics didn’t become readily available until after WW2. (Imagine getting a strep throat or UTI or tooth abscess today without having antibiotics to take.).
I do think cry rooms need to make a comeback!
@@RLucas3000 True, for everything that was better back in the day, there were things that were worse.
It's still nice to recognize and remember the good things, and hope, even in vain, for their return.
Going to the movies meant spending a few hours in an air-conditioned building that most of us didn't have at home back then.
Yes it did. Thank you for watching Dave!
That's the sole reason I saw the movie Problem Child. Our AC broke and we went to see whatever was playing to cool off, didn't matter what.
In fact, that was one of the first major uses of air conditioning in the USA, cooling down movie theaters. Home air conditioning didn't arrive until well after World War II.
@@Sacto1654 And AC's were expensive.
This was the mall during my generation in the 90's and 2000's. Especially during summer.
My older brother won a set of dishes at the movie theater when he was 8 years old in 1958. He was so happy, and my mom had those dishes for years. I haven't thought of this until I saw your video. Thank you for it.
Wow! Imagine winning a whole set of dishes all at one time! And especially at age 8. I was never that lucky to win something like that. Thank you for watching and sharing your memories.
When I was a kid, the local theater gave out Christmas gifts before (or after) the movie. I didn't get called for a gift and I swear it scarred me for life lol. I was so mad leaving that place. I think I was about 6 or 7 years old. This was the early 60's.
@@RhettyforHistory it's crazy about some of it
@@RhettyforHistory he did not really win his parents did.
Item give aways (like dishes) brought more people to the movies...but 99% of this not that you'd get a whole set-- you got one piece of a set, so that next week you'd come back for the next piece so you'd be collecting until you had the whole set.
While intermissions were there in the past for the projectionist to change reels, nowadays with more movies pushing way past the 2-hour point are the norm and some are 3 hours +, it would seem like a good idea to bring back intermissions to give people a chance to go to the bathroom or get more snacks(where theaters make most of their money nowadays).
It really would be beneficial for the theaters to have intermissions during the longer films. People would definitely spend more at the snack bars. Thank you for watching!
Even as long ago as the 1940s, many theatres used a two-projector system. This allowed the projectionist to thread up the next reel while one was playing, and could then switch over instantly with no break necessary. Later on this was replaced by a platter system where the entire film could be held on one enormous reel and run through a single projector.
I have been to showings of modern movies such as Pirates of the Caribbean 2, where they've had a 15-minute intermission halfway through the movie. Bollywood films also usually have intermissions.
I was talking about this the other day when talking about the time I saw Dances with Wolves. The projector broke or something about halfway through, it wasn't a reel change because they offered us free popcorn and soda for the inconvenience and we all filed into the lobby. It was a nice break. I'm sure dad used it to go outside for a smoke.
Agreed.
Nowadays intermissions only happen at special events like Double Features or if you are watching a recorded version of an actual stage show.
A nurse on duty? In a movie theater? Wow that's amazing! I actually had never heard of the cry room before. It's fun to know about these things that don't exist anymore. Thanks for the educational video! 😊
You're welcome and thank you for watching and Vallain Art!
Some churches have crying rooms.
I wonder if they had all these things because in some places movies were about the only entertainment available?
That was one I'd never heard of before, either!!
There are some theaters here in utah that have crying rooms, I was totally confused when I first say it with my own eyes lol
When I was a little boy (5 or 6 yrs old) the movie theatre was my baby sitter. My mother would take me in, seat me, tell me not to move, and come get me when she finished doing whatever she needed to do. I remember hearing her tell the ticket lady that she would be back for me in about an hour. She took me to western shows. She didn’t pay attention to what time the movie actually started so I usually came in somewhere in the middle. I hated when she returned to get me. Life was good.
Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories Lars. That would be tough to leave if you were in the middle of a movie.
Yup, same here. Certain days it was really cheap and those were the times we would hit the mall. Me in the theater and her out shopping. It would have been the early/ mid 70's.
I absolutely love this new entry. I grew up during the 1960s and the Oasis Theatre was one block from our apartment in Queens, NY. It was a grand, Egyptian-themed theatre with a large downstairs lobby where the restrooms were located. I still remember walking in late to a movie and hanging around for the movie to restart and stay until I caught the first part missed. Mom and Dad would tell me about how grand it was in their day. Today's movie experience pales by comparison.
Also, that theatre seen at the 6:18 mark in this video makes it look like an outdoor amphitheater with that lit blue ceiling. It had to be wonderful feeling like you were watching a movie there.
I was born in Brooklyn NY in 1961 and the first movie I was taken too was the 10 commandments, wouldn't have been my first choice but I was about 3yrs old and I had no say so. My foster mother at the time took me there. I remember being by the very small candy kiosk. And watching "Movietone" that section had the news, cartoons and some commercials, I think.
Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories of the Oasis theater. That really sounds like it was a nice theater. I would love to see one themed like that. The theater with the blue sky inside it is still open in Tampa Bay, Florida. It's pretty well known and there really aren't as many of those types around anymore. I sure hope we can preserve what we do have though.
@@RhettyforHistory Thank you for the information about the Tampa Bay theatre! I relocated two hours from that area and will definitely be paying a visit. I'm also in agreement that we should be protecting what movie palaces there are. In NJ, a newer theater that was in operation in the 1970s was purchased and converted into a performance theatre for a theater company. Another North of that was made into a concert hall. With the movie industry devoting more of their product to streaming services, the multiplexes of today may well see themselves out. It's sad but those beautiful old palaces are truly historical landmarks that need preserving.
Call Water Michigan there's a double drive-in theater and it's still open during the summertime's
After a long time watching movies, you left the theater to find night had fallen and your mind still thinking about the movie you just saw, it really transported you to a fantasy place so snapping back to reality really took me a few minutes.
They really used to be a great way to escape the reality of what was going on around you. Thank you for watching Karen!
@@RhettyforHistoryThey still are a great way to escape reality. That being said with streaming services, movies on demand, etc. the experience has changed quite a bit.
Except now that experience is being slowly replaced by digital streaming.
As an American living in Asia, I get a similar feeling when I watch Hollywood movies here!
In the movie, the characters are speaking English while in famous American cities. It feels like I'm in America again. But then when I step out of the theater, I'm reminded that I'm in Asia again, and it takes me a moment to adjust again, haha.
It feels worse when the movie is over at sunset.
I remember the very large and wide screens that don't exist anymore. Cinerama, Todd-A-O, and other super wide formats were a treat. Some of the movie screens from about 1950 - 1970 were gigantic.
IMAX is still "gigantic".
Cinerama and Cinemascope weren't just wide screens, but curved. If you got a seat near the center aisle, you could see the movie scenes seem to wrap around you. I got to see "2001: A Space Odyssey" in Cinerama, and it was great. Cinemascope used a special wide-screen movie film, but Cinerama used three separate projectors whose images had to be synchronized.
Yes those curved screens are definitely an item of the past. Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories.
The "IMAX" you see now, is not the original IMAX. The IMAX film standard originally used 70 mm film in specially built cameras, then run through the theaters projectors horizontally. This technique produced an area that is about 8.3 times as large as the 35 mm format, and about 3.4 times as large as 70 mm film run through the projector vertically. Today's "IMAX" is projected on "gigantic" screens, but is basically not the original concept.
@@stevenlitvintchouk3131 Cinerama used 3 projectors, Able, Baker, and Charlie, to get that wiiiiiide picture. People don't think of it that way, but projectors were like microscopes: You're taking a picture .7 inches across, and projecting it onto a 40 foot screen.
I loved automatically clapping for a film when it was over,….we were so appreciative of the experience of going to THE MOVIES!! 😊❤
I haven't seen that happen in forever. Thank you for watching Laura!
@@RhettyforHistory I clap! And sometimes others will join in.
Even today, if a film is really great-and the audience gets so involved and emotional, people still clap at the end credits! Bravo!
@Niemand ppl don’t typically clap during the entirety of the credits which can last up to 4 min but okay
I miss the days of these classic theaters! Not just the beauty of the buildings themselves, but the whole deal--- The lights outside, two main attractions with a wonderful intermission that included coming attractions and a cartoon or two. Yes, even smoking in the theater.
In high school Friday and Saturday nights were the busiest nights, of course. The concession counter had the best hot buttered (real butter) popcorn, fountain sodas, several types of candy and at the Palm Theater, they sold ice cream bon-bons --- little scoops of ice cream dipped in chocolate.
I often find it ironic when people fight to save old theaters. The reason theses theaters are being torn down is because nobody is going to them. That includes the people trying to save it,
@@tremorsfan This...I can see maybe one theater holding onto an old school style in a big city. But of course, its audio and screen would have to be massively updated.
Maybe like a uber luxury theater, with very cushy seats and sells alcohol etc.
It really used to be quite the experience to go to the theater. I think a lot of younger folks have missed out on some of those older days of fun. Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories Nia!
@@RhettyforHistory I mean, we still go to theaters..
@@tremorsfan tickets prices alone unfortunately can be reason enough to have driven a lot of movie goers away. There's an old movie theater in my hood that managed to save the building with much of its interior preserved and turned it into a book store. Too bad that hasn't happened more often.
I live in a town that still has an old fashioned theater! It was wearing down a bit in the 90s. But someone bought it an refurbished it. It’s lovely! It has an actual stage, so they also host live performances. What a treasure to have! And yes! It has the red velvet curtains!
As a child of the 50s, this brings back great memories, thank you. When I was about 10 my friends and I were allowed to walk a couple blocks to our local small town theater. Ours was the Martin Theater, a chain pretty much in Georgia, Florida, Alabama. Our average size theater had hard backed chairs with cushioned auto-fold seats. The screen did have the huge velvet curtain, and what a thrill when curtains would open! I remember the serial Buck Rogers, and classic cartoons of Woody Woodpecker, Road Runner, Elmer Fudd was my favorite character. Cost for children for feature films was 15 cents, a quarter for adults! The crying room, oh yes, I have faint memory of sitting in that room with my Mom. Milk Duds! When we finished the box we would blow through open end for a sound effect. In summertime we would go barefoot everywhere, so I well remember the sticky theater floors from spilled cokes. On Saturday mornings the price of admission was an empty bag of Golden Flake potato chips...next door to theater was a drug store that sold small bags for 5 cents; we would buy a bag and either gulp the chips down or empty them in nearest trash can and then present the bag at window for entry. Lastly, we never ever referred to our local theater as a "theater," it was always the "picture show."
Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories with the Martin Theater. It really sounds like you had some great times and made some wonderful memories there. I enjoyed reading what you had to say and it was really detailed!
1:51
Ushers were only men..
Did you wonder why black people had to be separated ? Maybe you as a Boomer can explain that ?
Or sometimes "the Bijou."
Well?
Being born in the 60's many of the really fancy theatres were already gone, but I did get to experience a few. Even as a kid I realized how majestic these old theatres were compared to the new plainer ones that were replacing them. The old velour seats, molded ceilings and velvet curtains were really something. One of the old theatres in the town I grew up in had box seats along the side wall, I seem to remember hearing that it had a stage for old vaudeville shows, plays and opera before it became a movie theatre. When you showed that slide about coming to the lobby to get a treat, the song immediately popped into my head and I started to sing it. Thanks for another walk down memory lane.
You're welcome and thank you for watching Eric. Some of these old theaters were really fancy. Any theater could be exciting to go to back then. If you missed it back then there was no telling when or if you would ever be able to see it. That is not the case now.
I will never forget visiting my cousin who lived in Newark, NJ in the early 80s. We saw a triple feature of Blade Runner/Sharkey's Machine/Life Force in the old, decrepit castle-type movie place in the heart of the bombed out downtown. But I still remember being mezmerized by ornate antiquity. I remember thinking that that place must have truly a House of Art back in the day.
There one in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and its called the Astor Theatre and its over 100 years old and had that atmospheric look. I used to work there and the council wanted to close it down, but a cinema company called "Palace Theatre" bought it and now owns the building. Astor Theatre played all types of films from new releases to old black and white films and I used to take my grandma when she was alive there to see old black and white films.
All that plaster ornamentation became a maintenance nightmare as the theaters aged, with chunks of plaster chipping off and falling on people's heads. That might have caused the early demise of some theaters. When I was a kid, one of our downtown theaters was closed after a fire next door led to some water and smoke damage. The theater was never reopened and was ultimately torn down along with the building which had the fire.
@PC No yes, the specific one I mentioned had that problem with the plaster. The box seats along the side of the theater were closed because they were afraid they'd fall. It was sad when they tore it down, but it really wasn't worth saving and it was the only building left on the block right downtown, so I'd guess the land was valuable.
Thank you for a great video! I spent 40 years working in movie theatres. I started as a relief concession attendant
the concession attendant then projectionist then manager and was manager of the year for one of the largest theatre companies in America. During my four decades I saw countless changes. I remember the days of people dressing up to go to the movies and were respectful of others by being quiet to a very self centered public who usually dressed down and could care less if their talking or cel phone bothered others. I remember the majestic waterfall curtains would rise and a hush fell over the audience in anticipation. Back in the day what are now known as "previews of coming attractions" were called trailers because they played after the movie ended. The two greatest threats to theatres today are greed and home entertainment. Greed has two parts, the movie stars and the theatre owners. I remember when Burt Reynolds received a five million dollar contract to star in a movie everyone thought it was kinda cool but they didn't stop to think how that would effect ticket and concession prices. Couple that with the greed on the part of the owners which caused them to build simple square auditoriums without screen curtains and their total lack of respect for their theatre managers and staff by not paying them fair wage and understaffing theatres which caused the public to take out their frustrations on the theatre manager and staff. Home entertainment is the second great threat to theatres. With the elaborate home entertainment equipment, streaming services and how quick movies can be played at home more and more people simply wait. Back in the day people ate at home and went out for their entertainment. There was a theatre in almost every town and very few restaurants but notice now how few theatres there are and how many restaurants. Yet in my humble opinion greed on the part of the movie stars and theatre owners is the greatest threat to the survival of theatres!
I truly enjoyed your video for it brought back many fond memories.
Mike
The movie theaters were much more elegant then and I liked outdoor ticket booths. I miss the old fashioned drive in movies too.its a shame they are mostly all gone.
It is sad to see so many gone. Thank you for watching Cindy!
I remember that feeling when your parents let you go to the movies with your friends for the first time by yourselves! We felt so grown up!! Though they still wouldn’t let us buy popcorn- jiffy pop from home stuffed in our coats!😊
Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories Karen!
I was born in 75, but lucky enough to witness the very end of - what would be then - "modern" ushers and the Capitol and Lyric theatres in my hometown of Kitchener, Canada. Absolutely gorgeous structures. From the marquee to the ticket booth to the lavish elongated lobby to the elegant concession stand and straight into the plush, single theatre. Sadly, the Capitol is long gone, and the Lyric, which I coincidentally was a bouncer during university, has been a night club for many years now. The interior elevated that club. The music however.....
Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories of the theaters in Kitchener!
I will never forget visiting my cousin who lived in Newark, NJ in the early 80s. We saw a triple feature of Blade Runner/Sharkey's Machine/Life Force in the old, decrepit castle-type movie place in the heart of the bombed out downtown. But I still remember being mezmerized by ornate antiquity. I remember thinking that that place must have truly a House of Art back in the day.
People on their best behavior? Never heard of it. 😅 We really need to bring back ushers.
Thank you for watching Rae!
We need to bring back parents.
There’s still a theater in Des Moines that is like the theater you described at the very beginning called the Varsity Theater. It’s a historical landmark and can’t be torn down and they play a range of new films and old films. I’ve been to it and it’s pretty cool. Thanks for the video man, have a great weekend!
That really sounds like a great theater and it's really good news to hear that it is still in operation. So many seem to have disappeared. Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories Jared. I hope you had a great weekend as well.
In the 1980s and even early 1990s I remember one of our local theaters still had the majestic red curtains with gold braid that would rise when it was showtime. I can hardly believe that was during my lifetime. Pretty cool.
Thank you for watching and sharing your memories with us seltzermint5!
Also no longer found in movie theaters: good movies
I just wrote the same thing.
#1 answer
False.theres a lot of good stuff out there.
Dungeons and dragons wasn't half bad.
Depends what your into.
The very first movie I ever saw on the big screen was "Escape from New York" back in 1981 when I was 5 years old at a little local neighborhood theater in St. Louis. A few years back I had the chance to drive through my old neighborhood and saw that the theater was now a pawn shop, which broke my heart a little bit, but it was good to see the original building still intact and bustling with activity.
It really is sad to see some of these old theaters disappearing. I'm curious if you could even tell it was once a theater now? Thank you for watching Johnny!
@@RhettyforHistory A little bit. The old marquee is still there, but instead of the latest attractions and movie times, it now has "PAWN KING" scrolled across the front of it. Guess I know where to go if I'm looking for a slightly used crown.
lol
I'm from a younger generation, but I remember my dad telling me about how going to cinema used to be. I agree it's a lot less fun these days, especially with the 30 minutes of ads that play right as the movie is supposed to start--you basically have no escape from it! I've known people who've had their experiences ruined by rowdy kids too, cry rooms should make a comeback. I made it a point to dress nicely when I went to the cinema too. I've only been to the movies 3 times and haven't gone back since the pandemic, mostly due to ticket prices and the fact that most movies just don't interest me these days. I really did enjoy going to the cinema despite these setbacks though and I wish those fancy old theatre settings would make a comeback. They look so elegant!
Thank you for watching and sharing some of your thoughts and memories.
Los Angeles still has some special showings called “Last Remaining Seats” in our old movie palaces. They are just as grand as ever. Also the El Capitan on Hollywood Blvd is a restored old theater.
Dude they have lazy boy seating, you can get real food and alcohol, it’s pretty fun
But yeah movies suck
My first job was at the concession stand at our town's first multiplex- 4 screens! It was 1979 and the best part was all the popcorn and soda you wanted as long as you brought your own cup/bowl. When you buy it at the theater, you're paying for the containers. Also, 1979 had some great and not-so-great movies, but I could watch them all, though maybe not in continuous sessions. (Americathon, anyone?) But, It was great as a first job!
That really does sound like it would have been a great job. Thank you for watching and sharing some of your movies Nicki!
1979 had Alien!! 😮😊
Movie theaters didn't have a break when the projectionist had to put on a new reel (the film only stopped if it broke or some other accident). The projection room had 2 projectors. As one ran the other had the next reel all set up. At the end of a reel (each about 20 min) the projectionist would see a small round "hole" (or white small circle) in the upper right had corner to tell him to get ready to switch on the other projector. The white circle would flash, then a few more seconds, the second circle would flash and the other projector would start, so there would be no interruption in the film.
Thank you for watching and sharing a little more insight into the world of projectionists.
My children find it hard to believe when I tell them that most movie theaters were stand-alone buildings-no multiplex theaters; and you could also come in at any point during the movie, stay over and then watch the movie from the beginning. Theaters also would show cartoons before the main feature.
Fortunately, there is still one grand movie theater in Georgia-the Fox Theater. It’s mainly used for stage productions, but every now and again, they will show a movie. It’s an Atlanta landmark and is absolutely beautiful. It survived many attempts from developers to be demolished.
Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories as well as some of the Fox theater. That really sounds like a great one.
Developers always want to demolish these beautiful old landmarks. What is WRONG with these people? It's a shame everything in this time is just disposable like it's just trash. 😢
@@RhettyforHistory
Look it up online. You’ll be glad you did. It’s really beautiful!!
In Australia , the audience stood up when "God Save The Queen " was played before the start of the movie! This was in the 1960s and probably earlier. I would find this difficult to believe had I not been there myself when taken in context with present day values !
@@murraykitson1436 Interesting. I don't remember whether they played the national anthem in the US, but I don't think so. They did and do at the beginning of sports events and concerts though.
It’s weird, but I miss standing in long lines to see all of the summer blockbusters!! But, those glory days ended 20-years ago…
It really used to be a big deal. Now those long lines seem to be gone. Thank you for watching!
II grew up in the 70's-late 80's. I turned 21 in 1989 And I remember going to the next town over that had refurbished an old theatre in the late 90's to 2000's. When I was a kid it was the "Dollar Theatre" As a teen in the from 1982-1988 we saw plenty of movies that were only 1 week old for one dollar, popcorn was $1.50 for the giant tub, same for a Largest coke, and a bag of candy- came out to 4 dollars and 1 dollar for the film so we didn't need to carry more than 10 dollars per person to see a movie and stuff are selves a few more bucks and we'd get nachos and hotdogs if we didn't eat dinner lol now I that would cost you about 50 bucks per person. thanks for these videosnd 80's good memoies
Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories with us. A lot has changed in theaters as well as the whole movie experience in the last 20 years. I have some fond memories there as you have stated but I haven't been in years. Many movies just seem to skip the whole theater part or aren't there for very long.
You picked another great topics. Darn I'm old. Enjoyable memories as you usually do for us. Thank you my friend as another warm memory relive. Your great. Keep on, your the best...
Thank you for watching Albert! I appreciate you always watching and commenting!
@@RhettyforHistory you have helped some great memories become recent memories again. Enjoy your choices and especially the facts and the presentation. Your the greatest!!
The Princess Theatre in Edmonton has long had a cry room. The main thing missing from movie theatres today is good movies, about people, made for adult audiences.
Thank you for watching and sharing some about the cry room in the Princess Theatre.
And what about children’s movies that were actually made for children? Rather than being made to indoctrinate them.
Unbelievable what this world has become! Makes you want to go back in time...
Thank you for watching Jennifer!
Believe me, if ever someone wished a time machine could exist, it's me! I can't cope with the insanity that is nowadays' world - and I'm not old! I just want to go back, pick up my cat that died some years ago and then go together with him back to the 1980's! I was only a child - later young teenager - in the 80's but everything was still normal then... unlike now!
Not all of us would have had a good time back then.
@@LittleKitty22 I'd go back to the l940's or l93o's to begin, so by the time the sixties arrived I'd be old enough to enjoy them yet wise enough not to be destroyed by them. Plus there's a lot of pre-sixties history I'd want to be there to see.
I'll pass on The Great Depression and WW2, thanks.
There were three theaters in downtown Cedar Rapids, IA when I was growing up. The Iowa, The Paramount and The World Theaters. They were beautiful. The World Theater had the biggest crystal chandelier I think I've ever seen.
That sounds like a wonderful theater. Thank you for watching and telling us about it!
Rhett, I really enjoyed this feature about things that no longer exist in movie theaters. I remember some of the things you mentioned in your video, but some I didn't know about. I never heard about the "cry room," and smoking in the theater. Great presentation and photos, too. Have a fantastic holiday weekend. Take care 🐎
Thank you for watching and I hope you had a great holiday weekend as well Brenda!
Thank you for this sweet look back!!! I remember walking from the school to the movie theater as a class to see "Romeo and Juliet". This channel makes me smile 😊
That would have been cool to experience when you are studying Shakespeare. Sounds like you had a great teacher. Thank you for watching Bridget!
Having worked in theatres years ago, I miss hearing the whirring of the projector while the film plays, now that digital presentations are the norm.
Those do have a unique sound. Thank you for watching and sharing your memories with us Chris.
I don’t recall ever sitting in an audience and hearing the projector.
@@spankynater4242 I didn't really hear the projector either until I started working in the theatre. When running the projector is part of your job, you learn to hear it. And now I miss it.
After seeing most movies at the drive-in or the newer multiplex, I saw The Empire Strikes Back at the old single screen theater and what I remember most was how soft and comfortable the seats were.
Thank you for watching and sharing your memories with us Roger.
My Dad used to tell us how he went to the movies on Saturday for just a dime. The WHOLE day! This was great video that brought fond memories.
Thank you for watching Alpha Woolf!
my mom talks about 10 cents for the movie and 10 cents for a chocolate candy bar.
I heard stories about 21 and 1 on Saturdays many years ago...
21 shorts and 1 feature...
I remember going to a downtown movie theater in the early 60's when I was a kid. The theater had a balcony and it was much fancier then the little cubby holes they call theaters now. I even remember the name of the movie I saw, it was "How the West was Won'. I even remember the first movie I saw at a drive in when I was 5 years old, it was 'The Ten Commandments' at the Custer Drive In in Monroe, Michigan, those were the days.
We went to the Mt Clemens drive-in for many years until it closed in the mid 90’s.
Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories of the first movies you saw.
I went to a large single-screen theater several times in the 1990s before it closed down due to competition from the multiplexes. It had everything - curtains, balconies and they even played the audio from the movie through speakers in the bathroom, so you wouldn't miss too much of the plot!
Awesome upload as always the Tampa theater is amazing my wife and I try and go there at least once a month and I got to say I wish there were still more older theaters around they have a lot of history
I have never been there but I have always wanted to go. That is a pretty famous one and I included one interior pic of that one in the video. Thank you for watching!
Thank you Rhett for yet another marvellous video ❤
The poster of Raquel Welch at 03:30 is the same that Andy Dufresne uses to cover his escape hole in the epic movie ″The Shawshank Redemption″
Thank you for watching and giving us a little more information. I love that movie but I have not seen it in a long time. I guess I never noticed that little detail.
He used a poster of Rita Hayworth...and that wasn't it
@@rayjohnson2387 Andy had 3 posters to cover the hole during the 27 years it took him to dig the tunnel: first Rita, then Marilyn and finally Raquel ❤
You said “escape hole.“
I remember in 1982 when "Annie" first premiered at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, they did the unthinkable! They did a single showing only (NO double feature!!) and the raised the ticket price from the standard $2.50 to a whopping $5 a ticket! This was a huge gamble to see what would happen and....it worked! People PAID the new $5 ticket price to see a single movie only! After that, all the major theaters (AMC, Pacific, Edwards, etc) followed suite and raised their prices to match and started showing a single movie! :(
Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories. They definitely proved you could get more for less.
I remember it always being freezing cold in the theater. I remember ushers but not smoking in theater. I miss the Drive thru!! This was awesome, as always. Thank you and Happy Easter 🐰😊
Thank you for watching and Happy Easter to you Leesa!
Drive INS
You could put a car full
I remember back in the smoking days in movie theaters, they used to run a PSA with actor Henry Fonda where he would say "By order of the Fire Commissioner smoking is allowed in the last nine rows of this movie theater..."
Yes Rhett, we always looked forward to Saturday night. Always bought a chocolate ice. We always put our best clothes on . Hope you Sarah & family are well love from Africa ❤️ 🌍
Hello Yvonne! Sounds like you have some great memories at the theater. Sarah and I are doing great and I hope you are too!
Sometimes theaters had multiple projectors set up to reduce reel changes. This was later replaced by the platter system where the employees hooked all the reels together as one long reel (different orientation) and then you just setup from the new location to repeat the process (if I remember right I haven't used one since the early 90s).
I instantly recognized the 2nd and 3rd shots you used of the “cry rooms”. I grew up just south of the theater in Houghton Lake, Michigan, called The Pines, where that is from. The theater and its cry room are still there. It’s kind of a local landmark, built with logs like a huge log cabin. It has lots of taxidermy in the lobby, and a very northern decor with things like show shoes and fishing poles on the side walls of the theater itself. It was actually designed by the same person who designed the famous and much bigger and more elaborate Fox Theatre in downtown Detroit. Although I do prefer the clearer, bigger screens of today, as well as the much better digital surround sound, for the most part I miss everything else that movie theaters used to be. The beautiful decor, no ads beforehand with constant noise, no rumbling seats, ushers, people dressing a little nicer, the beautiful marquees, and just that magic feeling they used to have.
I love the intermission cartoons, they hold a special place in my heart. I wasn't alive during the days of the drive in or these old style theatres. Luckily I have a drive in theatre about an hour from me. Sadly, I never got to experience the speakers on our car, but we do utilize portable radio. I fully support bringing back ushers and cry rooms! Great video as always sir, such respect and admiration for old cinema. I love being able to experience some of it with my kids now too!
You forgot one other popular feature of old theaters. The cinema organist. In the fancier theaters a pipe organist would entertain the audience before the movies and coming attractions would play. The organ would rise up in front of the main stage and disappear before the screening. We still have one here at our downtown Ohio Theater.
We have another multiplex cinema downtown that not only still projects analog film, they even have a 70mm film projector for special screening of Panavision 70mm prints.
Thank you for watching and you're right about those old theaters having the pip organists. That is definitely not something in the newer theaters.
@@RhettyforHistory Downtown New Orleans, the Saenger Theatre had a massive Robert Morton pipe organ. Unfortunately, its console was under water during hurricane Katrina and I don't think it's ever been or will be replaced. TTBOMK, the pipe work is still in the two chambers on either side of the stage. A terrible loss, IMO.
My mom used to take me to dusk to dawn creature features at the drive-in when I was a kid and I have the best memories of seeing some awesome horror movies on the big screen. We'd get pizza or burgers from the concession stand and I'd sit on the hood of the car and have a picnic while watching the movies. My mom would bring a book to read and she would give me the speaker so I could hear. Wonderful childhood memories. I miss those days.
Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories with us Shannon!
Wow! Can you imagine people smoking in a movie theater. As a child my parents mostly they took us to drive in theaters. It was a lot of fun and my parents definitely smoked there . Ha!!
I know, right. At the high school my mother attended in the early 1980s the teachers were allowed to smoke in the teachers lounge. Her principal, Mr. Johnson, was a heavy smoker and Mom can still recall looking through the window on the door while passing by to go between classes and could see the haze of smoke hovering the ceiling. 😉 At the elementary school I attended in the 1990s the inside of the building was smoke free however teachers who were smoker's could still light up as long as they stepped outside and closed the door. All our classrooms had teacher's aids so that wasn't an issue. Now it's gotten to where no one is allowed to smoke on school property not even in their cars, which is a good thing I'm grateful for.
Took a while to find you, howdy 🤠 Paul.
@@swansfan6944 😁👍 Hi Jodie!!
I really enjoyed going to the Drive In. We would get so excited to go and my Dad always tricked my brothers and I into washing the car and cleaning the windows really good so we could see the film. Those are memories I will never forget. Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories Paul!
Almost seems crazy to think about people smoking in the schools but I remember it happened everywhere.
T-E-R-R-I-F-I-C !!
Just came across your channel. It is outstanding.
Even though from that time, I learned new things
of which previously I was unaware. I recall the
ladies dressing to-the-nines just to go shopping!
Now 'going casual' has morphed to slobbery with
all the rest that goes with it -- ha!
I cannot help but to subscribe +, so impressed
and grateful as I am.
Welcome to the channel James and I am glad you are here. I appreciate you watching and commenting!
I remember a lot of these things. Double features were great. Especially when I was a kid in the 60’s.
Thank you for watching and commenting Sheila!
My neighborhood movie theater back in the 70's, the Community Theater in Queens Village, NY, always showed double features...
You'd go in late morning and you'd came out by "high noon" and it would take a while for your eyes to adjust to the sunlight...😂
@@Qboro66 boy do I remember that!
In my home town we had an old theatre like this. Liberty Theatre. One screen only. Back in the 80’s it was $1 for a ticket. They would show “new release” movies after they were being phased out of the big theatres. From what I understand it’s still in operation today. Back when Dances With Wolves came out I saw it about 5 times in that theatre. They would even do intermissions during the film and we would go out to the lobby for tea sandwiches and drinks. I miss that theatre.
Dances With Wolves was such a great movie and it is even better on the big screen. It's very scenic. Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories with us Kevin.
Interesting video Rhetty. Had never heard of cry rooms before. Elvis Presley actually worked as a usher at the movies before he became famous. Our old movie theater in my hometown is still standing from the 1920s. It's not a movie theater anymore but the outside looks the same but inside it's a 2 story office building. I know some lawyers have offices up there. I think that it quit being a movie theater sometime in the late 1970s.
It's great to hear that they have kept the old theater and repurposed it. Not everyone does that. It's also interesting to think about having Elvis as your usher. Thank you for watching!
Cry rooms made a comeback in the early 00s. But I noticed they quickly fell back out of favor once theaters reopened after the Toilet Paper Apocalypse.
It's much nicer to see old movie theatres being repurposed, as opposed to their being turn down. I live in Los Angeles and a lot of the old theatres here have been repurposed too. Every year we have something called The Last Remaining Seats where classic movies are shown for one night only in some of those theatres and the money raised goes towards The Los Angeles Conservancy, which works towards the preservation of historical architectural sites.
Until relatively recently, a multiplex I went to had a "cry room" (although they called it a VIP room) in a couple of the screens. It had a window at the front, a telephone to the front desk and its own sound system, so you could have it as loud or quiet as you want. I often went in there because I couldn't stand how loud it was in the main auditorium!
What if we can bring back that movie theater to its original appearance?
The change from double features to a single movie occurred in the mid 60's. Double feature movies ran around 60 to 70 minutes, when they changed to single movie format, the running time was 90 minutes minimum.
Of course, prior to the change there were "special " movies like Ben Hur, or Ten Commandments that were usually single movie events.
Movies like Ben Hur and The Ten Commandments were called "roadshow movies." A "roadshow theatrical release" was the practice of screening a film in a limited number of venues prior to general release. It was a marketing ploy designed to get people talking about the movie, and that is why they were single feature events. Not only that, but back in the day, movie theaters would sell books of coupons that could be used as generic tickets, but one couldn't use them to get into a roadshow theatrical release.
Thank you for watching and sharing a little more with us John!
I miss these kind of theaters. The Arlington theater in Indianapolis was the the first one that came to mind. The drive-in is also has the best memory of my youngest sister. Bambi was looking for his mother and went he yelled MOTHER she did too. Lol while sitting on the tailgate of our station wagon. She was 2 by the.
Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories with us Mike!
My mom and some of her homegirls still managed to sneak in the theater during the 70s 😂
In the late 80s my best friend's mom had a good friend who owned the local theater and we watched stuff for free.
Thank you for watching Saidah!
What is "homegirl"
I remember in a few theaters in my area, they would have a pianist play down at the front of the theater near the stage. Theaters were a LOT bigger and you could choose your own seat once you got inside instead of have to pick the seat when you buy the ticket. Remember "Sensuround"? The 3 movies I remember with this feature were "Earthquake, Midway, and Rollercoaster ". Then certain movies were shown in 70mm stereophonic sound ( maybe it was quadrophonic sound). The 60's and 70's were some of the greatest times for movies.
There really were some great films and going to the theater was a great experience. If you didn't see them there then there was no telling when of if you would even be able to see them. VCRs and cable really changed that. Now streaming services seem like they have changed it more than anything. Thank you for watching and sharing your memories Gregg!
I remember Roller Coaster was playing in the theater next to us when seeing Star Wars for the first time in 1977 at our local 3 screen state of the art mall movie house. The walls kept shaking during the movie due to the Sensuround. It was definitely a forerunner of the modern day sound we have today.
For me, 70mm Six Track Dolby Stereo format presentations of the mid 70's and the 80's are my favorite...
High resolution images and High fidelity multichannel sound were amazing and unique and something you couldn't experience at home...
I wish I could go back in time to a ritzy theater 😂
There are still some here and there but definitely not in every city. Thank you for watching!
Memories...!
Thanks for watching Santee!
This was great Rhett, absolutely loved 🥰 it.
I haven’t been for many years, it’s just not the same.
I miss the ushers helping you to your seat and the intervals to take a break ,but what I miss more:
is when people did what they were supposed to do and just shut up and watch the movie.
Thanks Rhett ❤️Jodie 🇦🇺
It's changed a lot. I also felt that people were more friendly with each other out in the lobby before they were allowed to enter the theater. I think that sort of picked back up after the movie ended too. Thank you for watching and sharing your memories and thoughts Jodie!
@@RhettyforHistory absolutely it was Rhett. If you chat to a stranger now, they look at you like you have two heads.
Great subject mate!
Thank you and I appreciate you watching!
I grew up in the suburbs of S Ontario Canada.
There was a big drive-in theatre right next door. It was the early 70s and people were a lot ruder than decades before.
Every night all the customers would honk their horns while impatiently waiting for the double feature to start.
But I got used to it. I would sit on the roof of my house and tune into AM 640 on my 6 million dollar man radio.
The drive-in is long gone but I retain good memories...
Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories where you grew up. That would have been quite the experience living next to a theater like that.
This is one of the best part of growing up! I love & miss the theater experience! In LA I went to the Egyptian Theater, & it was Grand! Loved it . Great Job Rhetty!
That sounds like it really would have been a fascinating theater to go to. Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories my friend.
I remember when people used to be able to smoke in the theaters. So glad that is no longer a thing.
Thank you for watching Matthew!
When you talked about how people dressed, it made me think about something I'd been told about how people's behavior can be affected by what they wear: better dressed usually leads to better behavior and a better sense of importance - one reason lowly positions like usher/bellhop/doorman have such fancy uniforms. I'm all for expressing yourself through clothing and being comfortable, but wax nostalgic for the days of more formal dresswear.
In the late 70s/early 80s going to a cheap movie after church was the best treat, and sometimes there would even be a triple feature for 99 cents!
Loved this, Rhett. My parents would drop off my brothers and I every Sat. morning at Lakeside theater and would pick us up in time for dinner. $1.00 would get us in, buy us a hot dog, popcorn, candy or coke and we would be set for the double feature. In 1961, Gone With The Wind was rereleased and it was a big production to get to go to see it. My grandparents took me and we dressed up in our best. My grandfather wore a suit, my grandmother had her best jewelry on and I wore my best Sunday dress. It was an occasion, looked like a Hollywood Premier right here in OKC. I really enjoyed walking down this memory lane!
Thank you for watching and telling us about some of your memories. I always love to hear about how things were in Oklahoma City! Sounds like you have some wonderful memories at Lakeside!
The Columbo episode "Forgotten Lady" includes a very good description of what happens behind the scenes as a projectionist. Most reels came in at around 20 minutes, meaning that a 10-minute intermission was half the reel-change time that they usually had to rewind and spool up the next reel. I've been at a film where they accidentally ran the reels out-of-order. Oops!
Thank you for watching and sharing a little more with us Joe!
Still have a drive in theater in Muskegon,MI
Those are still a lot of fun. Thank you for watching Walter!
The first theater you showed, the Artcraft is in Franklin Indiana. Used to live a few blocks from there and they still show old films there. It's a great theater!
Thank you for watching and telling us about the theater you used to live near.
Late 1960s early 1970s, my friends and I would go to the theater, pay 75 cents, watch the cartoon, then the first feature and then the second feature But we would stay in our seats and watch the cartoon again, the first feature again and the second feature again. We watched Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid so many times we could recite the lines. The Good Ol' Days!
Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories Jim!
Very interesting video. I didn't know about cry rooms. I went to theaters way back in the 80's when I was a teenager because it was one of the few things to do in a small town on a Friday or Saturday night. Now that I'm old I won't step foot into a movie theater because I really can't stand crowds and I get very uncomfortable watching a long movie even in comfortable chairs. I've come to the conclusion that the old days were really the best times because I think everything was simpler and our brains weren't submerged in information overload.
They really were a great place to go as teens and younger adults. Thank you for watching and sharing your memories with us George.
Where I live, we’re lucky enough to still have a few old theaters in existence, which are the theaters I usually go to both because of aesthetics and price. There’s a one-screen theater around the corner that shows first-run movies for $5 and an old theater (that now has multiple screens) about 15 minutes away that costs $8.
Good movies are the number one thing not found in movie theaters today.
Thank you for watching Mike!
If you've never been to an Alamo Draft House, go. It's far more of an old school experience. Hundreds of beers available, good food that they serve to you right in your seat, and ZERO tolerance for talking and cell phone use. Pull your cell phone out and you're GONE, no warnings. They escort you right out. Plus, they're always doing really cool promos, like showing every movie that came out in the summer 30 years ago, or doing Universal monster weeks. They even play recordings of those who have been kicked out of the theater and have called in to complain before every show, and remind you to not be like them. I really wish every theater was like that.
Thank you for watching and telling us about the Alamo Draft House.
Thank you Rhetty for History for your nostalgic videos. I remember the Fox theater in St Louis where Stan Kann played the mighty Wurlitzer pipe organ that rose up on a platform where he would perform before the movie started. Back in the day St Louis had several truly grand theaters. I'm dating myself but those were special times.
Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories in Saint Louis. That really does sound like one heck of a theater there. It's sort of sad that things like that don't seem to be around as much anymore.
I can remember going to the movies in the mid 70's (??) and seeing, for the very first time, a car commercial right in the middle of the coming attractions!! I'll never forget it! Everyone in the theater BOO'd and JEER'd! Some even threw their popcorn at the screen! A TV commercial!!?? At the movies?! Unheard of! Impossible!! Many complained, but that was the start and you know the rest.........
Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories Charles!
I was just talking about Dish Night with my mom. My grandpa told her that when he was a kid, the people who showed up for dish night would forget that they were holding china on their lap. They would get up to use the bathroom or get something from the concession stand and their plates would smash on the floor during the middle of the feature, followed by a round of applause and laughter by the rest of the audience. Certainly a different time!
we still have a drive in theater just a 30 minute drive away. the only problem is that during the summertime it's so late getting dark that if you stay for the full double feature, you might not get out until near 1 am
Those do require you to be there late. Thank you for watching spaceghost.
Lol 1am? At my local drive-in during the month of June, the 1st feature usually has to start around 10:00-10:30pm. So never mind the 2nd feature. They usually do triple features during the weekend, but it’s hard to do around summer solstice. When Eclipse, the 3rd instalment of the Twilight Saga, came out, my local drive-in did a triple feature by also showing Twilight and New Moon. By the time it was done, it was past 5:30am and it was light out. By the time we got home 30min later, it was fully daytime. 😂
Sunset and sunrise is different depending where you live. I was really surprised when we went vacationing to San Diego mid-July and it was dark at 8pm! 😮
Before there were cheap air conditioners In the summer people used to go to theaters simply to be air conditioned
Yes they did. Thank you for watching Bob!
One consistent thing of going to the movies in the 1980s was that funny “please don’t litter in the theater” short that played before the previews with the kids getting stuck in their own gum.
Seeing a picture of Tampa Theatre in this video made me smile- it still exists and shows lots of films both new and old. Sometimes they even bring out the live organ for showings of silent films :) My favorite movie theatre of all time!
In my 60s and 70s experience there were often different prices for seating. Some had loge seating or a balcony for example. In my local theater the front rows were cheapest, hard seats, not much padding. For a little more you could get a cushier seat that rocked a little bit. Much more comfortable.
Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories. Some of that style of seating has been brought back to some of the upper scale newer theaters.
I remember when I was younger people used to clap and cheer at the Indiana Jones movies
Thank you for watching and sharing a memory with us Robert!
Im in the UK and many of the things apply here too. I loved the old style cinema buildings which always have character, Im lucky that one is preserved in my home town and has a Tudor feel to the auditorium. Some things you just dont want to change. I also miss the Double Bill. Another thing you dont get anymore here is at weekends they used to do special shows for children on Saturdays whilst parents got things like shopping done. No well known films, but as mentioned, there was a serial, a cartoon or two followed by an hour long adventure or drama made by the Childrens Film Foundation, there are some of their films on TH-cam. If there is a kids club on at a Multiplex its just cheaper tickets to an older film, less of a personal experience. Excellent video!
Thank you for watching and sharing your memories of the old theaters. That's great that there is still one going near you. I love the old Tudor style so that would be perfect! I prefer those older ones over the newer ones any day.
Near where I live is a building that used to be a cinema. It still looks like a cinema from the front with the steps, round marquee area and huge clock on the front. However, it closed down many years ago and was converted into a bingo hall, then an electrical retailer.
Thanks for the memories. My dad and grand-dad were theater projectionists, as was I when in high-school. Also an usher with flashlight and blazer jacket. Mid 1950s. Patrons were well mannered, for the most part. There to see the film, not munching on something the entire time. Television ruined theater audience comportment. Used to yacking and munching in front of the tube, many carried those private habits into the public theater. I haven't been in one for some time. Sound too loud, cell-phones buzzing, patrons bla-blabing. Plus content of films... super-heros and re-makes of re-makes. I prefer the oldies found on u-tube. Thank you.
I like to add a few more things to the list of stuff you no longer see at the movie theaters. Seats used to be all on one level, so if you were short like me you had to either try to look above the person's head that was sitting in front of you, or sit on the ends seats, and try to look around them. Thank GOD for stadium seats!
Another thing is the budget movie theaters where they would show movies that have been out for a while, and they would charge you like a dollar, or two as opposed to the main theaters that would charge you anywhere from around $4 up to $8 dollars depending on the time of day. If there was a movie you wanted to see, but you felt kind of iffy about it, you would wait until they hit the budget movie theater, and watch it there instead of spending the big bucks at the main theaters, and be disappointed. That, or you waited until they came out on VHS to rent. Yeah, that was the 90's/early 2000's for ya.
Dollar movies were really big in the 80s and 90s and it really wasn't a bad deal. After awhile the facilities started getting really ran down and they started closing around where I am. Thank you for watching and sharing your memories with us.
@@RhettyforHistory Yeah, that's what happened to the one I used to go to when I lived in Louisville growing up. Then they remodeled it, and jacked up the prices. The final blow came when Covid hit. That's when they decided to close it about a year ago because nobody wanted to go to an old rundown movie theater where they can go to the new one in the mall for about the same price.
I live by Vancouver BC Canada, and we still have a few budget theatres. But when I first moved here in ‘98 we had more. And within a few months of me moving, I actually started working at the largest multiplex in Canada with 20 screens from the time it opened. A few months later, I got a full time job for the gov’t but kept working at the movie theatre for a while not so much for the wages (I was making minimum wage which was half of what I was making hourly at my day job) but to be able to see free movies whenever I wanted to.
The one thing that I don’t miss is the smoking. Otherwise, this brings back good memories.
Thank you for watching Junior!
I was an usherette in the first twin theatre in Lynnwood, Wa in the mid 60’s. I had a terrible time with men who refused to put there feet down. I was 4’10” and weighed 100 lbs so they just ignore me. I was transferred to the candy counter and felt more comfortable. Also enjoyed the free movies on our day off.
Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories of working in the theater.
This brings back memories of the Casa Linda theater in Dallas. It was an over-the-top rococo palace, with lavish 'Powder' rooms and a richly appointed Cry Room. Too cool.
One of the ones you featured the 4 Star movie theater on Wilshire in Los Angeles, that's where I first saw the Bowery Boys! Great movie, great theater but it's no longer there
Thank you for watching Mister Vacation!
I used to love the glamour and style of the old theatres AND the Mighty Wurlitzer organs or an organ of another make. In the video you showed two such instruments, one in the Alabama Theatre but back in the day, you'd get a whole package of entertainment, not just films. Many of the larger theatres had an orchestra and large orchestral theatre pipe organ. Both would play before the show and at interval. Here in Melbourne, Australia we had many theatres equipped with theatre pipe organs and as you entered the building early, you would hear the masterly playing of such an instrument. It was a thrilling experience going to a theatre not only to see the films but for the whole entertainment package. One of our top city theatres is going through a re-birth right now and has been fully restored by the new owners. It opened in 1924 and had a large Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ. When TV came to Australia in 1956, it spelled the death-nell for many theatres and the organ was sold to a group of people who put their heads and wallets together, bought the organ and placed it in a suburban theatre. The original theatre (the Capitol Theatre) has now been renovated and the organ, which is in pristine condition and almost 100 years old, is going back to it's original home and will be re-opened in 2024 for both the centenary of both the theatre and the organ.
Thank you for watching and telling us about some of the theaters that are in Australia. That is also great news that there will be one reopening in 2024.
That's fabulous!
Talk about nostalgia! When I was a kid theaters still had ushers walking around with their flashlights, as well as the physical curtains that opened as the movie began. I can remember saying something out loud to my mother while the curtain was still shut and being shushed by her. Everyone whispered like we were attending a Catholic church service or something lol. I still do this out of habit actually. I also remember the speakers at drive-in theaters, too! I miss the drive-in that we used to have where I live. It was demolished about 20 or so years ago and a hotel and gas station were built on that spot. In the late 90's I went to a double feature actually. The movies being shown were Armageddon and Deep Impact.
Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories at the theater. Sounds like you had some good times there. I know exactly what you are talking about with being hushed. Back in the day they weren't places to fool around.
I remember seeing STAR WARS in my local hometown theater. I remember well sitting in those comfy overstuffed chairs, listening to soft music, and waiting patiently for the big velour curtains before me to slowly part- warm popcorn in my lap. Back then, going to the movies was a true event.
Things no linger found in movie theaters.
1. Good movies
2. People
Boy you nailed it!!!😔
Thank you for watching The Green Man!
There is an old theater, still showing movies, 5 minutes from my house.
Thank you for watching and telling us about that one Larry!
I also remember in the 1970s that, in our local theaters, thee were late shows at 11:30 pm on Saturday nights. The theater downtown showed the sophisticated "Adult" movies and the newer theater showed the "Black" movies that weren't shown in prime time. We might laugh at this today, but that was considered special entertainment then.
Thank you for watching and sharing your memories with us Tony!
The paramount in seattle is a wonderful theater. Its mostly a concert venue now, but they still have their original wurlitzer organ and they still occasionally run silent films.
I remember when you could go to the Movies an get Popcorn and a drink all for a $1.00 it was a lot of fun. It was also very rare for my Family, when you have a big family it's rare. I also remember the Intermission they would advertise the food an drinks an also advertised or suggested you take the little ones potty as they really frowned upon someone getting up. I remember Women with very young Children getting up they didn't really say much to them. What was more fun was the Drive in. The whole Family could go for 1 low price espically on car load days. Kids getting out to play on the play ground before the movie starts. If you had a Station wagon like we did you could pop alot of popcorn an get drinks and hide it all away where nobody knew. That was always the best. Loved it. ❤❤
Thank you for watching and sharing some of your memories in the theater and drive in. I really loved going to the drive in theater. Something about being in your own space yet out under the open sky. But I have a lot of fond memories at both.
Yes we went often during the 1970s era.