It seems that every single town in the US with a population of at least, say, 2,500 had a single-screen theater located in its downtown area circa 1960.
In the Northwest Arkansas area where I make my home, that was the case with every community. Unfortunately, it is also the case that every one of them has closed.
Single-screen cinemas had their heyday during the Depression era. First of all, the price of the entertainment was frequently within the grasp of struggling households who were desperate for an escape from the day-to-day routine. Second, most of the 1920's-1930's theaters had a stage, so that vaudeville performances could be enjoyed in addition to films, frequently for the same price. And thirdly, the cinemas were pioneers in the use of the wonderful newfangled technology known as air conditioning. At presstime, the heat index is going to hit about 106 degrees today. Imagine if there was only one building in town with cool air. Wouldn't you be there?
Indeed, the single-screen cinema was such a part of Depression culture that their construction slowed down considerably after the 1930's ended. After WWII, construction of drive-in theaters far outpaced that of indoor facilities.
The result was that the theater that you remember visiting in your hometown as a kid was probably a very old-fashioned place. Most of them had quaint metal-covered ceilings, Art Deco furnishings (from the genuine Art Deco era!), boldly patterned heavy-weave carpeted aisles, and, too often, had seen better days as far as condition was concerned.
I remember looking up at the ceiling at Bentonville's theater waiting for Star Wars to begin (one of the last films I saw there) and seeing creeping stains from water leaks and lots of dark areas from burnt-out light bulbs. The carpet was in pretty rough shape, too.
But despite the fact that the downtown theaters were thirty and more years old in the 60's, they still did a brisk business. However, the business they did generally didn't justify the cost of remodeling, or the building of new facilities where existing ones stood.
As the 60's drew to a close, the movie industry itself was suffering from slowing sales. In 1970, half as many films were produced as in 1958. TV was free, and we all had air conditioning of some sort by then. Downtown theaters began closing. The drop in business meant that one theater could handle the crowds that once required two or three. Small town moviegoers found themselves having to drive to a larger community to see a film.
The salvation of the movie industry was the multiplex. During the 70's, theaters were built with more than one screen. Simply having two screen meant that you had a choice of what movie to see. And some multiplexes had ten or more! The sound systems were much better than the 1930's era speakers that the old cinema had. And the seats were often much more comfortable too.
That was the final death knell for the 1930's era theaters. As a multiplex would open in a shopping mall, it was frequently followed by the closing of every single-screen cinema within thirty miles. And even though drive-ins developed a passionate following that has managed to keep many of them open, and even make for new ones, there wasn't a whole lot of love lost for the old downtown establishments. Thus, much classic architecture has sadly been destroyed.
However, there are happy exceptions. The Coleman Theater that I visited as a kid in the 60's has been gloriously renovated. Its unique Louis XV style was lavish in 1929, and still is today. You can't imagine what it means to this old goat to know that the theater that he loved so much as a kid is in better shape today than back then! The balcony was closed during the 60's, but is now open for seating again! And first-run films are shown there, in addition to other activities.
Sadly, the sweet memories that most of us have of our old downtown theaters are just that: memories. The Bentonville theater advertised My Name Is Nobody as currently playing for a couple of years until someone finally took the yellowed poster out of its outdoor frame. The building still stands, home to the occasional downtown merchant who opens up shop there. But it, like the vast majority of single-screen cinemas, has shown its last movie.
Check out this site for a group that is trying to save the very few single-screen cinemas that are left.
Comments (5)
What great architecture those buildings are and were. There are grants that can protect them.
I will give California credit for not allowing those pieces of history...from being torn down.
There was nothing like sitting in a cool, dark theater, eating popcorn and drinking a soda. Especially in Florida during the summer time!
I remember it well and "The Sound of Music!"
Southern smiles and world peace,
Sharon
~The Baby Boomer Queen~
Posted by Sharon/The Baby Boomer Queen | August 4, 2008 3:45 AM
Posted on August 4, 2008 03:45
I remember it well, too. The huge curtains to the sides of the screen, the chandelier in the center of the house, the smell of freshly made popcorn whenever a new batch was popped. (I think the vents were aimed that way on purpose.) And you can stretch out your legs under the seat in front of you, not like the stadium seating of today. All it needed back then were the cup holders.
You can walk in at any time, even in the middle of a movie, and leave much later without paying for another ticket. There would be a double feature, a cartoon, maybe a news short, and the trailers of upcoming films. All for about $1.50 or $2.50.
Posted by David S Paleg | August 4, 2008 4:35 AM
Posted on August 4, 2008 04:35
I sometimes think I have stepped back in time. I live in a town (Newberg, OR) that has both a classic movie house AND a drive in! We also get milk delivered each week, but thats another story.
We have made sure our sons have experienced the joys of the drive in on a hot summer's night as well as visiting a REAL movies house rather than "multi-plex" that is just a big, dark box showing umpteen movies.
Posted by Loribl | August 4, 2008 5:49 AM
Posted on August 4, 2008 05:49
Ours was called the Capitol Theater. My dad owned the candy store across the street where everybody got stuff before the show! This was in South River, New Jersey.
Posted by Rhea | August 4, 2008 1:31 PM
Posted on August 4, 2008 13:31
When I was growing up in Rutland VT, circa 1960 (pop.18000) we had 2 single screen theaters downtown, the Grand and the Paramount. I would walk the mile or so nearly every Saturday to the matinee at one or the other. For 25 cents (child under 12 – adults were 50 cents) admission, one was treated to a cartoon (usually a Warner Bros. Merry Melodies but occasionally Disney or Lantz), newsreels, a serial, short subjects (The 3 Stooges was a perennial favorite) previews and a double feature. For another 25 cents one could get a 10 cent box of popcorn, a 10 cent drink, and a 5 cent box of candy. I usually went for Jujubes as they could be counted on to last through both features – a few years ago I stumbled onto Heide Jujubes and waxing nostalgic, remembering the petrified bullets of floral essence, violets, roses, lilacs lemon and mint (those flavors had a sort of soapy redolence) I purchased a box but they had changed – radically. Made by Hersey’s they were no longer petrified but soft, fruit flavored, reminiscent of Jujyfruits and were a bitter disappointment. Milk Duds were another favorite that could be counted on to last if properly sucked or a nickel Sugar Daddy would usually make it all the way (alas they’re no longer the filling pullers of yore either.)
Four hours of entertainment for 50 cents was a heck of a bargain even in the 60’s. Contrast it to today. $10 for any show after 6 PM, $4 for a small bag of popcorn, $4 for candy, $3.50 for a 500ml bottle of water, $4 for a small soft drink and some theaters serve gourmet pastry and other exotica for exotic prices!!! Figure in a babysitter and a movie for 2 can run more than $50 with few frills. The Grand was razed after it burned and the Paramount no longer shows movies but hosts plays & band concerts, Indigo Girls were just there and John Hiatt, John Sebastian & David Grisman, Bela Fleck, Jose Feliciano and The Turtles (Flo & Eddie) are coming soon.
Posted by Burt | August 4, 2008 11:37 PM
Posted on August 4, 2008 23:37