Going To The Movies

Remember when people used to go to the movies almost weekly? Whether it was going on a date with that special person (or special for that week), or a night out with friends, so many of us had spent memorable times in the theaters. Many of us can remember specific events like first dates with someone who would become your spouse and having a favorite restaurant that you went to after rhe show was over (or before if you couldn't wait to eat). My wife and I often went to the old H.A. Winston's at 15th & Locust.

Back in the day, most of us here in Philly went to Center City to the vast selection of movie houses that dotted Chestnut Street and the are around it. Most of the were operated by two chains, Budco and Eric. There were a few independent theaters like Cinema 19 at 19th & Chestnut, but far and wide they were chain operated. And some of them were really grand palaces like the Sameric. With it's huge screen, art deco design, giant chandelier, and huge lobby, it was the granddaddy of movie houses. Many know it as the Boyd, the name that it opened as before the chains came. The area near 16th & Chestnut seemed to be the epicenter of Center City cinema entertainmant. You could find the Fox, Milgram, Stage Door, Trans Lux, and Eric's Place all in that tight area. The good thing was that no matter when you went, you could always  find something that you wanted to see, even if you did go weekly. That's hard to say today.

Then the multiplexes came, and slowly the theaters were pushed out of Center City. One by one they disappeared to where rhere are just a few art movie houses left. New theaters opened in places like the riverfront on Columbus Boulevard. Or many South Philly residents would go across the bridge and into New Jersey where they didn't have to pay for parking. An era had ended and what we remember now was no more.

Now most people go to the movies sporadically. Netflix, Amazon, On-Demand viewing and the almost-dead DVD have made a trip to the movies an occasional diversion. Long gone VHS started that slide. When younger people see pictures of theaters as a crowded entertainment house, they may stare in awe at how many people were once patrons of the cinema.

This brings us to group participation time. What was your favorite memory or what was the last movie that you remember seeing "uptown", and in which theater did you see it in? Leave your comments below for all to share instead of on my Facebook timeline. Please keep the comments respectable for all to read.

AND YOU MAY REMEMBER...
  
    ...Sitting in the balcony. I remember seeing Vice Squad at the Goldman on 15th Street, just above Chestnut and across from City Hall. The place was filled to capacity and the balcony was open to handle the overflow. What seemed like a hostile crowd before the movie started soon became filled with laughs, especially when the guy sat up in the coffin and spooked some in the audience. Even those who were startled got a good chuckle when they recovered.

     ...Waiting in long lines for movie tickets. Back before you could order tickets online, if you wanted to see a blockbuster film on the weekend that it came out, you only had ine option: to  stand in a line that went down and often around the block. Never a great thing in bad weather, but many would do it; easpecially for movies like Star Wars and films that had that type of selling power.

      ...Neighborhood theaters, those places where we paid a dollar or $1.50 to see a flick after they left the first-run theaters. Great for when funds were low or you and your friends were looking for something to do on a moment's notice. Unlike the uptown theaters, some of them haven't had a cleaning since the last generation and your feet often stuck to the floor, rodents sometimes ran across your feet, and the candy at the concession stand so hard you could break a tooth. The Colonial immediately comes to mind.