The Big Screen
Last Friday, my son asked me if I wanted to go to the theater with him to see Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. I jumped all over the offer. We had a quick lunch near the mall before seeing the movie, which I enjoyed, then went our separate ways. I was struck by a few thoughts on the way home.
When I was a child, we had three movie houses in the town where I lived. All three played different movies and every Saturday afternoon you could count on each one having a double feature plus a feature cartoon and newsreel, insuring real bang for your buck. (That buck not only got me in the theater, but also paid for my refreshments with change leftover that I could use at the candy store next door to the Rivoli where we killed time waiting for our parents to pick us up after the movie!)
Those were the days before multiple screens but still, I had an option of up to six movies to choose from on Saturday afternoons. Last Friday, I had immediate access to three theaters with a total of 31 screens, yet on that day, I could only choose between 8 movies on those 31 screens. AND NO CARTOON AT ANY OF THEM!!! HUH?
Today, I can get in the theater for a reasonable amount of money, if I go to a matinee, but it will cost an arm and a leg to get a soft drink and a bag of popcorn, which isn't fresh, which doesn't have real butter but some oily glop that is pure fat with no taste at all, that leaves me with nothing but a greasy residue on my fingers that always ends up on my clothes. Of course I could opt for a five dollar candy bar or box of Goobers. (I didn't buy Goobers when they were 25¢ - why would I pay 5 bucks for those suckers now... did someone mention suckers? ahhh, of course... an oversized tootsie roll pop for $2... a real bargain!)
Methinks there is more piracy at theaters today than what plays on the big screen.
(now playing: from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - Hoist The Colours by Hans Zimmer)
When I was a child, we had three movie houses in the town where I lived. All three played different movies and every Saturday afternoon you could count on each one having a double feature plus a feature cartoon and newsreel, insuring real bang for your buck. (That buck not only got me in the theater, but also paid for my refreshments with change leftover that I could use at the candy store next door to the Rivoli where we killed time waiting for our parents to pick us up after the movie!)
Those were the days before multiple screens but still, I had an option of up to six movies to choose from on Saturday afternoons. Last Friday, I had immediate access to three theaters with a total of 31 screens, yet on that day, I could only choose between 8 movies on those 31 screens. AND NO CARTOON AT ANY OF THEM!!! HUH?
Today, I can get in the theater for a reasonable amount of money, if I go to a matinee, but it will cost an arm and a leg to get a soft drink and a bag of popcorn, which isn't fresh, which doesn't have real butter but some oily glop that is pure fat with no taste at all, that leaves me with nothing but a greasy residue on my fingers that always ends up on my clothes. Of course I could opt for a five dollar candy bar or box of Goobers. (I didn't buy Goobers when they were 25¢ - why would I pay 5 bucks for those suckers now... did someone mention suckers? ahhh, of course... an oversized tootsie roll pop for $2... a real bargain!)
Methinks there is more piracy at theaters today than what plays on the big screen.
(now playing: from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - Hoist The Colours by Hans Zimmer)
Labels: Rants and Whines
3 Comments:
Great memories...there was a wonderful theatre in my town called the "Cooper", which had the Pana-vision or whatever it was. Which was a big deal then.
I also remember sneaking a bag of popcorn in under my coat once.
Oh yeah, and we watch a lot (too much) TCM, so it gets me wondering what movie theatres were like when my dad was young.. all the newsreels and "shorts" "the passing parade"
In the small town in which I grew up, we only had one movie theater! But the popcorn was great and I loved having a cartoon before the movie!
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