If you grew up in the inner city like I did, there was always a neighborhood theater like this one. The place would be packed with kids on Saturdays when the weather was shitty. Two movies, shorts, five or six cartoons, a reel or two and shitloads of Jujubes and popcorn.
My buddy Pat Ammiano and his brother Anthony(?) lived in the apartment above the candy store across the street from the theater, and both of them worked as ushers at the Elwood back in the day. This was when I know Pat wasn't more than ten or eleven years old - child labor laws must not have applied to movie houses evidently. Anyway, we rigged a scheme that we'd all meet at the fire exit behind the theater right after the first movie started, and Pat would let us in for a nickel apiece. Wudda racket he had...
The same Pat Ammiano that later in life became Director of Security for Mandarin Oriental?
ReplyDeleteOne and the same. Sadly, Pat died last year. Lifelong friends going back to kindergarten
DeleteCondolences, I saw his obituary online.
DeleteAir conditioned. That was the point.
ReplyDeletegrowing up in Las Vegas, A/C in the summer when we were out out school was a good day to spend at the movie matinee's, it didn't matter what was on when it was 115 outside. i think tickets then they were 1.50 for a double feature. the cinerama and the the huntridge were the best. i'll bet the screens covered an acre then and they only had one. those were good days. the huntridge was only a short bike ride from the house. i lived on Oakey.
DeleteI grew up in Paterson. No less than 5 movie theaters. We would collect Coke bottles for the deposit so we could get into a movie and spend all afternoon on Saturday.
ReplyDeletecapital theatre passaic. many a good time.
ReplyDeleteMe and my brother Jim would spend countless Saturdays going to the Garden Theater and spend our afternoons watching the same kinds of lineups.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't till much later in life that we thought of what our parents were doing while we were stuffing our faces with popcorn and Milk Duds...
irontomflint