LindaOH
I remember bringing my $1 to the ticket booth and purchasing a ticket for a Saturday afternoon matinee. I always attended with one of my best friends. Sometimes we would be able to see one movie, sometimes two, and maybe even a newsreel or cartoon. We made a stop at the candy counter — popcorn, Jujubes, Dots…I remember those two candies because they always got stuck in your teeth. If you didn’t want to purchase anything at the candy counter, you were free to bring in your own snacks. There was no Snack Patrol to prohibit you from doing that.
You entered the theater and sat on hard, wooden seats…no cushioned seats back then in the theater we frequented. Saturday afternoon matinees were usually filled with teens my age and younger kids. When I was younger we lived in an area that didn’t have any theaters nearby; so I didn’t have the matinee experience until my 12th year and older. This theater was two doors down from me and around the corner; so it was extremely easy to go quite often.
It didn’t matter when you entered the theater. If you missed the first 15 minutes of the movie or the first half-hour you could stay and watch what you missed. You could see the whole movie over again if that’s what you wanted. No one emptied out the theater after each showing. I remember going to see “A Hard Day’s Night” starring the Beatles. The theater was full of screaming girls. We watched two full showings of the movie before going home.
I miss the Saturday afternoon matinees; and I haven’t been inside a movie theater in decades. I won’t pay the prices that they now ask for in prime time. I wait for the movies to be shown on television.
What memories do you have of going to the movie theater?
Photo Credit: Pixabay
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Do you remember Saturday afternoon matinees?
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Yes
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No
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I do miss Saturday afternoon at the movies. If we got there BEFORE 1 PM it only cost 50 cents. That’s right. Only half-price. My sister and I always made sure we got there because with the $1, both of us could go to the movies. Ahh! The good old days.
What a bargain! I do miss those days.
I’ll tell you something else I miss. Drive-In theatres. Do they even exist any more? Last time I went to a drive-in theatre was in the 80s.
Yes, we have one about 30-45 minutes away; but it’s the only one I know of.
I remember that kids used to throw candy sometimes, … and we never sat under the edge of the balcony. The movies were great fun though.
If we got all our chores done then we could do that once a month. Loved it.
I was in a movie theater only a few times
cost aside, I avoid theaters because of all the people and inconvenience. nothing beats on demand in the privacy of your own house
I have to agree with you there!
if it weren’t for the shopping, I think I could stay home all week long
Sounds like good memories. I was busy Saturday afternoon attending Latvian school and learning about my parent’s homeland. When I did have a free Saturday I watched the cartoons that went all morning on TV
Yes indeed. Dustin and I would go to the matinees as we both preferred less people, less talking, and a better seat. The good ole days.
Nice memory you shared here!
Yeah i remember the matinee.
Who can forget those days Now everything is available just with a click of the mouse.