Posted on 03/11/2006 3:57:06 PM PST by Tribune7
Perhaps you grew up in Delaware County in the post-World War II era, and perhaps you had a movie theater that was an important part of your youth.
When you opened the paper to the entertainment pages in those days, you would find no AMCs, United Artists or Regal 12s. You would find the Lansdowne, the Brookline in Havertown, the Waverly in Drexel Hill, the Media, the Stonehurst, the Boyd, and the Stanley in Chester, the College in Swarthmore and the 69th Street, the Terminal, and the Tower (yes, it was around before rock and roll) all three in the 69th Street shopping area. Perhaps I've missed one or two, but I am sure that they all had Saturday matinees, and that kids in those towns spent years of Saturday afternoons in those movie houses.
Recently, there was a fire in the Yeadon theater. Because of that fire, a decision has been made to demolish the theater that I went to while growing up in the '50s and '60s. When I learned all this, I realized that, over the years, I had been harboring a desire to say something about the Yeadon Theater of that time.
(Excerpt) Read more at zwire.com ...
Delaware County is in Pennsylvania and is a suburb of Philly.
The theater where I saw Jaws.
ping
Sleuth for $1...
BTW my granmother lived in Yeadon so I'm familiar with that town also.
I bet you could smoke there, too. That would have rocked.
The theater where I saw Jaws--a great old moviehouse in a small town--has been chopped into a duplex with crappy seats, sticky floors and absolutely horrible sound/projection/lighting.
But I remember being nine years old, waiting in a long line to get into the packed house, and peeking at the screen from between my fingers when the "shark theme" music played.
Holy Cadets, Batman! I lived on the second block of Walnut Ave. so all y'all used to walk right past my house on the way to town.
Was Holden Caulfield there when you were? 8^)
I too was 9 when I saw Jaws in the theater. When that one eyed head popped out of the hole in the boat, I came unglued. The only thing that kept me in the theater was my mother's kung fu grip on my arm.
Holden Caulfield was there about 50 years before me.
That's what Jaws cost :-)
At least it's still there and just a duplex. The only theaters around here are narrow multi-plexes that show a lot of commercials before the feature.
Whew does that bring back memories. Our local movie theater in the 70's always had a different matinee on Saturdays, everything from old Laurel & Hardy movies, Santa Claus Goes to Mars, to Vincent Price Dr. Something, to Snoopy Come Home.
I saw Hall & Oates at the Tower Theater in 1976. It was during their album tour "Bigger Than Both of Us". Todd Rundgren too. Great concerts with small audiences(around a thousand).
What years did you go to VFMA? A good friend of mine(actually, several) attended VFMA. One graduated in '72 and another in '78.
The Tower is still there although it doesn't show movies. (I did see the Kids are Alright there, however, 25 or so years ago.)
That was Rundgren's home court :-)
The York theater(went exclusively to porn)in the mid 70's. That was in Jenkintown. The Walnut Street Theater was where I saw Romeo and Juliett and Cats(yuck).
I didn't; I grew up two blocks down the street from it.
Listening to Todd, or should I say all the Todds, is my home court. He's one of the most under-recognized musicians of all time. He raised Liv Tyler as his own daughter while Steven Tyler was an A-hole. His new-ish album "lyars" is excellent. None of that Utopia nonsense he dabbled in for a while.
Is the Keswick still in Glenside?
Never been there, though.
I dunno. I hear one story where some thungs broke into his home in L.A. Tied him up and started looting. Then they realized who he was. They started singing "I Saw The Light" and continued looting.
Todd's from Upper Darby, where the Tower is.
I knew he was a Philly boy. Hall & Oates too. I think they were from Souderton, near Perkasie. Pre-80's Hall & Oates is amazing music. "She's Gone" and "Sara's Smile" are timeless classics. Rundgren's "Something/Anything is an incredible collection. To think Todd plays every instrument and sings every vocal, then mixes it all is cool.
I slipped into a depression and became impotent for months. Nothing worse than revisiting your youth, only to have it destroyed by new age crap.
This reminds me of a story my dear departed Pop told me many times. I think it was 1933 in Drew, MS--I could be wrong about the year but that's close--and a movie about the James brothers was playing at the local theater. It was such a big deal that a statue of Frank and Jesse was out on the sidewalk. Pop was ten years old and tried all day to get a dime for admission. And failed. Times were way tough.
MM
Yeah, some good times had in Wayne. Used to go to see movies at the Anthony Wayne all the time. It got easier when our buds or gals would work there. They would kick open the exit door onto the alley and sneak us in. Sneaking out from the middle school at lunch to get a real Italian hoagie from Pie in the Sky Pizza (or whatever it was called before that).
What a great town to grow up in...
Well, unless you still have the neighborhood theater like a few places do.
Hey SIC,
I apologize for all the ribbing some of us locals would give you guys when you came into town in uniform.
Do you remember a Col. Gardiner who taught History (I think)? I was good friends with his kids but over the years we have lost touch...
I delivered pizza to you guys in 1978 from Wayne Pizza. Use to sneak it through the bars...
Some good times in Wayne.
Hey B-dog,
Check out post 32...
I will also be working a Hall & Oates concert this Fri. (3/17) in Wilmington DE. I worked with them before and they still put on a great show.
I saw David Bowie at the Tower, one of my first concerts. Little did I know that it was going to be an album.
As I remember it, that alley came out onto North Wayne Ave. between the Jewelry store and the Barber Shop that I went to as a kid. When I lived there, we didn't have "middle schools". All of the elementary schools funneled into Radnor Junior High School which was across Lancaster Ave. (Lancaster Pike!) by the firehouse.
Small world ain't it! Especially on FR.
That was the first real hair cut I got was in that barber shop. Dad took me. Before that it was bowl cuts from Mom.
LOL
RHS- Class of 78
LOL! I was too squirmy so it was off to the barber at a very early age.
RHS - Class of 68
I just checked your home page. Is that your Strat? Do you still live in the area? Take a look at my other posts to this thread and you will see that I am working with H&O this week. If you are in the area and ever need a guitar tech/audio engineer, let me know. FReepmail me for further info...
No2much3
I only play for my 4 track but have fun with Daryl and John. They're my sentimental favorites being from Philly and all.
I just saw a marquee for Hall & Oates in Reading, PA, this Wednesday, March 15.
And how about the The Colonial Theater in Phoenixville. They are still restoring it and holding the annual Blobfest. Yes, I have attended, and I have taken part in re-enacting the panicked evacuation of the theater. :-) Amazing that Steve McQueen played a teenager at age 29...
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