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A Movie Theater That Did It Right
County Press ^ | By Tom Teti

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 ...


TOPICS: Philosophy; US: Pennsylvania
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A story for a Saturday night.

Delaware County is in Pennsylvania and is a suburb of Philly.

1 posted on 03/11/2006 3:57:07 PM PST by Tribune7
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To: Temple Owl
ping

The theater where I saw Jaws.

2 posted on 03/11/2006 3:57:40 PM PST by Tribune7
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To: Owl_Eagle; brityank; Physicist; WhyisaTexasgirlinPA; GOPJ; abner; baseballmom; Willie Green; Mo1; ..

ping


3 posted on 03/11/2006 3:58:05 PM PST by Tribune7
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To: Tribune7

Sleuth for $1...


4 posted on 03/11/2006 4:11:25 PM PST by Domestic Church (AMDG...)
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To: Tribune7
I used to go to the Anthony Wayne Movie Theater every Saturday matinee from about 1957 to about 1968. I'm amazed to see it's still there though now it's part of a chain.

BTW my granmother lived in Yeadon so I'm familiar with that town also.

5 posted on 03/11/2006 4:15:08 PM PST by facedown (Armed in the Heartland)
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To: facedown
I used to go to the Anthony Wayne when I attended VFMA. I like the fact that they have maintained the original facade.

SIC
6 posted on 03/11/2006 4:18:50 PM PST by SICSEMPERTYRANNUS ("Our responses to terrorist acts should make the world gasp." - When Devils Walk the Earth)
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To: Tribune7

I bet you could smoke there, too. That would have rocked.


7 posted on 03/11/2006 4:24:55 PM PST by mysterio
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To: Tribune7

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.


8 posted on 03/11/2006 4:28:03 PM PST by Petronski (I love Cyborg!)
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To: SICSEMPERTYRANNUS
I used to go to the Anthony Wayne when I attended VFMA.

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^)

9 posted on 03/11/2006 4:30:03 PM PST by facedown (Armed in the Heartland)
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To: Petronski

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.


10 posted on 03/11/2006 4:36:40 PM PST by flying Elvis
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To: facedown

Holden Caulfield was there about 50 years before me.


11 posted on 03/11/2006 4:39:42 PM PST by SICSEMPERTYRANNUS ("Our responses to terrorist acts should make the world gasp." - When Devils Walk the Earth)
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To: Domestic Church

That's what Jaws cost :-)


12 posted on 03/11/2006 4:41:01 PM PST by Tribune7
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To: Petronski
The theater where I saw Jaws--a great old moviehouse in a small town--has been chopped into a duplex

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.

13 posted on 03/11/2006 4:42:58 PM PST by Tribune7
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To: Tribune7
I remember "Winchester 73", popcorn and balcony seats. I remember eating a box of Dots or Snaps and then blowing into the empty box and making an annoying noise during the movie. If the usher caught you doing that he would at least reprimand you or shine his flashlight in your direction to shush you up.

The neighborhood movie theater, usually built in the 1930's, and enjoyed throughout the 40's and 50's, was a part of our culture that we will never see again.
14 posted on 03/11/2006 4:46:31 PM PST by joem15
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To: Tribune7

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.


15 posted on 03/11/2006 4:51:22 PM PST by Dane ( anyone who believes hillary would do something to stop illegal immigration is believing gibberish)
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To: Tribune7

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).


16 posted on 03/11/2006 4:51:45 PM PST by blackdog (Still evolving... thanks to play, rebelliousness, and immaturity.)
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To: facedown

What years did you go to VFMA? A good friend of mine(actually, several) attended VFMA. One graduated in '72 and another in '78.


17 posted on 03/11/2006 4:53:59 PM PST by blackdog (Still evolving... thanks to play, rebelliousness, and immaturity.)
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To: blackdog

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.)


18 posted on 03/11/2006 4:54:20 PM PST by Tribune7
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To: blackdog

That was Rundgren's home court :-)


19 posted on 03/11/2006 4:55:13 PM PST by Tribune7
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To: facedown

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).


20 posted on 03/11/2006 4:57:41 PM PST by blackdog (Still evolving... thanks to play, rebelliousness, and immaturity.)
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