Movie theaters in the 1940s

Home theater systems kept people in their homes and the cost of making a blockbuster movie rose sharply in the 1950s. In fact, the years of the 1930s are considered the golden era of hollywood cinema. After the advent of talking pictures in 1927 and again in the 1940s, there was a pattern of renovation among kansas movie theaters. This theatre does not allow children under the age of 6 to attend rrated movies after 6 p. Little women june allyson, peter lawford, margaret obrien and elizabeth taylor. Earlier this week while deciding on a table setting for a luncheon i hosted, i remembered a fascinating conversation i had with my partner dans parents regarding tableware during the 1930s depression era. In a time before mega theaters and netflix these shrines to hollywood ruled the day. Free4all mn explores the now demolished terrace movie theater. As movies gained popularity and the technology of showing moving images improved, going to the movies was transformed into a magical experience. Jun 17, 2016 yes one could stay all day in the theater and see the movie many times. Today, only a select few still operate movie houses.

This page was originally begun as a tribute to the movie theaters in memphis that i loved as a youth in the 1940s and 50s. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. Maryland and baltimore movie theatres, theaters, 1900 to. After years of neglect, the theater was purchased by stewart epstein, who turned the dilapidated movie house into a 1,400seat multiplex. During its heyday in the 1950s and 60s, the block of 42nd street between. Loews capitol theatre in washington, dc cinema treasures. A history of movie theater snacks in america bon appetit. By the 1940s, there was no separating a movie theater from its buttery gold, which eventually held a starring role in the movie concession ads of the 1960s, popular at drivein theaters. We saw favorite films there as kids, we perhaps shared our first kisses there as teens, we treasure. I later learned that these dishes she got from dish night at the movies during the depression.

The delsea drivein theater is the only operating commercial drivein movie theater in new jersey. The audience for television grew to 204 million people in 1958. Remembering the lost theaters of times squares deuce. Sam raimi to direct doctor strange 2, disney to release hamilton in theaters and more. The american theater eventually fell on hard times. Eightyfive million people a week crowded movie theaters across america to escape their sometimes desperate financial situations. Childrens theatre community theatre college theatre this allowed more people in more areas of society to experience acting and watching theatre. Many homes and workplaces did not have air conditioning. And after the movie palace era passed, what effect did the decades of the 30s, 40s and 50s have on movie theater design. The world was headed toward rearmament and warfare in the early to mid1940s, and the movie industry.

Most popular 1940s, movie theater movies and tv shows refine see titles to watch instantly. So instead of all showing the same movies over the same period of time, theatres made more independent choices. Many of the movie theatres of the 1920s and 1930s were so grand that people nicknamed them picture palaces. In july 1940, the postdispatch published a series of photos of an auto movie audience at one of the midwests first drivein theaters. The majority of films made in the 1940s were playful romps, such as the philadelphia story 1940, starring cary grant 19041986, james stewart 19081997, and katharine hepburn 1907. In the 40s and 50s, it was not unusual for hollywood to try out a big movie here, in spite of the citys notorious movie censor, lloyd t. Atlantas 1940s movie theaters atlanta journalconstitution. May 06, 2020 what were small town movie theaters like in the 1940s during the heyday of bwesterns. The b movie, whose roots trace to the silent film era, was a significant contributor to hollywoods golden age of the 1930s and 1940s. I have a set of dishes that i believe might be worth a lot of money. Remember this was before those little bw television sets with rabbit ears on top graced every living room. Find everything you need for your local movie theater near you. The first movie theatres were rented rooms and music halls.

But many of the buildings remain as homes for other businesses. I quickly learned that other folks are also very passionate about their movie theaters and. All three theaters were huge one level structures lacking balconies. Movie theaters in kansas city, mo showing 1 30 of 126 movie theaters all theaters 126 open 14 showing movies 8 closed 112 demolished 57 restoring 0 renovating 2. Now the borough is lucky to have a dozen, but at one time each neighborhood practically had that many, from grand movie palaces to small neighborhood spots. As patrons entered the movie theater prior to showtime, they naturally lowered their voices and spoke in hushed tones as. As the motion picture industry prospered and competition increased, movie theater owners updated their theaters to stay current with design trends. Haus, author of the book south jersey movie house, talks about the oncegreat movie theaters of camden, new jersey. The photographs are part of a series weegee made in new york city theaters in the mid1940s with infrared film. Only 150 legitimate professional theatres serving entire u. Many workers would spend their days off at the movies. The wolf man 1941 half sheet movie poster 1948 reissued trimmed laminated. Minions sequel, chris rock in the next chapter of saw and more. The day the supreme court killed hollywoods studio system.

During the golden age of cinema, one of the most prestigious jobs a teenager could have was movie usher. The decade of the 1940s began well for the movie industry and their theaters but ended with the breakup of the entire system and the economic decline of the movie industry in the face of new threats of television and drive in movie theaters. In the 2010s, most movie theaters are equipped for digital cinema projection, removing the need to create and transport a physical film print on a heavy reel. Movie theaters kansapedia kansas historical society. The movie industry in the 1950s was under attack by a new foe. After the war, in the mid to late 1940s, theater owners grappled with another threattelevisionthat made it more important than ever to capitalize on snack sales. People who could not afford broadway, or those who lived on the outskirts of cities and towns. Nov 11, 2011 in the 1940s, nearly every seattle neighborhood had a movie theater. The wichita remained open through at least 1950, but was demolished in june of 1970. A short history of movie theater concession stands.

Before faceless multiplexes became the norm, one could always spot a movie theater in the distance, even if it was your first visit to that town. The eight largest studios warner brothers, metrogoldwynmayer mgm, rko radio, twentieth century fox, united artists, paramount, universal, and columbia controlled more than 90 percent of film production and distribution. I grew up in a small northern arizona town on route 66 that didnt have a picture show in 1947 but some enterprising soul set up an outdoor theater. May 04, 2019 the audience for television grew tremendously as people stopped going to movie theaters. Nov 16, 2007 sink argentinas carrier 1982 the secret british falklands war mission duration. Small town movie theaters in the 1940s true west magazine. In the us, theater has long been the preferred spelling, while in the uk, australia, canada and elsewhere it is theatre. Marilyn monroe, james dean, rock hudson and sophia loren were some of the hottest names in show business. Forgotten ny the alpine is still a movie theater for how long movie theaters used to be everywhere, especially in brooklyn. Huge abandoned 1940s theatre untouched film projector room. Index of maryland movie theatres this includes all maryland counties sources are the film daily yearbooks, baltimore street guides, arrow street guides, old newspaper ads, and of course exit and motion picture exhibition in baltimore by dr. In 1948, about 90 million people were regular moviegoers. Scott bomboy is editor in chief of the national constitution center.

New jersey is and has been home to some of the finest examples of movie theater design in the world. The decade of the 1940s was arguably the height of atlantas era of movie palaces. In the late 1940s my mother used to take me on saturday mornings to the capitol to see a stage show, news reel, cartoon and movie. The bronx, which had over 100 theaters showing movies and live entertainment in the years before world war ii, now has only two multiplexes. The birth of the movie industry can be traced to 19th century new jersey, or, more specifically, to 19th century west orange, where thomas edison built his black maria studio in 1893. A pictorial history dover publications, 1994 and philadelphia theatres, az. The decade of the 1940s began well for the movie industry and their theaters but ended with the breakup of the entire system and the economic decline of the movie industry in the face of new threats of television and drivein movie theaters. A perfect movie fan,joe ruddy, is brought to hollywood as a publicity stunt, and is. The movie theater itself has been called the house of dreams. This article delineates the history of cinema in the united states. In the 1940s, nearly every seattle neighborhood had a movie theater.

The duties of the movie usher were myriad and serious. But movie theaters have changed drastically throughout the years. Both were built in recent years and are sorely lacking. American artists and writers in the 1930s had worked hard to understand and expose the problems caused by unemployment, poverty, and industrial life in the great depression 193039. The smallest movie theaters have a single viewing room with a single screen. They spoke about how anxious movie goers stood in long lines at the lyceum theater in new york city on west 45th street not only to see the featured show, but to also receive a. Dish night at the movies in the 1930s yahoo answers. Audiences also enjoyed newsreels, cliffhanger serials, cartoons and comedy shorts. Film history of the 1940s the best movies in cinematic. Built in 1939 for the oncethriving parkchester neighborhood of the bronx, loews american theater was opened on december 26, 1940.

In 1940, they reached a deal with the justice department in a consent decree. As the hollywood studios made the transition to sound film in the late 1920s, many independent exhibitors began adopting a new programming format. They actually used to give out dishes at the movies to increase movie sales anyway, i have a full set of these and they are really pretty. With higher pay than most jobs available for young adults back then and the perk of seeing free movies many teens sought out this job in the 1940s and beyond.

This type of seat became standard in almost all us movie theaters. However, some us theaters opt to use the british spelling in their own names, a practice supported by the national association of theatre owners, while apart. Abandoned terrace theater old movie theater youtube. On one of my visits the headliner was a very young female vocalist named rosemary clooney. In the 20s and 30s, nickelodeons were replaced by more upscale movie theaters. Most popular 1940s, catfight movies and tv shows imdb. Inwood theater opens, brooklyn life, august 21, 1926. A great variety of films are shown at cinemas, ranging from animated films to blockbusters to documentaries. People loved going to the movies so much that they later started calling them picture palaces. The theaters are all gone now and i wanted a record of them. Jul 27, 2018 movie theaters are one of those third places not work, not home where many of us grew up. Vintage movies, theater and entertainment ads of the 1940s. The 1940s began with the end of one crisis and the start of another.

Mar 09, 2017 by the 1940s, the wichita theater was operated by fox midwest amusement corp. Theaters even allowed selfemployed vendors to roam the cinema selling sweet and salty wares like popcorn and peanuts. Theaters were still clumped together in entertainment districts, or were. Film and theater hollywoods golden age had reached a peak by 1940. These 1940s photos take you inside old nyc movie theaters. The best broadway shows from the 1940s student resources. Fandango hasnt received movie times from the theater yet for the selected date. Movie theater to open on 207th street, new york herald, december 25, 1916. Yes one could stay all day in the theater and see the movie many times. Again, the studios found a way out of losing their monopolies.

Movie theaters in kansas city, mo cinema treasures. As the city grew, plush movie palaces opened downtown and every neighborhood seemed to have its own theater. Oct 08, 2014 theaters may fill times square today, but theyre a far cry from the movie palaces that once populated the neighborhoods. Built in 1949, it closed in 1987 along with so many other. By the mid 1940s in some smaller theaters popcorn alone was paying the. In 1940, ben marcus bought the tosa and the times, marking the entry of marcus theatres into the milwaukee market.

Movies were just a small part of the cinema experience in the 1940s. Jun 07, 2011 i as with the earlier blog post on movie theatres, most of the factual information in this piece has been culled from the work of irvin glazer 19221996 who documented the history of philadelphia theaters in two books. Theaters were still clumped together in entertainment districts, or anchored in the citys independent neighborhoods. Film and theateralthough many people and businesses suffered during the great depression 192941, the movie industry did not. We put together this best 50 movies of the 1940s list to provide a suggestion of required viewing material for anyone who aspires to cultural literacy. Movie memorabilia original us posters 19401949 for sale. The world was headed toward rearmament and warfare in the early to mid 1940s, and the movie industry, like every other aspect of life, responded to the national war effort by making movies, producing many wartime favorites, and having stars and film industry employees enlist or report for duty. When people walked into the movie theaters there would be ushers to lead them to their seats. Many of the movie theatres of the 1920s and 1930s were so grand that people nicknamed them. Heres a abandoned theatre from the 1940s with everything left inside open meeeee.

Movies, theater and entertainment ads of the 1940s. The strict censorship in hollywood was meant to protect the nearly eighty million americans who went to the movies each week. A history of movietheater snacks, from the redlicorice war of the 1920s to when harry met salad. Find the movies showing at theaters near you and buy movie tickets at fandango. It was a time where broadway featured hits from cole porter and irving berlin, and americans were introduced to the influential and successful collaborations of rodgers and hammerstein. Theatre from 1940 1960 also shifted by branching off into different areas. Most popular 1940s, movie theater movies and tv shows imdb. A movie theater may also be referred to as a movie theatre, movie house, film house, film theater or picture house. Wichitas historic movie palaces, theaters, driveins. Movie times, buy movie tickets online, watch trailers and get directions to amc classic camp hill 12 in camp hill, pa.