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About 1954 me and my Grandma
ready to go to the movies |
A challenge this week with Theater as our theme, but I think back to growing up in New Kensingon, PA in it's glory days when we had 3 movie theaters in a town that is all ashambles to the dregs today. Stroll along my memories with me to back before televisions became a standard home furnishing, many Sundays, after mass and family dinner, from as early as I can remember, my grandmother, Rose and I went to the matinee movies downtown and would stop for a big ice cream cone on our way home. She enjoyed her movie theaters which she always referred to as just that, "movie theaters". Some Sundays we'd catch two, a musical or drama for her and cowboys and Indians in technicolor for me.
Baba which I called her all my life, from the Polish word for Grandmother, made her money for our day out and about by playing the numbers at the local bookie who took bets at the butcher shop. She was quite lucky most times and kept her stash for our treats, saying that was for us to have fun. I spent lots of my time at their house and each morning when I awoke she'd ask me about my dreams and then get a small black book from the cupboard drawer. I learned years later from her that was her Dream Book which translated the subject of dreams into numbers and those were the bets she placed, always winning when she played Patty's dreams. How I wish I knew what became of that book, imagine if today I could use it for the lottery.
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I learned that the reason we could afford two movies was we frequently got in free at the Liberty where her brother Bill worked as a projectionist, when movies came on the big reels. I have shared photos of Bill before, here's a newspaper clipping she saved of the man at work. Notice the name Walter Austin, somehow Bill came from Walter and he'd changed the Polish Ostroski aka Ostrowski to Austin, generating much fuss and disdain from his sisters. But today's theater theme showed photos of the buildings and I had to dig and search to find any photographs of the big time days in New Kensington when we had the Liberty, the Dattola, the Circle and the Ritz theaters. I was amazed to find a Library of Congress photo of our own old Liberty theater which was demolished. These movie theaters were grand seating from 700 to 1000 with more balcony seating, plush carpets, draperies, gilded to the max. Wish I had photos of the insides, they sure don't make 'em like that anymore. Todays movie theaters use a sardine pack seating system, superior technology does not make up for lack of grandeur and class.
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Downstairs where I watch movies today
Back of my recliner looking toward the big screen |
Today, I wait for DVD's and the latest Netflix offerings and take my self downstairs to our own big screen, surround sound put my feet up in the recliner and enjoy the movies, I often think how Baba would have loved this.
A Westmoreland county historical site shows that: On May 2, 1921, the first of the new theaters, the Liberty Theater (demolished 1996) opened on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Eighth Street and the Ritz Theater (958 Fifth Avenue) opened the next year.
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| The Liberty courtesy of the Library of Congress |
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Dowtown Fifth Avenue as it looked when we walked to the movies
The old Liberty is on the left |
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| From a historic website the Dattola theater |
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The Dattola movie Theater on the other end of Fifth Avenue
Photo from 1969 coverage in the Valley Dispatch,
taken sometime in the 1960's. |
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| The newspaper article tells the sad tale of the Dattola. |
I have no photos of the Circle nor the Ritz. At one time they had both become bingo halls and today that is likely gone as well. Will New Kensington ever be revivied to it's glory days when we grew up in the 50's and 60's. Who knows
To see more wonderful Sepia posts go to the Sepi site here:
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Your Baba sounds adorable! This was a fun post following you and Baba to the movies and then downstairs to your own home theater. I hardly ever go to the movies anymore because of the price of tickets and price of snacks -- just wait for Netflix. Our Commodore Theater looks exactly like your Dattola. It has been restored and still draws the crowds.
ReplyDeleteYou had a lot of great stories here and the photos were great. You were lucky to have a grandmother who liked going to movies and liked taking you along.
ReplyDeleteMy local cinema is a modern multiplex but luckily a short drive away a proper old movie theatre still exists to enjoy a big screen film and popcorn. Wonderful memories of your Baba, no doubt your gained a lifetime enjoyment of film.
ReplyDeleteYou look like a younger miniature version of your grandmother in the first picture. She sounds like she was a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic grandmother to have; shame the book has gone. We are getting some pictures of fine old cinemas and theatres this week. I haven't been in either for years. The old Globe theatre in our local town is being restored. This is where the Beatles were playing the night JFK was shot.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool photo of you and grandma! Greatness in the past, don't you think! The Liberty is the kind of theatre, cinema I like even today...such beauty in those old structures!
ReplyDeleteNice post. We had one theater in Tracy when I was a kid, the"Grand Theater." A couple of blocks up Central Avenue the "Crest" opened up. I was never inside that one. Eventually they drifted into Spanish language movies because of the 'braceros' population from the local agricultural community.
ReplyDeleteMom did us kids a favor (She thought) sending us to the Sunday matinee. In those days besides the feature film (Sometimes a double feature) there was "Movie Tone News," a serial which, until the final reel, always left the hero in some precarious situation, a cartoon, and "Features of Coming Attractions.
I have never been a fan of movies and I think that started because of those Sunday movies. I was a very active child with a great imagination. I played well with other kids but could entertain myself as well if none of the neighborhood kids were around. By the time the matinee was over and we got home it was almost supper time. Then it was bath and bed time for school tomorrow. I always felt that Sundays were a wasted day. Sunday school was OK because of interaction with the other kids. But giving up Sunday afternoons to sit in a dark hall watching someone else's make believe was pure annoyance to me. Except for live theater, to this day, I still have no desire to attend a movie theater. The last time I was at a movie was when I took my parents to see "ON Golden Pond." I knew they would relate to that story, as I also did. Tom
I think I would have liked your Baba. I can sense the warmth between the two of you and I love that she made money through a bookie. Great memories. thanks for sharing them.
ReplyDeleteHi Patricia, what a fascinating post! I loved all the details about your Baba. I knew that people write down their dreams, but never knew that that could give you good numbers for betting. What a special treat that she gave you, of her time and of making sure that you knew splurging on entertainment was a great thing to do.
ReplyDeleteLove your pictures too!
Kathy M.
What A Marvelous Childhood! And WoW! I Love The Dream Book ! Any Tips?!!
ReplyDeleteWow Pat! You've got quite a nice little home theatre right there. I envy you; mine's not nearly as big a screen!
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