Going To the MOVIES!!! Yahoo!

As far back as I can remember, movies were a special thing to do. Usually a Saturday event, this meant that all jobs had to be completed around the house and you had to have your good boy or good girl mojo working all day. The risk of falling short, liver and onions followed by a little TV then early bed time. Take your pick. You really worked at a good attitude. Bear in mind, we had only ONE, yes #1, TV station (WREX)to watch. So entertainment competition for theaters was limited.

Anyhow, movies in the "old days" started with music- forever- then the lights would dim ( time to make one last run to the snack counter for Juicy Fruit or Malted Milk Balls or... dare I say... POP CORN AND LOADS OF BUTTER!. Tah Dah: the curtains on the stage would open (yes curtains) black and white- news from around the world. Short clips of the events of the past week. Though not much sunk into the kid brains in the audience, it was the prelude of things to come. Then, a cartoon!!! Awesome! Loud, bright and funny.

Then the main event- the movie we came to see. We had been working up to this moment all day. Usually a western or Doris Day films were our standard fare. Afterward, dad would stop en route home for ice cream cones (or a sundae or banana split if you were a mom). I guess we all picked up some lingering habits from the old days.

Ah, those were great, but going to the drive-in movie was even more of an adventure. Living in the Midwest, you were seasonally challenged. We would always get to the drive in while it was still light. By doing so, we were able to reconnoiter the snack bar and all it had as well as walk around checking out to see if we knew anyone. When we were small (chronologically) mom usually brought along a pillow and blanket- you could even wear your PJ's, but this limited trips to the snack bar and surely made any trips to the "head" quick. She would also take the better part of an afternoon popping pop corn with tons of butter and putting it in a large grocery bag. In those days, it was considered a healthy snack when taken with small cubes fudge. It smelled great and you couldn't touch any til the movie started. Talk about dying a thousand deaths!

After the movie was over, the lines to get out of the lot was a nightmare- like football traffic- but without any rationale on escape. First to start your engine and drive with lights out wins...

Great times.

DJ Comment: A few small additions...... I remember seeing our first 3D movie at the State Theater in Rockford. It was western (what else) starring Guy Mitchell with the US Cavalry fighting the Indians at some river. The arrows would come right at us and we'd duck! Waaaayy too cool for words!

I also remember seeing The Wizard of Oz on a Saturday afternoon and having a huge crush on Judy Garland, only to learn later that she was then about 40 years old and an alcoholic. Devastating!

Finally, a slight correction. The drive-in movie theaters in Rockford at that time were referred to as the "Outdoors". Or possibly the Jensens referred to them as going to the "Outdoor".... In any case, I know this to be true because after we moved to culturally-emlightened Springfield, I made social blunder of referring to the Drive-in as the "Outdoor". After a moment of silence for my friends to grasp the magnitude of my moronic statement, there followed a peal of snot-blowing laughter which has scarred me to this day......needless to say.