Off the Cuff / My Other Journal

Moving Pictures

Remember the old-time ushers who wore double-breasted jackets usually reddish in color with brass buttons in the early movie theaters? Well, I did this morning, while I was holding a flashlight into the oven while changing its light bulb.

When the flashlight zipped and zapped back and forth, I remembered the old ushers seeing people to their seats. That made me recall the theaters with sconced walls with thick red carpets, gilt arches, cherub paintings on the ceilings and splendid chandeliers.

Usually there would be a thick red velvet double-sided curtain hiding the white screen behind it. When the velvet curtains were pulled to the sides, in the earlier years by two stage hands and later mechanically, we knew the shorts were about to start to be followed by the main feature film. People, then, started hushing up and returning to their seats.

The small town movie houses may not have been as spectacular as their city cousins, but still they flaunted plush interiors with fountains, carpeted staircases, murals on the walls, fancy lighting fixtures and popcorn and candy machines.

All these theaters had marquees outside that embellished the feature film’s title with colorful lights. They also had balconies and loges. If you lived in a small town you could see who attended the crowded Saturday evening show or the less crowded matinee. Small talk or gossip was the fare of the day, and I remember my mother taking special care with her appearance. People talked, you know…

Despite the gossip, going to the movies was a delight and a community affair. If you heard some subdued whispering or a few grating sounds, you just paid no attention to it. If the distracting noise got out of hand, someone was sure to turn around and say in an annoyed tone, “Shhhhh!”

And changing an appliance bulb brought back all these magical things.

Silly me!