Aug 1, 2006 4 min read

Things sure have changed – and not for the better. Spending many hours in front of the large theater screen gave me an appreciation for story-telling, for the cinema and for the pleasure of being able to see a double-feature, munch on popcorn and Good & Plenty, all for less than a buck.

Yes, it’s been many years since I paid my admission to the local movie house with a real silver quarter and got my refreshments for a few real silver dimes. For what is a niggling sum today, I got to see two full-length movies, a couple of color cartoons and some previews of coming attractions. At intermission, there was a brief, and clever, animated take on the various foods behind the snack bar complete with dancing hot dogs and hamburgers, popcorn boxes, soft drink cups, etc., all serving to remind those of us hypnotized by the flickering light that we could buy any of those confections just a few steps away from our comfortably padded seats.

Boy, have things ever changed.

Thanks to inflation and other factors, the cost of a matinee or senior citizen ticket today would have kept me in movies most of the years when I was 12 or under. Sure, the snack bar is similar, although the menu lacks some of the meatier fare, unless you visit one of the local drive-in theaters.

But I’m waxing nostalgic more about the indoor theaters, the ones you could ramble into to cool off on a hot summer’s eve or stay warm in during a winter’s blue-lipped afternoon.

They offered year-round entertainment that the whole family could view. There was no rating system to warn people of films with too much graphic sex or violence, or both. The rare films like those were relegated to the art houses or seedier joints whose reputations were mostly disreputable.

Like I say, things sure have changed.

While my lovely wife and I refuse to watch R-rated films (and we take a healthy look at some PG-13s through synopses or reviews before plunking down our cash), we do, occasionally, visit one of the local theaters.

It’s rare. But once in a while we deem a movie entertaining and inoffensive enough to see on the big screen. Otherwise, we do all our movie viewing on our remote-controlled TV set.

Reminded recently of why we have taken that stance, I muttered after leaving a theater that renting videos seems the wisest course.

Why?

Well, the feature film began a half-hour after its advertised start time. First, we suffered through 30 minutes of commercials and noisy previews. And when I say noisy, I mean noisy. Several times I spontaneously reached for my remote control to turn down the volume. Of course, that only works at home. In the theater, we were victims of whoever controlled the sound.

The ambiance was another disappointment. Either the movie house was saving energy or the air conditioning was broken because the interior of the theater felt more like a greenhouse. And, before someone dimmed the lights, I could see heavily worn and stained seats, forcing us to search more for a sanitary spot than a good location from which to view the screen.

Making it worse was that the movie was too long, I hated the end and it threw out unexplained twists like firemen tossing candy to kids during a parade. Some I caught and others I still wonder about.

All in all, it was not a pleasant experience. Stubbornness more than enjoyment made me stick it out.

It helped that we had gone to a matinee. If I had paid the regular, evening price, I certainly would have asked for my money back or at least complained about the whole experience.

So was it worth what I did pay?

Nope. In fact, it wasn’t worth a quarter.

And you can probably figure out if I’m referring to a quarter of today’s value or one from more than 40 years ago.

Have a good day.

James Pletcher Jr. is business editor at the Herald-Standard. He can be reached at 724-439-7571 or by email at begin Jpletcher@heraldstandard.com Jpletcher@heraldstandard.com end

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