1939 Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania

Constance Garrett

Born in 1931

First movie memory in Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania

Interviewed on 27 January 2019

By Owen Stevens

The first movie I remember seeing is Gone with the Wind, in 1939.  Mother came that time, but usually only my father and I would go to the cinema. The Victoria was one of two theaters in Mahanoy City in 1939, and we much preferred it to The Elks. It had velvet red walls, dashing architecture, and lots of seating. Even better, it was only a five-minute walk from our house.

There was always a long line to get into the cinema, but this time more than ever before. Everyone wanted to see Gone with the Wind; as a three-hour film, it was the first of its kind. Usually, the theater screened westerns or Shirley Temple movies, so this experience at the cinema stands out from all the rest. I still loved Shirley Temple the most, though. Watching her tap dance up and down the stairs never failed to mesmerize me.

After waiting for what seemed like a decade, we entered the theater. The stench of the popcorn was so strong that mother fainted, and father had to take her home. Mother didn’t return the theater much after this incident— it wasn’t her scene.

The line for the concession was quite long, but it didn’t matter to me. I didn’t usually purchase anything as there was no soda, only popcorn and candy bars. I would’ve like a soda, but the cinema didn’t serve it because it would make a mess if it spilled. Maybe I would’ve bought a popcorn, but after what happened to Mama, there was no way!

I was only eight years old, but it was normal for kids my age to hang out at the cinema without parents. Usually, parents would send their kids to the cinema on a Friday or Saturday night; it was almost like a makeshift babysitting service. I joined my friends from school and we waited in line to get our dishes before entering the screening room. Each week, the cinema would give out a dish, and everyone would come back to the movies to collect the whole set. My parents already had a whole set of dishes so I didn’t usually go to the theater to get the weekly dish, but lots of my friends at school went every Saturday to collect the next piece to the set.

Halfway through the film, there was an intermission. Usually, the theater would have double features, but since this film was so long, it was the only film screened that night. I remember watching the news during the intermission. Television didn’t exist, so this was the only way to get picture news. I liked watching the news. It was much less harrowing then it is today.

I don’t remember many specific details about the film itself, but I remember admiring Vivien Leigh. She was beautiful, adaptable, and had amazing character. Leigh was British actress but was able to play the role of a southern woman, accent and everything, for Gone With the Wind. Everyone adored her, myself in particular. I wanted to be just like her when I grew up.