1944 Brooklyn, New York

Audrey Apper

Born 1934

Brooklyn New York

Interviewed on 2/6/2024 

by Brooke Dunefsky

What is the first movie you remember seeing?

Fantasia 

How old were you (approximately)?

Around 10 years old

What do you remember about the movie?

He was a magician, and he was always doing tricks, and it was very interesting. It was one of the first Mickey Mouse movies. He wore a hat and I remember it had stars on it.

What did you think of the characters and story?

He was very bright and smart. I can’t remember too much because I was very young, but I was very excited when I saw the movie because it was very colorful. It was just the beginning with the color, and they also had an organ in the movie. 

Who was with you?

My sister was with me. It was a movie house right near our house.

How did you get to the theater/venue? 

We walked. It was close by.

Was there a concession? Did you have a favorite candy?

No. We did not have much money. 

Do you remember the name of the theater? Were there ushers? 

It was the Stone. I saw a lot of war movies there because it was around that time. They showed a lot of stars dancing during the war. In the movies,  service men used to dance.

What town and year did you watch Fantasia?  

Brooklyn around 1944.

Are there any other movies from your childhood that were memorable for you?

I saw Charlie Chaplin on the high wire and all the Fred Astaire movies. Bud Abbott played in all the crazy funny movies. I saw lots of movies with soldiers fighting, and a lot of dancing movies. I loved those movies because I liked to dance and my mother liked to dance. I also saw Edward G. Robinson in crime movies. 

Have you had any personal connections to the movies you have seen?

I was a stenographer for a dress designer who made the dresses for Audrey Meadows. I ended up a fit model for some of the dresses she used to wear in The Honeymooners.

What was it like when you saw your first movie in color?

It was amazing with Fantasia. Also, I remember The Wizard of Oz with Judy Garland was beautiful. I remember seeing the rainbow. They had her fly through the air. 

When you were young, did you ever watch movies on the television?

The first television I saw was when I babysat. I was just about 13. It was a detective movie. 

Were there any specific types of film that you enjoyed?

Star Trek was amazing because it had a spaceship. The Twilight Zone always had a very good ending. It was very exciting and grandpa loved The Twilight Zone. Alfred Hitchcock also had fantastic movies like The Birds. It was frightening. I liked horror movies.

Were there any other aspects of the movie theaters in themselves that you enjoyed?

In Brooklyn, there was a movie theater where they had an organ, and they had a beautiful organist. And what I was entranced by was the ceiling. When I went to the movies, I always looked at the ceiling. And people would always sit on the balcony. The movie had the most gorgeous ceiling.

Note: the interviewee is my maternal grandmother