1949 Abilene, Kansas

Sue Caps
Born in 1935
First movie memories from Abilene, Kansas; population 5,000
Interviewed on January 26, 2019
By Bridget Tobias

I can’t remember exactly what was the first movie that I went to see, but I do have some early memories watching cartoons. However, one significant movie memory I have was that I very much wanted to go see this one movie that contained scenes that, to the powers that be in the State of Kansas, were not appropriate. At some point, the state finally allowed the movie to be screened, but with some censorship. I wanted to go see this movie so badly that I went with my mom. I was probably about 14 at the time, and it was a big deal that I was willing to be seen in public with my mother at this age, when I felt I was too old and mature to be seen out with my mother. In this movie, I remember the girlfriend getting into bed, fully clothed, with the movie star, who was sick, in order to keep him warm, and even though the scene didn’t show anything more than this suggestion, this was very scandalous in Kansas.

I adored watching movies with Bing Crosby, like Going my Way and The Bells of St. Mary’s, and I loved Fred Astaire. I also remember many movies with Ginger Rogers, and I had many pictures of movies stars hanging up on my bedroom walls.

If I remember correctly, it only cost 15 cents to see a movie, or maybe it had gone up to a quarter. But, it was an inexpensive thing to do, and I would go quite often. Going to the movies was also a date kind of thing. Lots of people would go to the movies as couples.

A lot of the times, I would walk to the movie theater, even at night. It was maybe a mile from my house. In high school, I would meet up with my friends and we would walk to the theater together; sometimes, my mom would drive me.

The movie theater, which was called the Plaza Theater, had a small movie screen that couldn’t quite handle the films that were out at that point. There was often smoke in the theaters, as everyone smoked inside. There weren’t any ushers, though. Maybe one of the owners would intervene if someone got loud or obnoxious, but that didn’t happen much. Everyone just wanted to go to the movies.

Popcorn was a big thing in the 1950s, and it was a big part of going to the movies. There was always a long line to buy it. There was also a display of candy, and my favorite candy was a Milky Way bar.

The 1950s were a different time, and Abilene had only a few black families. They were able to attend the movies, but they had to sit in a specific place; they weren’t able to just walk into the theater and sit down. They had to sit in the very back row on just one side of the theater.

What I also remember from the movies of this time were their suggestions of what was there. Unlike movies of today, which show everything, the movies I would see left it up to you to decide what happened. We all know what happens – we don’t need to see it too! I enjoyed the suggestions and mysteries associated with love.