1950 Los Angeles

Lyn Sugino

1943

Los Angeles California

Interviewed on February 7th, 2025 

By Andrew Kim

AK: Okay, okay, it’s being recorded now. So I was wondering, what’s the first memory you have of going to a theater and watching a movie?

LS:  You know what I’m I’m thinking back, and I can’t remember any specific time that that I can remember lots of movies that I can’t remember exactly when I saw them or where I saw them, but I think my earliest regulation recalling of movies is probably I grew up on Disney movies, like like Cinderella and Snow White in the seven doors. But I can’t remember exactly what it was or where I saw them first,

AK: That’s okay. You’re from the LA area, right? Did you grow up in the LA area?

LS: LA actually, I grew up mostly in the LA area, but I was born in Arkansas, in a relocation camp in 1943 and then when we left, we went to Chicago, and I spent I was there until kindergarten, so we left about when I was age six, okay, so I was there for maybe age three to six in Chicago, and then we came to the Los Angeles area.

AK: Okay. Do you remember back then, when you were so young, how you were traveling to the theater? Was it by car, or just walking? 

LS: You know what? When I think about our first few years when we came to the Los Angeles area, I don’t know what we went to, welived in different places, and I don’t remember going to movies that often, really going to the theater in that area. And if we went, we probably would have to go by, uh, public transportation, because I’m sure we only had one car.

AK:  Okay, interesting. Do you have any memories of certain emotions you were feeling while watching movies? Let’s focus on Cinderella, one that you mentioned. Do you have any recollection of emotion while watching Cinderella?

LS: I remember many of the Disney movies having very frightening parts. I was always the one that would be hiding behind with my eyes closed or waiting till that scene was over. Oh, wow, very intense. Lot of those scenes had super scary moments.

AK: Do you remember, when you were younger, was the moviegoing experience a big part of being entertained? Was it like, oh, on a weekend, we don’t have much to do. Let’s definitely go to the movies because nowadays, you know how it is, we’re all watching Netflix. We’re streaming, and it’s a lot more convenient to watch things at home. But back then you didn’t have those, so was going to the theater a common weekend activity?

LS:Yeah, I think it was. I think it was very special. Uh. Tweet to go to the theater, definitely, yeah, okay, and, and it was a lot more common because while we had television, but it wasn’t anything like today, and we certainly did not have the internet. No, it’s changed dramatically. 

AK: Let’s talk about the experience of watching a movie in the theater back then. Is there anything different, um, compared to now, there, do you remember if there were, like, ushers in the theater?

LS: You know what, I do remember we had a lot of theaters that had balconies, like there’d be a lower level and an upper level. Oh, wow. And we did have, uh, there would be, I guess, ushers, if you came in late, to people that would help you find a seat with a flashlight. Yeah, yes, we did have that.

AK: And then last question, Do you remember anything about snacks that they had at movie theaters back then? Did you have a certain favorite snack while watching?

LS: Well, of course, I always loved popcorn, and I still like popcorn, but I do remember two things that I liked at the movie theaters that I would never eat today. And one was Cracker Jacks. I don’t even know if you’ve heard of that, it’s like caramel popcorn. And the thing that I liked best about it there was a prize in the box, and I wanted that prize more than I wanted, yeah, and then there was another treat that I still remember today. I don’t even know if they even make either one of these. Today’s what’s called neccos, and they’re like little flavored wafers that came that were round and thin. And it came with maybe about five different flavors in a package, in a cylinder package. And I could always remember wanting to order either neccos or Cracker Jacks, wow, yeah, yeah, but, I mean, it sounds awful to me today,

AK: yYeah, wow. It’s so interesting to hear how the moviegoing experience was back then. But yeah, this, this was actually so, like, helpful.

LS: You know, the one thing that stays out of my mind too. I don’t even know if you heard of this, but I think it’s because of my family. There are four of us and my siblings who are so much younger. Our family used to go to a drive-in movie, we did have one when we lived in LA that was near us, and we would get in our station wagon. And I even think lots of times we’re in our pajamas, and we go to the drive-in movie, and you would just watch it from your car. During intermission, I don’t know why they had intermission, you know. Long time ago, they used to have movies with double features too, that there was a playground. You could go play at a playground, and they did have a snack bar. And so we all pile in our station wagon and go to the movies, and it was outdoors, and you roll down your window and you there’s a little speaker phone that you attach to your window, and you roll it up, and that’s how the sound came out. Yeah, I do remember that. I don’t think there’s too many of those left today. I don’t even know where one would be.

AK: Wow, it’s amazing that you remember all of that!

LS: I said, when you said to remember my first movie, I can’t even remember the last movie I saw in the theater. I know it was before COVID. Really the last movie you saw was before, right, right before COVID, and then during COVID, no one wanted to go into theaters. And now, when I see something, the turnaround is so fast I go, Oh, well, why bother going to the theater? It’s gonna be on, you could see it at home in another week or something. Yeah, it’s been like that, yeah, yeah.

Lyn Sugino is my friend’s grandmother.

Note: Lyn did not remember the exact year she saw Cinderella.