1957 Miami Florida

Charles Riglick
Born 1951
Miami, Florida
Interviewed on Feb 8, 2026
by Julian Mikush

Julian: “What was the first movie that you remember seeing?”

Charles: “So, because my father worked in the Marine Corps air station next door to the theater across Dixie Highway or U.S. 1 in the south Miami area, he took me to see The D.I. It was about a Marine Corps drill instructor in a boot camp. It was starring Jack Webb and it was an interesting show in that they used real Marine actors in it. So, there were a couple Hollywood people like Jack Webb and another actor Don Dubbins who played a lot in the TV episodes from Jack Webb’s “Dragnet” show and a few others, but the rest of the actors in it were actual Marine Corps personnel.”

Julian: “How old were you then if you remember?”

Charles: “I saw that when I was six years old.”

Julian: “What do you remember most about the film looking back?”

Charles: “I know it was about a boot camp situation where these young kids would get in and there was a lot of yelling in it. As a matter of fact, when I read Jack Webb’s biography, I learned that he got hoarse from all the yelling required in it.”

Julian: “What do you remember about the story and characters?”

Charles: “The plot line was about this one recruit that was very spoiled. He had a couple of brothers that were in the Marine Corps and died either in World War II or Korea, and this boy was pampered by his mom and he couldn’t decide what he wanted to do. So, I think he just joined the Corps, and he was given a rough time because that wasn’t really his thing — he was an honors student in high school. Jack Webb who was playing the drill instructor really rides him and berates him and all of that to get him to be a better Marine. They were about ready to kick him out on the three day survey, but then his mother shows up and speaks to the captain, the company commander, and Jack Webb and relates that her husband was a Marine Corps officer who died gallantly. 

Julian: “Who did you watch the movie with? Was it just your dad?”

Charles: “Yeah, I was with my dad. Mom stayed at home. It was after work. He took me on a quick tour of the base and did a little bit of work, and then he took me to the movie. So that’s why I was with my dad.” 

Julian: “So what was the theatre like? And how did you get there?”

Charles: “So I saw that movie at the Dixie Highway Outdoor Drive-In theatre in south Miami off of U.S. 1. That was another thing back in that ‘50s era, they had drive-ins. You would take your car and go and they would have these little hills so that the front of your car would be lifted up and you would pull next to this pipe with the speaker on it and you would pull the speaker off and you would hook it on your windowsill and you would watch the movie in your car and hear it in your car and it would be up on a big screen in the parking lot. Drive-ins were a big deal in the ‘50s.”

Julian: “So, to confirm, you saw the film in Miami? And do you remember what year it was?”

Chuck: “Yes, I watched it in south Miami in 1957.”  

Julian: “Did you have any popcorn or candy or anything like that on that day?”

Charles: “Yeah, so during intermission or before the movie you had to get out of your car and go to the concession stand which usually was in the middle of the drive-in. So you would get out of the car and go to the concession stand and they would have pizza, different kinds of candies, chocolates, and popcorn of course.”

Julian: “Can you remember how expensive those snacks were back then?”

Charles: “What was the price of popcorn? A dime back then. For a gigantic bag, you know. And peanuts were a nickel. Drinks and cokes were ten or fifteen cents a cup. When I went recently it was $9.95 for a tub of popcorn.”

Julian: “Do you remember back then how much movie tickets costed?”

Charles: “Oh, like $1.25 or less than that sometimes. Sometimes my mom during the week in the summer when I was off from school would drop me off at the theater because I wanted to see a movie and during the middle of the day it was $0.75 or $1.00 at the most to see a movie.”

Charles is Julian’s uncle. He is the husband of Julian’s mother’s oldest sister.