1958 San Juan, Puerto Rico
Luz Marta Díaz Ramirez (Iba, to her granddaughters)
Born in 1944
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Interviewed on February 3, 2024
by Natalia Torres Arsuaga
Did you go to the movies a lot as a kid?
As a little girl, no. There were drive-ins, we did a lot of that, or sometimes the “drive-out,” which was when we would park the car on the street behind the drive-in theater to watch the movie from there. There wasn’t a lot of money to go to the movie theater, but later as a teenager I went more and I still really enjoy going to the movies. Sometimes on Good Friday we would go as a family to see something about the passion of Christ, or another film about the Messiah or something like that, all Mexican films.
What’s the first movie you remember seeing and how old were you?
I’m not certain that this was the first I ever watched, but the first one that comes to mind is a film called “Giant” with James Dean, Rock Hudson, and Elizabeth Taylor. It took place in an oil farm in Texas. Rock Hudson played the giant because he was so tall. And the film was about a love triangle, both James Dean and Rock Hudson were in love with Elizabeth Taylor’s character. It’s similar to the series Dallas actually.
What did you think about the actors?
I thought they were incredibly good looking! Rock Hudson was, at the time, considered the man of all men. Both men were very handsome. And if I’m not mistaken, James Dean was starting about this time.
Where and when did this particular movie experience take place?
San Juan in the early 60s, or maybe the late 50s. I’m going to guess 58, but I could be a bit off.
Who was with you when you watched this?
I don’t remember this but I was definitely with someone. Maybe my sister or a friend from school, because at this age, I didn’t go to the movies alone.
Great segue. Do you remember at what age you saw this film?
Maybe around 15 or so. But now that you ask that, I’m remembering another movie I watched around this time. I slept with the light on for a long time because of it. It’s called Homicidal and it came out after Psycho did. I hadn’t gone to see Psycho because movies like that frighten me, but I went to see Homicidal not knowing what it was about. I was around 16 I think and went with some friends and it really scared me!
Who typically accompanied you to the movies?
Usually friends from school like when I saw Homicidal, or neighbors. But when I was a little older, I started going alone. I don’t mind going alone to the movies. In fact, sometimes I’ve gone alone and been the only person in the entire theater, and that’s been an enjoyable experience.
Was it common to go to the movies on dates?
Not for my friends and I, no. We didn’t go on too many dates to the movies. I went once with a boyfriend from college, but I have no idea what we saw. And then I think I went with your grandfather two or three times when we were dating.
How did you get to the movie theater?
I lived in a small community and there was a theater inside of it, so we just walked there. We went sometimes on Sunday mornings. We’d leave the church at 10, and there was a showtime called the “matinal” that had cartoons or episodes of Flash Gordon. When we went to the movie theater in Santurce, we went on the public bus because no one had a car. But I don’t have any particular memories associated with that bus ride if that’s why you’re asking.
Was there a concession? Did you have a favorite candy?
Yes, but because it was the neighborhood cinema, it was quite basic. There was popcorn and soda. As for the candy, I never really had any, I remember always eating popcorn.
Do you remember the name of the theater?
Yes! “El Cine Roosevelt” [the name of the community she lived in]. There was another one in Puerto Nuevo that we sometimes went to by bus. That one was called Kresto y Denia, which was the name of a brand of milk powder that existed back then, and now I think is the name of a bakery. There was another one that we went to called Yuquiyu, but that one was in Santurce and we went less often. Oh and actually, in Roosevelt, there was another theater called Cine Paz, but they only showed X movies there so only the men went there!
Do you remember what the theater you went to often looked like? Was it a comfortable environment?
Yes, I remember the old one and the new one, because they remodeled it at some point. The movies here were a quarter, then eventually for a dollar, so it was one of the cheaper theaters. Actually, sometimes you could gain admission if you “paid” with 10 milk caps. There was actually a saying, if you left a movie that you had paid a dollar or more for and it ended up being a bad film, you would “Está como de Roosevelt” [“It’s like a Roosevelt film”], which poked fun at the Roosevelt theater as being cheap basically. Remember, it was the neighborhood cinema. The seats were comfortable enough but they were wooden, and later on they added a bit of cushion. But sometimes the film would cut off halfway through, or they could never get it to play, so they’d have to give us our money back. If that happened, you would sometimes go into the theater at any time and see the part of the movie that you’d missed if it had been cut off.
I assume that there were no ushers or anything of the sort then?
No, no, absolutely not.
How were you and those you were with dressed for this particular occasion or other times you would go to the theater?
At the Roosevelt theater it wasn’t fancy. But the theaters in Santurce, it was Sunday dress, very elegant. My mom told me that in the 40s when she would go as an adult, the men went to the cinema in full suits!
Do you remember the first time you saw a movie in the states?
Yes! I can’t remember the movie but I know it was in New York in 1964. My cousin was graduating from Columbia and my grandmother and I went to his graduation. On that trip we went to go see a movie in the city.
How did the experience differ?
The difference in prices called my attention, it was more expensive in New York than in San Juan. And by 1964, the theaters, particularly the ones in New York, were already a lot more comfortable. Also, the movies took so much longer to reach Puerto Rico. They would premiere in the states and take sometimes three, four, even five months to get to Puerto Rico.
Gracias, Iba.
De nada, nieta.
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Luz Marta Díaz Ramirez is the interviewer’s paternal grandmother.
