1953 New Haven, Connecticut 1

Carmine
Born in 1950
New Haven, Connecticut
Interviewed on September 20th, 2019
By Jesutomi Odukoya

The first movie I ever remember seeing was Jailhouse Rock, right here in New Haven. Do you know who Elvis Presley was? Man, he was everyone’s sweetheart back then. The looks, the hair, the smile! He had it all. The movie would constantly rerun on television after it’s premiere, I’ve seen it countless times.

Yes, I remember it clearly, I was so young back then, I think I was around seven years old. Movie tickets used to be so cheap, only 35 cents, much cheaper before inflation. Oh, and I’d be at the theater almost every single weekend. I practically grew up in there, as I’d constantly come with my friends and siblings. Sometimes I’d spend the entire day in or about the theater. My siblings and I would file into the rows with our candy, and boy was there a lot of it. Back then, candy was only a nickel! I’m talking Peppermints Paddies, Milky Ways, Cracker Jacks, Good and Plenty, and Dots. You’d lose your teeth on those Dots, I’ll tell ya. Those candies were a goldmine for cavities, our time at the dentist proved that for sure. I never flossed though, despite how much I was told to. I know they discontinued many of these candies, but I’m pretty sure Dots and Milky Ways are still here today, albeit much more expensive.

Our mom would give us our allowance for the theater that day, and we’d all rush over to the cinema to spend our newly obtained money. We never really saved up our change, always using it for the next film that came out, or for whatever candy we felt like having that day. Oh gosh, we went into that theater as kings.

Back then, the cinemas still had ushers. I remember, whenever we’d stay in the theater for too long, the ushers would come down the aisles, shooing us with their brooms! At the time, there were several different movie theaters in the area, like the Paramount, the Roger Sherman, and a theater in West Haven that I’ve since forgotten the name of.

Although I’d typically go to the movies either with my friends or my family, sometimes I’d go to the movies on my own. I enjoyed the films with or without people around me, and my parents didn’t mind that I was out and about all the time. It was much safer in those days, before guns got so powerful. My parents knew I was fine, and I would run out the door in the morning to hear “make sure to get back before dark!”