1941 Plainfield, New Jersey

Nicky Bleifeld
Born in 1929
Plainfield, New Jersey
Interviewed on September 19, 2019
By Sabrina Black

I didn’t grow up with movies. I can’t remember movies being a part of my life at all as a young child. My family never really went to the movies, I couldn’t say why. I guess my parents didn’t like it and my sister was just too young. The first movie I remember seeing was Sun Valley Serenade, featuring Sonja Henie, who was my favorite actress as a girl. I was around ten years old and my friend Betty, who lived down the street, invited me to go with her. I think she went to the movies a lot, or at least more than I did. I was quite shy as a child and didn’t have many friends. Going to the theatre was one of the only times where I was surrounded by other children my own age. 

The theatre itself wasn’t too different from the ones we have today, although it might have been a bit fancier. I’m not sure exactly, but I vaguely remember the seats being soft and velvety. I think they were green, or maybe red. Either way, I remember the inside of the theater being warm, comfortable, and plush. There were also, of course, large red curtains that framed the screen itself and a balcony that overlooked the room. I liked to sit there sometimes if there were other children around. Another difference was that the theatre’s box office, where we used to buy our tickets, was outside the building. There were also ushers that used to show us to our seats. They were usually older kids, some of which went to the local high school.

When I was a girl, going to the movies was always a special treat. Buying a ticket cost money, so paying wasn’t always an option for my family. They cost around 15 cents, so I only asked my parents if I could go about once a month. Because it was a special occasion, I also used to dress up when I went to the theatre. Of course, girls didn’t wear pants back then, so I usually wore a skirt and my favorite Bobby shoes. The theatre did have a concession stand, but as I said, money was tight, so I can’t remember ever buying anything. I think that the other kids bought snacks like popcorn and soda, though.

The day that I saw my first movie was extremely hot. I think it was summer, and at that time there was no air conditioning in the theatre, which made it even hotter. I don’t think I minded too much though; I was just excited to be at the theatre for the first time! I also remember that they played the news before the film came on, which confused me at first because I thought it was part of the story.

Although I don’t remember much about the movie, I do remember that at the time I loved Sonja Henie, the leading actress. I don’t know what it was, there was just something about her, but she was always my favorite. She was beautiful, graceful, and such a good athlete! I’m not sure what happened in the story- it was a love story, of course, I never liked those cowboy movies- but I have a vivid memory of one scene, where Sonja is skiing down a mountain. I can’t recall what else was happening in the scene, but for some reason, that short clip of her skiing has stuck with me all of these years. She truly was my idol. I think all the big actors of the time, like Esther Williams or Nelson Eddy, were everyone’s idols. The men were handsome, the women were beautiful, and they always ended up happy and in love. The stories were so unrealistic, but it didn’t matter because everything was so fantastic. In a time where money was short and life was difficult, I cherished every single moment I spent in that theatre. When the lights dimmed and the curtains rose, everything else melted away: I was swept off my feet by the magic of it all.