1949 Brooklyn, New York

Marilyn Gannon

Born in 1942

Brooklyn, NY

Interviewed on Sunday, February 7

By Aidan Gannon

I used to go to the movies a lot with friends. It was really cheap then: it cost a quarter and then you could spend all day at the theater. They would play a double feature and serials. The weekly serials were a hoot. They were space stories, you know, someone getting lost in space, or westerns. They were rather amazing. I loved the westerns the most. There were movie theaters all over the place back then. I grew up in Brooklyn and there was one right around the corner I went to mostly. 

The first movie I can remember? It was Bambi, one of those full length Disney cartoons. I know it came out in ‘42, but I was born that year so they must’ve kept showing it after. I saw it when I was probably 6 or 7, watching it with my family. It terrified me, absolutely terrified me. I was scared of the forest fire. There was this massive fire and Bambi’s mother died, it was terrible. I’ve never forgotten it since. 

My favorite part was that it had animated cartoon animals. I thought they were delightful until the fire. I remember there was a rabbit and another animal that I thought were delightful. What was his name? Hopper, Thumper, something like that. He was so cute. It was like watching a book that you had read as a child on the screen, which was so different. This was the first time I saw them come to life, I had never seen books animated. Back then we didn’t have a TV. I don’t think my family had a TV until the 60s, so the theater was the only place you could go and watch things. It was really incredible.

After that I started watching all the Disney movies- Snow White, Dumbo, you know. As I got older I would watch the big musicals, then the westerns and Hitchcock. We would go on Saturdays, my friends and I, all the time. Since the theater was around the corner, we would just walk there. Concessions? You know me. I absolutely loved concessions, anything with chocolate. I remember Raisinets, you didn’t see those anywhere else except at a movie theater. I’m sure there were ushers, they used to come by and discipline us. The place was called The Rodgers Theater, it was on Rodgers Ave. near where the Dodgers used to play before they left. Ebbet’s Field I think it was, right near there. I really loved the place.