1937 Annapolis, Maryland

Joan Smilow

1931

Annapolis, MD

01/30/2018

by Daniel Garber

 What was the first movie you remember seeing?

I believe it was The Wizard of Oz… It must have been it – I recall being very excited to go see it, as my mother would read it to me before bedtime. I’m really not too sure that my answers will be from my original memory, but I’ll give it my best…

How old were you?

I believe I was 6 years old, just old enough to remember going to see the movie. I was able to read at that age, but I remember being fascinated by the movie as a medium for story-telling. Of course, those weren’t my exact thoughts at the time, but I was captivated by it as it seemed to be so effortless and exciting compared to book-reading. Ever since my first experience, all throughout my childhood, I would adore being taken by my parents or my great-aunt to see the movies. In my teen years, I would go almost every weekend… It’s what we did!

What do you remember about the movie?

Unfortunately, I don’t remember too many details from the movie itself – I haven’t seen it since! I remember the red shoes pretty well! To think about it, that is such an odd thing to recall. Oh, and the munchkins, I remember those… Were there munchkins in the movie? I’m honestly not sure, maybe I’m mixing it up with another movie. You must watch it and tell me what I got right!

What did you think of the character(s), actor(s), story?

Well, I somewhat knew the story already, which really did help me follow it. I guess looking back on it, it must have allowed me to take in more of the movie, you know? I remember the Yellow Brick Road, the red shoes, the Wizard, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, the Lion, the munchkins, and the witches. I found the witches quite scary! The characters were visually very memorable. I can’t say that at the time I was thinking about the acting when watching the movie, I was into the characters and wouldn’t give the actors too much consideration or thought when I was young. I grew to appreciate that in my teen years, and even remember that at some point the actors became more important to me than the characters they were playing. A lot of them were idolized at the time – it was all the same actors playing in the movies so we were exposed to a select few, and most of us grew to love them.

Who was with you?

My parents were working a lot at the time, so my great-aunt would take me to the movies quite often. She was the one who took me to see my first movie… We were very close with her.

How did you get to the theater/venue?

We got there by car.

Was there a concession? Did you have a favorite candy?

They probably had concession, but I don’t think I had anything… When I was older it was always Good and Plenty.

Do you remember the name of the theater? Were there ushers?

I believe it was the Capitol Theater and no, there weren’t any ushers there.

What town and year was this?

This was the year of the release of the movie, 1937 I think. In my hometown of Annapolis, MD.