1961 Woonsocket, Rhode Island
Debbie Rottenberg
Born 1946
Woonsocket, Rhode Island
Interviewed on January 24, 2026
By Priya Gangadharan
Didi (joined by Papa later)
Priya: What is the first movie you remember seeing?
Didi: I wasn’t involved with too many extracurricular activities, so I loved to go to the movies. I remember a movie when I was almost 15 and it was my first date. The first movie I really remember is The Parent Trap. I enjoyed the camp seen…..I remember but Allan actually cried during the movie which was pretty significant. It was at the Stadium Building Theater in Woonsocket, Rhode Island.
Priya: How old were both of you?
Didi: I was about fifteen and Allan was seventeen. I was fourteen turning fifteen.
Priya: What do you remember most about the movie and the characters?
Didi: I loved watching the twins because now we have twins, Tybee and Eden. The coverage was world news in the clips before the movie. Instead of previews, you would see what was going on in the world similar to news reels for five minutes. This was like the army fighting. I also had a bunch of paper dolls of my favorite actresses that we would buy, and they would come in a cardboard folder that we would punch out. Inside were all of her clothes, and they were usually actresses.
Priya: Do you remember anything unusual about that experience?
Didi: There were no assigned seats which is different from now and what I remember most clearly is that Allan started crying during the movie.
Allan: It wasn’t too hard to cry in movies back then
Priya: How did you get to the theater?
Didi: I walked to the theater. That was normal back then and it would only be a mile or so from our house.
Priya: Do you remember anything about the theater itself?
Didi: It was a stadium-style movie theater in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, and the building is still standing today. The popcorn would be popped in the theater, and they would put the oil, butter, and salt on it in front of you. That was true for probably the first twenty years. People went to see movies that became iconic and started to influence people’s minds. I used to think a lot of the actors from this time were very attractive on their motorcycles.
Priya: Do you remember concessions or snacks?
Didi: I used to like Juji fruits and Dots and popcorn were my go-to movie snacks. And good and plenty’s. They were little pieces of licorice with candy coating; they were long, narrow and thick. Juji fruits stick to your teeth because they are gummier.
Priya: Were there chocolates?
There probably were but we didn’t eat them
Priya: Looking back, how do you feel about that movie memory now?
Didi: I think a lot more movies had happy endings. Some would say they were simpler and rose-colored, and the audience wanted to leave with a happy conclusion. The more realistic view of life was simpler, and now there are a lot more action films like Star Wars. There are a lot more social reform now, but there weren’t as many then. What amazes me is when we go out and see the previews and think, “Why would anyone want to watch that?” But we like movies—we evolve, and they evolve. I watched K-pop Demon Hunters, and movies were not as well developed in the past. Lots of clips were in microseconds and fast-paced, making them hard to follow and a little disjointed. I enjoyed the movie, though.
Relationship to Interviewee:
Didi is my suitemate’s grandmother, and Allan (Papa) is her husband.
