By Jim Gassensmith
Saturday Matinees and Cliffhanger Serials
Every Saturday we headed off to the Wilton or the Mar Theater for the matinee. It was cheap—only fourteen cents—and that was for a double feature: usually two Westerns and a serial in between. The serial was always about ten minutes long and ended in suspense so you’d come back the next week. Captain Video or Space Patrol would be half off a cliff, and the thing would end. See you suckers next week!
Favorite Cowboys and Theater Favorites
Movies were part of my youth, and because of the small-town conditions back then, we could all walk into town every Saturday and spend the whole afternoon watching Randolph Scott—my favorite because he didn’t sing or ride off into the sunset with the pretty girl. I also loved Jimmy Stewart and Glenn Ford. We had countless arguments as to who was the fastest with a gun and who could beat up whom. Could Gene Autry beat up America’s favorite cowboy, Roy Rogers?
Sometime when I was in this stage of my life, Pat Buttram showed up in Wilmington at the Mar Theater in person. Pat was Gene Autry’s sidekick—or was it Roy Rogers? I’m not sure. Anyway, I got to see him, and it was a big deal…
I always sat in the same seat when I went to the Wilton: about halfway down on the left, there were two seats with a hole in the wall about the size of a quarter. At the Mar Theater, I sat anywhere.
The Golden Era of Westerns (1948–1953)
I saw every Western that was produced, probably between 1948 and 1953. I remember some Robert Mitchum flicks I saw with my parents, probably before 1948. My dad was a big Western fan, but he favored Tom Mix and Tim Holt, who were a little long in the tooth for my taste. However, their movies were the old ones that were filmed in black and white, and everyone rode their horses so fast. I liked them all. I even started liking Dale Evans as time went on; she was a singing cowgirl who rode with Roy Rogers. We found out that Roy and Dale were actually married and really did own a ranch. Roy and Dale, Trigger, and their dog, Bullet, actually showed up on early TV a few years later.
The Infamous “R-Rated” Preview Surprise
One time, I was at the Mar Theater for a Saturday Western waiting for the serial between the two Westerns, but instead, the movie showed previews of the movies that were coming to the theater in the near future. There was a movie coming called Marihuana (after the drug). This was probably 1950 or so, and none of us had ever even heard of drugs or dope. We knew whiskey, beer, and sarsaparilla, and all the rotgut drinks the cowboys drank, but this was my first exposure to drugs. Management must have forgotten that the theater was filled with grade school kids, because the previews for that movie were what is now called “R-rated.” Girls were shown running from room to room topless and supposedly under the influence of drugs.
Needless to say, even after watching the second two-hour Western, the naked girls preview was the conversation on the walk up to Northcrest. None of us saw any point in mentioning this to our parents. By the next Saturday, the theater was packed as word spread about the previews that we might see. Some little turd must have told his parents, because management was back to showing the weekly serial.
Five-Cent Summer Bargains and Babysitters
We also used to go to the Wednesday afternoon movie for about five cents during the summer months. There was no TV back then, so it was probably a way for our parents to get us out of the house instead of paying a babysitter. I only remember one babysitter, and I didn’t like her because she pulled my hair when I pulled Lucille’s hair. And then she told my parents that I was a little brat. I don’t know what they paid her, but it was too much.
Braidwood Beginnings 