[Craic] The Definitive Story of the Movie Palace, DVD

[Rob and Nora Anderson]

Gentlemen,

After reading the thoroughly entertains book, “An Empire of Their Own, How the Jews Invented Hollywood,” I found at our local public library this excellent DVD on the great movie palaces of NYC, Chicago, Detroit and Los Angeles.  Actually, the Rochester of my youth had the most opulent movie palace between NYC and Chicago.  YouTube has a few photos.  Downtown danced with the lights of several major beauties, including the RKO Palace.  Every neighbourhood had its own as well.  Mine was The Liberty.

Toronto in mid 60’s still had some great ones too as we have talked about at Craic. I forget the name of the one on Yonge Street with the long red carpet.  I think it was The Loew’s.  By the time I got to the city in 1965, the remaining palaces, Loew’s, University, Odeon and Eglinton, hung in with the likes of the re-release of Gone With the Wind and blockbusters such as The Great Escape, Patton and The Sound of Music.  Wow, have people today given up a lot when they don’t even want to go out to buy groceries!  Video games, social media, Netflix, NFL, marijuana and Uber Eats headline the billing, but these entertainments can’t replace the city lights and the vibe that went with downtown.

How fortunate we were to have enjoyed the era of the cinemas, trains, department stores, churches, old ball parks, record stores and music venues.  Twenty years from now, will middle aged people be recalling with fond memories the bygone era of universities, dorms and student pubs?   Churches gone to condos every one, …read Philip Larkin’s poem, “Church Going.” Maybe even downtowns, Petula!

Honest Ed, aka Bob Anderson

[cid:a51c19b5-add5-49ac-9fc1-1151458940b7 at namprd12.prod.outlook.com]


Sent from my iPad
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