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

[Allan Baker]

Thanks Bob for the reflections on how technological “advances” have resulted in changes in “motion picture theatres” over the years.

This past summer I watched a presentation by Dr. Mike Daley on “The Yonge Street Sound”. In it, Mike also documented the growth, and decline, of live music venues along Toronto’s principal thoroughfare.

Thanks also for the reference to the poem, “Church Going” by Philip Larkin.
In the third stanza he asks, “When churches fall completely out of use, what shall we turn them into?”
I do not accept his equating “church” with a building as my perspective is that a “church” is a community, NOT a building.
However, ….
The United Church has a new corporation dedicated to the use of “surplus” church properties for community needs, such as housing, etc. 
https://united-church.ca/leadership/church-administration/kindred-works-and-united-property-resource-corporation-uprc <https://united-church.ca/leadership/church-administration/kindred-works-and-united-property-resource-corporation-uprc>

Stay hopeful;
Allan

> On Sep 11, 2022, at 11:17 PM, Rob and Nora Anderson via craic <craic at lists.integralshift.ca> wrote:
> 
> 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
> 
> <IMG_5639.PNG>
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad
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