Classic Film Haven

Old Movie Theaters: A great way to watch classic movies

When you actually stop and think about it, the movie industry is not that old. At this point in time, it’s only been around from it’s most rudimentary form for a little over a hundred years. The changes that have been made in that time are astronomical. In that brief time period, we have gone from five second videos of someone sneezing to 3-D films that are made largely on a computer.

Everything about the industry has changed, and that includes the movie theaters themselves. Movie theaters now are huge multiplexes. At any given time, there could a dozen or more movies playing in one of these massive theaters. But the days of the old single screen, beautiful looking theaters are not over. For the classic movie fan, it is actually possible to watch old films in an old theater.

Movie theaters like the Hollywood Theater in Pittsburgh, PA have been renovated and still operate today, showing classic films from years past. The Hollywood Theater itself opened in 1933, and seats around 300 people.

That’s actually on the small side for these renovated theaters from the silent and early post-silent era. According to data dating back to 1922, around 35 percent of the movie theaters held at least 500 people, with some theaters holding over 2,000. These movie theaters were large, huge gathering places. It was in tune with how popular movies were at the time. A 1923 poll of high school students found over 80 percent went to the movies at least twice a week, with some going as often as four times a week.

The movie theaters that those people went to are, in many cases, still active to this day. They have been revived as places to watch classic films, which make it the perfect destination for the fan of old movies.

Below is a map where many of these theaters are located across the country. A common thread with many of these theaters is “theme” showings. For example, it’s common to see a series of shorts by the same actors, like the Three Stooges. It is a good way for the theaters to cater to specific tastes, and to plan out when a good time to come is.

It is a completely different experience, to sit a theater completely unlike those that exist today. In some cases, you can even get a balcony seat for an old classic movie. But no matter where you sit, don’t pass up a chance to see a classic movie as it was originally seen decades ago.

View Old Movie Theaters in a full screen map

What to watch on TCM (Monday-Wednesday)

Monday

12:45am A Modern Muskateer TCM is always a great source for early silent films, and that is the case here once again. This one really goes far back, to 1917. Here, a young man is inspired by the Three Muskateers (made obvious by the title). It's also worth checking out to see legendary silent film star Douglas Fairbanks in action, since he is the star here.

Wednesday

3:30pm I Bury The Living Leave it to TCM to turn up an obscure horror movie like this one. There's not any big-name stars attached to this one, but it is a rather little interesting story. A cemetery manager discovers that he may have the power to determine life or death right in his very hands. As far as 50s horror movies go, this one is pretty solid.

5:00pm My Fair Lady For musical fans, this one is a must-watch. Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison lead the cast here, in which an attempt is made to turn a less than dignified woman into a proper lady. If you're a classic film fan, chances are you've seen this one already, but it's still worth checking out again regardless.

Watch the trailer for I Bury The Living:

Coming next week: How to live a piece of film history

Chances are, you are near somewhere where this is possible. Want to know the full scoop on what this is all about? All will be shown a week from today, and for the classic movie fan, it's well worth the read.

Top Ten: Some of the worst movies from prior to the 70s

When talking about classic or older movies here on the blog, it's always been about what's good. But, it is fair to mention that there were a LOT of bad movies back in the day. B-movies popped up all over the place, and as a result, there was a lot of pitiful work that was produced. Some of that was due to poor special effects, obviously. But here are ten of the worst pieces of film ever produced prior to the 1970s:

1. Monster-A Go Go

This one right here is seriously as bad as it gets. It is not hyperbole to say that this is the worst movie of all time. It almost has to be. Every single thing about this movie is a failure. Some of the dialogue cannot be heard. Most of the time you can't even see what's going on in the movie because it's either too dark or too light. Characters disappear and random and new ones appear. And finally, and most importantly, the ending is a slap in the face to anyone who sat through this. Actually, that's being too nice. It's more like getting run over by a car. Just watch it, and then you'll understand how bad this ending is.

2. Manos: The Hands of Fate

This suffers from some different kinds of technical issues, but there are so many. See, the movie was shot with a camera that could only film one minute or so at a time. It also did not record sound. That meant that all of the voices were dubbed in by only three people. So yes, you get to hear the same guy reading both sets of lines at some points. And the movie's two villains, The Master and Torgo, are two of the most bizarre pretty much ever. Torgo has weird bulbous legs (seriously), and The Master just wears a big cape with hands on it.

3. Santa Claus

This is a Christmas movie from Mexico that features a very different reality. In the world where this takes place in, Santa lives in a castle in space, where he keeps children of every race with him (some of them are portrayed in a very racist manner). He spends the entire movie fighting Satan. I think that pretty much says it all.

4. Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

Yes, another Christmas movie that makes no sense. In this one, Santa is kidnapped by Martians, and ends up winning over the hearts and minds of the aliens. Don't ask.

5. Eegah

A giant caveman ends up in the real world, and of course, falls in love with a normal girl. And then there's creepy kidnapping. And the lead character (not the caveman) is actually an incredibly creepy teenager himself. He also sings a lot in the movie too, to provide more torture.

6. The Girl In Lovers Lane

This one actually had the potential to be okay, since the basic plot was a tough drifter potentially falling in love with a good girl. Then she got (presumably) raped and murdered by someone else. And then the drifter got blamed for the murder. What a heartwarming tale.

7. The Creeping Terror

This monster movie features one of the worst looking monsters of all time, if not the worst. It's basically somebody wrapped in giant carpet moving around very very slowly. And sometimes the tennis shoes the actor is wearing are visible. Actual terror is not to be found here.

8. Prince of Space

There are a lot of strange Japanese movies in this world, and this is one of them for sure. On the plus side, this ridiculous space tale is pretty fun to watch. The costumes alone are high comedy.

9. Red Zone Cuba

The director of this, Coleman Francis, is probably one of the worst filmmakers of all time, and this is one of his worst efforts. It doesn't even seem like it's a real movie at all. It's more a bunch of random scenes edited together. So, just pointing out, if you watch this and get confused, it's not just you.

10. Plan 9 From Outer Space

This is the notorious bad movie, and yes, it really is that bad. Everything about it fails. The sets and special effects don't even deserved to be called that. The acting is, well, some of the worst ever seen. Pick a random person up off the street and they can act better than the people in this movie. The only decent actor in the whole thing was Bela Lugosi, who died during the making of it, so he is replaced in certain scenes with someone who looks nothing like him. But this is very fun to watch, which is more than you can say for a lot of these movies.

What to watch on TCM (Monday-Wednesday)

Monday

6:30am-9:30am Laurel & Hardy shorts Last week TCM was airing a lot of old silent comedy shorts. Those ones were Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd. This time, the plethora of shorts are done by Laurel & Hardy. They were one of the few silent comedy stars to transition well into the sound era, and are actually more well-known for their work after this silent period.

Okay, with that out of the way, the other two choices are very weird ones:

Wednesday

4:45pm Picture Mommy Dead Okay, this is clearly a movie title designed to draw the viewer in. But it's not like the title is entirely inaccurate. It does, indeed, deal with a woman who is dealing with the death of her mother. And, there is of course, an asylum involved.

6:30pm Riders to the Stars This wacky little movie takes place in space, and is from the 50s. So don't expect much in the way of great special effects: it's not here. But hey, sometimes these old timey sci-fi movies are worth checking out for the fun of it.

Watch one of those Laurel & Hardy silent shorts here:

How does a younger generation view old movies?

It's easy to make the assumption that older or classic films would largely be enjoyed by an older generation. The previous podcast even demonstrated that, that some adults view older movies as being better.

But would a younger generation feel that way? Would their views be the opposite? It's easy to think that they would be, since everything about modern day movies is different. So, we found out the movie viewing habits of a ninth grader, Beyla Vitucci, from Chartiers Valley High School, in Pittsburgh:

How often do you see movies in theaters?

I go to the movies two or three times a month.

Do you frequently watch movies on TV?

I don't watch movies on TV that much. Like, if I see them on TV I try to catch them, but I watch TV shows more.

Do you ever watch older movies, and do you think they are better than newer movies?

I love old movies. They're my favorite. I watch them on Turner sometimes. Black and white movies are awesome. I like new movies too but I think the older ones are better.

That does seem a bit surprising on the surface, but there is evidence to suggest that many young people love older movies too. Just a quick perusal online shows that. In the world of Youtube, everybody reviews everything in their own videos. Perhaps the best example of this is a teenager's review of a classic movie boxset. Check out all the posters on the wall: this, and many other kids, know their stuff.

What to watch on TCM (Monday)

This edition of what to watch on TCM is going to be filled with comedy, with a lot of that being silent comedy.

Monday

12:00am-2:00am Harold Lloyd shorts In total, TCM will be airing four Harold Lloyd silent shorts in a row during this two hour block. It’s a great introduction to what Harold Lloyd is like. Lloyd, for those who don’t know, was one of the other big silent film comedy stars, but doesn’t get nearly as much recognition as Keaton or Chaplin does today. He’s still very funny. Also be on the lookout for Snub Pollard in the first of these shorts, Ask Father. Pollard is a silent comedy star who particularly is ignored nowadays.

6:30 am The Kid It’s time for more silent comedy fun here, this time with Charlie Chaplin. This is actually Chaplin’s first feature length work, and he is the tramp here, as he was at the time. There is also a common hallmark of the Chaplin comedies here—a little bit of underlying seriousness. It’s a great debut effort an all-time classic.

8:00pm Where the Boys Are And finally, in a non-silent film, a teenager beach film is also available to watch. There is, of course, singing and dancing and beach hijinks, with makes it kind of fun, even those these films are never “classics.”

Watch one of the Harold Lloyd shorts, Ask Father, here:

22:20: Having missed the pool, and crashed headfirst into the ground surrounding, Keaton disappeared into a big hole. Several years later, he emerges from that hole with an entire Asian family with him:

21:20: As he is abotu to dive into the pool, this newly restored moment is about to happen. It's worth the wait.

20:34: But first he found out the woman he loves is married. Ouch. Hard luck indeed.