I was 6 at the time, but I well remember the centennial celebration. I remember guys be put into “jail” for not having a beard. Had one of those hats, too. Great pic post, David.
Great to see downtown Lansing in the 60s, during my high school days. I actually saw What’s New Pussycat? at the Lans. Great memories. Thanks for posting the pic, Brian.
I often went to the theaters in downtown Hammond (Parthenon, Paramount) but seldom the Calumet. It always seemed somewhat seedy to me. I do remember going there to see a silly George Hamilton sci fi film called The Power. I can’t imagine why.
I lived across the state line in Illinois in the 50s and we would frequently take the bus to Hammond, visit the magic shop, the Army/Navy surplus store, and Woolworth’s, then head for either the Paramount or the Parthenon, the theaters that anchored the north and south ends of town. Great fun. I also remember seeing a double feature at the Paramount, Billy Budd and The Days of Wine and Roses. Not so fun.
As a kid in Lansing in the ‘50s, I remember that the Lans had a unique programming approach—it would play family/kids films Friday-Monday, then offer more adult fare the nights of Tuesday-Thursday. And it never offered double features…. we would head to Hammond, Indiana, theaters for twin bills.
It’s great to know that the Town is still operating much as it did in the ‘70s, when I regularly went there for foreign and art films otherwise unavailable in the area.
My older brother and sister worked at the Lans in the mid-50s; my brother was friends with the son of the owner, Roger Shearer. I did see a lot of Disney movies there, but I also such offerings as Psycho, The Manchurian Candidate, and Dr. Strangelove. Things I most remember:
For years, the theater has a split-week billing schedule—family movies played Friday-Monday and more adult films played Tuesday-Thursday.
Summer Kiddie Matinees—Tuesday afternoons throughout the summer, the theater offered free shows for kids, which consisted of 26 cartoons (so they said; nobody ever counted) and a movie. It was sheer bedlam with popcorn and candy boxes flying about and hundreds of kids laughing, screaming, running and pretty much ignoring what was on the screen. Very similar to the scene in the movie theater in Gremlins. Ears would be rinnging for an hour after you left the theater. It was great fun.
I was 6 at the time, but I well remember the centennial celebration. I remember guys be put into “jail” for not having a beard. Had one of those hats, too. Great pic post, David.
Great to see downtown Lansing in the 60s, during my high school days. I actually saw What’s New Pussycat? at the Lans. Great memories. Thanks for posting the pic, Brian.
I often went to the theaters in downtown Hammond (Parthenon, Paramount) but seldom the Calumet. It always seemed somewhat seedy to me. I do remember going there to see a silly George Hamilton sci fi film called The Power. I can’t imagine why.
I lived across the state line in Illinois in the 50s and we would frequently take the bus to Hammond, visit the magic shop, the Army/Navy surplus store, and Woolworth’s, then head for either the Paramount or the Parthenon, the theaters that anchored the north and south ends of town. Great fun. I also remember seeing a double feature at the Paramount, Billy Budd and The Days of Wine and Roses. Not so fun.
As a kid in Lansing in the ‘50s, I remember that the Lans had a unique programming approach—it would play family/kids films Friday-Monday, then offer more adult fare the nights of Tuesday-Thursday. And it never offered double features…. we would head to Hammond, Indiana, theaters for twin bills.
It’s great to know that the Town is still operating much as it did in the ‘70s, when I regularly went there for foreign and art films otherwise unavailable in the area.
My older brother and sister worked at the Lans in the mid-50s; my brother was friends with the son of the owner, Roger Shearer. I did see a lot of Disney movies there, but I also such offerings as Psycho, The Manchurian Candidate, and Dr. Strangelove. Things I most remember:
For years, the theater has a split-week billing schedule—family movies played Friday-Monday and more adult films played Tuesday-Thursday.
Summer Kiddie Matinees—Tuesday afternoons throughout the summer, the theater offered free shows for kids, which consisted of 26 cartoons (so they said; nobody ever counted) and a movie. It was sheer bedlam with popcorn and candy boxes flying about and hundreds of kids laughing, screaming, running and pretty much ignoring what was on the screen. Very similar to the scene in the movie theater in Gremlins. Ears would be rinnging for an hour after you left the theater. It was great fun.