My mother was born just a year after the Harmony Theater opened in 1921. She was born above the bakery (which her father owned) down the block from the Harmony — on the NW corner of Mack and St. Jean. She went to the Harmony as a child and saw 1st run movies for 5 cents. By the way, my mom was named Jean. She attended St. Clair Elementary School (as did I in the 50’s), Foch Jr. High, and Southeastern High.
Later, in the 1950’s, we moved back to that neighborhood and lived on a street called Hart (it ran from Mack Ave. south to Jefferson). As you went east from St. Jean, Hart was the last street with homes on it before getting to Conner. As a matter of fact, there were only factories and parking lots on the east side of Hart. When one of the factories closed across the street from us, they opened an Atlantic Mills department store there in the abandoned factory. Last time I was there, Hart was gone completely and a parking lot was in its place. I think all the homes are gone south of Mack from St. Jean east to Conner.
When I was a kid in 50’s we went to the Admiral Theater and saw Saturday matinees for 15 cents. Fifteen cents got you three movies and a cartoon. Big candy bars like MilkyWays, Snickers and 3 Musketeers were five cents apiece and a box of buttered popcorn was 10 cents. Boxes of JuJyFruits, Raisinets, or Goobers were also just 5 cents. So, with a quarter allowance, you could go and get entertained for a whole afternoon. In the 50’s my favorite movies were science fiction – like The Body Snatchers, This Island Earth, Forbidden Planet, Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, Tarantula, etc. Of course there were also many horror movies at Saturday matinee like – I Was a Teenage Werewolf, Night of the Living Dead, The Tingler, Frankenstein and Dracula. Mixed in with the Sci-Fi and horror movies were the westerns like High Noon and Shane.
On that corner of Mack and St. Jean in the 50’s, were a Cunngham’s drug (SW corner), a 5 and 10 cent store (NE corner), the Bakery (on the NW corner – no longer owned by my mom’s family) and a bank on the SE corner.
My mother was born just a year after the Harmony Theater opened in 1921. She was born above the bakery (which her father owned) down the block from the Harmony — on the NW corner of Mack and St. Jean. She went to the Harmony as a child and saw 1st run movies for 5 cents. By the way, my mom was named Jean. She attended St. Clair Elementary School (as did I in the 50’s), Foch Jr. High, and Southeastern High.
Later, in the 1950’s, we moved back to that neighborhood and lived on a street called Hart (it ran from Mack Ave. south to Jefferson). As you went east from St. Jean, Hart was the last street with homes on it before getting to Conner. As a matter of fact, there were only factories and parking lots on the east side of Hart. When one of the factories closed across the street from us, they opened an Atlantic Mills department store there in the abandoned factory. Last time I was there, Hart was gone completely and a parking lot was in its place. I think all the homes are gone south of Mack from St. Jean east to Conner.
When I was a kid in 50’s we went to the Admiral Theater and saw Saturday matinees for 15 cents. Fifteen cents got you three movies and a cartoon. Big candy bars like MilkyWays, Snickers and 3 Musketeers were five cents apiece and a box of buttered popcorn was 10 cents. Boxes of JuJyFruits, Raisinets, or Goobers were also just 5 cents. So, with a quarter allowance, you could go and get entertained for a whole afternoon. In the 50’s my favorite movies were science fiction – like The Body Snatchers, This Island Earth, Forbidden Planet, Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, Tarantula, etc. Of course there were also many horror movies at Saturday matinee like – I Was a Teenage Werewolf, Night of the Living Dead, The Tingler, Frankenstein and Dracula. Mixed in with the Sci-Fi and horror movies were the westerns like High Noon and Shane.
On that corner of Mack and St. Jean in the 50’s, were a Cunngham’s drug (SW corner), a 5 and 10 cent store (NE corner), the Bakery (on the NW corner – no longer owned by my mom’s family) and a bank on the SE corner.