Thanks, again, BWChicago. I wonder if Ginnie might have had a false memory about the projectionist. It seems more likely that someone made a verbal announcement about the bombing.
Speaking of memories, I spent time as a child at the Avalon in the 1950’s. Very fond memories. I moved from Chicago in 1970, so did not keep up on the theater (the New Regal?) until recently. I found some photos on-line of the Avalon. Can you recommend a good book with more Avalon interior photos and/or on-line sites?
Thanks, BWChicago, that was fast work. Did you find that on line or at a library? I really appreciate it. My friend who was at the theater in 1941 is 87 years old now & has some memory problems. But talking about movies & songs triggers all kinds of interesting conversations with her. She used to write a lot & part of her autobiography that she wrote in 2001 contains a detailed description of being in the theater (she just couldn’t remember the name of the film). Ginnie wrote, “…the action on the screen stopped. Since this was a frequent occurrence, someone called up to the projectionist to wake up, or change the reel, when we all realized the screen was fully lit and we could see the silhouette of fingers working with a strip of yellow paper. Suddenly,the statement was clear: THE JAPS HAVE BOMBED PEARL HARBOR! There was a murmur through the theater…Lou said, ‘Most of our Pacific Fleet is there. If they did real damage’…someone else finished the thought, ‘It would mean we’d be in the war!’…The theater lights came on and I looked around at so many people, just like us, ordinary middle-class, in a state of bewilderment…we started to file out of the theater soberly, quietly. We had all been through so much with the Depression that we seemed to know we just had to face up to this next impossible situation…”
I have a friend who was at The 400 Theater on December 7, 1941, when the movie was interrupted with an announcement that Pearl Harbor had been bombed. How can I find out what movie was playing?
Thanks, again, BWChicago. I wonder if Ginnie might have had a false memory about the projectionist. It seems more likely that someone made a verbal announcement about the bombing.
Speaking of memories, I spent time as a child at the Avalon in the 1950’s. Very fond memories. I moved from Chicago in 1970, so did not keep up on the theater (the New Regal?) until recently. I found some photos on-line of the Avalon. Can you recommend a good book with more Avalon interior photos and/or on-line sites?
Thanks, BWChicago, that was fast work. Did you find that on line or at a library? I really appreciate it. My friend who was at the theater in 1941 is 87 years old now & has some memory problems. But talking about movies & songs triggers all kinds of interesting conversations with her. She used to write a lot & part of her autobiography that she wrote in 2001 contains a detailed description of being in the theater (she just couldn’t remember the name of the film). Ginnie wrote, “…the action on the screen stopped. Since this was a frequent occurrence, someone called up to the projectionist to wake up, or change the reel, when we all realized the screen was fully lit and we could see the silhouette of fingers working with a strip of yellow paper. Suddenly,the statement was clear: THE JAPS HAVE BOMBED PEARL HARBOR! There was a murmur through the theater…Lou said, ‘Most of our Pacific Fleet is there. If they did real damage’…someone else finished the thought, ‘It would mean we’d be in the war!’…The theater lights came on and I looked around at so many people, just like us, ordinary middle-class, in a state of bewilderment…we started to file out of the theater soberly, quietly. We had all been through so much with the Depression that we seemed to know we just had to face up to this next impossible situation…”
I have a friend who was at The 400 Theater on December 7, 1941, when the movie was interrupted with an announcement that Pearl Harbor had been bombed. How can I find out what movie was playing?