I too went to St. Patrick’s grade school during World War Two just like juanabet above. After school I attended Marillac House until my mother could pick me up after work. I lived at Morgan and Polk streets in the Italian neighborhood. My name wasn’t Baggi, it was Campo and I frequently went to the Star and Garter movie theater on Saturdays for 15 cartoons and a couple of movies. In later years my friends and I attended the ROLLER BOWL on Saturdays for roller skating.
I use MIKE BAGGI for this website.
I remember going to the LaSalle Theater in the Loop as a young child. My aunt Chickie picked me up after work at Marillac House at Jackson and Morgan to take me to see a reissue of Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs. I can still remember the excitment of anticipation some 65 or 70 years later. I also remember, in later years, seeing a chapter of “The Vigilante” there. The theater frequently showed african safari films with bare-breasted natives. It also showed foreign films in the 1940s. I remember seeing a double feature of a German film entitled “The Iron Crown” (a legend about a crown made from the nails of Christ’s cross)and a French classic film entitled “Beauty And The Beast”. I also remember seeing another double feature of H. G. Welles stories: The Invisible Man and The Shape Of Things To Come. Yes, I remember the LaSalle Theater well.
I first noticed the ASTOR Theater in the 1950s. I lived just outside the Loop and spent a great many Summer days wandering around downtown. The thing that called it to my attention were posters advertising the current feature HATCHET MAN starring Edward G. Robinson as a Chinese person. I discovered that the movie was made in the 1930s before I was born and was being rerun at the cheapest rerun house in the Loop. But since I had no money I couldn’t go in to see it. I finally got to see the movie on television on Turner Classic Movies. It wasn’t bad. A few years later I saw a few movies at the Astor. I saw movies at all the Loop theaters, The LaSalle, The Clark, The McVickers, The Monroe, The Chicago, The State-Lake, The Oriental, The United Artists, The Woods, The Garrick, The Apollo, The Michael Todd, The Roosevelt, The Rialto, The Follies, The RKO Palace and the RKO Grand and that little newsreel theater next to the Chicago Theater that I can’t remember the name of.
By the time I discovred the FOLLIES THEATER it was a burlesque joint that also showed one short movie between the girlie acts. I guess that I was about 13 or 14 when I first saw the show. It was everything that a cheap old burlesque house should be. The bored chorus line of over-aged hard looking ladies, the pitchman sellling candy and “a picture booket of naked ladies that’s only supposed to be sold to doctors. But I can’t tell if you’re a doctor or not”. The movie that week was a documentary on “How To Shrink A Human Head”. And let me say that it was both graphic and accurate. It could never pass any censors of any kind today.
Next door to the theater was a penny arcade where the ladies of the chorus could catch a quick lunch or dinner of hot dog sanwiches. I saw several of them in there on several occasions.
For me in those days it was an adventure!
As a teenager in the 1950s I discovered the Rialto Theater when it started showing older movies that I had not seen. Since I lived just outside the Loop I spent many a summer day wandering around the Loop movie theaters and shops. I saw a number of older Abbott & Costello movies there along with most of the Universal Studios horror movies. I especially remember the Invisible Man movies. The always had double features.
I recall once sitting in one of the rear seats and noticing a plastic box affixed to the rear of the seat in front of me. It had a slot for the insertion of a quarter to unlock the box. I was curious, but not twenty-five cents curious. The lock opened to my penknife blade and resting inside were a pair of small binoculars with a plastic cord attached to both the glasses and the box. I laughed like hell!
Now if you wanted spicer entertainment it could be found a block or so South on State Street in the form of The Follies Theater and Burlesque house.
I was only 14 years old but they sold me a ticket anyway. It was a classic burlesque house that even included the between-the-acts salesman. I can still remember his spiel: “Now I am going to pass among you with these boxes of candy which sell for two dollars a box. A lot to pay for candy, you say! Well with each box I will give away absolutely free this special picture booklet which can only be sold to doctors. Now I can’t tell if you’re a doctor or not …..”
In those days the Loop was an exciting place to be. And it was safe too. I miss it.
I grew up in the Taylor Street area of Chicago in the 1940s and 1950s. I can remember on Saturdays walking with a half dozen friends over to Madison and Halsted to attend the Star & Garter theater for its three (3) movies and 15 cartoons. It was an old, dirty theater but what the heck we were young and just as dirty so we went.
There was a fellow in the neighborhood we called “Loouie Shoes” and he would sometimes hand out passes to the Star and Garter so half the times that we went we had passes.
The bums used to come in from skid row and sleep off a drunk. And I remember one Mexican kid who yelled out during a movie, “Hell, I saw this movie last week on television”. And he was right, it had been on TV.
I attended the Garden Theater throughout the 1940s and 1950s when I lived at 829 S. Morgan Street in the “old Neighborhood”. Oh how we used to cheer on our favorite western heroes – Roy Rogers and Sunset Carson and the rest. I remember that if you were sometimes a few cents shy of the admission price, the nice lady in the box office would sometimes overlook it and give you a ticket. I remember the “Late Checks” that were used to prevent you from staying for more than one showing of the movies and cartoons. It was a real neighborhood theater.
Other theaters in the area that we used were: The American on Ashland, The Century on Madison, The Star and Garter on Madison and the Villa on Halsted. Those were the days!
I too went to St. Patrick’s grade school during World War Two just like juanabet above. After school I attended Marillac House until my mother could pick me up after work. I lived at Morgan and Polk streets in the Italian neighborhood. My name wasn’t Baggi, it was Campo and I frequently went to the Star and Garter movie theater on Saturdays for 15 cartoons and a couple of movies. In later years my friends and I attended the ROLLER BOWL on Saturdays for roller skating. I use MIKE BAGGI for this website.
I remember going to the LaSalle Theater in the Loop as a young child. My aunt Chickie picked me up after work at Marillac House at Jackson and Morgan to take me to see a reissue of Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs. I can still remember the excitment of anticipation some 65 or 70 years later. I also remember, in later years, seeing a chapter of “The Vigilante” there. The theater frequently showed african safari films with bare-breasted natives. It also showed foreign films in the 1940s. I remember seeing a double feature of a German film entitled “The Iron Crown” (a legend about a crown made from the nails of Christ’s cross)and a French classic film entitled “Beauty And The Beast”. I also remember seeing another double feature of H. G. Welles stories: The Invisible Man and The Shape Of Things To Come. Yes, I remember the LaSalle Theater well.
I first noticed the ASTOR Theater in the 1950s. I lived just outside the Loop and spent a great many Summer days wandering around downtown. The thing that called it to my attention were posters advertising the current feature HATCHET MAN starring Edward G. Robinson as a Chinese person. I discovered that the movie was made in the 1930s before I was born and was being rerun at the cheapest rerun house in the Loop. But since I had no money I couldn’t go in to see it. I finally got to see the movie on television on Turner Classic Movies. It wasn’t bad. A few years later I saw a few movies at the Astor. I saw movies at all the Loop theaters, The LaSalle, The Clark, The McVickers, The Monroe, The Chicago, The State-Lake, The Oriental, The United Artists, The Woods, The Garrick, The Apollo, The Michael Todd, The Roosevelt, The Rialto, The Follies, The RKO Palace and the RKO Grand and that little newsreel theater next to the Chicago Theater that I can’t remember the name of.
Mike Baggi
By the time I discovred the FOLLIES THEATER it was a burlesque joint that also showed one short movie between the girlie acts. I guess that I was about 13 or 14 when I first saw the show. It was everything that a cheap old burlesque house should be. The bored chorus line of over-aged hard looking ladies, the pitchman sellling candy and “a picture booket of naked ladies that’s only supposed to be sold to doctors. But I can’t tell if you’re a doctor or not”. The movie that week was a documentary on “How To Shrink A Human Head”. And let me say that it was both graphic and accurate. It could never pass any censors of any kind today.
Next door to the theater was a penny arcade where the ladies of the chorus could catch a quick lunch or dinner of hot dog sanwiches. I saw several of them in there on several occasions.
For me in those days it was an adventure!
Mikebaggi
As a teenager in the 1950s I discovered the Rialto Theater when it started showing older movies that I had not seen. Since I lived just outside the Loop I spent many a summer day wandering around the Loop movie theaters and shops. I saw a number of older Abbott & Costello movies there along with most of the Universal Studios horror movies. I especially remember the Invisible Man movies. The always had double features.
I recall once sitting in one of the rear seats and noticing a plastic box affixed to the rear of the seat in front of me. It had a slot for the insertion of a quarter to unlock the box. I was curious, but not twenty-five cents curious. The lock opened to my penknife blade and resting inside were a pair of small binoculars with a plastic cord attached to both the glasses and the box. I laughed like hell!
Now if you wanted spicer entertainment it could be found a block or so South on State Street in the form of The Follies Theater and Burlesque house.
I was only 14 years old but they sold me a ticket anyway. It was a classic burlesque house that even included the between-the-acts salesman. I can still remember his spiel: “Now I am going to pass among you with these boxes of candy which sell for two dollars a box. A lot to pay for candy, you say! Well with each box I will give away absolutely free this special picture booklet which can only be sold to doctors. Now I can’t tell if you’re a doctor or not …..”
In those days the Loop was an exciting place to be. And it was safe too. I miss it.
Mike
I grew up in the Taylor Street area of Chicago in the 1940s and 1950s. I can remember on Saturdays walking with a half dozen friends over to Madison and Halsted to attend the Star & Garter theater for its three (3) movies and 15 cartoons. It was an old, dirty theater but what the heck we were young and just as dirty so we went.
There was a fellow in the neighborhood we called “Loouie Shoes” and he would sometimes hand out passes to the Star and Garter so half the times that we went we had passes.
The bums used to come in from skid row and sleep off a drunk. And I remember one Mexican kid who yelled out during a movie, “Hell, I saw this movie last week on television”. And he was right, it had been on TV.
Mike
I attended the Garden Theater throughout the 1940s and 1950s when I lived at 829 S. Morgan Street in the “old Neighborhood”. Oh how we used to cheer on our favorite western heroes – Roy Rogers and Sunset Carson and the rest. I remember that if you were sometimes a few cents shy of the admission price, the nice lady in the box office would sometimes overlook it and give you a ticket. I remember the “Late Checks” that were used to prevent you from staying for more than one showing of the movies and cartoons. It was a real neighborhood theater.
Other theaters in the area that we used were: The American on Ashland, The Century on Madison, The Star and Garter on Madison and the Villa on Halsted. Those were the days!
Mike in Wheaton