Five cents was all it took to get you into the Iris Theater in the early 1940’s. Of course, if you wanted popcorn that would set you back another nickel. If you were really “flush” you might be able to get a sack full of those little wax bottles with juice inside. Suck the juice and chew the wax. What a deal. A nickel would also get you jujubes or a roll of Necco wafers. I liked the purple best.
The first nickel was the most important. You got a double-feature western or “shoot ‘em up”, as they were called in the 1930’s and 40’s. You also got 5 or 6 really good cartoons, a selected short subject like the “Three Stooges” or “Pete Smith Specialty” and another chapter of the current serial. Gene Autry made the first science fiction serial that included Martians coming to earth in a Western setting. The last scene of all serials featured a disastrous outcome for the hero such as a car going off a steep cliff. You had to come back next week to see how the hero escaped. He always did. You also got a Movie Tone Newsreel that featured the latest war news and it was always upbeat. The Newsreel was a good time to go back to the lobby for another treat. The film never stopped rolling unless the film or the projector broke. When you got to the point where you came in you might leave or you might stay to see Sunset Carson or Lash Larue shoot the bad guys one more time. Whenever you left, the movie went with you.
I have some nice photos of the Garden Oaks theater but I don’t know how to post them here. I got them off an old website twenty years ago. I have no idea who owns them but they are really nice including some interiors.
Ray Frazier
Five cents was all it took to get you into the Iris Theater in the early 1940’s. Of course, if you wanted popcorn that would set you back another nickel. If you were really “flush” you might be able to get a sack full of those little wax bottles with juice inside. Suck the juice and chew the wax. What a deal. A nickel would also get you jujubes or a roll of Necco wafers. I liked the purple best.
The first nickel was the most important. You got a double-feature western or “shoot ‘em up”, as they were called in the 1930’s and 40’s. You also got 5 or 6 really good cartoons, a selected short subject like the “Three Stooges” or “Pete Smith Specialty” and another chapter of the current serial. Gene Autry made the first science fiction serial that included Martians coming to earth in a Western setting. The last scene of all serials featured a disastrous outcome for the hero such as a car going off a steep cliff. You had to come back next week to see how the hero escaped. He always did. You also got a Movie Tone Newsreel that featured the latest war news and it was always upbeat. The Newsreel was a good time to go back to the lobby for another treat. The film never stopped rolling unless the film or the projector broke. When you got to the point where you came in you might leave or you might stay to see Sunset Carson or Lash Larue shoot the bad guys one more time. Whenever you left, the movie went with you.
I have some nice photos of the Garden Oaks theater but I don’t know how to post them here. I got them off an old website twenty years ago. I have no idea who owns them but they are really nice including some interiors. Ray Frazier