An important tradition of growing up in Australia from the 50s and 60s was the Saturday afternoon pictures at the local picture theatre, town hall or flea pit.
There were always two full length pictures, an episode of the serial, a cartoon and a Pete Smith Special to watch while eating your Jaffas, Fantales or a Dandy (ice cream) from one of the tray boys who would patrol the aisles before the first picture started and again at interval.
The theatre would be packed, with constant noise from chattering excited kids, regular bursts of cat calls and the sound of Jaffas rolling down the aisle. It was mayhem with the ushers and usherettes continually shining torches on noisy groups in an attempt to restore some form of order.
The episode of the serial was always shown first. The hero would escape from last week’s dastardly plot just in the nick of time, and end with him about to be lowered into a vat of boiling oil or tied to the train lines with a speeding locomotive bearing down and no possible hope of escape. You just had to be there for next week’s episode to see how he survived.
Whenever there was any kissing on the screen the whole place would erupt into loud jeers and boos. Randolph Scott would have just dispensed with all the baddies, shooting them with his trusty six-gun and would then get a kiss from the heroine, which would ruin everything and briefly create chaos with the audience. If there was a projector problem or the film broke, again momentary bedlam until calm was restored with the film restarting.
After interval came the cartoon, a Heckle and Jeckle or Tom and Jerry, and would be followed by the main feature, which was generally a similar sort of flick to the first one.
It didn’t really matter what was showing: everybody was there for the day out and to have some good, clean and (mostly) innocent fun!
One shilling would pay for the ticket with sixpence to buy an ice cream or some lollies and that was enough for a great day’s entertainment.
In almost every city, suburb or country town there was an Odeon, Ozone, Roxy, Regent, Royal, local town hall or church hall showing pictures on a Saturday arvo.
Movies today are now just part and parcel of the digital age and can be purchased online for just a few dollars – nothing really out of the ordinary, just a part of everyday life.
But back when we went to the flicks on a Saturday afternoon, the pictures were something really special and will always remain so in our memories.
What are some of your memories of Saturday afternoons at the pictures?
The Windsor and the Capri still have a sense of the old days about them.
Love the sat arvo flicks wouldn’t let my kids go now if they were the age that I was then A shame that all kids can’t experience the freedom
Every word if this post is how I remember it – except we had an extra sixpence to spend on “sixpenneth of chips” on the way home in the gathering winter evenings. The whole day’s entertainment for a mere two bob! Congratulations on a great article. I bet we are exactly the same age – 70!
Jet Jackson….. Wonderful memories..
I was one of the tray boys selling ice creams, great days. We got in free too!
What are the Picture Theaters featureď?