During the 1920s, motion pictures became a major form of entertainment for Americans. The movies of the early 1920s were silent, with a piano player in the theater providing background music while lines of printed dialogue appeared on the screen. Then in 1927 movies burst into sound with the first “talkie”— The Jazz Singer – starring Al Jolson. The next year Walt Disney produced the first sound cartoon and introduced Mickey Mouse.

Almost 100 million Americans went to the movies every week. Hollywood, California became the center of a huge motion-picture industry. It also became the source of popular movie idols. Americans watched romantic scenes played by Rudolph Valentino, Mary Pickford, Greta Garbo, and the famous “It” girl, Clara Bow. Charlie Chaplin and his clown antics captured the hearts of millions. Going to the movies was a favorite pastime for Gloria Lewis, her sister, and her friends. This is Gloria’s story.

“I did not care very much for the silent films, but when sound came out in 1927 many people, including myself, were thrilled to have sound and picture together instead of dialogue appearing on the screen. My sister Florence and I would go to the movie theater on Friday and Saturday evenings,” recalled Gloria. “It was a treat after a long work-week. We would save our pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters in a jar and use that money to pay for the movies. The cost of a show was 20 cents back then.”

Gloria remembers walking to a big brick building that was called “The Movie House” located not far from the center of Wallingford, where she lived as a little girl. The seats were very comfortable and the place was very clean. Florence liked to sit on the end of the row while Gloria enjoyed sitting in the middle so she could talk to her friends before the start of the movie.

“I was always a chatter box except in school because I was afraid of the nuns. I did my talking out of school. My sister Florence was the quiet one who would tell me to put a sock in it when she had heard enough,” laughed Gloria. “She was a wonderful big sister and an avid movie fan like me. I remember when Rudolph Valentino died, my sister cried for days.”

Gloria recalled that her favorite movie stars were Clark Gable, Vivian Leigh, Bette Davis, Rita Hayward, and Katherine Hepburn. Some of her favorite movies were Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, The African Queen, Ben Hur and The Ten Commandments. Gloria, Florence, and their friends would get together and make going to the movies the girls’ night out. After the war, they all were married so their husbands went with them to the movies, and they called it couples’ night at the movies.

“I remember seeing Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments and later in Ben Hur. “What two great movies! The movies from the 1930s, ‘40s, and ‘50s were quality shows with wonderful actors and actresses and good storylines. They were a pleasure to watch,” said Gloria. “These great movies made people want to pack the movie theaters every week. My husband enjoyed the westerns and was a huge fan of the director John Ford.”

After Gloria and her husband were married, they moved to North Haven, but they would drive to Wallingford to go to the movies with Florence, her husband, and their friends. After the movies, they would go for coffee and dessert at a local restaurant where they would sit for hours discussing the movie they had just seen or reminiscing about their childhood days. Unfortunately, the good times do not last forever, and in the early 1960s the movie house was torn down to make way for a bank and several small stores. During this time, television became popular in millions of homes, and people stayed at home to watch their favorite programs, causing a decline in attendance at the movies.

“It was a sad day when the movie theater was razed to the ground. It was one of my favorite places for at least three decades. I have a few pictures of Florence and me standing outside the old movie house. I treasure these pictures because they remind me of a special time I shared with my sister, husband, and friends many years ago,” replied a tearful Gloria. “Today, the theater is gone and so are my sister, my husband, and several of my friends, but I still have the memories.”

Gloria goes to the movies every so often with her daughter and grandchildren. She also rents videos and DVDs and watches them at home, but she misses the movies of yesterday. She wishes that Hollywood would create movies that would capture the audience’s imagination without the excessive violence, sex, and profanity.

“I’m glad I grew up when movies had style and quality with talented and decent actors and actresses. I am sorry to say that there is too much violence, sex, inappropriate language, and outlandish story plots on television and at the movies today,” said Gloria. “I wish today’s generation, including my grandchildren, had the chance to watch and appreciate the movies I enjoyed when I was young. Perhaps, one day Hollywood would return to making movies the old-fashioned way.”

For Gloria, memories of going to the movies during the 1930s, ‘40s, and ‘50s, were times well spent with family and friends and are stored in the archives of her mind while bringing comfort and joy to her many years later.

Life will fade, people and favorite pastimes will come and go, good times will not last forever, and hard times will try our spirits, but the memories remain. Let your heart, as well as your mind, cherish the memories of yesterday for they bring comfort and hope for today and tomorrow, so while we can, we should “remember when.”