The Academy Awards and Nostalgia
The movies, then and now.
Nostalgia: The Movie House
The Oscars are being televised tonight, March 2, 2025. They are also known as the Academy Awards. However, there is a significant difference between the way movies are shown today versus years before modern technology. It is common for movies to have their opening and full run on a variety of television stations that are available and paid for on the internet or television. When I was young, all movies were available only in movie houses.
The Oxford was more than just a theater. It was a "movie house," as we called it back then, a place where magic flickered across the screen, drawing in children and adults alike. For kids like me and my brother, it was an adventure, an escape, and a Saturday ritual.
A trip to the movies meant more than just one film. It was always a double feature, which meant we got to see two movies for the price of one. That was the standard in those days. Between the two films, there were short newsreels that showed glimpses of events happening both nearby and across the world. We were too young to care much about those, but they were a part of the experience. After the news came the cartoons, with familiar faces like Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse filling the screen.
One of the things that made those outings special was that it didn't matter what time we arrived. If we walked in halfway through a movie, we just found our seats, watched to the end, then stayed to see the entire film from the beginning again. We never worried about missing the start because, in a way, the story always came full circle.
For my brother, my friends, and me, the children's section was where we belonged. A strict but necessary presence in that section was the matron, a woman dressed in a white uniform who patrolled the aisles to keep the kids in line. If we got too loud, she would hush us with a stern glance or a quiet but firm reminder. Some kids pushed their luck and found themselves being escorted out of the theater, but most of us behaved just well enough to stay.
The movies themselves were unforgettable. My favorites fell into two categories. First, there were the comedies, especially the ones with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Then there were the slapstick antics of the Three Stooges and the fast-talking humor of the Marx Brothers. Those films filled the theater with laughter and kept us entertained from start to finish. For some reason, I was addicted to Martin and Lewis. To me, Martin and Lewis were hilarious, and I laughed heartily at them sometimes, not being able to stop myself after a scene had finished. I also laughed until tears were coming down my face.
The second category was science fiction. It was a time of flying saucers, invaders from outer space, and strange new worlds. I was completely drawn in by the stories of the unknown, where anything seemed possible.
But a trip to the movies wasn't complete without something to eat. The theater had its popcorn, candy, and ice cream, but my grandmother often sent my brother and me off with a small brown bag filled with homemade treats. That little bag of goodies made the experience even better.
Going to the movie house was more than just watching films. It was a part of childhood, a moment in time when the world felt simpler and more exciting. The Oxford, with its double features, cartoons, and white-uniformed matrons, is long gone, but the memories remain as vivid as ever.
It's important to note that movies were viewed within a social context and opposed to social isolation. Whole families went to see movies. On Sunday afternoons, movie theaters were filled with viewers. The movie house was a major source of entertainment and much discussion on the way home and at the dinner table later that evening.
Today movies are viewed at home from such sources as Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Netflix and many others. People tune into these paid networks and can watch in total social isolation.
We live in a changed world from my youth. Those changes are positive. But in other ways, the changes are negative, especially because the social context and interaction are absent.
