Saturday night at the movies

Lance Neita, Contributor

The cinema has always had a strong appeal for Jamaicans.

The television, video and DVDs have made a dent in movie theatre traffic, but a matinee or an evening show at the Carib is still standard if not the most popular fare for many a weekend date.

The era of silent movies effectively ended in 1927 and the period following up to 1948 was considered the 'golden years of Hollywood'. It was during that time that movie theatres began to appear all across Jamaica as we kept pace with the film capitals of the world.

In the 1930s, the Palace, Movies and Gaiety theatres reigned supreme, but by the 1940s movie fans in the Corporate Area had the choice of several theatres, including the Ward, Ambassador, Globe, Tropical, Tivoli and the Rialto.

Every major town in the rural areas eventually boasted a theatre. Clarendon had three, Little Magnet and Theatre Clarendon in May Pen, and another in Lionel Town. Theatre Royale ruled the roost in Linstead, while there was Bevo in Christiana, the Strand and Roxy in Montego Bay, Seville in St Ann's Bay, Odeon in Mandeville, Doric in Sav-la-Mar, and other proud houses at Frome, Highgate, Port Antonio, Duncans, Morant Bay, and Brown's Town.

Improvised theatre

In the deeper areas of Clarendon, the theatre came to us with a projector and sheet for a screen. We had our own improvised theatre in the village schoolroom, when every Saturday we were treated to the best in romance, westerns, adventures, religion and comedies.

A gentleman from Porus whose name slips my mind was our 'picture man' and he was able to perform the extraordinary feat of having three or four shows running on the same night at different locations.

He would start off with reel one at 6 p.m., and spend the entire night racing from village to village in his Morris van to change and substitute the reels in order to ensure a smooth flow.

Heaven help him if he was late with reel number two as the forced intermission would be laced with expletives while the crowd waited for the operator to show up.

The audience enjoyed the shows to the maximum, with loud cheers when the MGM lion roared, and an enthusiastic welcome as the actors' names appeared on the screen.

We were as familiar as the city folk with the stars of the day - Elizabeth Taylor, Betty Grable, Stewart Granger, Alan Ladd, Errol Flynn, Grace Kelly, Roy Rogers, Bogart, Cary Grant, Doris Day, Joan Fontaine, Audie Murphy, Henry Fonda, Ava Gardner.

There was never a dull moment on-screen or off. We helped Sinbad throw pirates overboard, jousted against the Black Knight with Ivanhoe, puzzled over the identity of the Corsican Brothers, and we fought the good fight with Scaramouche in that epic and I believe longest sword fight in movie history.

Supportive shouts

But it was the westerns that literally raised the roof. The schoolroom came alive as we rock and rolled with the posses chasing the badmen across the prairies.

Rock Hudson's fisticuffs were fought with supportive shouts of "biff, buff, baff and lick 'im." The star was urged to 'duck' when the badmen attempted an ambush. And the Lone Ranger and Tonto got a push from us in times of trouble with a 'High-ho, Silver away'.

As for the screen kisses, there were no oohs and ahs, more raucous laughter and sexual innuendoes when John Wayne took Maureen O'Hara into his arms or Cary Grant wrapped up a young starlet in a wild embrace.

The movies gave us an opportunity to travel into fantasy land and enjoy a temporary fix. Today's audiences are more sophisticated and less exuberant. A film show is only a cellular telephone away, and we have retreated into private and individual worlds to enjoy the marvels of the digital playground.

Modern DVDs give us a chance to watch a movie bundled up with that special one. Otherwise to watch a movie in solitary confinement is to give up the fun and pleasantry of enjoying the flick in the company of film buffs like yourself who can enjoy a good yell and a good unchecked laugh.

Good movies were made to be shared.

Feedback may be sent to columns@gleaner.com or lanceneita@hotmail.com.