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Showers and thunderstorms likely to saturate the week

Report: Beer industry worth $252.6 billion to economy

<p>&#8220;So what movie are we seeing tonight?&#8221; my buddy Alner asked, scanning the listings. &#8220;I can&#8217;t make up my mind with all the good stuff that&#8217;s coming out.&#8221;</p><p>I nodded in agreement. &#8220;Tough choice,&#8221; I said.</p><p>He paused. &#8220;Movies must have been a drag years ago. What did folks do before they had these big screens and computerization?&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Well,&#8221; I began, as Alner, sensing by my grin that I had something planned for him, began backing away.</p><p>Within seconds we were part of a crowd heading for a neighborhood movie theater in a Wyoming Valley town 60 or so years ago.</p><p>&#8220;Someday I must ask you how this so-called &#8216;power of metaphysical travel&#8217; of yours works,&#8221; he said.</p><p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t,&#8221; I replied. &#8220;You&#8217;d accidentally get stuck back in cave man days. Alner, old buddy, you&#8217;re about to have the movie experience of your life. Look up at the marquee.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;It says &#8216;House of Wax, with Vincent Price,&#8217;&#8221; he said.</p><p>&#8220;Look at what else it says &#8211; 3D.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Should be interesting,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I&#8217;ll spring for the tickets.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Since they&#8217;re only 35 cents that&#8217;s really big of you,&#8221; I said. &#8220;Here, use this old-time money I brought so they won&#8217;t think we&#8217;re creatures from another planet.&#8221;</p><p>He fiddled with the plastic glasses an usher handed him.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve got to watch the movie through these?&#8221; he asked.</p><p>&#8220;You get used to it after a while,&#8221; I said. &#8220;Just don&#8217;t get disoriented and spill the popcorn.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Oh, wow!&#8221; he shouted, along with the rest of the audience as flames and hot wax seemed to leap from the screen directly onto us. &#8220;This is really wild: it&#8217;s like you&#8217;re there in the story.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;You&#8217;re worth the price of admission all by yourself,&#8221; I told him.</p><p>A few minutes later he was yelling in terror as Vincent Price reached a bony arm out for him.</p><p>&#8220;You think this is funny, don&#8217;t you?&#8221; he gasped. I&#8217;m gonna need a shrink by the time this is over.&#8221;</p><p>As we were leaving the theater two hours later I could tell he was slightly annoyed with me.</p><p>&#8220;I must have looked like an idiot, getting scared like that,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I even dived under the seat once.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Well, buddy,&#8221; I cautioned him. &#8220;So did everybody else. Three-dimension was a wild invention back in the early &#8217;50s. That was a very creative era. Hollywood came out with extra-wide screens, stereophonic sound, top-notch color and a lot of other improvements we take for granted in our day.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;What ever happened to 3D?&#8221; he asked.</p><p>&#8220;It was very expensive, requiring special equipment all down the line,&#8221; I replied. &#8220;And some people considered the glasses a real pain. But I think you couldn&#8217;t beat it for a fun time at the old neighborhood movie house. Talk about thrills and chills. Now in our time Hollywood relies on huge screens and lots of noise to get your attention.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Well that creepy monster guy certainly got my attention,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I&#8217;m going to have nightmares about him grabbing me.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Yeah, 3D was all the rage for a while,&#8221; I said. &#8220;Really miss it today. Ever hear of Cinerama? That was a screen that wrapped halfway around the theater. Well, now you&#8217;ve got something to take home with you.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;I sure do,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Look here.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Alner,&#8221; I groaned. &#8220;You&#8217;ve got your pockets stuffed with five-cent candy bars.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Hey, this is my kind of three-dimension,&#8221; he said, unwrapping an almond Hershey&#8217;s.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Remember When </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_TOM_MOONEY.jpg</photo0><caption0>Remember When </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>Tom Mooney</p><p>Remember When</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Tom Mooney is a Times Leader history columnist. Reach him at tmooney2@ptd.net.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Remember When: A cinema experience from the past