We went to see the Wizard of Oz at this beautiful theater this week.
The actors were very talented and the show was delightful. I really enjoyed it.
Yet the thing that really excited me was the enchanting beauty of this theater. It had such detail. This was in the ceiling of the lobby.
One child a few rows down finally asked what I was taking photos of. I guess I could take this as a sign that I went a wee bit over board with the camera.
But, do we build structures like this anymore?
You felt royal the minute you walked inside. I can’t help but compare this to the sticky oily floored modern day movie theaters. I’m not feeling like the queen of the castle there.
I came home with a desire to learn more about the history of these buildings. It seems that every old downtown area has a Ritz or something similar.
Not all of them are still ritzy. I cannot help but think that behind their boarded up windows the ghosts of a previous generation linger. They wore gloves, hats, and ties and that definitely comes closer to royalty wear than my jeans.
My researching led me to this out of print book: The Best Remaining Seats: The Golden Age of the Movie Palace by Ben M Hall. I’ll post a review of it later, after I read it.
