What’s Your Favorite Memory of Highland Park Village Theater?
Buddy Macatee’s column in today’s edition of Park Cities People includes this gem:
When Harold Henger and I were in early college, one Sunday evening we carried a thermos full of gin, grapefruit juice, and ice up to the balcony, where — aided by an enema hose inserted into the spout of the cooler — we imbibed the elixir until stoned, then made our way somehow to the Dallas Country Club swimming pool, which was draining its water for its Monday scrubbing. When Harold dove into about a foot of water in the shallow end, he broke his nose and lost a tooth.
Really, Buddy? Grapefruit juice? Yuck.
The Park Cities may be the only place I don’t have the kind of memories that Mr. Macatee is talking about.
Spending the night at my friend Dudley McKenzie’s house on Rheims for the express purpose of being able to sneak out and walk to the theatre for the midnight movie. We saw Quadrophenia, Tommy, The Kids are Alright (can you tell we were Who fans), and many others. We also saw The Rocky Horror Picture Show – complete with people in costumes, dancing and throwing things at the screen. We never got caught, but we did have some close calls – both with the HP Police and with Dudley’s mom.
On a given Saturday morning when the then manager (I think) Joe Jackson confiscated about 4 million water guns from those of us attending the Saturday “Kids Show”. I never forgave him!
Let’s see, College boys (probably high school too) sneaking liquor into the movies. Getting a good buzz and going swimming.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
In the 7th grade, my friend took me into the “alley” behind the theater (http://bit.ly/bHUSdO), up a ladder attached to the south wall of the theater, and into a crawl space that turned out to be directly behind the big screen (no movie was playing at the time). He then proceeded to light up the first joint I’d ever seen. I was terrified–convinced the cops would bust in at any moment, arrest us, and send us to Huntsville for the rest of our lives. Not really my favorite memory, but an indelible one.
I recall an older, gentle african-american man who was allowed to sleep during some of the screenings there because he had worked two jobs and needed a place to rest during the day. He worked at the Earle Cabell Federal building as a cook and was well liked by everyone in the courts system of Dallas. I recall see’ing him asleep during many of my visits to the old theatre. Anyone else recall him?
Most Saturday mornings back in the mid-1960s, the theater would feature Disney movies. I remember being dropped off there with friends and seeing “The 9 Lives of Tomasina”, “Son Of Flubber” and “The Ghost & Mr. Chicken”. I was only about 8 years old at the time, but my mom would get us the tickets & the usher with a flashlight would take us to our seats. Good times!
more disney movie memories at HP theatre… a title I can’t remember but starring dean jones and suzanne pleshette – about a great dane who thought it was a dachsund (and learning via the marquee how to spell dacshund!)… “Follow me Boys” – about the boy scouts, starring Kurt Russell (just a kid!) and Fred McMurray, crying at the end of “Old Yeller”…
I CAN spell dachsund – I am just lousy w/ a keyboard!
hpmom, I totally remember seeing “Follow Me, Boys” at the HP theater; so fun (and funny) that so many kids saw those same matinees there so long ago!
I think I’ve told this story on the blog before. During my high school employment at the AMC Glen Lakes, I was loaned for one night to the Village Theater. I was forced to tuck my then long hair into an AMC gimme cap, an indignity not required at the Dallas multiplex. My teenage sensibilities were thoroughly offended.
I remember going to the Rocky Horror picture show and throwing rice and squirting water from the balcony during those scenes. It was the late 70’s. I also remember one of my un-named friends throwing mustard sardines from the balcony. The smell was awful. During the intermission, we ran into a large scary Harley Davidson biker that had sardines all over his back and in his hair. He was very upset and was looking for payback. My friend and I were probably 13 or 14 at the time and we kept our mouths shut as this guy explained to his other biker friend that he was going to hurt the guys that were “throwing sardines from the balcony”. Oh the joys of youth!
Sneaking in to movies. I lived on Fairfax and we would walk down to The Village, buy a ticket to some movie that was playing, sneak into the R movie, and always get busted. That manager’s mission was to catch kids going into R movies.
The Art Deco murals on the walls painted by Buck Wynne!!