The Saturday Matinee cost 15 cents......

Growing up in Chilliwack.........middle 40s

Being a kid in the 40s was a so different than now...there were no boogys that were going to bother anybody much...people were trusting, most people did not lock their doors...there was no such thing as drugs except for cigarettes and most kids took a crack at them sooner or later but for the most part, pranks ...accidents ...local events, obituaries made up the local news...kids had the freedom to roam at a younger age...especially in a small town like Chilliwack....Walking in town with a friend at 7- 8 years old to see the latest toys at the 15 cent store (Woolworth's) was okay...at least it was for us...we lived so close to town ...The Auction barn was 100 yards from 5 corners ....we had a look every Saturday....lots of animals...I was always badgering dad to get a pony...why couldn't we keep it in the yard....Cows were the main menu and it was facinating to watch and listen to the auctioneer running a bid...how did he do that?.....the slightest nod or hand movment put those farmers in the running....the way the calfs were hustled about was alarming but ...hey thats how they did it, let's get the show on the road. There was always dogs , cats and rabbits in a few cages......... they were for sale or to give away....we always had a good look at the pet cages.........then off to the "show". Movies were a big thing......they showed two to three features a week at the Strand theatre and Saturdays was kids day......The Saturday movie cost 15 cents at the time of my arrival to the matinee ...... a serial feature with the Lone Ranger or Lash Larue, maybe Hop a long Cassidy.....was shown with a movie.......the lineup was long....lots of kids....and the grumpy manager Claude Smith was there to hustle the kids around and keep order ...quite a job....parents got the afternoon off....Claude got us.... Jack Darling was always there WITH HIS MOTHER...they were rich....she went everywhere with the poor guy...he was scrubbed so clean he shone like a pot...I think he looked like you think he looked like.....a doofis little beanie hat....shorts....black shiny shoes....that's the guy...why couldn't she just let him be a kid...ah well.....They never had a confectionery inside the "show".....we could go across the street to Cadby's to buy treats......torpedoes and jaw breakers were the main fare...and no drinks allowed...that's where the crook in us came out ...we would buy these huge bottles of Kik Kola ... (it wasn't very good but there was lots of it) ....and very coolly pass the ticket taker with them under our jackets...when it went dark and all the kids started hollering....we would start in..."hey who has the nail" " you didn't forget it"..."naw shudup ..I got it...here"...........if you push a sharp nail into the top....it makes a hole quickly...that's how we drank the stuff...we were some sneaky guys...I often thought, why don't we use an opener...but I didn't say anything...I'm not sure if that was stupid. On the way home after the movie we always played out the serial and fought over who was going to be "Hoppy".
I probably seen every movie made in those days....mum and dad went to practically all of them...and Faye and I went too, except when she was 14 or so....then of course I went Saturday again...that's what we did...no TV...but a lots of 7 o'clock movies.....Roy Rogers was a movie for adults as well as kids...there would be a lineup to the Valley Laundry (a block long) to see him or any of the "better" flicks.
The first movie I remember seeing was "Bambi"......that was one great show and it was in color......only a few films were color in those days....Bambi was out for a few years by the time I seen it , probably its second release............it was made in 1939......another early color picture is "Gone with the wind".......A movie that that was a real thriller was "Abbott and Costello and the Haunted House" I had to have my light left on after that one.....oooww it vas veddy scaddy.