Life, food, events, and community in Albuquerque, NM
I'll have popcorn with my butter...
There used to be great theaters to see movies in 'Burque. Madstone was a big loss. But what about all those theaters of my youth? When I was a kid, going to the movies meant buttered popcorn, Jordan Almonds and a movie my father picked.
Talk about freedom when my sister got her license and we could go and see the quirky movies that we loved so much. It was my big sister who took me to Don Pancho's on Central to see Harold and Maude for the first time. Isn't the Pita Pit where Don Panchos used to be or was it the place next door? I loved going to all those Marx Brothers and Charlie Chaplin festivals there. I remember when my best friend from high school, Neat Pete, and I saw This is Spinal Tap at Don Pancho's. I was young and naive and wasn't quite sure if that was a real documentary! Turns out it was a "rockumentary."
I was introduced to foreign films when I saw the King of Hearts at the Guild - which I'm grateful is still around. I always loved the Guild because they sold Toblerone chocolate. It made me feel so grown up seeing movies with subtitles and eating Swiss chocolate.
Neat Pete and I had a crazy night when we went to see Superman at the Highland Theater! We were in hysterics waiting in the long line because, well... that's a story for another time! I never did get to sit in the balcony of the Highland, but I do remember to never wear shorts there because those old seats were so itchy. There was a balcony at the Lobo and I did sit in that one - but only to watch a movie. Never got to have a make-out session there.
Way before those theaters though, we used to go to movies at the Sunshine Theater. The theater was already old by then and in its last stages as a movie house. My Auntie Mary used to take my cousin and me to bargain Disney movies there - you know, those old Hayley Mills movies. Auntie Mary was one of those people that would talk through the entire movie. Good thing the movies were bad. And I remember when my father took me to see the Ten Commandments at the Sunshine. I'll never forget Charlton Heston with his long flowy hair parting the Red Sea. Wow, now that was some major movie magic!
My parents never liked going to the drive-in. I'd have to wait until I spent the night at my Auntie Mary's house and we'd go to the Terrace, or the Silver Dollar. Which one had the neon flamenco dancer? Auntie would pile no less than five kids in their pajamas in the blue station wagon stocked with Cracker Jacks, popcorn, a thermos of hot chocolate and plenty of blankets for when we fell asleep. Oh, and my cousin reminded me about the empty coffee can my auntie would take...in case you had to go pee pee!
35 Comments
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Comment by The Grand Panjandrum on January 23, 2008 at 12:02pm -
The last two movies I remember seeing at Don Pancho's were Stop Making Sense and Last Temptation of Christ. The Lobo had a short lived renaissance back in the 90's, but I don't remember what movies I saw during that period. The last movie I remember seeing at the Hiland was Out of Africa.
Those old movie houses are nice and I miss them. The multiplex style houses don't interest me, and I rarely go to see movies anymore. I loves me some Netflix.
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Comment by Spring Griffin on January 23, 2008 at 12:12pm - 'lita, since all of my growing up memories are of elsewhere, I appreciate getting to see some of the recent local history I missed out on through you're eyes!
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Comment by norman p on January 23, 2008 at 12:35pm -
first job: working at the solver dollar. even forged by birth cert to be 15....some sort of b.s. law.
the terraace was a sister theatre, as was the one on carlisle by american furnature.
good times, free movies.
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Comment by once banned twice shy on January 23, 2008 at 12:39pm
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Don Pancho's was definitely in the vacant space just east of the Pita Pit. The Pita Pit was a laundromat named "St. Germaine's Violet Flame." Wacky name for a laundromat...
PhilO, I don't know the name of that theatre, but I am pretty certain it is slated for demolition to make way for development.
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Comment by Dr Dan on January 23, 2008 at 1:24pm -
1st s, tar wars was at the highland
Animal House at the Lobo Balcony
just before the Cinema East twin closed, I saw Independance Day, I had forgotten how big the old theaters were. Midnight movie at the Don Pancho's, what was that movie where every one went in costumes and shouted the lines in the movie? Rocky Horror?, Cowboy movies at the Knothole theater at La Mesa Plaza. Drive ins where my parents made all the hotdogs, popcorn, and kool aid. AH the memories
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Comment by Diego on January 23, 2008 at 2:06pm - My mom took me, and my best friend Marvin to the midnight movie at Don Pancho's because we begged and begged to go see "A Clock Work Orange" it was all very rowdy and people were rolling bottles of empty beer down the ailes. Well i was young and fell asleep by 1am my mom was so mad... My older brother took me to see The Rocky Horror Picture Show the following year which was very exciting. I Also remembe going to The State where NYPD is located now. We used to take a big ol bag of home made buttered popcorn which would be unthinkable today. Thats where I saw Ben, and cried for the first time in a movie theatre I was 7 years old. I remember seeing Jaws at the Far East and the line was literally all the way around the building. It seemed more exciting back then.
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Comment by sophie on January 23, 2008 at 2:39pm - Except for the 20+ pounds I gained from all that free popcorn, I loved working at a movie theater. I wish I'd been here during the glory days of Don Pancho's. If you haven't seen it, Collecting Rooftops is a little filmic love story (sort of) about the Lobo Theater.
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Comment by Zia on January 23, 2008 at 3:02pm -
Rocky Horror was a midnight movie staple at Don Pancho's and where I lost my RHPS virginity.
During a showing of Persona at DP's, the film broke in the middle of a winter scene. This film is b/w and the subtitles are in white. Persona is complicated, not quite as easily distilled as the IMDB plot summary would lead you to believe. While we were waiting for the movie to get spliced back together, somebody asked, "Does anybody here speak Swedish?" Alas, nobody did. Got an amazing film history education at DP's. It was a fabulous hole in the wall.
We used to go to the Terrace drive-in a lot. It was great sitting in the back of the truck drinking soda and eating popcorn. Once we arrived early-ish for a showing of Hooper and so did the local pontiac firebird or chevy camaro car club. There must have been 50+ cars that drove down every row until they got to the front and parked. It was so much fun! We were mystified about this until we saw the car Burt was driving.
Fitzcarraldo and Die Flambierte Frau were among the memorable movies shown at The Guild. The latter was an unexpected education about S&M. I came out of it thinking, "What the...?!" and my friend, "Hmm. Interesting!"
Saw Star Wars at the Louisiana Blvd theater. And again at the Far North. It was interesting to find myself working at Bound To Be Read many, many, many years later. How did they fit 4 theaters into that space? (It was four, right?)
I know I saw movies at Highland but can't remember any of them. That balcony was fantastic!
The ABQ Six drive in was okay, but it had no ambiance like the Terrace or the Silver Dollar.
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Comment by Diego on January 23, 2008 at 3:51pm
- EFP don't ever go to the dollar movie it is only ten times worse!!!!
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Although none of ABQ's old theaters are still showing movies, we're lucky that so many of the buildings are still standing. Here's hoping that efforts to fix them up continue, starting with the Highland. Does anyone know the name of the old theater at Central east of Rio Grande, near the Old Town Garcia's? I hear it's in danger of being torn down for new development.