Farewell to OKC’s Almonte Theatre

In the Almonte Shopping Center at SW 59^th & May, the Almonte Theatre 6 opened in 1982.

             Raiders of the Lost Ark ran there for years.  During the entire run, there was a cardboard standup for the film that was about ten feet tall and eight feet wide.  As I remember, it looked like this.

            Among the myriad films seen there were Jaws 3-D, Star Trek III, Silver Bullet, Red Dawn, An American Werewolf in London, and many more. 

            Of especial note is Return of the Jedi.  It opened on May 25, 1983.  A few days later, I stood in line at the Almonte 6 with my one-month-old son in a baby carrier, keeping him as comfy as possible.  This film was his first movie experience, not that he remembers (I hope – It was dark and loud!).

            When I stopped by the barber shop in the Almonte Center on October 19, 2016, there was a lot of activity going on in the location.  Guys were dragging out sections of chairs.

            A couple of fellows were loading a section or two into their pickup truck.  Evidently they were up for grabs, because there was a dumpster in front, filled with chairs!

            I sure wish I had me a pick-em-up truck.  If I did, then some of them chairs would be in my yard, you betcha!

            As of December 2016, the location is still vacant.

Comments on the Almonte Theatre at Cinema Treasures.

Photos from CinemaTour.

See you on Thursday, fellow memory sharers!

 

MA-83 - 45s & Favorites, Disc 16

Here are more songs from the past that are either

• inarguably great dittys that continue to stand the test of time
• symbolic of a pathetic attempt to live in the past

I say, why not BOTH?

01. Taxman (Take 11) - The Beatles (2:31)

02. I Talk to the Wind - King Crimson (6:08)  1969

03. In a Broken Dream - Python Lee Jackson (3:39)  1970

04. One Monkey Don't Stop No Show - Honey Cone (3:45)  1971

05. Hurting Each Other - Carpenters (2:48)  1971

06. Watching the River Flow - Bob Dylan (3:34)  1971

07. Chapel of Love - Bette Midler (2:43)  1972

08. When My Baby's Beside Me - Big Star (3:22)  1972

09. Comic Book Heroes - I'm Your Superman - Rick Springfield (3:39)  1973

10. Sister Mary Elephant - Cheech & Chong (3:34)  1973

11. Wild Tales - Graham Nash (2:13)  1973

12. Who Do You Think You Are - Jigsaw (2:57)  1974

13. To Each His Own - Faith, Hope & Charity (5:18)  1975

14. Howzat! - Sherbet (3:45)  1976

15. Hold On -  Ian Gomm (2:59)  1978

16. Rock Lobster (DB Records version) - The B-52's (4:38)  1978

17. Kitty - Racey (3:21)  1979

18. Fish Heads - Barnes & Barnes (2:25)  1980

19. Eaten by the Monster of Love - Sparks (2:59)  1982

20. Earthquake Song - The Little Girls (2:38)  1983

21. The Real End - Rickie Lee Jones (5:02)  1984

22. Sgt  Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) - A Day in the Life -  Big Daddy (4:56)  1992

... And a few random comments on some of the tracks:
Track #4:  You know your singing group is lackluster when you have to hire an outside singer (Rod Stewart) to have a hit.
Track #9:  A great pair of interlocked tracks from Springfield's second studio album, 1973's Comic Book Heroes.  Whenever I listen, I'd swear that the second part, "I'm Your Superman," is like half a musical step lower than the guitar intro track.
Track #13:  This is not only a fun disco song -- of which there are very few, in my opinion -- but a fine statement of human rights and free thoughts
    The best of business, In the line of business, Is to mind your business --
    So mind your business, If you got no business, Then make it your business
    To leave other people's business alone!
    To each his own, that's my philosophy!
Track #17:  This song is of course, the original from which Toni Basil fashioned her version, "Mickey."
Track #18:  You know that half of Barnes & Barnes is Bill Mumy, the sci-fi star?
Track #22:  From 1992, the wonderful conceit of the band Big Daddy's Sgt Pepper's is that it's performed by a 1950s doo-wop band that has just escaped from a media-free captivity for several decades.  Each song on this frabjous album is performed in a various 1950s pop trope.  The melding of the album's final song with Buddy Holly's legend is super-stupendous.

https://www.filefactory.com/file/ce9j4b5bo1c/MA-83.rar

Thanks to all, and I'll see you on Monday with more exciting news from Book Land!