The last picture show closed without ceremony. The Twin Cinema stayed dry from the rains of Tropical Storm Harvey, but it never reopened.
But in a time past, movies were an important part of entertainment for Orange. In 1950, the city had six theaters, including a drive-in.
Downtown had the Strand, the Gem, the Royal and the Bengal. During those days of racial segregation, the Dragon on Second Street, the business district for the African-American community, also showed movies.
The MacArthur Drive-In was near the traffic circle on MacArthur Drive, but was on Strickland Drive where Home Depot is today.
Other theaters had also existed. American Theatre in 1927, before movies had sound, advertised in the local newspaper “A Whirlwind of Thrillers” with “Riders of the Sandstorm” starring “Big Boy Williams” plus “The Hoosier School Master.”
The Strand Theater on Front Street where the Lutcher Theater now stands was the city’s largest and lasted the longest. Advertisements for the Strand go back to the 1920s, again, before sound films.
Dorothy Meadows, who died last year at the age of 91, said in a 1993 story in the Orange County News that the Strand was remoded in World War II with a patriotic theme. The dim red-orange lights inside the theater were shaped as eagles with spread wings.
Baby Boomers in the 1950s through the 1960s would go to “kiddie shows” on Saturdays. Admission of 35 cents could keep you inside all day long watching cartoons, old black-and-white serials, plus a special movie and then the regular feature.
Kids went unaccompanied by adults and the management had to clean up messes. Popcorn, Milk Duds, and Junior Mints were often tossed, especially if a seventh-grade boy and girl decided to kiss.
The Strand also had a balcony. Part of the balcony was reserved for African-Americans, who had a separate entrance in those days when separate was not equal.
The MacArthur Drive-In originally had a large painting on the front of the screen of a lake at Shangri La Gardens surrounded by azaleas. Drive-in theaters had movie viewers sitting in their cars to watch an outdoors screen. Each spot had a metal speaker hooked up by a cable to a stand. A stand had hooks for two speakers. The hooks would hang on a car window. On one side, the speaker went in the passenger side, on the other side, the speaker went on the driver’s side.
A family could pack up the kids and get in for a dollar a carload. A playground was near the snack bar for the children who didn’t want to watch a film or as they waited until after sunset for the darkness needed to show the film. Teenagers considered it a challenge to get in the trunk of a car to get inside free.
Bob Merritt was the last manager of the MacArthur Drive-In. He told the Orange County News in 1992 that the theater closed on January 2, 1982. It was the last drive-in open in the Golden Triangle.
The Dragon was on Second Street. Businessman Charlie Rosenthal owned the theater along with the Drag Kitchen, a popular restaurant next door.
The Orange Leader on December 31, 1950, had advertisements for theaters on that New Year’s Eve. The MacArthur Drive-In said the movie would go on, “rain or clear” and touted “hot tamales and chili at the snack bar.” The movie was “On Our Merry Way” with a host of stars. The actors were Paulette Goddard, James Stewart, Dorothy Lamour, Fred MacMurray, Victor Moore, Henry Fonda, Harry James, and Burgess Meredith. The cartoon was “Trap Hoppy Porky,” starry the ageless star Porky Pig.
The Strand had a special New Year’s Eve party for 60 cents. The midnight show was “Mr. Music” with Bing Crosby and Nancy Olson. The theater also had Esther Williams and Howard Keel starring in “Pagan Love Song.”
The Royal on Front Street between Fourth and Fifth streets, had John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara in “Rio Grande,” described as “The Breath-Taking Saga of the United States Calvary” with your “two favorite stars.”
The Bengal, on Main Street, had “Rock Island Trail” with Forrest Tucker, Adele Mara and Bruce Cabot.
The Gem on Fifth Street between Front and Main, on the site where the Orange Public Library stands, did not advertise that day. It specialized in westerns, like the ad from April 5, 1940, where the theater had “Legion of the Lawless” with George O’Brien and Virginia Vale.
-Margaret Toal, KOGT-
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