The Village Theater and Other Old Favorites

I remember when the Village Theater was new in town and we would line up for matinees on a Saturday morning. I also remember my first movie date at the Village when I was in sixth grade. I can even remember what movie we saw. "The Three Musketeers" was the movie of the day. My friend asked me to go to the movies with him again, but I must have chickened out on that date. After all, I was only twelve years old. There would be other dates in the years to follow with other friends. Not that I really went on many dates as a teenager.

Before the Village Theater was in Coronado we had another movie theater on Orange Avenue, where "The Lambs Players" are now. That movie theater had been there when my father was a kid too. He used to usher there as a young man. He used to entertain my sisters and me with stories about this time in his life, such as letting his friends in free by way of the back door. I remember going to many movies there and we only paid twelve cents to see a matinee on Saturdays.

There was a policeman named Pop Millar who took a lot of the children in town to the movies at various times during the year. I don't know how many years, and times during the year this took place, but I remember lining up with all the other children to go to the Coronado Theater* after school on more than one occasion. This was even featured in Life Magazine sometime during the forties. I think it was a cover story. The first movie I remember going to was on one of these occasions. I remember the movie being "The Song of the South."

Both movie theaters were still in Coronado when I was a teenager, and when I was dating Paul. I remember seeing "The Glenn Miller Story" at the Coronado Theater with Paul when we were dating. It is hard to believe that Coronado has gone without a movie theater for so long now. Thankfully the Village Theater is being restored and will open again soon.

My children remember going to the Village when they were little too. Laura remembers going to free movies on special occasions such as Christmas Eve. After we moved from Coronado we rarely went to movies as it wasn't so convenient as it had been in our favorite home town.

Also, when I was a child I remember an outdoor movie theater where I went at least one time with my family. There was an outdoor screen and I think we sat on a lawn. I remember it being near where Albertsons is now, either on C or B Avenue. That may be where the skating rink was when I was a teenager. I only remember going to the rink once, but Paul used to go there a lot as a teen.

I remember going to the Coronado Theater to see "Heidi" when I was a child too. That is one time I remember going to the movies with my mother. I knew we were going to see Shirley Temple and it took me a while to realize that Heidi was Shirley Temple. No one explained to me that she would not be called Shirley in the movie. I had not been to many movies and had things to learn. We did not go to movies when we lived with our grandparents on the farm during the war. Children have a lot of things to figure out in life, anyway I had a lot to figure out.

I remember going to one movie at North Island with a friend when I was a young adult. I went to the theater at North Island on at least one other occasion too. I was given tickets to hear an orchestra at the base theater. That was a treat. I also went to the movie theater at the Amphibious Base with a friend one time. I don't have any idea if that theater is still there since we don't go on the base and I'm not up to date on things there.

Downtown San Diego used to have some fine old movie theaters that we went to in years past. Some have been refurbished beautifully for continued enjoyment. Some are neglected and waiting for a reprieve from the condition they are now in. We don't want to lose these historical buildings. Some are long gone and are a faint memory. Other communities have gone through changes such as this too. New things are always nice, but they can't compete with places with a past.

My sister Donna and I were just remembering that we took our parents out to eat and to the movies in downtown San Diego on at least one of their anniversaries when we were teenagers. We went to the Chicken Pie Shop which was a favorite of mine. We could each get a whole meal, including dessert, for less than a dollar. This restaurant is a San Diego favorite and has been around for many years. It has been in more than one location over the years. We used to go there mostly when it was downtown. It was also in Hillcrest too, in two different locales. The Chicken Pie Shop is now in North Park and is still a favorite. One of my friends introduced me to the one downtown when we were teenagers. Paul remembers going there as a child.

I also remember going to one drive in movie with our family when we were teenagers. This was also a time we treated our parents, probably for their anniversary. This could not have been too much fun for our dad as he had very bad eyes. Mom had to do the driving since he couldn't see to drive. When I was a baby he had been a chauffeur, but that was before his eyes got bad. There are unending memories that touch our lives at so many levels.

*The original old theater was probably The Strand Theater as I have heard it called by others. But I always refer to it as the Coronado Theater since that is how I remember it.

Image credits:  Kathleen Cavalaro, oskay, UggBoy♥UggGirl