Chapter 2 - The New Movies

According to the government records and the movie listings, the official name of the theatre is "Loew's New Vista" but the locals just refer to as "The New Movies". It is one of the newer buildings in town and is owned by Cletus and Harriet Allbritton. Cletus' family had once owned a small coal mining company near Luke in Garrett County but it was sold at auction a few years ago following a period of rapidly declining yields. The coal fields in general seem to be moving in a southwesterly direction towards West Virginia and Kentucky, as least as far as jobs are concerned.

But the war has produced a huge influx of rail traffic into the Potomac valley and as a result, it has generated a goodly number of relatively high paying jobs - some of which are now held by women. The depression years are still fresh in folks' memories around here and there is a reluctance to spend money on frivolous non-essentials. But a movie and an evening out seem to be a luxury more and more townspeople are willing to afford themselves at least once a week.

Cletus Allbritton envisioned that there was there was a stable source of income to be had by opening a movie theater at the edge of the business district in East Falls. And so far it seems to be successful.

This week Ernest Hemmingway's To Have and Have Not with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall is playing to average sized houses. Cletus wasn't too keen on scheduling it for fear it might be too "high brow" for the average East Falls movie goer. But Harriet, who had gone to college at Frostburg, wanted to see it and the trailer had hinted at enough passion that almost all the regulars seem to have showed up. To be safe, however, Cetus has booked a John Wayne movie for next week.

As is customary around these parts, the balcony of the movie theater is reserved for Negroes. There is a fire escape that is only to be used in the event of an emergency but the door seems to be often left ajar by one of the patrons. This serves as way to sneak into the movie for free if you are willing to sit in the balcony. Cletus and Harriet are aware of this but don't seem too concerned. Since Harriet usually sells the tickets, she has a pretty good idea who the paying customers are for any given showing.

One regular paying customer is Zeke Buchannon, a Negro who works at the tavern next door and who usually attends the Tuesday matinée each week. Harriet suspects it is he who is leaving the door ajar. But having the Trackside Tavern close by seems to be good for both businesses so she and Cletis are trying to be good neighbors. This reporter once heard Cletis joke that if the white boys were a little less picky, they might figure out that they could watch a movie for free if they'd sit up in the balcony with the Negroes and "put up with 'em."

Photo taken on my HO scale model railroad