Movie matrons -- who remembers them?

I only remember prison matrons, doll.

Article about movie matrons. Sorry that it's from the NY Post...

Maybe someone here was a movie matron?

I have only known usherettes from that era. One worked the opening of the Ten Commandments. Her and the other usherettes were provided “slave girl” costumes. According to her, the manger and projectionist couldn’t handle it, and chased them around the balcony.

I can't believe that my parent left me alone in a movie theater when I was about 5 or 6 to watch a double feature of "Gypsy" and "The Music Man" when I guess movies still played in theaters for a number of years in second and third run theaters. Movie matrons were there until about 5:00 p.m. or so, with their big flashlights. That was a great double feature -- but long! "You can um, you can um, you can um, um, um" -- my father thought it was adorable when I sang this.

[quote]Her and the other usherettes were provided “slave girl” costumes.

Oh, dear.

[quote]I can't believe that my parent left me alone in a movie theater when I was about 5 or 6 to watch a double feature of "Gypsy" and "The Music Man"

Have you figured out that this was what made you gay?

Her was, R4?

I went into the Rogers Theater in Brooklyn on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Found the first seat I could find.

Suddenly, from behind a flashlight in my face I heard "How old are you? I said "Twenty-three." She screamed "Well get the hell outta the kiddie section." This movie house is now a church.

Her is

Yep, there was indeed a kiddie section when there are movie matrons.

R7 Well, if made me want to play Harold Hill (and Rose), and I ended up being bi, but thanks for playing.

When I turned 13 I had to buy an adult ticket but still sit in the children’s section. One Saturday afternoon I was feeling rebellious and sat in the empty adult section. Ten minutes into American Graffiti one of those cunts flashed her light in my face and told me to move. I made a big scene, the manager was called and I got tossed out of the theatre.

Movie matrons had real power back in the day. They were tough broads, too.

Perhaps shockingly I have never heard of Movie Matrons. But then I grew up in a small town. I was a great moviegoer as a child (still am) and was allowed to go by myself from age 8 onwards. I look at that now and think how dangerous it was. Those were more trusting days.

OTOH, Daddy left me alone at age 5 in his car in an enormous industrial section of town on a weekend. A child molester/abductor was on the loose at that time. Was Daddy trying to tell me something?

Were a lot of movie matrons lesbians?

I think it's a great idea! Let adults watch movies in peace. This reminds of a thread here from years ago about a restaurant from the 1960s in PA that had a no kids policy after 8pm.

When was the last time that theaters advertised kiddie matinees? I remember seeing things like "Snow White and Rose Red" which I think were Eastern European children's films dubbed into English. Also "Rumpelstiltskin", among other things.

When was that era? My era of movie theaters didn't even have ushers there whatsoever, only metal detectors.

I remember getting into 'R' movies alone at the mall cinemas. I was in my early teens watching Dressed To Kill; The Blue Lagoon; Bolero; Tarzan...

Probably ended in the early to mid 70s...

Born in 1976, I don't recall movie matrons, but I do recall when you could smoke in the theaters and there were ash trays at every seat.