If We Could But Journey Back ...


Just for the sake of argument, let’s pretend for the moment that we were born in 1930. That would make us about 11 when this incredible show came to town. Now, I’m not a big fan of the Stooges --- never was --- but I must say this is one incredible bill of fare. The Maltese Falcon is first-run, of course. That means we’d get to see one of those luminous 35mm nitrate prints, no doubt on a carbon-arc projection system with all the light of the sun behind it (not like today when pictures in theatres look so murky and dim) --- and just imagine the excitement of seeing the Falcon when it was brand new! And not to rub it in, but look at these prices! Ten cents if you get there before 1:00. A princely forty cents between 1 and 5:00, and an astronomical sixty cents for the evening shows! I think I would just about get my money’s worth at that. If one were willing to traverse four miles over a sea of broken glass to see a program like this, then, yeah, I guess those admissions are okay. It’s a cinch the Stooges would have been more fun that day than they were for me on those Summer afternoons when I was dragged to the Liberty to see things like Snow White Meets The Three Stooges (shown here), or Around The World In A Daze. It’s pretty bad when you go the show, and the only thing you’re really looking forward to is the trailers. Wonder what those other acts amounted to --- the ones with the Stooges, I mean --- is anyone familiar with Gil Maison, Phillis Colt (Phyllis Coates would be nice), or The Robbins Bros. and Margie? Do you suppose Larry Fine played his violin during their live gigs? Otherwise, I guess it was just a lot of runnin’ around and eye-pokin’. That would have been enough. Just watching them up there reading the phone book would have been enough.