2 thoughts on “TSOT – Post 2!”

1. Ha ha – I just got it – the name of the blog. It’s only taken a week for it to twig! I’m not usually that slow though 🙂

2. Had a thought or two myself about cinema and wrote it down.

   Was looking for Top Gear videos on Youtube with my nephew at the weekend and somehow came across a clip of ‘Bear Necessities’ from The Jungle Book. I couldn’t resist clicking on it and playing the whole thing. To my amazement I could remember (and sing) all the words. I have vivid memories of seeing The Jungle Book in the Abbey cinema in Wicklow Town. The town hasn’t had a cinema for a good number of years now. The closest one now is the shiny new multiplex in Arklow. Anyway, watching the Jungle Book clip I thought it sad that my nephew won’t get the same experience we had as kids going to the Saturday matinee.

   Cue the Hovis ad music now (or the violins)…. In those days, most children had 2 fully functioning legs and were able to walk places. The odd one or two that lived miles outside the town were driven to the cinema, but it was all hordes of kids walking along the streets of Wickla to the Abbey cinema. I always remember that the pace would quicken as we came around the corner towards the cinema itself. Hearts would sink if there was a big queue as there was always the possibility of being turned away once the cinema was full. If we hadn’t already bought sweets in “Copelands” sweet shop, the cinema had it’s own tuck shop of overpriced mars bars, marathons, opal fruits, big bags of maltesers etc.

   The Abbey cinema was one screen for a long time. It had a balcony level where the more comfortable seats were (and the double seats – nudge nudge wink wink) & the lower level seats which we called the “cheap seats”. At some point in time it was converted to 2 screens, with the blockbuster of the day playing on the larger of the 2 screens. The wall between the screens wasn’t very thick – if a comedy film was on next door it was always fun to imagine what scene was causing such howls of laughter next door.

   Before the film started, a bizarre display was shown on screen. I can only describe it as being like a lava lamp effect of sorts. Tinny pop music accompanied this display and the music was played on awful speakers behind the screen. Ads were next – the one I always remember is for some Diamond Ring Store on O’Connell Street (long since gone I’m sure)… Then the lights would dim slowly, the curtain pull back fully and (sometimes) feet would stomp in anticipation of the celluloid wonder about to hit the screen. The film was about to begin.

   The Abbey Cinema screens took me to many places including a galaxy far far away. It’s amazing to me that anytime I hear music from Star Wars I am instantly transported back to the magic of that day. I would love to see it again through those 9 year old eyes.

   When the film ended, it was time to head back out (squinting) into the still bright afternoon and make our way home. Every sentence began with “did you see the bit where”… complete with actions, where appropriate. It was all non stop discussion of everything we had seen on screen. Magic, magic times.

   I’m sure that kids going to the cinema today are similarly enthralled, but I don’t know if it’s quite the same as the whole sense of adventure we had as kids for one day a week – Matinee day (Saturday) – when we were let loose from parental control to go to the Abbey.

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