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A friend recently showed me a book he had just purchased entitled, Hollywood Bound by Peter Doggett, an English music journalist, author and magazine editor.
The book had movie stills from films that had bondage themes of one
type or another. As I had seen many of the films featured in the book,
it brought back many memories.
In
the forties when I was about 8 years old, there was a movie theater called The
State on 4th & Market, where Ross ("Dress for Less") is now located.
photographer unknown
On
Saturdays The State had matinees for kids that cost 9¢ to get in. I lived in Visitacion Valley on Geneva Ave. in the outer Mission and my mother would give me a quarter
to go to the 9 am showing. It cost 5¢ for the bus each way which left
me 6¢. I would buy a candy bar which cost 5¢. That left me 1¢ which I
saved and on the fifth Saturday I could buy TWO candy bars!
During the Saturday matinee they had a double feature (two FULL length movies), usually "B" films that are now cult films, some featured in Hollywood Bound, or Hopalong Cassidy played by William Boyd . . .
During the Saturday matinee they had a double feature (two FULL length movies), usually "B" films that are now cult films, some featured in Hollywood Bound, or Hopalong Cassidy played by William Boyd . . .
. . . The Three Stooges usually with a great cast as in this one with Gale Storm, Louis Jordan, Will Osborne and Phil Regan an American actor and singer who later served time for bribery in a real estate scandal . . .
. . . coming attractions, a news reel (TV was newly invented & very few people had one, a bazillon cartoons and a serial, usually with cowboys (such as The Phantom Empire with Gene Autry), etc.!!!!!
movie poster
The last Saturday I went, they showed a serial with Buster Crabbe (it was his birthday earlier this month) as Flash Gordon. It was my first viewing of a Sci-Fi film; even though it had pretty cheesy effects (e.g. the space ship), gaudy sets and bad acting (link below), from an 8 year old kid's point of view it was terrific. I remember being COMPLETELY transfixed and I had to see it again. Now, with all that stuff they showed, the entire program probably lasted three or four hours and I sat through THREE showings! I didn't get home until around 9 that evening; that's 12 hours I was gone. My mother was out of her wits by then, I caught holy hell and was never allowed to go to the movie matinee again.
But it was worth it!!!
Flash Gordon was always in trouble of one kind or another and in chapter 6, Emperor Ming (delightfully portrayed by Charles Middleton) . . .
. . . was the culprit mentioned in the book, Hollywood Bound and shown on YouTube (link below).
Hollywood Bound
has many other photographs in it that are absolutely wonderful, some
romantic, some erotic and some hilarious! But I'll leave that for another
blog entry.
Viewfinder links:
