Silver Screens and Saturday Mayhem: Growing Up in the Golden Age of Movies"

By Betty Paglieri - circa 2002

No discussion of the 1930s would be complete without an understanding of how dominant the movies were in our simple lives. For a modest admission, a world of adventure, romance, mystery, and plain old-fashioned enjoyment was readily accessible to almost anyone.

You could go to Paterson or Montclair if you wished to see first-run films in the plush movie palaces of the day, but most people in our town were happy with the Oxford Theater. It was a modest third-run enterprise that offered double features daily, as well as newsreels, coming attractions, cartoons, and shorts. In addition, there was "Bank Night" on Wednesdays, featuring a drawing where a lucky member of the audience could win $200—a large sum at that time—and "Dish Night" on Fridays, when a small extra fee over the admission allowed patrons (mostly ladies) to put together a set of china.

The Oxford may have been reserved for the order and decorum of the adult world, but Saturday matinees belonged to the kids. Admission was only 20 cents, and boys and girls would come from miles around for the shows. It was noisy and rowdy, with empty candy boxes flying around, kids running in the aisles, and wrestling in the seats. In other words, it was a boy's world. The chaos was so uproarious at times that one could scarcely hear what was going on over the soundtrack. But if you wanted to see a movie—and the only time your parents permitted you to attend by yourself was a Saturday afternoon—it was all you had.

I don't think my parents knew what was going on, and it was just as well. Thus, from the sixth to the eighth grade, I sat through many a weekly melee but still had a number of fine experiences and diverting entertainment.

By the time I reached high school, I was allowed to go to a matinee in Paterson. I loved it. I could catch the West Side bus around 11:30 AM, stop at the five-and-dime for a hot dog (10 cents), a root beer (5 cents), and a soft-serve ice cream (10 cents). Then it was off to the Fabian, the U.S., or any other of the five theaters operating in Paterson at that time. I would get out of the theater around 4 PM, hop on the 4:20 bus, and be home by 5, just in time for supper.

The bus was typically filled with other residents of our town who had gone to Paterson to work, shop, or find some diversion. In the better movie houses, it was a civilized experience. In that era—the golden age of Hollywood—it was the best we could do for an affordable price.

A few years later, everything changed with the advent of television.

Postscript - March 2025 from John Mack, son of Betty

On 11/26/1927 a Wurlitzer organ (circa 1798) was installed and the Oxford Theatre opened on February 24, 1928. The opening program was “Dress Parade” with William Boyd and Bessie Love, a newsreel, and an Our Gang comedy. The 1,542 seat theatre, referred to as one of the foremost playhouses in the East, was built in the Spanish style and featured a full stage and facilities.

The Oxford Theatre was listed as operating in the 1951 Film Daily Yearbook, and was later closed. It was demolished in October 1964, and at that time was part of the Stanley-Warner chain.