Sit back, dim the lights and let me tell you about two movie theaters in Milwaukee that no longer show double features nor sell those gargantuan tubs of popcorn.
The Skyway Cinema, built in 1972, was where I first honed my popcorn making skills as a tuxedo clad usher. I fondly remember the thousand rug rats that would infest the Saturday morning matinees. Sticky paws coated with Butterfingers and nacho cheese would leave their paw prints on the glass candy cases, the glass showcases, and the glass doors. I was convinced that the architect that opted for all this glass was undoubtedly a sadist.
The little tykes, their pockets stuffed with melting chocolate and free balloons that the theater owners generously distributed because of some scatter-brained promotion, collided with each other, spilling king-size tubs of popcorn that parents would let their "Oh-he's-a-big-boy-now" carry and, inevitably, dump on my nice, clean lobby. A few considerate Mommies and Daddies would blow up some of those free promotional balloons, making everyone jittery whenever they popped unexpectedly. To this day, the sight of balloons makes me fidgety.
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About 5 miles from the Skyway sprawled the 41 Outdoor Twin which was built in 1948. I saw my first outdoor movie there in 1971: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. During intermission, king-sized tubs of popcorn would sing and dance with other vending counter goodies to lure us rug rats to the refreshment stand. This, of course, was an insidious ploy to get kids hollered at by their parents for spilling the buttered popcorn on the cheap, vinyl car seats. Believe me, it’s no fun getting hollered at while Oompa Loompas are piped in through speakers hanging from the passenger window.
The 41 was sold to Northwestern Mutual Insurance in 2001. I happen to work in the office building erected on the site--a building featuring, of all things, a plethora of windows. Now, when I get the munchies, I walk down to the Northwestern Mutual snack shop and buy, believe it or not, a bag of hot, buttered popcorn. No kidding. I shake my head in wonder as I walk back to my desk, located just 3 floors up and 25 years after I sat and watched Willy Wonka on those butter-stained seats.
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Just before I sit back down at my desk, I covertly smear the window near my cubie with my buttery fingers and smile devilishly: Long live rug rats!
