On Area Movie Screens – June 13, 1971

It’s always interesting to see what was playing on area movie screens fifty years ago (back when we still had area movie screens). Unfortunately, the cultural changes that were taking place meant that there was very little for families to choose from on the Journal movie page of June 13, 1971.

Oh, there was still family entertainment, courtesy of Walt Disney Productions. Both Amherst Theatre and Liberty Theatre (in Vermilion) were showing The Barefoot Executive starring Kurt Russell and a chimpanzee. (I wonder if Alan Hopewell saw that one at Boy’s Town?) But the rest of the movies on the page reflected the changing tastes of the moviegoing public. 

Not surprisingly, the local drive-in theaters were showing biker and horror flicks. Bury Me An Angel and Angels Die Hard were at both the Carlisle and the Lorain Drive-ins. Night of Bloody Horror and Night of the Living Dead were at the Tower Drive-in.

It was a mixed bag at the other theaters. Avon Lake Theater went for horror, with Hawkeye Pierce himself (Alan Alda) starring in The Mephisto Waltz. Midway Mall Cinema (it hadn’t been twinned yet) was showing The Andromeda Strain. And Ohio Theater in Downtown Lorain was showing the documentary Woodstock.

Otherwise, the rest of the movies were of the smutty variety. VL Cinema was showing I Am Curious Tahiti and The Golden Box; over at Palace Theater (say it ain’t so) was the X-rated movie Threesome; and lastly, the Tivoli was featuring the popular, X-rated 3-D classic, The Stewardesses.

Now I know why we saw most of our movies at Amherst Theatre.

Hilariously, on the same page as all of the aforementioned films was the ad for the 13th Annual Vacation Movies for kids! The Ohio, the Palace and the Tivoli were the participating theaters showing ten P.T.A. - P.T.U. approved movies. (I wrote about these summer movies back here, featuring some of my older brother Ken's funny memories.)

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On that same newspaper page is evidence that times have changed in Lorain County since then.

All three of the Pizza Hut locations in Lorain, Vermilion and Sheffield Lake would eventually close, although today Lorain and Vermilion have carry-out only stores. It’s just not the same for me; the best thing about Pizza Hut pizza was being able to go there to eat it.

Similarly, Tudy’s is gone, as well as the Arby’s at Route 57 and Griswold Road.