MY MOVIE CHILDHOOD

I grew up in Randleman. We had one movie theater, the Fox, which later moved up the street and became the Rand. Both were owned and operated by Mr. Charlie Price, a great American in my book. He operated on the same schedule for years: One movie Monday and Tuesday, another movie Wednesday and Thursday, a single movie on Friday, and a double feature on Saturday. Sunday? Get real...
I might as well admit we’re talking about the 40's and early 50's. The admission price was 9 cents. It gets better. If you wanted to go to the Tuesday movie and you had already been to the same movie on Monday, all you had to do was say “Done saw it, Mr. Price” and you got in free! And I did that- a lot. 
My grandparents took me most of the time during the war (World War II is still The War to people my age). We rarely paid any attention to what was on.  It didn’t really matter. I might not like or understand the movie, but it wouldn’t have sex or excessive violence. 
You may have heard the phrase “This is where we came in.” We never knew, or cared, when the movie started. We just went. When we got to the part where we arrived, someone would utter the magic words and we’d leave (or stay if it was really good). 
When I got older (like 8) I would go by myself or with buddies. Hey, this was a different time. Popcorn was a dime, candy and drinks a nickel each. So if you had a quarter, you could go to the movie, have popcorn and a drink, and still have a penny for bubble gum. 
My favorite was the Saturday double feature. There would also be a newsreel, and a serial (probably Buck Rogers) which hung off a cliff at every ending. The movies would probably be two westerns.
We liked Rocky Lane, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans (and Gabby Hayes!). We loved Red Ryder and Little Beaver (Robert Blake- he was Bobby back then). They always came out of a book that magically opened. We loved Lash Larue, whose major weapon was a bullwhip. We didn’t much care for Whip Wilson, a pale imitation. There was also Hopalong Cassidy. 
During the week there would be Bogart, Gable, Irene Dunne, John Payne (not Wayne yet), Fred and Ginger. I loved them all. I still do. 
The first time I remember Mr. Price varying the schedule was for The Greatest Show On Earth, a 1952 Cecil B. DeMille blockbuster about the circus. It ran a full week. He did NOT jack up the ticket prices, and the Done-Saw-It rule was still in effect. I can’t remember if I saw it three times or only twice.
A lot of people ask me how I could love movies so much. So now you sort of know.