PAST MYSTERY PHOTOS

"22 - Theater Doors"

Sylvian Ofiara (1926-2012) took this photo of the State Theatre interior doors for The Manchester Evening Herald in 1953. The Theatre had undergone a renovation. The building was constructed in 1926 and is still in use on Main Street as the Full Gospel Interdenominational Church.


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• Robert Owen of Cromwell writes, "In my youth, from the mid 1940s to the mid 1950s, the State Theater was one of my most favorite places in the world. At least in my world. Seeing this photo opens the floodgates of many memories. I was there, it seems like, every weekend. The Saturday afternoon matinees with dozens of cartoons and a "B" western, or the Saturday morning kiddie shows with dozens of cartoons and nothing else, or the regular double features with a newsreel, a cartoon, a comedy short and 3 or 4 trailers ("Previews of Coming Attractions"). All for 18 cents. Most memorable was the Friday night horror shows. Live on stage, there was Frankenstein, Dracula and the Wolfman, to our delight, scaring the hell out of us kids in the audience. Then, 1 or sometimes 2 horror movies with the "monsters" we had just seen live.

"Sometimes 2 or 3 of us would pool our pennies and buy a ticket for one, then the one with the admission would go inside and quickly open the side door to let the rest of us in free. Then we all split up and hightailed it in different directions and tried to blend in with the other kids before the usher caught us. We never got caught. But, we didn't try that very often. God, but I miss those days. I believe the manager of the State Theater was Mr. Samson. I think he also managed the Strand Theater on Main St. in Hartford, too."

What's this a picture of? At least one of the 6 movie posters on the doors is for House of Wax 1953 with Vincent Price. I think the others are, too.