According to their advertising, it is the longest running theater in Canada.
I remember as a young teen it being one of the few un-parented outings that did not involve horses, swimming or school activities. Twenty-five cents got you in the door and another quarter was good for a popcorn and drink. Far from the current scams of twelve to fifteen dollars for a drink and popcorn at most urban movie centers. What do they do to that popcorn to make it cost that much anyway? There was no super-sizing either drinks or popcorn either. One time I was so desperate for a ride to the theater which was five miles from where we lived, that I tried to convince my older brother who was going out on a date, that I could ride in the trunk of the car so as not to invade his privacy.
Although I haven't been in the Strand for years, I can imagine that you can probably still smell the mold that was present even back in the day. In earlier times, smoking was allowed there as in many other places. The blue smog was often so thick sometimes the screen was hazy. Hard to imagine with our now strict anti-everything laws.
Oklahoma,Star Wars, Funny Girl, The Pink Panther...the list goes on but a film that remains forever imprinted on my mind is, Old Yeller". For those unfamiliar, it is the story of boy and dog. Dog gets rabies, etc. etc. For years I would never let my arm hang over the edge of my bed for fear that the rabid wolf in the story (and his relatives) were going to get me. Thankfully that fear has abated to be replaced by more realistic ones.
