“More Saturday Westerns Stories” By Doug Fincher

August 27, 2018 - Since my last week article about “The Rio”, I received some emails about some friends with similar experiences:

Kay Jeffrey wrote:

Morning, Doug, 

“Your piece about the Rio Theatre took me back to my own childhood home, Poteau Oklahoma, where my daddy owned and operated the theaters. At one time he had three downtown, and a drive inn. All of us born around the 40s remember those Saturday westerns. It cost a dime to get in and sometimes kids stayed all day in my daddy’s shows while their parents did the weekly grocery shopping and caught up on the doings of the little city and their friends. 

There were times when the shows were over and it was time to go home, my daddy had to take the “leftovers” (those kids whose parents forgot them) home. It didn’t seem as bad then as it would sound today. Parents had lots of kids back then and Daddy just dutifully helped them out on Saturday providing some inexpensive baby sitting and a delivery service on top of that. 

I remember my mother wouldn’t let me go barefoot down town on Saturdays because the old men sitting in the low window ledges of the storefronts spit on my feet as I walked by them.

Don’t know why Mother ever had to remind me to wear shoes downtown on Saturday…. but she did.”

Two more emails following Kay’s story: 

Libby White wrote: “Even when I was a child, born in '52, in Lake Providence, we took 25 cents on Saturday, had enough to watch the movie and get a drink and candy or popcorn. Wonderful days! Kay, your dad sounds like a wonderful, generous man!”

Ann Forbes wrote: Doug and Kay: I grew up in Mena, Arkansas in the late 40's and early 50's and we had two theaters and a drive-in. I went to both Saturday shows, one was ten cents and the other cost 12 cents. I don't remember if popcorn was five or ten cents. A wonderful way to spend a Saturday afternoon.”

Patricia Ann Peyton wrote: “We also took a brown bag lunch with a sandwich.”