Happy New Year from "At The Matinee" (and an update on Woodsboro's Cinema House)

The author of At The Matinee wishes every reader a happy, healthful, and prosperous 2015!  

When I started this blog on January 11, 2014- not only was At The Matinee inspired by my interest in classic film and film preservation, it was inspired from an article that I wrote for the The Woodsboro-Walkersville Times (originally known as The Woodsboro Times when my article was published last year).  The other inspiration for this blog was Mr. John McElwee's famous classic film blog, Greenbriar Picture Shows.

The Woodsboro Bank Building in Woodsboro, Maryland-
originally taken for my article (in The Woodsboro Times)
on the movie theater that operated in the building from 1915 to 1953.
Originally taken in December 2013 (for the
January 2014 edition of the publication).

MORE TIDBITS ON THE WOODSBORO OPERA HOUSE: The article was about the town's movie theater that operated in the Woodsboro Bank building for nearly forty years.  My article received praise from friends, peers, and various classic film enthusiasts.  A year after that article was published, I came across several more tidbits on the movie palace inside the bank building (and a film that was shown there).

According to further research from The Lantern Media History Archive, the theater was featured in a trade advertisement in the October 1918 edition of Reel and Slide Magazine .  It was for Universal Studios' release of Over The Roads To War, an industrial short produced by the studio for the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company about America's preparedness into the First World War.  

My estimation is that that Over The Roads To War might be considered a "lost film", since many industrial silents (produced by major studios including Universal) may have been junked, or lost due to decomposing nitrate film stock.  No other account of any other studio feature films at the theater (until its demise in 1953) were found, not even in the exclusive online historical database of The Frederick News-Post at Hood College.

Another part that I found on Woodsboro's cinema house was in a 1991 historical survey on the Woodsboro Bank building, prepared by the Maryland Historic Trust (an agency of the State of Maryland).  According to the report, it was mentioned that the ticket booth on the second floor of the Woodsboro Bank building was used for the movie theater, including some details on the "auditorium" section of the building.  

It was interesting to find out about one film being shown at Woodsboro's theater complex in 1918, yet I'm still curious about what other films were shown there (in addition to Vaudeville performers that performed there, what sound system was used during the "dawn of sound pictures", and the theater's use as a community gathering center). 

I hope all readers of At The Matinee had a wonderful holiday season.  Be on the lookout for more exciting posts throughout 2015!

"At The Matinee" Looks back at 2014

1977 advertisement in Boxoffice Magazine
for Washington-area cinema chains, film
laboratories, and distribution branches.

I can't believe that 2014 has been a quick and successful year for my blog, At The Matinee.  It's been a joyful and interesting year, writing about classic/contemporary/cult film, television, music, and technology.

Here are some of the most notable events that happened throughout the year (not only on this blog, but in the area as well):

-My article in the January 2014 edition of The Woodsboro-Walkersville Times (formerly The Woodsboro Times, on the bottom-half of page 15) on the town's movie theater in the Woodsboro Bank building* that operated for nearly forty years.

-Praised by Turner Classic Movies for my article on the network's twentieth anniversary.

-A conversation with Mr. Ron Hutchinson of The Vitaphone Project, and how those weren't Warner Bros. Vitaphone discs on the wall of the Shepherdstown Opera House (it must have been the labels that threw me off, from this News-Post photograph of the theater's office).

-Mentioned in The Digital Bits (in Mr. Bill Hunt's My Two Cents column) on MGM's negligence to restore and preserve the "roadshow" print of The Alamo (1960).  This was published shortly after veteran film preservation expert Robert A. Harris' account of the condition of the film.

-Finally got to see several classics on the big screen in one of the classes that I enjoyed at Hood College, History of American Film. They included the classic Laurel and Hardy short- The Music Box, The Marx Brothers' 1932 comedy classic- Horse Feathers, and Orson Welles' 1941 masterpiece- Citizen Kane.

-Spreading the word about At The Matinee to fellow students and friends at Hood, along with flyers about the blog on the library bulletin board.  Will make new fliers in 2015 (not only on bulletin boards on the Hood campus, but in other area locations with community bulletin boards).

-Helped stop WJLA-TV's constant preemptions of Me-TV's Saturday lineup (including iconic horror host Svengoolie, portrayed by Rich Koz).  This was done with the help of fellow Me-TV viewers in the area.

HOPEFUL WISHES FOR FELLOW FILM BUFFS IN THE NEW YEAR:

-Revival screenings of classic films shouldn't be ignored by Frederick's cinema venues.  Sadly, classic cinema is still under-appreciated in the Frederick area.  As I've said before- classic films should be shown the way they were meant to be seen, on the big screen.  This is why Frederick needs a repertory cinema house (besides The Weinberg Center For The Arts).

-Hood College shouldn't be ignorant of showing classic films on the big screen in their Hodson Auditorium film series (which would be a great way to compliment their "blockbuster film series").  Yet unfortunately, their "Film club" hasn't responded to my message, nor have they set up any club meetings.  Even worse, my application to the college's "Campus Activities Board" (the organization programs the "blockbuster film series") was rejected.  I wonder if I should start a classic film club of my own at Hood...

-MGM should finally come to their senses, and restore the "roadshow" version of The Alamo before it's too late (or at least have someone else restore the film).  There won't be enough time to save it (due to the deteriorating Eastmancolor stock) if MGM is ignorant of the film.

Thanks to all for reading!  Happy New Year to everyone from the author of At The Matinee!

*There will be an update on the movie theater that was in the Woodsboro Bank building in 2015.