Audio By Carbonatix
So, you wanna go to a movie? Every time I hear that question I have to do a mental balancing of the bank account, decide if I should risk smuggling in snacks and dig for the student ID. Generally, the basic movie outing hits the $15 or $20 mark, and that’s if you share a soda.
Thanks to Metro Retro, a Lakewood shop of unrivaled coolness, my (and your) movie experience this time is much, much richer (and much less expensive). Fifteen cents–that’s right, one-five–gets you into a classic film at the equally classic Lakewood Theater. Metro Retro and the theater are sponsoring an effort to bring back the Golden Age to the big screen.
What better way to see such a film than in a fully restored theater circa 1938? Lakewood Theater also touts its showings on one of Texas’ largest CinemaScope screens. (Flip around in those Intro to Film notes; “CinemaScope” is probably right next to the ones on Hitchcock’s VistaVision.) Cushy seats, CinemaScope, Art Deco décor and a classic piece of film, all on a Tuesday night.
This month’s feature is Arsenic and Old Lace starring the gallant Cary Grant and fair maiden Priscilla Lane. The tale of marriage and old maids is a hugely entertaining film (and a pretty cool read as I recall from high school). A journalist gets hitched despite his reputation for being anti-knot-tying. He travels home to spread the news and happens upon a stiff discovery. Arsenic is creepy, it’s quirky and it’s pretty to look at. Of course, I must confess a certain bias I have when it comes to Cary Grant, but what self-respecting fan o’ men doesn’t?
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Mr. Grant and his fellow screen-stealers aren’t even the biggest perk, though. Popcorn is 25 cents, and all films are preceded by live entertainment. Theater organist Bill Flynt and the Blue Diamond Trio start the show with their vintage tunes accompanying silent film shorts. Lakewood does, after all, have an incredible and rare theater pipe organ.
I strongly urge arrival before the pre-show, ensuring enough time to cross the street and peruse the treasures of Metro Retro. It’s nostalgia at its finest and most reasonably priced–just like the 15-cent classic. Side tables, lunch boxes, enamelware and random gifts from that age known as yore are plentiful. In short, it rocks, and your house will, too, after a few sprees through the aisles.
The 15-cent classic film series is a monthly gig, so mark the calendar for the second Tuesday of each month. Future features include some seasonal favorites such as It’s A Wonderful Life and White Christmas (this one’s been known to sell out quickly and requires advance reservations).
Check out the store before, have a drink at The Balcony Club upstairs after and enjoy the cheap thrills the night has in store. Take a date, take your mom, take yourself to one bargain of a good time.
