Remember when Movies Were Movies?

I used to love movies. I grew up at a time when there was no television, and even my early twenties, TV was limited in time as well as appeal. When I ended up in new York after the Army, my neighborhood theatres were the Beacon, and the Embassy 72^nd Street, and not too far away was the RKO 81^st (later a CBS TV studio) and Loew's 83^rd. Father uptown was the Symphony, and around the corner a little bandbox called the Thalia on 95^th street, which often had summer-long "festivals of foreign and/or classical films which changed every single day. The Beacon at the time had double features which changed Wednesday and Sundays.

I cannot claim that every movie I saw (and I went sometimes as often as four times a week) was terrific and memorable. But, even the lousy B and C movies seemed better organized and more watchable than what is onscreen these days. Imagine making a movie without a four-letter word or worse. Of course, those were the days when motion picture studios were run by people who knew entertainment, not by MBAs. Today, most movies are simply RTV shows with bigger budgets and more dirty words and nudity.

So, what's my point? Everyone knows today's movie business is more about business and less about movies. Still, there are many people- my age and far younger, who can appreciate what used to be. Sadly, more and more of the theatres that show so-called "revivals" are being demolished by greedy real estate speculators. Only a few- the Nuart, the New Beverly and the threatened Cineplex at Fairfax and Beverly show older, see-able movies reasonably priced.

That's why I'd like to return to a subject I have mentioned several times in the past- buying the now-called "Studs" theatre from the perverted creeps that own it, fumigate the place, put in some decent equipment and reopen as a movie theatre showing foreign and classic films. There surely is a ready-made audience in WeHo. Business will be good, tax revenues will accrue, and another semen-stained blot will be removed in favor of something worthwhile. If cash-strapped Los Angeles is willing to fork over a thirty million dollar loan to put Cirque du Soleil into the Kodak Theatre, why cannot our city float a loan to turn this Studs dumpster into, say, the "Rosebud".

Anyone have any thoughts as to how to get this done? I certainly would love to hear from others like me who miss going to the movies to see something worthwhile with real movie actors, not silicone or testosterone-laden casting-couch survivors who need cue cards to register a line longer than a single sentence.