In my last column, I stated that the Burtis Grand on North Street, which had been closed, reopened as a movie theater and was renamed the Capitol. In became Auburn's fourth motion picture theater, all of which were in the downtown area. It was not a Schine theater as were the other three - Strand, Jefferson and Palace.

A friend of mine, Frank (Chich) Locastro, was a projectionist at the Capitol, and I would occasionally visit him in the projection booth where we would chat between reel changes.

As a promotion, the Capitol, on a particular day of the week, would give a piece of dinnerware free with each adult admission. If you went every week, you would eventually have a complete set. The Schine theaters had its own promotion which was called “Bank Night.” Once a week, it would have drawings for cash prizes.

What was not commonly known in those days was that movies were also shown at another place in town. On Sunday afternoons only, motion pictures were shown at Alfieri Hall on Columbus Street. I do not recall if they were silent or sound films. I went there just a few times as I preferred to go to the regular theaters.

When the Strand closed in the late '30s, the Schine circuit built a new theater on South Street, which they named the Auburn. Today it is usually referred to as the Schine Theater.

When the Auburn theater opened in 1938, I was in high school but was also a part-time professional photographer. I went downtown with my view camera and took a photograph of the beautiful exterior of the new theater. I don't know what happened to that photograph, but I certainly wish I had it today.

The first movie to be shown at the new Auburn theater was “Four's a Crowd,” which I went to see along with nearly all of Auburn.

The interior of the theater was the most beautiful I had ever seen. It was carpeted throughout, was attractively decorated and had comfortable seating.

It had two well-appointed lounges, one in the basement and one on the second floor. Whenever I went to the movies, I tried not to arrive when the feature film was being shown as I wanted to see it from the beginning. If it wasn't quite over, I would wait in one of the lounges, with others, until it ended and then take a seat. There were times when we had to wait in a lounge until seats became available.

The foyer had two sets of interior doors, the entrance doors on the right and the exit doors on the left. The wall ahead was solid with the candy stand behind it in the theater itself. After a few years, the entrance was moved to this wall and to make an opening, the candy stand had to be removed. I do not recall whether it was relocated or done away with.

On a few occasions there was live entertainment at the new theater. I recall seeing the Benny Goodman Orchestra perform there and also Sally Rand doing her bubble dance. The St. Francis Church minstrels of Auburn also gave several performances there.

In those days, programs were changed several times a week to keep the movie-goers coming.

Then they began showing double features, two full-length films for the price of one.

I don't know how we were able to sit through two feature films, but somehow we did.

All of the theaters that I have described in these columns were those that I went to many times over the years.

When television came upon the scene, movie attendance decreased as entertainment was available at home. Today there are no movie theaters downtown, and only one theater building still standing. However, there are theaters on Grant Avenue, in the Fingerlakes Mall and a drive-in on Clark Street Road.

We seniors don't go to the movies very often these days as there are plenty of films on the tube. We also don't care for much of today's moviefare. My wife and I have only gone to the movies three times during the past five years.

Historical records show that Auburn has had more than its share of theaters, both motion picture and stage. There was a theater on Green Street that I remember as a garage. It was originally a roller rink, then the Happyland theater and finally the Cornell theater. Some other names of Auburn theaters from the past are: Hippodrome, Genesee, Dreamland, Motion World, Nickelodeon and Universal.

This winds up my history of Auburn theaters. I know what you're thinking: “It's about time.” I can't say that I blame you as I did overdo it a little.

My next column will be on another topic, and I promise not to be carried away. Stay with me.

Carmelo Signorelli is an Auburn resident who enjoys reminiscing about the good ol' days