My grandmother lived just up the street from the Hill in the mid- to late-fifties. I remember the Hill (and its odd, quonset-hut style building) well, but not because I was allowed to go there. I was just a kid and it was definitely an arthouse – lots of foreign-language films. The one that stands out was “And God Created Woman”, Brigitte Bardot’s big breakout film. It was where I learned the difference between a “theater” and a “theatre” (“theatres” weren’t for kids!). The only time I was ever inside, Mom took Nana to see a German-language film (Nana had spoken German as a child before emigrating to the US). It was serious and subtitled and I was 10 or 12 and was bored out of my skull. Now, of course, it’s exactly what I’d pay to go see!
It was never a family theater – at least not in the ‘50s. When we kids wanted to see “Lady & the Tramp”, Mom had to take us into downtown Monterey or Seaside or somewhere around there.
The Hill was more of a landmark for me; I could tell friends that my Nana lived just past the Hill Theatre. As a kid, what was more important to me was that there was a store near the Hill where I could buy Mad Magazines!
My grandmother lived just up the street from the Hill in the mid- to late-fifties. I remember the Hill (and its odd, quonset-hut style building) well, but not because I was allowed to go there. I was just a kid and it was definitely an arthouse – lots of foreign-language films. The one that stands out was “And God Created Woman”, Brigitte Bardot’s big breakout film. It was where I learned the difference between a “theater” and a “theatre” (“theatres” weren’t for kids!). The only time I was ever inside, Mom took Nana to see a German-language film (Nana had spoken German as a child before emigrating to the US). It was serious and subtitled and I was 10 or 12 and was bored out of my skull. Now, of course, it’s exactly what I’d pay to go see!
It was never a family theater – at least not in the ‘50s. When we kids wanted to see “Lady & the Tramp”, Mom had to take us into downtown Monterey or Seaside or somewhere around there.
The Hill was more of a landmark for me; I could tell friends that my Nana lived just past the Hill Theatre. As a kid, what was more important to me was that there was a store near the Hill where I could buy Mad Magazines!