<Begin Segment 16>

DG: So, did you go to movies?

YM: Oh, yeah. There was one right below our hotel, 5 cents. (Narr. note: Ice cream cones with 1 1/2 scoops of ice cream were 5 cents. When we had 10 cents, we would go to 5th and King St. to Brothers Lunch where we got hamburgers or hot dog sandwiches from 5 cents with everything on it: mustard, relish, onions, ketchup, etc.)

TH: Below your place, Jackson Theater. (Narr. note: According to the North American Times Yearbook, during the years 1916 and 1918 theaters in the area included: Jackson Theater at 519 Jackson St.; Bison Theater at 411 6th Ave. S.; and Denki-Kan at 513 King St.)

ET: There was the Globe Theater too.

YM: The Atlas was what? 10 cents? (Narr. note: We used to go to the skid row theaters. There were several and they were all 5 cents. The Florence Theater under Smith Tower was 10 cents.)

TH: Ten cents, I think. There was one around the corner on 6th Avenue that I noticed from these old directories.

ET: That's the Globe Hotel. I mean, Globe Theater.

TH: Is that right?

ET: I think so.

YM: They must've closed around early '20s (because I don't remember ever going there).

TH: Yeah, I think so.

ET: And then, of course, there was the Atlas.

TH: The Atlas was on Maynard. That was open by Japanese. Jackson Theater, your father and Mukais running it, isn't it?

YM: (No,) Mukais had it. (Narr. note: Jackson Theater had amateur talent night once a week and Taiji Takayoshi won anytime he got on stage and belted out "Sonny Boy" ala Al Jolson. He had the guts and our support always.)

TH: I thought your father had an interest in it.

YM: I don't think so.

ET: Yeah. Jackson Theater was where the bank is.

TH: That's right. Right underneath --

ET: Next to the alley.

TH: No, no.

ET: Because we used to go in free sometime.

YM: Half way.

TH: Half way, yeah. But there was back entrance in the ally, that walkway there.

ET: So one guy goes in and opens the back door.

YM: I never done that.

TH: Well, Mr. Mukai knew that, but he overlooked it because it's nothing but kids.

ET: Then we see the show three times.

DG: What kind of shows did you see?

TH: Westerns mostly.

ET: Yeah, westerns with Hood Gibson, Tom Mix, and all those people. They were heroes.

YM: There used to be rats running around in front of the screen too. (Narr. note: Other stars on the screen were Charlie Chaplin, Ben Turpin, Douglas Fairbanks, Harold Lloyd, Hopalong Cassidy, Sessue Hayakawa and Gene Autry.)

TH: That's right.

<End Segment 16> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.