More than the moon

My friend Joe from my old Santa Monica neighborhood sent an email about the Fox Theater on Lincoln Blvd in Venice, California.

He had been to the Museum of Neon Art in downtown Los Angeles and there saw the bullnose of that theater's marquee. Hence his informative email.

For some reason, I'm glad somebody has kept that bullnose, a piece of history.

The Fox Theater opened in 1951, when I was 10 years old. I thought it a great thing. Instead of being downtown in Santa Monica, it was close, about 3/4 mile from my house. And instead of being down by the Ocean Park Pier--the Dome Theater and the Rosemary were there--where my mother did not want me going, for some reason, it was in a wide open bright neighborhood, right on Lincoln Blvd. I thought it might mean more movie-going for me. Besides, it was new, big, and spacious inside.

I don't know if it did mean more movie-going for me. Maybe, but I just don't remember. No doubt it was like most other things--would my mother let me go.

Truth is, I'm not sure I went there much until I had grown up some, and then, you know, I could go with friends or a boy friend.

Incidental fact: I do not remember ever sitting in a movie theater with my mother.

(My dad took Lucile and me to a drive-in theater once--at my mother's insistence--to see Bambi. When he discovered it was a cartoon, we left. Poor me and poor Lucile, but she probably doesn't remember.)

Joe says the Fox Venice was the last single theater built in our area. Soon TV began to cut into theater attendance, and, soon after that, multi-plex theaters started popping up.

When I was in Santa Monica, Fall of 2008, I drove past the Fox and saw that the marquee was gone and the theater had become a fleamarket/swap meet kind of place. Joe says this happened in 1988. Quite a come down, I'd say.

Joe has become the historian of our old neighborhood, notifying us of old houses made new and selling for millions. Not kidding. And keeping us up on what's going on, who's living and who isn't.

I like him for that.

By the way, the moon is 50% full. To me that would be a half moon. But no. My moon source calls it first quarter.