Tuesday, November 17, 1936

HELEN AND RED GO TO THE STRAND

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Bright sunny day but real

cold.

Henry went to G.R. for meeting

came home at noon and

went with Leonard Kauffman

Sec of Road Comm to Lansing

to Road Show.

Helen, Jen + I went to

Lucille's a few minutes

this P.M.

Helen + Red went to

Show at Lowell to-night.

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The Strand was not quite ten years old when Helen and Red went to see China Clipper staring Pat O'Brien and Humphrey Bogart on November 17, 1936. The theater opened in 1928 and remained operational as a movie theater through the 1980s.

I have a distinct memory of seeing Lady and the Tramp at the Strand when I was little. I also remember seeing Grease, Kramer vs. Kramer, The Blue Lagoon, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and E.T. at the Strand in my teens.

When it opened, the Strand featured a pipe organ. Legend has it that Laurel and Hardy once performed at the theater. A brief history of the Strand detailed on the Lowell Museum's website tells how it was the only theater in nation showing On Golden Pond after the death of Henry Fonda.

"Following the death of Henry Fonda, the studio pulled the movie “On Golden Pond” out of circulation for a few weeks. Because of prior commitments, The Strand was allowed to show the film as scheduled, effectively making it the only theatre showing the academy award winning film, exclusively!"

In case you were wondering, I held hands with a boy once during a movie at the Strand. I don't remember what movie or even which boy. Hand holding is as far as it went. And, my favorite movie snack (other than popcorn) at the Strand were Bottle Caps. I was particularly fond of the root beer flavored bottle cap.