...The Palace is the only one that retains a semblance of it's old self. The outline is the same.
That's as good as it's going to get.

Regarding the Palace, while still at Jackson, probably my last year at that wonderful institution, a group of my
North End hoodlum friends and I went there with the sole purpose of doing absolutely nothing, other than
to see what mischief we could get done without being caught. At the movie that day were a number of girls
from North End that we knew, although no matter how hard I try, I cannot remember their names.
I do remember that the "bouffant" hair style for girls was popular at the time.

The importance of that is, with it being "teased" to the max and then shellacked with hair spray, it was VERY
flammable!  Believe me!! The girls were sitting in the balcony TRYING to watch the movie. I have absolutely
no idea as to why, but some of my friends thought that it would be really "neat" to strike matches
and throw at them! Try as I may, to this day I can still find no good reason for that. 

Needless to say, they were not pleased with that situation. Finally, they tired of that "fun" and approached us
as we stood in the hallway leading from the second floor seating and rest room area to the seats in the balcony.
They expressed their opinion regarding our "play", informed us if we didn't stop, that they would have us thrown out
of the theater or worse. They then turned their backs to us and headed back to their seats. One of the gentlemen
within our group said something to the effect: "Fine, take this with you", and threw a lighted match in their direction. 

That's when the "fun" really began! The lighted match landed on the hair of the girl with the "bouffant" style!
You guessed it! It caught on fire!! My "friends" took off running away from her as fast as possible and I ran to her.
With an open hand, I began beating out the fire. How that poor girl remained conscious is beyond me. Whaling away
with that open hand, beating upon her head, I succeeded in putting out the fire. With the exception of a little burned
edges I saved the rest of it and inflicted no permanent damage to her head!

My "heroic" effort did nothing to tame the anger they then felt! (I wonder why?). Before they could get management
to kill us, like Elvis, we had left the building.

This is but a sample of the limitless boundaries of our stupidity! For some reason, after that, I avoided the girl
at all possible effort that I could bring forth. I don't know why she was upset with me.  I didn't throw the match.
All I did was nearly beat her unconscious saving her hair.

Come think about it, I do have an idea why she wasn't pleased with me.

There are other, not so dangerous, stories regarding the Warwick and James Theaters.
They'll come later.

- Wayne Stokes of VA - 11/18/03
YOW!  Thanks, Wayne!
 

---

Dear Carol,

When I read your request about the movie "Taras Bulba", I really had no recollection of it.  But I am kind of a "record keeper" nut, and for a few years I kept a dairy of sorts with dates of things I did.  In my dairy I wrote that I saw this movie on Feb. 1, 1963.  Sorry to say, I did not write down what movie theater it was in, and I cannot be sure if this was when the movie first came out.  But I am sure it was on the Peninsula that I saw it.  Hope that someone else can give you more information.....

- June Veneris Collie (Hampton HS - '62) of VA - 02/29/08
June, you are my hero!!! Thank you so very much for that information! It means a great deal to me!