As Tom Ridley remembers it, going to the movies wasn’t just something to do on a Saturday night. It was the thing to do on a Saturday night.
His destination was always the Madame Walker Theatre on Indiana Avenue — one of the only Indianapolis theaters that allowed African-Americans, and undoubtedly one of the most romantic.
“Movies were 25 cents, popcorn and sodas were a dime. I’d have a dollar in my pocket, and I could take a little girl to the movies,” Ridley recalls of his teenage dating years in the 1930s. “If you had a few dollars for the weekend, you were in good shape.”
Today, Ridley, 88, works as a tour guide at the historic theater. He’ll undoubtedly be one of the first in line when the Walker returns as a 940-seat movie house and debuts FLIX, a film series showcasing independent and local films submitted by filmmakers, not studios. The series, whose first film will be announced in March, kicks off April 14. Continue reading
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