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steven_preader
In the mid sixties, I was six yrs. old, and lived on Tunstead. Every Saturday, my mother would give me .40 cents for the matinee. I would walk to Home market for penny candies, and proceed to the theater. There, I would pay my quarter admission for a cartoon, travelogue, and double feature. I saw literally hundreds of movies at the Tam.
Christian Rodas
Sweet.
Frank Matteucci
I’m not sure – my dad owned the Knot Inn on the other corner and had a deal with the Theater owner to let me in – maybe he got free drinks at my dad’s place. 🙂
Christian Rodas
How much they charge to watch it there, Frank.
Frank Matteucci
I also remember watching the Indianapolis 500 there on pay per view in the 1960’s. It was black and white back then before they started showing it on TV.
Bill Rankin
Did anybody already mention “Valley of the Dolls”?
Bill Rankin
and the back side is only a ghost of itself now, a haunting sight to behold 🙂
Kerry Barnes
What it looks like now…
Linda Mather
I do remember going in 82′ or 83′ & I took a doll with me, they let m in 4 lower price, was’nt sure if would work or not
Lora Olney
The last movie I saw there was Poltergist! I went with a friend and had son fun-guy before hand. OMG!!!!! What a trip!. I loved the lights on the ceiling in that place. ARt DEco all the way!
Linda Mather
I know Omega man played at Rafael 72′ IJ paper route carriers & subs saw it there
Kevin Kirby
Was that where they showed Bird with the Crystal Plumage, Omega Man or Cromwell?
William Thall
Oh that was good too.And weren’t there giant private parts ?
Ione E. Snyder
I think my absolute favorite was Daisy the sheep in black fishnets and garter belt with a tiara!!!
William Thall
Go Back, Go Back it’s only a wet dream !!!
Ione E. Snyder
Well, how about Woody Allen’s “Everything you wanted to know about Sex” and “The Groove Tube”???
William Thall
Every WWII movie they ever had, no wonder it shaded my opinion of Germany And Japan.
Tom Beecher
“Two Boobs Under the Sweater” and “The Pink Bra”
William Thall
Does anyone remember one titled “The Incredible Shrinking Man” ? In it he had shrank so small the house cat thought he was a mouse and was reaching into a doll house where he took cover and then this Big old Hairy Spider shows up and he ends up harpooning it with a Saftey Pin that he had straightened out and killed it.I’ve been afraid of spiders ever since !!!
Pat Chavez
Who remembers paying to see a movie?
Rob Lee
Many Saturday matinees there. The couch against the wall is missing and the Belfast Sparkling Water clock in the theatre that we would glance at to make sure we weren’t late! I saw Rodan and Godzilla there and also CinderFella with Jerry Lewis!
Carol Waxman
Nice to see people have so many fond memories of the Marin Theaters. My family owned/managed them for years. My dad worked as a projectionist at the Fairfax and manager of the Motor Movies in the 50s.
Danny Montana
I was in a Hula Hoop contest there between features. Must have been ’59 or ’60.
Kelly Wheeler
if you saw “blazing saddles” on the first night it was shown…I and my friends streaked it…bob alderson, jay cleland, robert cox, john langhoff…nine guys and two girls (they wore bra and panties)…we went up on the stage and did an impromptu can-can…it was hilarious. ..
Brian Kane
With all my years in Marin,I only been in that theater once,,I saw a “Hard Days Night”..
Ted Herrmann
Planet of the Apes in ’68 – the ending shocked us, and as we spilled out into the gloomy San Anselmo night, left us questioning our own humanity.
Steven B Grandin
Wow spent what seems like a hundred winter afternoons at the theater… – had my safety patrol pass and could go whenever we wanted. saw many movies more than once….
Linda Mather
we saw the ape movies at the drive in
Kellie Flynn Eudy
Yellow Submarine and Planet of the Apes
Karen Heller Cutler
Hey Jennifer! Give a holler — I’m in Lucas Valley!
Lynn Roddan
my brother worked there back in the early 60s as an “usher???”
Jim Hall
Wow!
Jamie Kettenhofen
My Mother was sitting in the second row of lodges there watching a movie when she went into labor with me in 1954
Patricia Stragnola
25 cents to get in……1:00 Sat………love this pic.
Jennifer Sinclair
Would walk there from home all the time. Loved that theatre.
Jerry Marquez
the three stooges go to the moon
Michael Codoni
Young Frankenstein.. Poltergeist. To name s few
Stephan Miramon
Friday night on many occasions but the Rafael was easier for me to get to and first row in the balcony was my spot
LeannaRuth Herndon Jensen
I remember going with my BFF Nadine Howard .
Richard Beyer
Saturday Morning cowboy serials
Jackie Colton Louis
Saw all the Doris Day-Rock Hudson movies there!
lemo
Going to the Tam was a big deal, sometimes the folks would take us and drop us off, sometimes we took the bus from Kentfield. The old train and Greyhound Depot was mysterious, realized in later years it was a dump, as were all the buses, too. I remember seeing Dr. No there, countless and nameless other films, and, when home on leave, Yellow Submarine. oh mannnnnn.
Bonnie Pereira
Yes, loved all the theaters around town…but San Anselmo was one of the best…my old boy friend went to Dake H.S. Wonderful memories!!!
Tad Alvord
Sure do. A summer night there on a double date. We had all been drinking. A San Anselmo cop asks my buddies date what was up. Without a word…..URP, SLOP, she puked all over him. A fun night goes BAD.Off to to police station, irate fathers picking the girls up. We couldn’t see the girls for a month. But the cop, long retired is still my buddy.Now a funny memory, but not that night.
Athena Gundlach
Yellow Submarine, Fantasia, Heavy Metal!
Tina J Larkin
I sure do, miss the good ole days in Marin, actually I miss Marin period, theater or not, so Beautiful, yet so expensive and so much traffic.
Irene Tedesco
House on Haunted Hill..so scary!!!! And then a bunch of films I can’t even remember, in the 60’s-70’s…
Deb Heaphy
Here’s a good trivia bit. Back in the late 50’s/early 60’s, Congregation Rodef Sholom now located near the JCC, had no religious school facilities, so they rented space above the Tamalpais theater for their classrooms. At that time religious services were held in a space belonging to the Marin Military Academy (possibly called Marin Academy now) I remember my parents schlepping me to religious school in San Anselmo.
Dan Talbot
The Godfather
James Claxton
I am not sure what movie it was, I think it was Blazzing Saddles, but it was during the time of streaking. In the middle of the movie, the whole place started to rumble and all of a sudden the doors burst open and streakers came running down from both aisles and all the way to the screen, and stage danced around for a few minutes and left.
Linda Mather
usually went 2 drive in or Rafael 4 Disney movies
Linda Mather
after loma preta , town was 2 lazy 2 come up with retrofit money, marque is still out in front, but bunch of antique shops in there now 🙁 retrofit at the X they said 25K
Steven Rosenberg
And chocolate bon bons yum
Bonnie Orendorff
‘Carrie’, ‘The Blob’, The Tingler, Journey to the Center of the Earth:most favorite. Thirteen Ghosts (given 3D glasses to see them!), Pit and the Pendulum, The Raven; The story of Ruth; Pollyanna (& any movie-Haley Mills fluffy stuff), Any Disney movie. Ten Commandments ..um might have been at the Fairfax. 25c to get in. Imagine that!! Fun times! Throwing Jujubes.
Greg Furste
I saw many movies there
Douglas Sederberg
The old Tamalpais had its candy counter straight back against the wall of the auditorium, not at the side. I remember the Saturday contests as well. They got about 6 volunteer kids on stage and gave a free ticket to the one who could eat a bag of popcorn fastest. They also called out a number and if that matched the last one on your ticket you got free popcorn, which I remember as a dime, 20 cents for buttered. I remember liking to sit in the wide aisle about halfway down so I could stick my legs out. Spent many an hour in there.
Cathi Mason
Stayin’ Alive (horrible movie) with Steve Cunha
Kathy Brady
Yellow Submarine
Sherri Oster
Oh yes, and Superman.
Sherri Oster
The Love Bug!
Janet Morrison Minto
Greg Colson – I grew up in Kentfield in the 50’s — I stayed until about 1966, then moved to NYC and upstate NY until 1971 when we moved back to Fairfax from Woodstock, NY. I stayed in Marin for 12 more years before moving to L.A. where I am today. 🙂
Greg Colson
I count mine in Dog Years.
Janet Morrison Minto
Greg Colson – Um….. me? 🙂
John May
BTW, even tho I was from Mill Valley, I loved the Tamalpais!
Nancy Smith
okay, I remember seeing “Tammy’s in Love” & a double feature, for 50 cents!
Greg Colson
Define Old?
Janet Morrison Minto
omg, if you can remember what movies you saw at the Tamalpais, you aren’t an old timer. lolol
John May
Saw Blazing Saddles
Janice Richey
Oh, wait, speaking of second base, our class from 3R saw Romeo and Juliet there!!!! OMIGOD! As a seventh grader (I think) I LOVED it. Later I was scandalized… later I loved it again!!!! Leonard Whiting was the cutest thing ever…
Ione E. Snyder
Fiddler on the Roof with my Dad and my middle Sister and when we were about 17, Blazing Saddles like 6 times because my friend worked there.
Dolores Sousa-Isaacson
To many to name.
Greg Colson
Jungle Book 1967
Janice Richey
The Molly Maguires, and, embarrassingly, Incubus…
Bob Davis
2001 Space Odyssey, Beatles movies. I had free passes for crossing guard duty at Wade Thomas, remember going to Journey to the Center of the Earth , sat through it twice, lost track of time , hustled up Oak Ave fast in the dark and got in trouble for being late . But in my young eyes that movie was incredible.
Paul Burglin
Had two movies and a cartoon as well. Lodge seats cost an extra quarter or two. The Bond and Eastwood movies were classics there. Transbay Locksmith and Taco Bell around the corner.
Terry Halbert
Help
Lisa Barnes
Comes a horseman.
Lisa Aronson
Oh-and I saw Flash Gordon and the first Muppet Movie there!
Lisa Aronson
I remember that my horse would escape fairly regularly and walk all the way over the hills from Sleep Hollow to end up at the Tam theater! No idea why he chose to stop there, but I had to go pick him up several times. The employees thought it was hysterical.
Michael Gork Gallagher
Saw Yellow Submarine
Liz Willis Freemantle
Another vote for Yellow Submarine and Fantasia! Just seeing that lobby shot was like traveling through a time warp though to a place I hadn’t remembered I’d forgotten. Cool & thanks for posting.
Bob Pool
Rodan. My first movie nightmare.
John Perry
I don’t know but i remember going to second base there quite a few times with…………………………..well never mind
Linda Mather
There was a special anniversary version of wizard of Oz father took me 2 , I’m not sure but may also have seen firestarter there
Steven Rosenberg
I think I had my first date there
Lorie Murray
I think i saw chitty chitty bang bang there too. And Oliver!
Nancy Smith
I worked at Tam Theater 1973-75 selling popcorn & tickets. Chuck Vagera (owned the Fairfax 5 & dime store), he was the Manager at the time. I worked w/Cindy Urquhart…. Blazing Saddles was the big hit movie. We also played the” Neil Young movies” at the midnight shows….. I had to be the usher that told customer to please put out their pot. Anyone remember the haunted room above the stage?? Thanks Jason for the memory lane stroll!
Jason Lewis
Oh yes, THAT’S where I saw Superman. Thanks for reminding me!
Sara E Breindel
Superman
Tania Ostrowski Helbig
Jaws !!!! 2 times and Grease 4 times
Thomas McNaboe
Indianapolis 500 live 1963
Chuck Allen
Loved the 12 chairs with Dom DeLuise
Kevin Daly
Fiddler on the Roof, The Twelve Chairs, Yessongs on Film, and many others.
Kevin Daly
An excellent picture. Wouldn’t be grand if they still had theaters like that?
Jo Hill
Blue Hawaii with Elvis Presley for my friend Janice’s birthday party! I loved that theater. Such a beautiful place.
Sue Engels Ream
Yellow Submarine and Planet of the Apes. Plus so many matinees.
Jeanne Zanzi
The Tamalpais was such a special place. Newer than the San Rafael 2 theaters.
Deborah Booth
free popcorn at intermission, IF you had the correct last number on your ticket!! Ahh childhood memories!!! 5 cent popcorn (no butter 🙁 )
Jim Hall
Where Eagles Dare.
Bryan Carroll
Lorie Murray I saw that there, too. Also ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’. Well, it’s the future now, and I’m *still* waiting for my flying car. 🙂
Lorie Murray
I think I saw Mary Poppins there. Oy, I feel old
Sierra G Salin
While on the Rafael, does anyone have pictures of the ticket booth out front, or the scary old lady who used to inhabit it in the 60’s?
Bryan Carroll
Planet of the Apes. Tora! Tora! Tora!. A comedy with John Astin called ‘Viva Max!’ I thought it was a huge kick when I was a kid. Watched it again on Youtube in the last few years, and wondered what I saw in it- LOL. Never went to the theater in any season other than the summer.
Steven Rosenberg
What ever happened to the Tamalpais theatre?
Martin Mitchell
Indianapolis 500 in grainy black and white simulcast. 1968?
Michael Farey
House Of Usher. Phantom Of The Opera
Galeyn White Molnar
The Tingler scared the crap out of me for years Cathie. I told Tommy about it so often he finally went on Amazon and ordered it. Watching it now is pretty entertaining.
Dan McGee
I do remember that. Haven’t been there in a long time so I assume it’s now just a memory.
Gary Smith
My Fair Lady.
Cathie Becker
How about THE TINGLER it was scary!!!!
Katherine Fye Sears
Dark Crystal. My daughter now owns the DVD.
Sherry Giannini
Oh whoops..looks like the Rafael….
Paul Penna
That was the Rafael.
Sherry Giannini
OMG..I loved going there and sneaking up to the balcony..which I always remember being closed? There was such a huge space between the screen and first row that my girlfriends and I would do cartwheels and dance around before, during or after movies…if nobody else was in the theater of course…Then going shopping at Macy’s.
Tarrell VanderMeer Wright
Flash….AHHHHH, He’ll save everyone of us!
Tarrell VanderMeer Wright
Flash Gordan
Bill Rankin
>>> THE FLY <<< …1950's 🙁
Christian Rodas
Oh yeah, Haley Mills in The Trouble with Angels. I loved Rachel (June Harding), however.
Kristi Hein
I just added The Moonspinners to our Netflix queue, and it popped up Toby Tyler. I specifically remember that one, because the only seats left were in the front row, and the movie opened with a carousel spinning by. Instant dizziness. Never sat in the front row (or any rows that close) ever again.
Kristin Anderson
Bambi!
Kristi Hein
We saw ALL the Hayley Mills movies (maybe some at the Rafael). From Pollyanna to The Moonspinners.
Michael Farey
Don’t forget the Disney films. I loved Haley Mills!
Michael Farey
The Dirty Dozen, It’s A Mad Mad Mad World, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Fantastic Voyage, Journey To The Center Of The Earth…..
Kristi Hein
Michael Farey: Born Free, Hatari, Jerry Lewis movies, for sure!
Mary L Black
I was at the theater with my family to see Gone With The Wind when the Navy Depot at Port Chicago in Contra Costa County blew up. The building shook, the exit doors swung in and out, and we thought it had been bombed. Everyone left the building, but I don’t recall panic. This would have been mid 40’s. I don’t recall the date exactly. I spent many Saturday mornings there. Always a couple of cartoons, a serial (Don Winslow of the Navy was my favorite), the feature film, a newsreel, and games and prizes at intermission. Oh, and I got my first kiss there!!
Christian Rodas
Born Free; Patton; You Only Live Twice; Summer of ’42; Dirty Harry; September 30, 1955.
Cherie Dant
Many birthday parties here, too. Love this place : )
Connie DeMoss Roberson
Mr Gates the manager did the drawings. I never won anything
Connie DeMoss Roberson
Rosemary’s Baby, Francis the Talking Mule at Saturday matinees, took my to remember!
Chuck Allen
That side door exit was very handy
Michael Farey
We had some very effective strategies for gaining entrance without paying. Remember Chuck?
Chuck Allen
I remember Saturday matinees of all cartoons for 25 cents
Terre Harrison
Mary Sue and I used to work there when they had double features. It was such a fun job! I got away with not having to wear the polyester pants by saying I was allergic to the material 🙂
Chuck Allen
The lobby looks smaller
Renee Cashmere
Sgt. Pepper movie with the Bee Gee’s, Honeysuckle Rose with Willie Nelson.
Michael Farey
I didn’t get there until 61 but boy did I raise hell in that place. Saw some 007 films Born Free, Hatari, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, A Hard Day’s Night, Jerry Lewis flicks, Elvis, White Christmas, so many others. One year, they had a Halloween costume contest, it was 63 or 64. I won first prize which was a large piece of playground equipment, which spun and made my little siblings sick.
Ronald Conklin
Too many to remember. Thanx for the picture, Jason.
Steven Rosenberg
Wow a movie theatre with curtains. Hard to find now. Anybody remember the cartoons before the main feature?
Kristi Hein
Oh, so many Saturday matinees. Kids throwing Root Beer Barrels and Jujubes. There was a host who came out in front of the curtain and did raffles or prizes or something. This is 1950s. I recall seeing “The Red Balloon,” and “The Brave One,” and always a cartoon beforehand.
Derek Hooper
I use to have birthday parties there too
Kristi Hein
Oh, so many Saturday matinees. Kids throwing Root Beer Barrels and Jujubes. There was a host who came out in front of the curtain and did raffles or prizes or something. This is 1950s. I recall seeing “The Red Balloon,” and “The Brave One,” and always a cartoon beforehand.
Chris Jannes
I miss that theater. I remember the back 1/3 of the theater had larger reclining chairs. I also remember the mirror behind the snack bar. I was told when I was a kid that that mirror was installed when by the Disney company when Snow White premiered in the theater. I hope it got saved!
Paul Penna
In 1974, while we were watching the opening credits of “Blazing Saddles,” the theater got streaked.
Sally Stokes
Batman
Diane Hunt
Pippi Long Stocking, Jaws, Star Wars.. and so many more..
Sierra G Salin
My brother worked there, early 70’s. When I was really little, in the early 60’s, it was a loooooong walk to the screen, where santa was, on a stage….
Steven Rosenberg
The original planet of the Apes in the early 70’s and Fantasia
Galeyn White Molnar
13 Ghosts along with The Tingler, and almost every Elvis Presley movie.
Michelle Rich
Coma
Rhett Redelings
I’d actually forgotten what it looked like inside. I sort of thought it looked like the Rafael but now I have a strong sense memory of bellying up to the counter to buy my popcorn and candy.
Rhett Redelings
That’s probably where I saw it too.
Jason Lewis
Rhett, I remember seeing Flash Gordon there.
Jason Lewis
My parents had one of my birthday parties at the Tamalpais. I remember we saw the sequel to American Graffiti (their choice) and my friends and I hated it. Boring for a bunch of grade school kids.
Rhett Redelings
Wow. I’m suddenly 8 or 9 years old and watching the Golden Voyage of Sinbad.