Great reflections, everyone. I would have liked to have added something new here, but it seems we've all had the same communal experience.
Similarly, I recall going alone to the palatial Walker movie theater in Brooklyn with $.75 my mom gave me to see a horror show. I remember the Saturday matinee; the excitement of lining up to see Spartacus; the double feature and Looney Tunes; and I remember when 18th Ave overflowed with kids who came to see the Three Stooges live, and the crush to get into the theater.
I especially remember the emboldening lack of parental supervision back then. It was a time when our parents left us alone in the car while they went in shopping for groceries, and the fear of stranger danger had not yet gripped the nation. We gave up an awful lot when we accepted fear as a way of life.
