Tulsa movie theater memories – Maggie Brown, Tulsa Historical Society and Museum

Welcome to Tulsa Talks presented by Tulsa Regional Chamber. I'm your host Tim Landes. 

Anybody who loves going to the movies has a story about the first time they sat in front of the big screen and enjoyed a show. That buttery popcorn. The sticky floor. First come first serve on seating. 

Maggie Brown, director of exhibits at Tulsa Historical Society and Museum, is my guest on this episode. She too is interested in people's Tulsa. movie theater memories. Maggie is co-writing with Steve Clem the book titled "Tulsa Movie Theaters." They've been collecting those memories to share the stories of long lost theaters with fancy names like the Dreamland, the Orpheum, the Majestic, The Ritz. Well before the time of the AMCs and Cinemarks. 

My earliest movie theater memories, as you'll hear in this conversation recorded over Zoom, go back to the days of Eastland Mall, when the movie theater was the main attraction of the lower level. Flanked on either side by Cheese on a Stick, the arcade and the pizza shop. Now that area is the host of the Oklahoma Dept of Public Safety. There is no popcorn, but often long lines to get in. 

My Tulsa movie theater memories only go back a few decades, so not nearly as far as Maggie and Steve are going in their book that shares stories dating back a century ago. 

It was fun to chat with Maggie and hear about all the fun stuff they're discovering along the way. There are some mysteries still out there like how the Ritz was able to have moving clouds swirling near the ceiling? If you know the answer to how they made it happen or want to share any of your movie memories, there is a form to fill out through the new year at TulsaHistory.org. 

We close our conversation with what else is happening at the history center and what's to come. If you have a history buff in your family, a membership to their museum is a great gift idea as are the selection of gifts in their shop. 

Following my conversation with Maggie, I share the song "This Ol' Town" by Scott Aycock. It's a good one. More on that later. 

OK let's get this going. 

This is Tulsa Talks with Maggie Brown. 

Scott Aycock preview: 

When offering up his song "This Ol' Town" Scott Aycock had this to say:  

“The song I am choosing is one of my personal favorites, this week at least.  It changes from week to week so I guess that's a good thing.  It is called "This Ol' Town."  

The story behind the song according to him is this: 

 “I grew up in a small town in Northeast Arkansas, in the delta. This song, though could be about any small town, America. We drove from one teen hangout to the next, it became a familiar pattern. I got to thinking about how when your young your caught between wanting to grow up and wanting to stay young. Thus this song.”  

 You can find more of his music at 

https://scottaycock.bandcamp.com/releases 

 Here is "This Ol' Town" by Scott Aycock.