Saturday night at the movies in the 50s in Alderson with Johnny Johnson! One of the great pleasures and fun activities growing up in Alderson was going to the movies on Saturday night with Johnny Johnston. Boy was that A great time and a great experience! I would meet Johnny in some secret place, like the snack shack and we would stroll across the bridge, then take an abrupt right and move quietly or maybe nosily down the railroad tracks until we were parallel to the beer joint not the movie house, then we would cross the tracks and pony up our fifty cents and go right into the movies.

Once inside we would get another twenty five cents and get our pop and popcorn. We would be temporarily idled while we stopped and talked to 'big' Ed Hardesty. After some very friendly exchanges we would make the big move to go into the very dark yet noisy and happy theater. It was pitch black until the screen came on, then momentarily we got very quiet so as not to miss anything.

Both Johnny and I carried ample and generous amounts of chewing tobacco and we never worried about running out! We would watch the cartoons and began to talk, but we might as well have been mutes compared to what was coming.

Once the main feature came on such as Johnny Mack Brown, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Randolph Scott, Hopalong Cassidy, and the Lone Ranger and Tonto, we really began to cheer and root our heroes on against the wicked, evil, villains. One time Kenny went with us and we all had a great time. Most of the time it was just Johnny and I.

As soon as the movie ended we walked briskly up to Maple Ave. where we said we would meet again next week and do it all again. Those were wonderfully innocent times. I would love to see Johnny one more time, but that will never happen in this life. God gave us a great privilege to share those moments in this life!