When Gary was a young man, I'm guessing about 13ish, he and a friend went to a matinee at the Montrose Theater. This was a neighborhood landmark for years until it burned and was removed in the 80's. Many of our friends remember seeing their first movie there. And that's when the price of admission included 2 features films, a cartoon AND newsreel. Anyway, I digress...
The theater was about a 3 mile walk from home, and there was a pet store on the way. If you are wondering if they enjoyed the film that day, I have no idea. They DID have fun, but it wasn't because of what was playing. At the pet store they stocked up on white mice. Once outside the shop, the mice were loaded into their shirts for easy entrance to the theater. The cuffs and collars had to be buttoned. This caused a great deal of squirming and keeping of straight faces, as they bought their tickets and then handed them to the usher. Once through the lobby, and seated, they waited for the coming attractions to begin, and at that time, when the lights went out, the little 4-legged stowaways were released to run free through the audience. Of course, the occasional screeches didn't necessarily fit the storyline of the picture, but the boys had a great comedy of their own.
