Just about everyone remembers the excitement of a special night out at the movies, whether it was the first evening show as a child, the first date with a future spouse, or the first time seeing the best movie ever!

The theatre regulatory files held by the Archives of Ontario tell the many stories of individual theatres and offer clues for tracing the evolution of social attitudes: including unexpected revelations about the social mores of an earlier time.

People often view the 1950s as a repressive era, but it was during this period that some theatres had double, ‘lovers’ seats. When the film of ‘Peyton Place’ came out - the book had been briefly banned in Canada as immoral - the Theatres Branch was apprehensive about public reaction, and most of the individual theatre regulatory files contain a memo regarding the showing of the film.

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Capitol Theatre, St. Thomas,
lobby and confection bar, 1947,
Theatre photographs
Reference Code: RG 56-11-0-231-2
Archives of Ontario, I0012834

Despite the concern, there were no complaints. In fact, many theatres reported an increase in patrons, and requested more movies of the same type.

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Roxy Theatre, Terrace Bay,
projectors, [ca. 1947]
Theatre photographs
Reference Code: RG 56-11-0-257-3
Archives of Ontario, I0012836

Some may remember the days when there was a more relaxed attitude towards smoking, an attitude that is apparent as one examines the records. As long as a theatre was of fireproof construction, the Theatres Branch had no opinion on smoking in the auditorium or lobbies.

Smoking by projectionists was another matter entirely, and anyone caught would have their license suspended.

Today, it’s hard to imagine a trip to the movies without freshly popped popcorn, not to mention all the other nutritionally questionable treats available, from french fries to nachos and even pizza! Believe it or not, until the 1950s most theatres in Ontario didn’t have confection bars, as they were called, and relied on candy machines. Even when the concession stand became more common, the popcorn was often pre-popped, shipped from Toronto, and only warmed up on site!

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College Theatre, Toronto,
confection bar, 1947
Theatre photographs
Reference Code: RG 56-11-0-282-5
Archives of Ontario, I0012589

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Algoma Theatre, Sault Ste. Marie,
lobby and confection bar, 1947
Theatre photographs
Reference Code: RG 56-11-0-234-7
Archives of Ontario, I0012557

People are often surprised to learn that theatre inspection formally began back in 1913, when the 1911 Theatres and Cinematographs Act was amended to provide for the appointment of an Inspector whose job it was to ensure safety and adherence to the Act.

The files held by the Archives of Ontario begin in 1938, the year that the Board of Censors and the Inspection Branch were amalgamated to form the Motion Picture Censorship and Theatres Inspection Branch, and continue to 1980 - that is, if the theatre survived that long.

Public safety was a primary concern for the Theatres Branch, and all plans were carefully scrutinized to make sure that no compromises were made to this end. Theatres were required to submit plans for every proposed change to a venue’s layout, whether it was a large-scale renovation, or simply the installation of a confection bar.

One theatre even sent in a drawing showing the possible location for a pay phone - after all, it had the potential for obstructing the paths to the exits!

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Capitol Theatre, Brantford,
rear of theatre, 1947
Theatre photographs
Reference Code: RG 56-11-0-24-4
Archives of Ontario I0011914

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