Meet Me at the Plaza Theater

Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein.

Abbott and Costello also meet Dracula, the Wolfman and the Invisible Man.

Also

Boy meets Girl

at the Plaza Theater

The night following Halloween, my wife suggests that I take her on a date to the refurbished downtown Garland Plaza Theater for a free showing of the monster movie, Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein.  

"Free" you say?  

Well then, put your party T-shirt on and lets go!  

The screening was sponsored by a local service organization and they sold popcorn and refreshments in the lobby.  We bought a couple bags of popcorn and some drinks, something I never do after paying $10.50 for a movie ticket at the multiplex movie palaces.  This was a good cause.

The crowd gathered early and filled about two-thirds of the 375-seat theater. Mostly folks aged 50-plus in attendance, but a few younger folks as well.  Before the house lights dimmed, we conversed with a couple seated in front of us about the "old days" in Garland, as a festive atmosphere had settled in at this old 'moving picture show house'.

Once the curtain went up (yes, there actually was a curtain in front of the screen), there were plenty of guffaws and hoots from the crowd as Count Dracula (Bella Lugosi) arose from his coffin and schemed to get Lou Costello's brain transplanted into the Frankenstein Monster with plenty of slapstick chase scenes throughout the plot.  In the end, with the monsters dispatched and our heroes (mostly) safe, the credits rolled and the audience busted out in appreciative applause.

After the show we strolled a block to Dos Banderos and had a late tamale dinner as we asked ourselves, "Whose on first?"  

"Yes! That's what I said." 

But we decided we'll save that Abbott and Costello routine until baseball season.  

This movie date wrapped up our Halloween season as tight as The Mummy.