By Aiko Hill

Looking Back, Moving Forward

OK, so we’re getting a hotel instead of a theater. There are certainly reasons for the decision, but we may have missed a chance to make our town more of a home rather than a town that’s a nice place to stay in during a business trip. We know that Los Altos once had its own theater. Quite a place, so they say.

But drive-ins, multiplexes and videos rendered it obsolete. Prior to that, Los Altans still enjoyed movies. In fact, in the early 1900s, developer Guy Shoup wrote and produced the only movie ever made in Los Altos.

“Rebecca” was a tale of a schoolgirl by that name who was kidnapped by a band of gypsies. Included in the cast was almost everybody who lived in Los Altos! Price of the ticket? $1.

In the 1920s, movie watching was a very hip thing to do. On many evenings, Los Altans would gather in a neighbor’s home to watch silent shorts or home movies.

These were fun family events, with an overflow of snacks and popcorn cooked on the stove.

It was known that our first theater was a simple, makeshift movie house in Scout Hall. With the help of Paul Shoup’s brother, Jack, and a barber named Jack Gregory, the first bona fide theater was built in 1909.

The movies were silent, of course, and for 10 cents viewers were treated to the antics of Charlie Chaplin, Tom Mix and Clara Bow. Milkshakes, a popular concession, were also 10 cents, and guests could slurp away as the pianist played tunes to accompany the onscreen action.

A theater is not in our near-term future. But all is not lost. We still have a great downtown. The key to our future success is family, and there is still plenty for families to do.

Stroll, have an ice cream, visit the museum, take in the many sculptures around town.

All of it is close and accessible. And, unlike a movie, they are all great opportunities to have a conversation with the ones we care about. That’s an opportunity we shouldn’t pass up!

Send comments and suggestions to aikohill@aol.com.