The Milford - Theater and Ballroom.

There is so much to say here that I don’t know where to start. How about movies for a quarter? Yes, back in the early 1950’s that’s what it cost to see the Saturday cartoon matinees. On my 6th or 7th birthday, I snuck in behind a couple to see Davy Crockett at an evening show. Now here is some context: Back in the early/mid-1950s pretty much the attitude was that you ate breakfast and went out to play. And maybe you checked in around lunchtime. Maybe not so much until closer to dinner. And after dinner, back out to play. But my dad worked office hours from 1 to 3 p.m. and from 5 to 8 p.m. so working people could get to the office to see him. So we had our main meal of the day around 3:30 pm every day - right when we got back from school because school hours used to be from 9 to 3 with lunch in between. So after Dad left for his evening hours we were back outside.

My birthday is in mid-June so we’re talking summer solstice time of the year. It was not too unusual that I was out and about on my own if none of my friends were available.

Unknown to me, of course, my parents had company over for my birthday - no special, cutesy, decorated cakes - my mother probably made a nice almond flour torte with cocoa/coffee butter filling and icing - honestly, very yummy so I never missed the special cutesy birthday cake. Anyway, I guess everyone got worried as it got later and darker outside. In the meantime, I was having a great old time at the movies. My parents were on the verge of calling the police when I finally came home. It didn’t seem unusually late to me, I was quite happy that evening. I was probably out whatever time it was on my own routinely - but with company over I guess it was cause for concern.

Now why do I remember this event? Because it resulted in a monumental scolding and spanking. Sigh. Not the happiest ending to that birthday but I still have vague flashes of Davy Crockett on the big screen :-)

But the Milford holds many more memories. On every school holiday, the Milford had movies for all of us kids - because there was no daycare so the Milford and the local park it was! They even catered to us Catholic school kids so that when we had a religious holiday they had religiously-themed movies for us. At other times it was just a cartoon marathon. I know they had a refreshments stand with popcorn, sodas, and candies but I was never allowed to have any. Not part of the Polish immigrant culture. The Milford also showed Polish language movies. But I don’t know if it showed movies in any other languages from other countries. I just know about the Polish ones.

There are not too many photos online but I found this from about 1990 when fire demolished the theater. The text is not quite right because this was not Irving Park, it’s located in what is now Avondale, and back when I lived there we just called it the corner of Milwaukee and Pulaski.

Here is another photo that looks more like I remember. The cars look to me like c. 1970’s models but I could be wrong. I think that’s a 67 Chevy from the back on the bottom right.

Above the movie theater, they had a Ballroom where they had ballroom dancing. In the alley, behind the theater cars would stop to let off ballroom dancers on their night out to party. I remember watching the ladies getting out of the cars, all dressed up and smelling good. And fur coats. I remember the fur coats. It was all so elegant and I wanted to do that when I grew up (except when I grew up I didn’t - especially not the big band/swing dancing). In retrospect, though, I have to wonder why they were stopping in the alley…it was sort of dark and a good distance around the corner. I don’t know if there was no way to just pull over to let out passengers on Pulaski.

This photo shows the pizzeria that was on the corner. I remember eating there once. Only once because you know, pizza, not Polish.

According to Wikipedia, the theater remained open until 1990 and was demolished four years later after the fire. I spent a lot of time at the Milford as a kid. And it’s all gone now. One massive CVS and parking lot. Sigh.

Lesson: take photos.