Television and Uncle Milton came along and wrestling....
Our local small town theater was open late on Friday and Saturday nights as this is when everyone came to town.
Even the cafes, barber shops, and other stores stayed open, and people went “window shopping” to escape the heat of the day.
That all came to an end in the mid 1950s when people started staying home Saturday nights to help Matt Dillon patrol the streets of Dodge City.
The theater was the first business to close down.
I recently discovered a "wealth" of videos on YouTube showing bowling-oriented programming from the early days. One was a game show hosted by Uncle Milty himself.
Famous stars bowling. Up and coming professionals bowling. Average Joe's bowling.
The excitement was palpable.