THE HAPPINESS CLUB

When we were growing up, we lived about a mile from a movie theater, and we spent many enjoyable hours at that place. On Friday and Saturday nights there were great family movies, but when we were little it was Saturday afternoons to which we most looked forward. That was when the Happiness Club took place.

Every kid in the neighborhood gathered at the Belle Meade Theater for an afternoon of entertainment. The show cost a quarter for adults, twelve cents for children under thirteen. But there were usually not that many adults in attendance (I can’t ever remember our parents attending). For the most part, we children were well behaved because there were other adults there in control. Mr. Jordan, the manager, ran a pretty tight ship and had a gang of ushers to see that there were no disturbances. So usually, peace and calm were the norm.

First on the agenda was a live performance by a local artist: a dancer, magician, or a singer, etc. I remember hearing Pat Boone singing there once and his brother Nick a few years later. Then they gave away prizes by drawing the ticket stubs out of a hat and calling the numbers; the only thing I ever won was a box of cookies, and I was thrilled. Finally, after several items were given away, the lights would dim and we would get ready to watch.

First on the agenda was the news reel of the week. We children weren’t all that interested in the latest news bulletins, but we were pretty patient until the cartoons. Then we were delighted by Tom and Jerry, Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, or Tweedy Bird and the Putty Tat. We next got to see the previews of the upcoming movies. This brought on an added anticipation because not only could we get excited about the future movies, we knew the feature of the day was eminent.

And finally, the motion picture of the day would be shown. It was almost always a Western. It might be Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Hopalong Cassidy, or another cowboy favorite, and it really didn’t matter to us; we loved them all. Most of us sat enrapt until the credits came on.

Then we went next door to Moon Drug Store for a Coke or something equally as nourishing. When our parents arrived, they were content because they had had a nice quiet afternoon, and we were in high spirits from our afternoon of fun. The Happiness Club made everyone happy.