One of my more fond memories of Hammond, Indiana in the 1950’s and ‘60’s are the two movie theaters in Downtown Hammond. One, just near the corner of Sibley and Hohman was the Parthenon Theater. The other theater was on Hohman Avenue, just across from St. Margaret Hospital, where the new Federal Courthouse now stands. That was the Paramount Theater.

Both places had the ambiance of the old movie theaters: Nothing like the new ones that we see today.  Both had weekend matinees, which was great for us kids as well as for out parents. They got us out of their hair for a couple of hours and gave us kids the chance to be away from home for awhile.

I can’t tell you what movies I saw where, bit I can tell you that I saw such movies as The Alamo, the Disney flicks at that time and of course my favorite afternoon matinee, the horror or monster flicks.

I enjoyed watching Godzilla or King Kong destroy Tokyo or New York. I also wondered why they didn’t eat up the Calumet Region. Then again, after looking at the smoke stacks of out steel mills and oil refineries, I guess gulping them down would have caused real heart -burn. It would have left the monsters in a bad mood and really destroy us all.

As far as what to eat at these theaters besides the regular things there was having a pickle at the Parthenon. Nothing like sucking on a pickle while watching a city gets destroyed and looking at the goofy teenagers making out in the balcony.

When I went to the Paramount, my tastes were a little more refined. Next door to the theater was a Karmlecorn shop. Which sold snacks, especially Carmel corn. The whole box would last half the movie and ruin your supper: But what a way to suffer.

Both theaters eventually were torn down: A victim of progress and changing tastes. Hammond has only one legitimate movie theater: the Kennedy in Hessiville.  It was known that Hammond had 5 theaters in it’s hey-day.  It’s progress, I suppose, bit it is something that I could do without.