Dec. 15, 1969: Sunday good for movies after council gets rid of Sabbath rules
Catching a movie on Sunday is no big deal these days, but up until this date, Edmonton’s 410,000 residents had to pretty much entertain themselves on the Sabbath.
A bylaw given third and final reading by city council the previous week, changed all that by permitting Sunday entertainment.
Suddenly it was also OK to attend Sunday concerts, recitals, theatrical performances, lectures and cultural exhibitions, most of which had been legally forbidden, but more or less condoned by law.
Council voted 7-3 to throw out an earlier decision to hold an $80,000 plebiscite that would have had voters decide the issue, after a letter from the city solicitor noted he had made a mistake and that a 2,000-name petition opposing the Sunday movie bylaw and demanding a public vote had actually been received past deadline.
Ald. Dave Ward led the fight in and out of council chambers to convince councillors the plebiscite was invalid, clearing the way for council to decide the issue.
Attendance at movie theatres on this, the first Sunday, wasn’t as high as the traditional Saturday night out, but theatre managers said the response was “remarkable,” “absolutely excellent,” and “surprising, really.”
Some of the seven theatres opened in the afternoon; others only for the evening when movie houses were usually reserved for private Christmas parties.
Sam Binder, general manager of the Odeon and Rialto, said the two theatres attracted 1,000 moviegoers each Sunday night.
Evening show times for movies such as Wait Until Dark, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and Change of Habit with Elvis Presley were moved ahead half an hour in consideration of people at the last show who had to work the next morning.
“I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if our Sundays surpass Saturdays,” Binder added.
Other managers said Sunday movies would boost attendance for December, a traditionally slow month.
Theatres experienced few staff problems, with several enlisting part-time help from housewives. Capitol manager Fred Varlow planned to hire students to help over the Christmas break. czdeb@edmontonjournal. com