TLA Cinema

 

This downtown Philadelphia theater located on South Street was originally a nickelodeon in the early 1900's, then a concert hall in 1927 and eventually a movie theater in the 1940's but which declined in the 50's. Then it was a repertory theater throughout the 1960's. In 1971 it became a movie theater again and specialized in hard to find and foreign films.  The theater showed nearly 20 films a week. It was my movie theater of choice when I lived in Philly 1974 – 1979 after getting out of the Navy in December 1973. It was also the time period when I was attending Temple University’s School of Communication and Theater majoring in Film & Media Studies. I would often have assignments to see a particular film playing at the TLA. 

When we first started going to the TLA it was the only business on that part of the South Street strip. Everything else had closed in previous years except for a few wholesale distribution businesses. It was dead as a place for something to do except go to the movie. However, the TLA triggered a revival of the street into a center of alternative counterculture.  A wonderful bookstore opened up next door followed by South Street Art Supply down the street. Galleries and restaurants followed. We were there regularly for movies, books and art materials. Then over the next couple of years there were even more bars and restaurants opening on the street. Clubs with live music too. One of our favorite places was Grendel’s Lair that had live reggae bands and some early punk bands. Even back then it was hard to park down there and we had some very specific strategies to get a spot. We often parked a couple of blocks south of South St. They also pioneered the midnight showings of cult films like The Rocky Picture Horror Show and Pink Flamingos.

South Street eventually became a happening destination hot spot for tourist and folks from the suburbs going out in the city. Parking got even crazier and the city had to build some parking ramps. A fancy mall called New Market was also built nearby. By the time we moved in 1979 is was radically changing and was almost unrecognizable in later years when we were visiting.

The TLA stopped showing films in 1981 and eventually went back to live theater before being converted to a live music venue in the late 80's

During the five and a half years I was going to the TLA I probably saw a couple of hundred films there. There were different double features almost every day and we went at least several times a month and sometimes more. It would be interesting to come up with a list of films I've seen at the TLA.

Becky and I were just commenting on the fact that the high point of the TLA Cinema was a very brief period and we were lucky to have been part of it for those almost six years.

When we moved to Buffalo in June 1979 we found a similar movie theater... The Allendale on Allen Street in the Allentown section of the city. Saw a lot of films there for another brief period before that theater also shifted to live repertory theater.