As a kid, nothing was more fun for me than driving to Tulsa to watch a movie. It was almost an hour's drive to make it to Tulsa from our house in rural Mayes County and of all the movie theatres we came to regularly, the Boman Twin was my favorite and the one where I saw a lot of classic, memorable films.Built in 1966, as the name says, this was a two screen theatre. The thing that I loved most about the Boman Twin was its layout (see my crude drawing!). You entered to face a long concession area that served the two houses. What was really cool about the Boman's houses is they were both mammoth and built into the ground. You'd enter on ground level and make your descent down into your assigned room. As I kid I just loved walking down into the ground to see a movie.
I saw some incredible films at the Boman Twin. Trust me, any theatre where you watch Star Wars in 1977 leaves a deep mark carved into your childhood film geek memory. Five years later I saw E.T. with my friend Jeff and sat near the front row crying my eyes out (and trying to disguise that fact from Jeff!). My dad took me to see Friday the 13th part 3 in 3-D and I wore the red and blue glasses as Jason Vorhees killed a bunch of people almost "literally" in front of my eyes. Dad also took me to see Raging Bull at the Boman (my dad and I would have serious issues through the years but I'll always be indebted to him for things like that) and I got my first taste of Marty and De Niro. The next day during recess at Roosevelt Elementary I tried to tell my buddies about this crazy and violent movie I got to see that none of them were allowed to watch. Thanks dad. It wasn't all mindblowing films at the Boman though as one of the last things I saw there was Spaceballs.
After the Boman closed it was vacant for awhile and later turned into one of those laser tag places. I never went. I drive by it every so often and its now a furniture store and a used record shop. Each time I pass I think of walking down that aisle and how large the room was and some of the great films I got to see at one of my favorite Tulsa theatres.***Photo courtesy of Beryl Ford Collection + Rotary Club of Tulsa + Tulsa Historical Society***
4 comments:
I had no idea Laser Tag was once a movie theater. I never went to Laser Tag, but that is all I can remember there. Reading this made me think of a couple of other theaters in Tulsa that are no longer there...I will just wait until you get around to writing something about them.
So you thought it was just a laser tag place? That's kind of funny and sad for the Boman's legacy. No telling how many others have no clue that building was this cool little theatre.
I believe I saw Battlestar Gallactica there with my Grandma & cousin. I even remember our drive there in her huge blue Impala, and singing the verse to She'll Be Coming Around the Mountain where Grandma snores & we just hooted & hollered all the way there!
Can't wait to read more on other extinct Tulsa theaters....sd
Battlestar Gallactica? I thought that was just on TV back then?
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