November 27, 1964, the day after Thanksgiving, dawned bright and clear. While most people go shopping on the day after Thanksgiving, we waited for my cousin Julie and Aunt Liz to drive up in her gold supersized Ford sedan. It is just after 10 AM and my aunt is late as usual. This outing is a dress-up occasion: no jeans or even slacks. However, since this is winter in Michigan, the coats are heavy and we all have hats, gloves and scarves.
We are headed for our traditional day after Thanksgiving lunch at Crowley’s in downtown Detroit followed by the latest Disney film at the Fisher Theatre. Crowley’s mezzanine restaurant in the huge downtown store is THE place to go for lunch, particularly during the holidays. We spend time viewing the elaborate decorations, including many ground-floor display windows with animated Christmas scenes. We wait in long lunch lines since no reservations are allowed. Six of us stand in the line reserved for large parties and wait our turn, hoping for a table on the open side of the restaurant overlooking the store floor below. The tables are covered with white tablecloths and holiday centerpieces. The menu never changes. We order hot dogs, chips, cole slaw, milk and hot fudge sundaes.
We head to the next stop, the Fisher Theatre, one of the grand theatres of its day. In the 1950s and 1960s, all of the big movies debuted at the Fisher: no multiple screens, no pre-paid tickets, no stadium seating. We stand in line, as the bright sunny morning transforms into a sullen, leaden appearance so common for Michigan winters. We wait with hundreds of others to buy tickets for Mary Poppins. We are lucky today; we enter the theatre in time to sit in the balcony where fewer adult heads block height-challenged youngsters. We sit in plush red velvet seats and gape at the gilded ceilings and wall panels. The huge curtains that hide the screen were red velvet with gold tassels. The show began with the curtains being pulled aside for a packed house. There were no pre-movie ads, no trailers, no reminders to turn off cell phones and pagers. For two hours we were transported by the magic of Julie Andrews and Dick VanDyke to the world of Mary Poppins.
After the movie, we headed home along Jefferson Avenue and Lake Shore Drive. We drove along the Detroit River and Lake St. Clair for about 15 miles passing through the elite suburbs of Grosse Pointe and Grosse Pointe Farms, past the Detroit Yacht Club and the estate of Henry Ford. Travel was slow because of the fine, blowing snow. The water was gray and leaden, often churning with white caps where the shore was unprotected from the wind.
It was after 5 PM as my aunt dropped us off at home. Dad was home waiting for the inevitable turkey and dressing leftovers.
Mary Poppins was released over 40 years ago in time for the holiday season. This was the last Thanksgiving outing that we went on as a group. This was the last lunch at Crowley’s downtown. Shopping was easier at the local malls which came equipped with theatres with two or maybe even three screens. The low-slung mall stores did not have mezzanines or even restaurants. The grand old theatres and drive-ins were being replaced by convenience. It is often many years before we realize that a tradition, assumed to be perpetual and enduring is gone because of changing family patterns and priorities.
