University of Virginia Library

Does Entertainment Exist?

By DAVID RITCHIE

Welcome to Mad Tom's
University, or what remains of
it. After Orientation Week,
with its unnerving physical and
its spiels on Honor, Integrity,
Loyalty, Truth, and Tradition,
you'll probably be ready for
some solid entertainment. And
therein, as you may have
guessed, lies a problem.

If you came to C'ville
expecting to find an epicurean
provincial capital brimming
with pleasure domes, relating
to central Virginia as Rome
does to Italy or Tokyo to
Japan – well, you must be
weeping in your Contract
spaghetti by now.

Still, don't hop the bus for
Washington yet:
Charlottesville's movie houses
offer a fair selection of recent
motion pictures, at reasonable
prices.

Downtown, on East Main
Street, are the Cinema and the
Paramount, with ample
off-street parking nearby.
Nearer the University is the
University Theater, located on
West Main Street near Student
Health. For those who enjoy
dinner just before or after the
show, there are several
restaurants within walking
distance.

Moving into the suburbs, we
have the Barracks Road
Theater, in the north wing of
the shopping center. Here
again, a short walk and a few
dollars will reward you with a
good dinner, and parking
spaces abound.

And on Route 29 North is
the Ridge Drive-In, whose
recent showings include
"Cauldron of Blood," "Hands
of the Ripper," and "Lady and
the Tramp."

On the Grounds, two major
film series offer the moviegoer
a good selection of pictures,
both domestic and foreign. A
season membership in the
Filmwatchers' Club admits you
to weekly showings in Wilson
Hall Auditorium; this past
summer, the series included
Welles's "Citizen Kane,"
Truffaut's "The 400 Blows,"
and a New American Cinema
program Also, the University
Union each week screens a
full-length motion picture in
Wilson Hall.