Date Night – 1950s-60s

Growing up on the Northside of Houston in the 1950s, there were few places to go on a date. There was a roller rink if you could skate and like skating. There was a bowling alley off Jensen and another one on Shepherd if you could bowl ok. There were few good places to eat on that side of town besides Bailey’s and Princess drive-ins. Most nice restaurants were in the South Main area. The theater choices were; Granada and North Houston theaters on Jensen and Garden Oaks theater on Shepherd. There were; Lowes, Majestic, and Metropolitan theaters in downtown Houston. We also had three drive-in theaters; Irvington, Airline, and Shepherd on the Northside.

There were dances at a few places where teenagers could go at certain times of the year, but most of those were where you went to meet new people. School dances were great, but even those dances were not where we would take a date, rather it would be a place to meet or get to know classmates. The Stardust Ball and Prom were special dates. During the fall there were football games that many of the kids went to. Part-time jobs for high schoolers did not pay much, 50-75 cents per hour or less. I had to save up for those special dates that included a movie downtown and dinner at one of the fancy restaurants.

For a first date, I would suggest a movie at the Garden Oaks theater unless she wanted to see a movie that was playing at the Granada or North Houston. I just knew I would have to take off the hubcaps and lock them in the trunk on Jensen. Then after the movie, we would go to Baileys or Princess for drinks or a meal. For most other dates, I would suggest a movie at a drive-in theater. It was easier to talk during the movie and learn more about each other. Sometimes, they would be double dates with another couple. It might not even matter what the movie was that was showing or if we had watched it before.

For a teenage guy, getting the courage to put your arm around her shoulder for the first time was a rush of emotions. How will she react? Will she pull away or will she lean her head over against me? Sometimes the conversations were easy with questions about various things and other times there was more silence. Not every date would be followed by another date with the same girl. It always required both to want another date. That is another lesson about life.

Each relationship helps us to grow and mature a little bit. It helps us share our feelings and to learn how others react to our actions. The process we call dating is where we should discover what we need in a lifetime mate. Marring a girl who is great looking and is a great kisser may satisfy the “wants” of the day, but will she be the person 50 years later to which you are still married?

All the dates I had were great experiences. I had thoughts about marrying someone before Eva. God had another plan for me even though I was not seeking His advice. With Eva, it was different and not in a “love at first sight” way. I had known her for years, but I knew less about her than others that I had dated before. We had a connection on a different level. It did not take a long time for me to realize that I wanted her to be my wife.