One of the most challenging aspects of photographic research is the attempt to date an image that its photographer failed to record. In most cases, this can be done if the photograph depicts buildings, automobiles, or even clothing styles. These clues can help narrow down the period that a photograph was taken to a couple of decades or even a specific decade. Sometimes a range of years can be determined; for example, when the construction date of a depicted building is known. In a few cases, such as this month's Silver Spring: Then image, an exact year as well as month and day was determined because of a clue in the image.

This view of Colesville Road looking towards Georgia Avenue clearly was taken sometime close to the Christmas holiday–note the pine trees (and not very shapely ones at that) sitting in oil barrels positioned along the sidewalks. A natural garland can be seen hanging from the trees on the right, and a silvery garland can be seen across the street hanging from the Silver Theatre's marquee and extending up the street.

The unknown photographer decided to take a position on the roof of one of the stores to get a better view of the bustling action. What this photographer captured was the Silver Theatre's marquee, upon which can barely be deciphered "PAYNE–TRIPOLI."

That clue is all a photo researcher needs to date this image.

Turning to the website Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com), a title search shows that the film Tripoli was released in 1950 and starred John Payne. Further searching on the site turned up the information that the film, an action/adventure set in 1805, pitting the United States Marines against the pirates of Tripoli, had its New York City premiere on November 9 of that year.

To determine the exact date or dates that this film played at the Silver, a search was done using the newspaper microfilm at the DC Public Library's Washingtoniana Division, located on the third floor of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. Washington Post microfilm was chosen because this newspaper ran daily movie listings for D.C. as well as the Maryland suburbs. Choosing a start date of December 1, 1950 (figuring that it would take at least a month for this film to get from Manhattan to Silver Spring!), I began scrolling through the microfilm.

This process is far less tedious then it may sound. Using the index that appears on the front page of each day's edition, and finding the page for "Amusements," I quickly advanced the microfilm to find out what was playing at the Silver on that day. It was interesting to note that movies then did not play for weeks (or months as the case may be) as they do today at the same theater, but changed on a daily basis. That was how the customers were enticed to come back, night after night.

Just as I reached the end of the microfilm, Saturday, December 15, 1950, there it was. Listed under "Today's Neighborhood Movies" appearing at the Silver (with FREE PARKING) was "Tripoli," starring Maureen O'Hara and John Payne, with showings at 1:00, 4:15, 7:35, and 9:40. Following the first and second screenings (with separate admission) was the 1935 western "Hopalong Cassidy," starring William Boyd.

I can well imagine quite a few parents dropping their kids off at the 2:35 or 5:50 show, providing mom or dad exactly one hour to do the holiday shopping unencumbered.

And just what might the consumer have purchased in downtown Silver Spring 53 years ago? At the end of the block was People's Drug Store (now the anonymous CVS). There one could purchase Rubinstein Apple Blossom Cologne for the ladies, on sale at $1.25. For the man in your life, there was Old Spice Toilet Water for $1.00. (I wonder when men conceded to purchasing fragrances labeled "cologne"?)

At Hecht's Department Store (a portion of today's City Place Mall), a "Christmas Dollar Day" sale was going on. Feather bed pillows (made from "soft chickens") were $1.00 each, as were women's rayon-knit gowns in pastel shades. For the smoker/driver in the family, there was the "Pres-a-Lite," a gadget that attached to your automobile's dashboard that automatically dispensed cigarettes at the push of a button. What peace of mind that must have offered for $6.95!

At Charles Schwartz & Son, located at the corner of Ellsworth and Fenton, you could buy the RCA Victor portable radio in "handsome plastic case" for $29.95. If that price was slightly out of reach, you could always purchase it on the payment plan, doling out 50 cents per week.

And for shoppers who had generous holiday budgets, there was that 14" Admiral black & white television for $199.95, on sale at Lacy's Television & Appliance, 8511 Fenton. Why, if Santa brought you one of those, you would be all set on Christmas Day to watch Vincent Price read Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol at 2:00 on WTTG Channel 5, and then at 3:00 turn (yes, turn!) to WNBW Channel 4 to watch Uncle Miltie's Christmas Party, starring Milton Berle.

By contrast, this "Silver Spring: Again" image, taken on Thanksgiving Day, looks positively lifeless. The Silver is still there, reborn this year as a showcase for the American Film Institute. Showing that day was the classic 1938 Errol Flynn film The Adventures of Robin Hood. The "Restaurant" sign from the 1950 photo marked the White Tower hamburger stand, today the site of the Lee Building. The towering Discovery Building in the distance replaced the long-gone R.E. Barrett Esso gasoline station and, only three years ago, the 1945 Little Tavern, now safely ensconced on Cameron Street.

Downtown Silver Spring is again on the verge of becoming fully revitalized, hopefully creating pleasant shopping memories for a new generation of residents. And for those of you who decide to document the changing scene, please date and sign your photographs!

Please share with the Silver Spring Historical Society photographs or memorabilia of downtown Silver Spring, from any years, for a future book. Contact the SSHS at sshistory@yahoo.com, phone 301.565.2519, or write SSHS, P.O. Box 1160, Silver Spring, MD 20910-1160. Our website is www.sshistory.org. Future historians will thank you!