There was a time when the feature was invariably preceded by a cartoon, and audiences smiled when they heard the theme music for "Looney Tunes" and "Merrie Melodies" from Warner Bros. Cartoons have long since been replaced by 20 minutes of paid commercials in many theaters, an emblem of the greed of exhibitors and their contempt for their audiences. In those golden days, the cartoon (and even a newsreel and a short subject) was a gift from the management.

- Roger Ebert, film critic

[CAN ANYONE ELSE REMEMBER THOSE BYGONE DAYS? I CAN.]

I remember the cartoons.

But I really dislike the constant griping about the ads in theaters. Roger Ebert should know better. Ads pay the bills. Bills don't get paid... theater closes. Theater closes... films don't get run. Films don't get run... films don't get made. Films don't get made... Roger Ebert is out of a job.

Especially these days, with 4-20 theaters in one location, the need for ad revenue is even more necessary.

Back in the old days, with those cartoons, the theater operator only had to maintain ONE theater.

Good point. Times have changed. Similarly, there are more TV commercials
than back in the fifties (when a half-hour show was 25 minutes long, with only
five minutes of commercials) because production costs are higher today. I
think today a half-hour show is about 21 minutes long (maybe less than that).

I am too young to have witnessed the cartoons. But I am a fan of previews. They give me something to look forward to in the near future.

One big reason that theaters used to show cartoons and newsreels is that there was no TV. Back then it was the only way to see news. Now we have 24 hours news channels and a cartoon network. There is no real need to show either before a movie today. I for one like previews.

I am too young to have witnessed the cartoons. But I am a fan of previews. They give me something to look forward to in the near future.Same here, I do remember appreciating everything on the screen including the previews which are really commercials for movie companies, shhh.

The only cartoon I remember was the dancing snacks between features at the drive-in.

I basically agree with Roger Ebert which is one of the reasons I no longer go to the theatre.

I remember going to the theater in town when I was a kid. It had a huge screen with curtains and there was a balcony. It was beautiful. I don't remember there being previews, but they showed one or two cartoons. And the tickets were cheap!