THE SAHARA CINEMA.
The Sahara Cinema at Wheelus Airforce Base in the 1960s.
Photo Courtesy of Judy Moore
1954 Wheelus Theatre Calendar, LHH Collection
The Sahara cinema was a multiplex cinema, which was situated on base. When first built it lacked the necessary air conditioning and people would often find themselves engrossed in a film whilst sitting in perspiration soaked clothing. Later, the cinema was fitted with air conditioning, making it a much more enjoyable experience. A variety of snacks and drinks were available to purchase, including the obviously necessary popcorn!
‘A Fistful of Dollars’ movie poster, United Artists
A variety of adult current films were shown during the evenings and on Saturday there was also a matinee screening. Screenings included 'A Fistful of Dollars', 'The Graduate', 'Help', 'Tom Jones' and 'Psycho', to name but a few.
On Saturday mornings, the cinema became the domain of children and teenagers, who enjoyed watching the current children's movies as well as the Tarzan series, which was shown regularly and was extremely popular.
The Sahara was also used during the weekdays for the showing of school programmes for students 1.
FOOTNOTES.
Wheelus Air Base, Tripoli, Libya. Facebook. (n.d.). Retrieved August 14, 2022, from https://www.facebook.com/WheelusAirBaseTripoliLiby