“Dish Night” at the Movies…was a big hit at Movie Houses all across the country. It was a huge promotion for the theatres, and it had tons of ladies showing up once a week to collect a complimentary set of dishes piece by piece.
I’m guessing this plate was on display at The Martha Washington Theatre in Hamtramck, Michigan? I wish there was more information about the Theatres that participated in Dish Night, including what Depression Glass and China patterns they gave away.
This plate was made by the Homer Laughlin China Company, they are the American China Company that made the fabulous, Fiesta, Harlequin, and Riviera dinnerware. I don’t know the pattern?.. the shape is Century, the same shape HLC used for their famous Riviera. I found it in a Antique store in Tampa Fl…it was a very good day….smile..
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Allee Willis
I’m dying for a couple of reasons. A) of course, because Hamtramck is in Detroit and I always thought it was one of the funniest city names ever and B) because a woman (not a man?) could win a complete 52 piece dinner set just by attending the Martha Washington theater on a Friday night. And I absolutely love how the message is just stamped on the plate.
I never heard of “Dish Night” At the Movies. I think it was a brilliant way to get women into the theaters by giving them a dish, one by one, until they got to a complete service at 52.
I can’t believe that this was happening in theaters all over the country as they obviously had to press a separate message into the plates for every theater that featured the offer. Have you ever seen any more of these plates?
I wonder what movies they showed on those Friday nights? And do you know what street the Martha Washington was on?
I’m having dinner with another Detroit gal, lily Tomlin, tonight. We’ve spoken of Hamtramck fondly.
k2dtw
Thank you, This is the only Dish Night Advertising Plate I have been able to find???.. The Martha Washington Theatre was at 10315 Joseph Campau Street.. I think it’s gone now.
It would be great if there was more celebrated history of “Dish Night”.. I was hoping I could find details coming from some of the members of the Depression Glass Clubs on the Glass and Dinnerware that the Glass/China Companies made and gave away.. They each had to have a department to handle something that big??.. The marketing/making/shipping/billing???…
Wouldn’t it be great to know… maybe from the Movie Theatre Societies what movies they were showing, and any other fun facts about what they might have planned for Dish Night…
WOW…Have fun at dinner tonight.. Please tell Ms Tomlin, we love her work.. Wishing she would find another TV project?.. We are huge fans of West Wing, we were so excited when she joined the cast. It was always fun, we LOVED to watch her steal every scene she was in…is she wearing her own Bakelite in the show?? AND… If she ever wants to reminisce about performing at a little nightclub in Windsor Canada…we’re here for her…smile..LOL..