When I was a kid many of my Saturdays mornings were spent in the Pulaski Theater watching matinees aimed squarely at us kids. Looking back I honestly don’t know how the theater owner made any money. True, he (or she) always had a full house, but the theater was overrun with kids. Only a few brave adults risked life, limb, and dignity to watch the ancient serials, cartoons, and features showed on that screen. Whatever money that the theater owner made had to be devoured by clean-up costs.

Woe be unto any poor sap clumsy enough to fall; thrown spilled drinks and smooshed candy made the floors of the Pulaski Theater so flypaper sticky that every poor kid was in real danger of leaving bits of clothing and skin wherever he fell.

It was mayhem in the movies on Saturday mornings, but through the rain of soda and popcorn I managed to tune outÊ the chaos and sit mesmerized as King Kong kicked the crap out of a tyrannosaurus, while the U.S. Army battled flying saucers, and while Amazon explorers tried their best (and often failed) to keep from being eaten by weird plants and weirder creatures.

Watching some of those old movies today still captures my attention like when I was a kid. I still feel awed at the sense of mystery and wonder when Conway first enters Shangri-La. I still repeat the word that stops that 20 foot alien robot’s rampage (Gort! Klatuu berada nikto!). And I still feel sorry for the fast growing reptilian creature who was kidnapped while still in an egg and brought to Earth only to die in the streets of Rome.

Why am I telling you all of this? Because The iTunes Store is now offering the podcast, Matinee Classics, a collection of old movies and TV shows that are free to download and enjoy. If you’re a regular reader of this column (and who isn’t?) then you’ll know that I’m all about getting good content for free. Matinee Classics is a prime example of good free stuff.

This Island Earth, The Day The Sky Exploded, Beat the Devil, and much more are all available. For free!!!

This Island Earth, FREE on Matinee Classics

OK, so what’s the downside?

Well, some of the video is not of the best quality. In fact, This Island Earth looks pretty bad on a big screen, but it looks OK on my iPod. The quality varies from show to show. Even so they are still very watchable, and very free. So grab the popcorn and don’t spill the drinks. It’s matinee time!

Speaking of classics, in certain social circles antique timepieces (They aren’t called watches: Timex makes watches. These are timepieces.) are all the rage. For these folks a chronograph constructed by an obscure, but talented European watchmakerÊa hundred years or so ago is worth several times its weight in gold.

For the uninitiated these timepieces are but so many old, but pretty pocket watches. Hardly anything to get excited about and definitely not worth the thousands of dollars often paid to own one of these bad boys. Sometimes you just need to sit down and really take a good long look at something before its value becomes apparent. Maybe that’s why Vacheron Constantin, makers of extraordinary timepieces, has a podcast featuring its watches timepieces.

Vacheron Constantin struts its timepiece stuff

I have to admit, these are some of the best looking devices I’ve ever seen, and the patient workmanship that went into each piece is often breathtaking.

There are 15 podcasts available at the iTunes Store, each featuring a different timepiece or gallery of them.

If you’re into expensive watches or just wish you could afford to be, check outÊVacheron Constantin.

If your love of gadgets is limited by a modest budget worry not, CNET TV offers CNET Top 5. Pick a tech category and host, Tom Merritt, will give you a brief 411 on what CNET feels are the top five items in that category.

CNET Top 5

It’s a fun show and you are bound to have an opinion of what should or should not have made the list. For instance, in the February 8th show the iPhone was listed as the fourth most wanted gadget behind the Wii and an iPhone wannbe from LG.

I can see the Wii edging out the iPhone, but a wannabe phone? Demand for the iPhone is still very strong -- maybe not as strong as the Nintendo Wii -- but certainly greater than another phone.

Be that as it may, CNET Top 5 is a nice show. Grab a few episodes from the iTunes Store.

Well, that’s a wrap for this week for glimpses at what’s free on iTunes

More free stuff at the iTunes Store (with direct links):

Vern Seward is a writer who currently lives in Orlando, FL. He’s been a Mac fan since Atari Computers folded, but has worked with computers of nearly every type for 20 years.