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Author Topic: When was your first booth visit? Rick Raskin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1100 From: Manassas Virginia Registered: Jan 2003 posted 09-14-2008 09:05 AM                     Continuing along the lines of first cinema experience, when did you first visit a booth? Mine was the Tivoli Theater in Washington, DC when I was about 11 years old (1957). I remember the projectionist inviting a friend and I upstairs. I also remember asking him what type of equipment it was and he responded that it was all Simplex. I responded that it looked all complex to me.  |  IP: Logged Justin Hamaker Film God Posts: 2253 From: Lakeport, CA USA Registered: Jan 2004 posted 09-14-2008 09:54 AM                        For me it was when I was first hired at the Feather River Cinemas in Oroville, California. I was 23 at the time. I was hired as floor staff when the theatre first opened in 1996, but started running projectors within a few months. First film I built up was Last Man Standing. I guess that was almost exactly 12 years ago.  |  IP: Logged Bruce McGee Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1776 From: Asheville, NC USA... Nowhere in Particular. Registered: Aug 1999 posted 09-14-2008 10:10 AM                     My first booth visit was at the old now-closed STARLITE D-I in Asheville. It was an old booth at the time... old equipment, parts, amplifiers stacked in the corners, old posters on the walls. This was about 1966. The BEST booth visit was at the FOX Theatre in Atlanta. I had just finished watching Raiders Of The Lost Ark in 70mm there, and was standing at my seat in the balcony waiting for the crowds to clear out. I looked up toward the portholes, and saw a guy with his head sticking out watching the crowds. I hollered up at him and asked if I could see the booth? The guy that was with me was mortified, but the guy in the porthole pointed toward the back of the balcony. We went back there, and in a few moments, the wall opened, and there was our man. His name was Joe Patten, and I quickly found out that he was the driving force behind the restoration of this palace. He gladly showed us the lovely Century projectors that had been removed from the Lowes Grand down the street and installed here after the "fire" that happened there. He showed us the sound systems, and film prep areas, talked to us about the Moller pipe organ and its ongoing restoration. I spoke to him several more times over the next few years, Got to meet Bob Van Camp, the house organist, and hear the organ play when he was practicing. Mr Van Camp is gone now. I dont know about Mr. Patten. I do hope that he is still kicking. This booth visit was the BEST of all to me. I remember on this night, Mr Van Camp announced to the full house that even though Raiders was playing in at least 20 theatres in the Atlanta area, we all chose to see it HERE in this fine old theatre. We all applauded each other. Ah, memories.  |  IP: Logged Mike Olpin Chop Chop! Posts: 1852 From: Dallas, TX Registered: Jan 2002 posted 09-14-2008 10:25 AM                     When I was 13 or 14 we went to see Liar Liar at the new AMC Mission Valley 20, the first stadium seating theatre in the area. AMC had these ridiculously huge port windows, and the projectionist spotted me staring at him while he was threading. A few minutes later, he came into the theatre and invited me and my family up to the booth for a quick tour. I had never seen a modern film system. The projectionist explained how the platters work, and then went on about the torus screens and how they were the only theatre in town that had them.  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 09-14-2008 10:39 AM                       My earliest memory of being inside a projection booth was at the Family Drive-In, in Lexington, KY. We were watching "Gone With The Wind", so it must have been during the 1967 re-release. I also remember my mother talking about Vivian Leigh dying of tuberculosis, which was also in '67, so I would've been 5 years-old. On a trip to the concession stand, I peered into the open booth door and stood gawking in utter amazement. At the time, that booth had two Ashcraft Super Cinex lamps on slanted Brenkert bases, with BX-100 projectors and 9030 soundheads. 20-minute reels, of course. Now, those were huge lamphouses by any measure, but they must have looked supremely enormous to a 5 year-old. The projectionist kindly offered to let me have a closer look at the projector so I walked between the machines, looking at the reels spin reciprocally, not knowing entirely what to make of it all. I must have asked him why there were two projectors, because I remember he said, "This other projector will be running in a few minutes." I wondered how that could happen, since the one on the left was obviously running the movie at that moment? About then, my father appeared in the doorway and told me to leave the man alone. Later that night, as we went back to the concession stand, I peered once again into the booth and the other projector was, indeed, running. I distinctly remember wondering how that had happened without us knowing about it. That event had a lasting effect on me. Just 7 short years later, I made my first changeover; across the street at the Circle 25 Drive-In!  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 09-14-2008 10:48 AM                     Oddly enough, I don't remember which one I went into first as a "guest." It was either the K-B Bethesda or the K-B Studio. In either case, it would have been the summer of 1980. Via a mutal friend, I met my best friend (for the 2nd time...long story there) on July 4th 1980...he was a projectionist for K-B Theatres. I was invited to a couple of movies and at least one was at the K-B Bethesda and the other was at the K-B Studio. The Bethesda was his primary theatre but he worked relief all over the K-B chain. So I definitely spent more time at the Bethesda that summer. By the fall of 1980, I too was showing movies for K-B Theatres. Steve  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 09-14-2008 11:03 AM                        I was working at the luxurious Mann's Kipling Place 6 Theaters when I probably followed my friend upstairs (who was an assistant manager) as he closed down the booth. Maybe I helped him move a print. I can't quite remember. He was the one who eventually taught me how to thread a month or two before I became an assistant manager. He appears in Projection Training 1 as well as the commercial for the mighty Mann Tamarac Square  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 09-14-2008 11:32 AM                        For me, I think that it was at some point in the early-mid 1990s at the Saco Drive-In in Saco, Maine. My family was visiting the area over the summer and I convinced them to go to the drive-in one night. I poked my head into the booth sometime mid-show to take a look and was invited in. I was most impressed. At the time, they still had Simplex E7s with Ashcraft lamphouses. The theatre is still around but now has a single Brenkert with a platter.  |  IP: Logged Don Furr Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 509 From: Sun City, Ca USA Registered: Nov 2002 posted 09-14-2008 12:38 PM                     I might have been 10 or 11 but my father got me a tour of the booth at the Varsity Theatre in Columbus, Ms. The operator was Frank Highsaw who was a 16mm collector and was my source for 16mm film. The old Varsity burned to the ground in the late 70's but not before I operated the booth part time for several years. That theatre had a HUGE curved silver screen that went from wall to wall.  |  IP: Logged David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 09-14-2008 05:37 PM                        Always fulfilling my role as a total movie geek, I was the first person in line at the box office for the grand opening of the Edwards El Toro 5. I bought a ticket for Supergirl. I have it stuck in my head that the grand opening was 1985, but imdb says that movie was released in 1984. As was the custom with Edwards grand openings, the theater was not finished. The snack bar was only about half set up and they were still installing Edwards-red Formica on the countertops and stuff like that. Anyway James Edwards Sr. was there, I struck up a conversation with him, and he asked me if I'd like to see the booth. Hell yeah! He told the projectionist to show me around. At the time I didn't know projection heads were not necessarily the same brand as the lamphouses and all I saw was "CHRISTIE" on all the lamphouses so I figured they were Christie projectors. They may not have been, since the largest house had 70mm capability.  |  IP: Logged Phil Hill I love my cootie bug Posts: 7595 From: Hollywood, CA USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 09-14-2008 06:06 PM                  When I was a kid, my folks used to take me to the drive-in, I would spend most of time not watching the film, but hanging out at the open projection-room door... peering into the projection booth being amazed at the magic that made the images show on the screen. I would bug the projectionist to let me in so I could get a better look at it all. ...he usually did. In HS and college, I ran a lot of 16mm films. That was my downfall for my 1st 35mm "job". When I was at Ft. Monmouth army base, I saw a job posting for a projectionist at the new 1000 seat base theatre. AS usual for a young punk, I BS'd my way in and got the job. My 1st show... I totally screwed up. Having only projected 16mm B4, I threaded with the supply reel film exiting CW instead of CCW as is common for 35mm. When the image hit the screen, it was upside-down and the optical track was visible on the screen. I didn't have a clue as to why... I could hear all my friends jeering me from the auditorium with "nasty" comments. FINALLY, the head projectionist came in and got everything running right. I learned ANOTHER life-lesson the hard way...I NEVER did that again!  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 09-14-2008 07:07 PM                     quote: Phil Hill When I was a kid, my folks used to take me to the drive-in, I would spend most of time not watching the film, but hanging out at the open projection-room door... peering into the projection booth being amazed at the magic that made the images show on the screen. I would bug the projectionist to let me in so I could get a better look at it all. ...he usually did. Ditto for me Phil! It was at the Sky Hi Drive In near my house and I was probably 10 or so. It was a twin D.I. and there were two projectionists back then. Century SA's with Super Cinex's on the back... The one projectionist there used to repair TV's and run the show on one side... am glad he never fixed our TV between 20 min. reels! Donno what the other guy did cept run shows... I think every D.I. after that I went to I got to know the projectionist. Mark  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 09-14-2008 07:27 PM                     So true Phil. And yet to this day you have NEVER projected a reel incorrectly in your screening room.  |  IP: Logged Phil Hill I love my cootie bug Posts: 7595 From: Hollywood, CA USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 09-14-2008 07:33 PM                  Hahahahahaha. OK Brad... that's really funny. I deserved that and soooo true! I'm not upset about your post, however I'll carefully pick a time to get even...  |  IP: Logged Claude S. Ayakawa Film God Posts: 2738 From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 09-14-2008 09:56 PM                        My parents were members of the Waipahu Japanese Social Club and as part of membership service, there was a outdoor movie showing about three times a month on a Saturday evening on the grounds of a pre school up at the Oahu Sugar plantation village. The films were all in Japanese that had just completed their first run Honolulu showings at either the Kokusai with their Daie movies and the Nippon with pictures from Shochiku. The showings were in 35mm and projected from a very tiny booth on the school grounds. I cannot remember the type of projectors in the booth but it was set up for change overs because there were two machines. The projectionist was Jack Matsuura who owned and operated three independent movie theatres in leeward Oahu where we lived. He was a very nice man and provided me with a lot of information about motion picture exhibition when I used to bug him with all kinds of questions about motion picture exhibition . This was a time when I was about the age of the little boy in the Italian film, CINEMA PARADISO. Seeing that movie reminded me a lot about Mr. Matsuura and myself and how kind he was. -Claude  |  IP: Logged

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