Comments from Baldtothebone

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Baldtothebone
Baldtothebone commented about Chatham Cinema on Feb 21, 2014 at 7:07 pm

I just came across this site, and it brought back so many memories. I also was an usher at the Chatham starting in 1968 until about 1970, and then again in 1971. I could tell a million stories of our escapades…and we were demons at times for sure. But first, I have to correct the seating number posted….647…it was 678..and I counted them many times.
I remember you Dan Clemente, and Ken Anderson…along with Dennis Mudry, Ben Cushion, Denny Gaber, Bill Kent, Nick Mamula, Jerry States, Leon Elkins. Jim Jackson and on and on. Adail Bouvy was a very good friend as well. George Pappas, George Gatto and Cathy Gatto, his daughter also worked there. Demon ushers??? We from time to time would have swearing contests while standing at the doors when the lobby was crowded, to see who could swear the loudest. It was hard to keep a straight face and looking innocent after letting one fly, and Leon Elkins would always win. During the movie, we would sit on the benches and throw quarters across the lobby at the sand filled ash trays. The clang of the side would alert Mr. Pappas, and the game would end quickly. Then we tried the candy “Dots” because they were quieter when they struck the metal sides of the ash trays. Another challenge was to pull the posts holding the ropes that separated the lower lobby, and see if you could get all of them to tip, without falling. Of course, someone would go too far, bang the post down, and here comes Mr. Pappas. I have so many stories, but a more serious incident happened when the popcorn machine caught fire just after the movie started. Bullitt I think was the movie, and there were at least 400 people in the theater. Not knowing any better, I grabbed the fire extinguisher and pumped it into the bottom of the popcorn stand, thinking I had put it out. But it was an electrical short, and I didn’t know to kill the breaker in the panel, and the lobby filled with smoke, so thick you couldn’t see 5 feet. There was no smoke in the theater, and the people never knew what had happened until they exited the theater. We also posted ushers inside and didn’t let anyone exit during the movie. Could you imagine if someone had yelled FIRE!…in a crowded theater?? That’s enough for now, and if any of my old usher friends want to contact me, aasrpghmembers at Ya Hoo dot com.

  Don Boehm