The things I thought would last forever are changing everyday.
What was once the arena of my confused teenage years, has been replaced with a Dick’s Sporting Goods, Ashley Furniture and Joanne Craft store complete with modern dryvit exterior. Ahhh Town & Country Mall. People used to ‘hang’ at TNC. Not just the employees -on any given Friday or Saturday, you’d find students from at least 6 neighboring High Schools (Palatine, Forest View, Buffalo Grove, St. Viater’s, Hersey, Fremd) it was the suburban teenage melting pot.
Essaness Town & Country Theater was the center of it all. Staffed with its’ own sort of melting pot. We were an overpopulated Breakfast Club detention libraryâ€"but we got paid and free movies. Our manager â€" who at late-20’s maybe early 30’s seemed ancient to his crew, but he could “BUYâ€. And, amazingly enough â€" they were all friends.
Since the site is named ‘Cinema Treasures’ and not ‘Dead Malls’ (which by the way, does exist). I won’t go into the list of tenants TNC had(including but not limited to, Big Daddy’s Records, Happy Joe’s Pizza & Ice Cream Parlor, Waist Up [remember iron-on t-shirts?], the Gift Loft, Thom McCann & Kinney’s [uh-oh rival shoe stores], I believe TNC.gave birth to the first Gamers’ Paradise, and the arcade was named ‘Just for Fun’ Okay I lied. Let’s talk about Essaness Town & Country Theatre!
Yes, it anchored TNC mall. It was the center. And people would line up to purchase tickets from open counter of the box office â€" no protective glass here. Wads of cash were shoved into little safes located near the floors. $3.75 was the full price admission for a full length feature in 1985.
The Door Man, clad in a brown, polyester, velvet trimmed suit would greet you and direct you to your theatre, or put you in a holding pen, which was fashioned out of velvet ropes until it was time for your movie to begin.
It was while being held captive that the concession attendants, dressed in black slacks, b&w striped shirts, with puffy sleeves (long before Jerry Seinfeld) topped off with a red bow ties – would serve you popcorn, candy and soda â€" at ridiculous prices. For years they offered Pepsi, however, somewhere in the very late 80’s, Coke did take over, (probably the same time Plitt purchased the theater chain, before becoming Cineplex Odeon). The concession stand was accessible 360 degrees â€" not that there was always available staff. If you failed to purchase prior to the show, no worries, for the sold out features, the ushers would sell it to you, right at your seat, while the movie was going.
I don’t remember the capacity of the theaters. I don’t remember the seats being miserable. I do remember “Bolero†showing in theater #6 and men would approach the box office and ask â€" for Theater #6….like we didn’t’ know where they were going. I remember the concession stand was constructed on a slight incline â€" which provided hours of entertainment slipping on spilled popcorn butter and nacho cheese. I remember the aroma of the occasional burnt popcorn batch, and the frustration of having to start the popcorn all over again when a Lee Press-On nail went missing. I know on Thursday nights the doorman and/or the ushers would change the Marquee on Route 12. I remember ‘Behind the Marquee’, a newsletter provided by Essaness for its staff. I remember Moviegoer magazine, provided free to movie going patrons. I still have the Tom Hanks poster somewhere. I remember one failed attempt at a midnight movie of “This is Spinal Tap†â€"six showed up. I remember Joe, the projectionist who would screen midnight showings for the employees â€" prior to a big release.
I also remember that I have better memories of working at Essaness Town & Country Theaters than I do High School. And with my 20 year reunion, hanging like a black cloud over my head, I decided to see if anyone else had the same fond memories and came across this site. So, to Heather W., Sue L., George M, Bill D., Sean W. Dave C., Kathy P., Terri J., Mike W., James H., Rich G, Bob(the doorman), Sue S.,Sandra S., Gary H., the older Gary, Jack N., Kevin S., Brett V., Brian A., Karen P., Jerry H., Carol V., and Mr. A & Mr. V (“you will be terminatedâ€), and the rest. I remember you all fondly. If you ever come across this information track me down.
Aloha,
Anna ‘Banana’ Barath
TNC employee ’84-‘89
The things I thought would last forever are changing everyday.
What was once the arena of my confused teenage years, has been replaced with a Dick’s Sporting Goods, Ashley Furniture and Joanne Craft store complete with modern dryvit exterior. Ahhh Town & Country Mall. People used to ‘hang’ at TNC. Not just the employees -on any given Friday or Saturday, you’d find students from at least 6 neighboring High Schools (Palatine, Forest View, Buffalo Grove, St. Viater’s, Hersey, Fremd) it was the suburban teenage melting pot.
Essaness Town & Country Theater was the center of it all. Staffed with its’ own sort of melting pot. We were an overpopulated Breakfast Club detention libraryâ€"but we got paid and free movies. Our manager â€" who at late-20’s maybe early 30’s seemed ancient to his crew, but he could “BUYâ€. And, amazingly enough â€" they were all friends.
Since the site is named ‘Cinema Treasures’ and not ‘Dead Malls’ (which by the way, does exist). I won’t go into the list of tenants TNC had(including but not limited to, Big Daddy’s Records, Happy Joe’s Pizza & Ice Cream Parlor, Waist Up [remember iron-on t-shirts?], the Gift Loft, Thom McCann & Kinney’s [uh-oh rival shoe stores], I believe TNC.gave birth to the first Gamers’ Paradise, and the arcade was named ‘Just for Fun’ Okay I lied. Let’s talk about Essaness Town & Country Theatre!
Yes, it anchored TNC mall. It was the center. And people would line up to purchase tickets from open counter of the box office â€" no protective glass here. Wads of cash were shoved into little safes located near the floors. $3.75 was the full price admission for a full length feature in 1985.
The Door Man, clad in a brown, polyester, velvet trimmed suit would greet you and direct you to your theatre, or put you in a holding pen, which was fashioned out of velvet ropes until it was time for your movie to begin.
It was while being held captive that the concession attendants, dressed in black slacks, b&w striped shirts, with puffy sleeves (long before Jerry Seinfeld) topped off with a red bow ties – would serve you popcorn, candy and soda â€" at ridiculous prices. For years they offered Pepsi, however, somewhere in the very late 80’s, Coke did take over, (probably the same time Plitt purchased the theater chain, before becoming Cineplex Odeon). The concession stand was accessible 360 degrees â€" not that there was always available staff. If you failed to purchase prior to the show, no worries, for the sold out features, the ushers would sell it to you, right at your seat, while the movie was going.
I don’t remember the capacity of the theaters. I don’t remember the seats being miserable. I do remember “Bolero†showing in theater #6 and men would approach the box office and ask â€" for Theater #6….like we didn’t’ know where they were going. I remember the concession stand was constructed on a slight incline â€" which provided hours of entertainment slipping on spilled popcorn butter and nacho cheese. I remember the aroma of the occasional burnt popcorn batch, and the frustration of having to start the popcorn all over again when a Lee Press-On nail went missing. I know on Thursday nights the doorman and/or the ushers would change the Marquee on Route 12. I remember ‘Behind the Marquee’, a newsletter provided by Essaness for its staff. I remember Moviegoer magazine, provided free to movie going patrons. I still have the Tom Hanks poster somewhere. I remember one failed attempt at a midnight movie of “This is Spinal Tap†â€"six showed up. I remember Joe, the projectionist who would screen midnight showings for the employees â€" prior to a big release.
I also remember that I have better memories of working at Essaness Town & Country Theaters than I do High School. And with my 20 year reunion, hanging like a black cloud over my head, I decided to see if anyone else had the same fond memories and came across this site. So, to Heather W., Sue L., George M, Bill D., Sean W. Dave C., Kathy P., Terri J., Mike W., James H., Rich G, Bob(the doorman), Sue S.,Sandra S., Gary H., the older Gary, Jack N., Kevin S., Brett V., Brian A., Karen P., Jerry H., Carol V., and Mr. A & Mr. V (“you will be terminatedâ€), and the rest. I remember you all fondly. If you ever come across this information track me down.
Aloha,
Anna ‘Banana’ Barath
TNC employee ’84-‘89