Beginning in July of 1976, I too was an assistant manager under the ‘venerable’ Managing Director Jack Tate (thanks StephenAdams for that term — it fits!)
When I went to work there I was a few weeks shy of 18. For the matinee’s — we wore our sports coats and ties … ah, but at night, we were always in tuxedos. The movie industry was at one of its worst times movie-wise … Gone were the road-show Cinerama three-booth events … while I was there, we ran some real dogs: THE MANSON MURDERS, MASSACRE AT CENTRAL HIGH, etc. But then, there were some that have become classic: ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13, SPARKLE, THE SHOOTIST …
Whatever it was Jack Tate was a pro’s pro. He taught me how bloody important ‘presentation’ was and IS. And for them that worked for Jack, they would never again deliver a bill to the bank with a crease or folded edge — and of course all the heads and tails of the bill were lined up.
Even though I only worked there for six months before going back to my old AMC multi-plex in Colma, CA … working and learning from Jack Tate was the best training I ever had in being a manager.
By the way — for thems not aware of the Hollywood Pacific … the place was / is haunted. I sometimes dreaded going down in the dead of night as closer to the sub-basements to turn off the AC … or chaining up the myriad of exits upstairs and down as I always felt there were unseen eyes on me. Once, I was in the lobby — coming out of the office alone and one of the doors to the theater closed by itself (even though there was the floor stopper — it went up and closed.) That next day, when I asked Jack about it, he said, ‘Oh — that’s Sam Warner … he lives here.’
Beginning in July of 1976, I too was an assistant manager under the ‘venerable’ Managing Director Jack Tate (thanks StephenAdams for that term — it fits!)
When I went to work there I was a few weeks shy of 18. For the matinee’s — we wore our sports coats and ties … ah, but at night, we were always in tuxedos. The movie industry was at one of its worst times movie-wise … Gone were the road-show Cinerama three-booth events … while I was there, we ran some real dogs: THE MANSON MURDERS, MASSACRE AT CENTRAL HIGH, etc. But then, there were some that have become classic: ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13, SPARKLE, THE SHOOTIST …
Whatever it was Jack Tate was a pro’s pro. He taught me how bloody important ‘presentation’ was and IS. And for them that worked for Jack, they would never again deliver a bill to the bank with a crease or folded edge — and of course all the heads and tails of the bill were lined up.
Even though I only worked there for six months before going back to my old AMC multi-plex in Colma, CA … working and learning from Jack Tate was the best training I ever had in being a manager.
By the way — for thems not aware of the Hollywood Pacific … the place was / is haunted. I sometimes dreaded going down in the dead of night as closer to the sub-basements to turn off the AC … or chaining up the myriad of exits upstairs and down as I always felt there were unseen eyes on me. Once, I was in the lobby — coming out of the office alone and one of the doors to the theater closed by itself (even though there was the floor stopper — it went up and closed.) That next day, when I asked Jack about it, he said, ‘Oh — that’s Sam Warner … he lives here.’
Welcome to Hollywood!
Dana Augustine