I worked for Mr. Luedtke in the early seventies at the Esquire. A truly old-school man with customer service sensibilities that are missing today. He would stand by the entrance (I was an usher) and tell the patrons as they entered that there was ‘good seating on the left or the right" We had two entrances to the theatre. He enjoyed customer interaction and when he stood in the lobby he would rock on his feet, from the balls of his feet to the heels. He was also full of what might seem dated witticisms like “There’s no sense hitting your head against the wall because it feels so good to stop” when a task seemed particularly onerous.
Mr. Luedtke expected that every available seat in the house would be filled with patrons when a movie like “The Graduate” was shown, and thus he would make sure that the ushers went into the theatre and asked people to move over to create added space. He kept tabs on ticket sales from the cashier. Cleanliness was important to Mr. Luedtke and so the usher spent a portion of his time cleaning the theatre between shows, vacuuming the lobby and picking up debris in the waiting area in the basement. The usher was expected to perform light maintenance as part of his job duties, which included but was not limited to standing on a twelve foot ladder in the lobby to change lights in the ceiling, or shoveling the sidewalk in front of the theatre(not much of a job with the marquee awning). Perhaps the best job was changing the marquee sign when movies changed. As noted in previous comments, the marquee was accessed from a small door on the second floor. Getting out on the marquee was a treat in that it offered a unique perspective on Wisconsin Ave. There was more than one occasion during the year and a half I worked there when Marquette University’s basketball team would win a big game, the dorms would empty, and a flood of students would come down the avenue, chanting and blocking traffic while they inexorably moved to the lakefront.
I will add comments as I think of them. As with the best times in life, the camaraderie of the employees and the firm but friendly guidance of Mr. Luedtke are a great memory. All for $1.75 an hour. Yeah, I still have a pay stub.
I worked for Mr. Luedtke in the early seventies at the Esquire. A truly old-school man with customer service sensibilities that are missing today. He would stand by the entrance (I was an usher) and tell the patrons as they entered that there was ‘good seating on the left or the right" We had two entrances to the theatre. He enjoyed customer interaction and when he stood in the lobby he would rock on his feet, from the balls of his feet to the heels. He was also full of what might seem dated witticisms like “There’s no sense hitting your head against the wall because it feels so good to stop” when a task seemed particularly onerous. Mr. Luedtke expected that every available seat in the house would be filled with patrons when a movie like “The Graduate” was shown, and thus he would make sure that the ushers went into the theatre and asked people to move over to create added space. He kept tabs on ticket sales from the cashier. Cleanliness was important to Mr. Luedtke and so the usher spent a portion of his time cleaning the theatre between shows, vacuuming the lobby and picking up debris in the waiting area in the basement. The usher was expected to perform light maintenance as part of his job duties, which included but was not limited to standing on a twelve foot ladder in the lobby to change lights in the ceiling, or shoveling the sidewalk in front of the theatre(not much of a job with the marquee awning). Perhaps the best job was changing the marquee sign when movies changed. As noted in previous comments, the marquee was accessed from a small door on the second floor. Getting out on the marquee was a treat in that it offered a unique perspective on Wisconsin Ave. There was more than one occasion during the year and a half I worked there when Marquette University’s basketball team would win a big game, the dorms would empty, and a flood of students would come down the avenue, chanting and blocking traffic while they inexorably moved to the lakefront. I will add comments as I think of them. As with the best times in life, the camaraderie of the employees and the firm but friendly guidance of Mr. Luedtke are a great memory. All for $1.75 an hour. Yeah, I still have a pay stub.