Between 1982 and 1985 I worked a number of odd jobs to help pay for tuition while attending the Atlanta College of Arts as a full-time student. My time working the concession stands at the Rhodes Theater (1983-85) was one of the most unique and memorable jobs I’ve held in my youth. I believe it was Bart Stewart that hired me to work about 2-3 days a week in the evenings and some weekends. It was a great job for so many reasons. At some point in my two years working there management of the place changed hands from Bart to John Halliday. Both were good guys to work for and they made the place work against all the odds. (Bart, I remember the communist guy and cleaning up the main threater when the janitor didn’t make it in. I give up popcorn and soda for years as a result.)
I would arrive about 1 ½ hours before opening to setup the concession stand, popping corn, changing out carbonated drinks cylinders, and stocking up on ice or candy. Mean while Speegee, the cashier, would be up front counting out her money and updating the small marquee in the ticket window, and as Bart eluted to making sure all of the bills were neatly stacked and in order. We had to do all of the counting in our heads to make change, as there were no cash machines to run neither the concession stand nor the ticket counter, just a simple cash drawer.
It was always a bit unnerving to see the line start to form outside the doors, one always wondered if there was enough popcorn, candy, and drinks to feed the growing crowd. After about a month working at concessions it got easier gauging things. Speegee our cashier had only one speed while giving out tickets, if you were a regular to the Rhodes it was a speed you got use to and was a part of the movie going experience. Her slow pace was a god sends some days, especially during our film festivals or double features when the crowds seem to go on forever out the door and around the block. I’m sure some folks while standing in the ticket line would wonder if they would ever make it inside to see the film.
The Rhodes ran enough previews before showing the main attraction so no one ever really was late seeing a movie on our account. Once the movie started it was great to sit down and read up on my homework assignments. Of course this wouldn’t last long as we had to restock the concession for intermissions especially during our double features which could be a nightmare. Somehow we all made it through those evenings.
Speegee would always close out her till about an hour before I had to close the concession and cleanup the lobby area. Walking Speegee home, which was about four or five houses down Peachtree Circle across from the Rhodes, was a treat for all of us shared. I say ‘treat’ instead of ‘duty’ because she had such a positive outlook that was very genuine for her age which was refreshing in a fast moving city.
Some days the manager would ask me to come in early the next day or to stay late to change the big hanging marquee displayed out on Peachtree Street. I would go to the back of the theater through a side door and drag out this monstrous ladder which seemed to be as old as the Rhodes itself. It would usually take two of us to setup the large 30 foot A-frame ladder with an expandable center extension under the main marquee.
The manager would hand me a box of large plastic letters with a hand-written note spelling out our upcoming attractions for the week. This particular night I told the manager I wasn’t sure all of this would fit on the marquee as it was advertising two separate events. He sheepishly just told me to hurry up and get it done.
How I hated doing the marquee as the ladder was just short enough to force me to stand on the last two or three rungs at the top. All along you’re hanging onto the sign with one hand and trying to clip-in a letter with the other hoping that the clip-ons letters were not broken. If they were, there was a 50/50 chance that it would clip-in improperly and would be blown off in the middle of the week.
After you got one or two letters in place you had to go back down the swaying ladder to get a couple more letters and make the long shaky climb back to the top. Inadvertently I would drop a letter watching it drift down to the sidewalk below breaking it into a few pieces which meant you had to retrieve a new one from the storage room. Over time these letters were duck tape to hold them together or we had to substitute numbers for letters. Finally I would get one side completed then had to drag the dinosaur like ladder to the other side of the marquee sign to repeat the whole nightmare process a second time. Usually by the time the job was completed it was time to start closing out the concession stand and till. So I would hurriedly retrieve any broken letters and then drag the old dinosaur ladder back to the storage room if I wanted to get home at a decent time.
Showing up for work the very next evening I went through the usual routine of setting up the concession stand when the manager called me up to his office. Opened up on his desk, to the entertainment section of the local paper, he was a pointing to a picture of our marquee advertising our coming attractions for the week. I thought to myself ‘not another spelling error’! For which I fully expected the third degree from him to pay attention to my work and the usual command to get my butt outside and fix the error before opening.
But not this time as the manager was grinning from ear to ear and stated ‘Its gonna be a good opening night!’ We both ended up laughing our heads off and couldn’t believe Landmark booked both of these events back to back in one week. The marquee read across the top “Jewish Film Festival’ and beneath it was “Porky’sâ€. Needless to say we had a number of phone calls for and against our marquee. All I can say is that ‘humor’ prevailed that week and so did our attendance levels.
My world view was expanded as a result of all of the foreign and alternative films that came through the Rhodes. All this had given me a great appreciation for all types of cinema at a young age. It was good to read this board and remember part of my youth in Atlanta.
Between 1982 and 1985 I worked a number of odd jobs to help pay for tuition while attending the Atlanta College of Arts as a full-time student. My time working the concession stands at the Rhodes Theater (1983-85) was one of the most unique and memorable jobs I’ve held in my youth. I believe it was Bart Stewart that hired me to work about 2-3 days a week in the evenings and some weekends. It was a great job for so many reasons. At some point in my two years working there management of the place changed hands from Bart to John Halliday. Both were good guys to work for and they made the place work against all the odds. (Bart, I remember the communist guy and cleaning up the main threater when the janitor didn’t make it in. I give up popcorn and soda for years as a result.)
I would arrive about 1 ½ hours before opening to setup the concession stand, popping corn, changing out carbonated drinks cylinders, and stocking up on ice or candy. Mean while Speegee, the cashier, would be up front counting out her money and updating the small marquee in the ticket window, and as Bart eluted to making sure all of the bills were neatly stacked and in order. We had to do all of the counting in our heads to make change, as there were no cash machines to run neither the concession stand nor the ticket counter, just a simple cash drawer.
It was always a bit unnerving to see the line start to form outside the doors, one always wondered if there was enough popcorn, candy, and drinks to feed the growing crowd. After about a month working at concessions it got easier gauging things. Speegee our cashier had only one speed while giving out tickets, if you were a regular to the Rhodes it was a speed you got use to and was a part of the movie going experience. Her slow pace was a god sends some days, especially during our film festivals or double features when the crowds seem to go on forever out the door and around the block. I’m sure some folks while standing in the ticket line would wonder if they would ever make it inside to see the film.
The Rhodes ran enough previews before showing the main attraction so no one ever really was late seeing a movie on our account. Once the movie started it was great to sit down and read up on my homework assignments. Of course this wouldn’t last long as we had to restock the concession for intermissions especially during our double features which could be a nightmare. Somehow we all made it through those evenings.
Speegee would always close out her till about an hour before I had to close the concession and cleanup the lobby area. Walking Speegee home, which was about four or five houses down Peachtree Circle across from the Rhodes, was a treat for all of us shared. I say ‘treat’ instead of ‘duty’ because she had such a positive outlook that was very genuine for her age which was refreshing in a fast moving city.
Some days the manager would ask me to come in early the next day or to stay late to change the big hanging marquee displayed out on Peachtree Street. I would go to the back of the theater through a side door and drag out this monstrous ladder which seemed to be as old as the Rhodes itself. It would usually take two of us to setup the large 30 foot A-frame ladder with an expandable center extension under the main marquee.
The manager would hand me a box of large plastic letters with a hand-written note spelling out our upcoming attractions for the week. This particular night I told the manager I wasn’t sure all of this would fit on the marquee as it was advertising two separate events. He sheepishly just told me to hurry up and get it done.
How I hated doing the marquee as the ladder was just short enough to force me to stand on the last two or three rungs at the top. All along you’re hanging onto the sign with one hand and trying to clip-in a letter with the other hoping that the clip-ons letters were not broken. If they were, there was a 50/50 chance that it would clip-in improperly and would be blown off in the middle of the week.
After you got one or two letters in place you had to go back down the swaying ladder to get a couple more letters and make the long shaky climb back to the top. Inadvertently I would drop a letter watching it drift down to the sidewalk below breaking it into a few pieces which meant you had to retrieve a new one from the storage room. Over time these letters were duck tape to hold them together or we had to substitute numbers for letters. Finally I would get one side completed then had to drag the dinosaur like ladder to the other side of the marquee sign to repeat the whole nightmare process a second time. Usually by the time the job was completed it was time to start closing out the concession stand and till. So I would hurriedly retrieve any broken letters and then drag the old dinosaur ladder back to the storage room if I wanted to get home at a decent time.
Showing up for work the very next evening I went through the usual routine of setting up the concession stand when the manager called me up to his office. Opened up on his desk, to the entertainment section of the local paper, he was a pointing to a picture of our marquee advertising our coming attractions for the week. I thought to myself ‘not another spelling error’! For which I fully expected the third degree from him to pay attention to my work and the usual command to get my butt outside and fix the error before opening.
But not this time as the manager was grinning from ear to ear and stated ‘Its gonna be a good opening night!’ We both ended up laughing our heads off and couldn’t believe Landmark booked both of these events back to back in one week. The marquee read across the top “Jewish Film Festival’ and beneath it was “Porky’sâ€. Needless to say we had a number of phone calls for and against our marquee. All I can say is that ‘humor’ prevailed that week and so did our attendance levels.
My world view was expanded as a result of all of the foreign and alternative films that came through the Rhodes. All this had given me a great appreciation for all types of cinema at a young age. It was good to read this board and remember part of my youth in Atlanta.