I worked at the Centre in the summer of ‘82.
Kind of sleazy at the time. I covered the register when Dave would take breaks, mop the lobby, and change the marquee every week.
I also helped to clean up the basement. It was like a moment frozen in time, but a mess.
There were classic movie posters in glass frames stacked 4 or 5 feet high, filling one room. Bogart movies and such.
I got a lobby card from a marijuana propaganda film (Devil’s Harvest), which I sold on ebay for $400, and a nice War Bonds poster, signed on the back by a bunch of people who had attended a party at the theatre. I didn’t recognize any of the names, but still have the poster.
One room was filled with items from a WWII era novelty or drug store. Tubes of shaving cream, polarized 3D glasses, boxes of sparklers, old girlie calendars, an Alberto Varga Esquire pin-up calendar, and other junk. There was a Victrola with a broken leg, an old Coca-Cola light-up sign, all the letters and numbers for the snack bar menu sign, etc. We had like a week to clean up before the Fire dept came. I hope someone saved some of those posters. I took home what I could carry on BART.
Upstairs there was an office with what we referred to as the “casting couch” just outside.
It was really a pretty cool old building, and I was lucky to have been able to see more than just the lobby and sticky-floored theatre area.
Hey, there’s the Fun Center! I worked at the Centre in 1982. This photo looks more recent than that.
I worked at the Centre in the summer of ‘82. Kind of sleazy at the time. I covered the register when Dave would take breaks, mop the lobby, and change the marquee every week.
I also helped to clean up the basement. It was like a moment frozen in time, but a mess. There were classic movie posters in glass frames stacked 4 or 5 feet high, filling one room. Bogart movies and such. I got a lobby card from a marijuana propaganda film (Devil’s Harvest), which I sold on ebay for $400, and a nice War Bonds poster, signed on the back by a bunch of people who had attended a party at the theatre. I didn’t recognize any of the names, but still have the poster. One room was filled with items from a WWII era novelty or drug store. Tubes of shaving cream, polarized 3D glasses, boxes of sparklers, old girlie calendars, an Alberto Varga Esquire pin-up calendar, and other junk. There was a Victrola with a broken leg, an old Coca-Cola light-up sign, all the letters and numbers for the snack bar menu sign, etc. We had like a week to clean up before the Fire dept came. I hope someone saved some of those posters. I took home what I could carry on BART. Upstairs there was an office with what we referred to as the “casting couch” just outside. It was really a pretty cool old building, and I was lucky to have been able to see more than just the lobby and sticky-floored theatre area.