I worked at the Cheri with member J-Semp, who also made films, including a hilarious “Godzilla” movie. I started working there in April 1970 — about 6 weeks before my 16th birthday. The three films playing on my first day were “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?”; “Fellini Satyricon”; and Visconti’s “The Damned” — my first X-rated movie. “Woodstock” opened there in August 1970, I think, and we had hippies sitting on the carpet waiting for each show; the film was 3 ½ hours long and sold out for a very long time. We had midnight shows and early morning shows (9 or 10 a.m.) — and pot smoke wafting through the auditorium at every show.
I have so many wonderful memories of working there — so many kids (high school & college) on the staff. We were a tight crowd and often went to Ken’s in Copley Square after work to get a bite to eat.
I don’t think I saw this in any of the postings: The signs for Theatres 1 & 2 hung from short lengths of chain, and we would switch the signs based on how big the crowds were, because one was larger than the other. The tickets for each film indicated the number of the theater, and to keep proper track of the grosses we’d have to switch the signs when we switched the movie.
Other memories: “Joe,” with Peter Boyle as a nasty, bigoted, hippie-hating, blue collar guy – it came out of nowhere and played for months — still one of the most shocking film experiences I ever had; “Summer of ‘42” — also played for months — audiences loved it — didn’t ring true for me; the dismal Christmas of 1970 when we showed “Where’s Poppa?” and “I Never Sang for My Father” in nearly empty houses (can’t remember what the third film was that Xmas). BTW “Fiddler on the Roof” was another roadshow that played while I was there. I left to work at the Saxon under manager Lenny Barrack (who had a bookie operation in his balcony-level office) and assistant manager Merrill Frank, who had been at the Cheri and moved to the Gary shortly after I got arrived at the Saxon. THere was a tunner behind the Saxon Coke machine tthat connected to the Gary. We would go help them during busy times (the engagements of “Bedknobs & Broomsticks” and “Cabaret” stand out in my mind); and Gary staff would come over and help us when we were busy (“Klute,” “Diary of a Mad Housewife,” and Streisand’s “On a Clear Day…”). We would go over to the Gary on breaks to waych the movies, and I remember “Fortune and Men’s Eyes,” a scary, violent, gay prison movie (even drag queen Michael Greer was frightening) that made me want to rethink being gay (although I couldn’t take my eyes off co-star Zooey Hall — beautiful man!).
The Saxon went through some hard times while I was there — some softcore stuff (“Kamasutra”) and B movies. But I loved the Saxon, and always dreamed of restoring it — which, thankfully, Emerson College has done. People who worked at the SAxon then will remember that in the second balcony (never used due to insufficient fire exits) had one giant speaker (8’ x 8' by my recollection) in the center of the seating that had been used only once for the thunder in the Noah’s Ark scene in John Huston’s “The Bible” — or so I was told. I later worked at the Pi Alley, but that’s another story. Ahh, the memories … All the theaters of my youth in Boston gone forever, but not forgotten.
I worked at the Cheri with member J-Semp, who also made films, including a hilarious “Godzilla” movie. I started working there in April 1970 — about 6 weeks before my 16th birthday. The three films playing on my first day were “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?”; “Fellini Satyricon”; and Visconti’s “The Damned” — my first X-rated movie. “Woodstock” opened there in August 1970, I think, and we had hippies sitting on the carpet waiting for each show; the film was 3 ½ hours long and sold out for a very long time. We had midnight shows and early morning shows (9 or 10 a.m.) — and pot smoke wafting through the auditorium at every show.
I have so many wonderful memories of working there — so many kids (high school & college) on the staff. We were a tight crowd and often went to Ken’s in Copley Square after work to get a bite to eat.
I don’t think I saw this in any of the postings: The signs for Theatres 1 & 2 hung from short lengths of chain, and we would switch the signs based on how big the crowds were, because one was larger than the other. The tickets for each film indicated the number of the theater, and to keep proper track of the grosses we’d have to switch the signs when we switched the movie.
Other memories: “Joe,” with Peter Boyle as a nasty, bigoted, hippie-hating, blue collar guy – it came out of nowhere and played for months — still one of the most shocking film experiences I ever had; “Summer of ‘42” — also played for months — audiences loved it — didn’t ring true for me; the dismal Christmas of 1970 when we showed “Where’s Poppa?” and “I Never Sang for My Father” in nearly empty houses (can’t remember what the third film was that Xmas). BTW “Fiddler on the Roof” was another roadshow that played while I was there. I left to work at the Saxon under manager Lenny Barrack (who had a bookie operation in his balcony-level office) and assistant manager Merrill Frank, who had been at the Cheri and moved to the Gary shortly after I got arrived at the Saxon. THere was a tunner behind the Saxon Coke machine tthat connected to the Gary. We would go help them during busy times (the engagements of “Bedknobs & Broomsticks” and “Cabaret” stand out in my mind); and Gary staff would come over and help us when we were busy (“Klute,” “Diary of a Mad Housewife,” and Streisand’s “On a Clear Day…”). We would go over to the Gary on breaks to waych the movies, and I remember “Fortune and Men’s Eyes,” a scary, violent, gay prison movie (even drag queen Michael Greer was frightening) that made me want to rethink being gay (although I couldn’t take my eyes off co-star Zooey Hall — beautiful man!).
The Saxon went through some hard times while I was there — some softcore stuff (“Kamasutra”) and B movies. But I loved the Saxon, and always dreamed of restoring it — which, thankfully, Emerson College has done. People who worked at the SAxon then will remember that in the second balcony (never used due to insufficient fire exits) had one giant speaker (8’ x 8' by my recollection) in the center of the seating that had been used only once for the thunder in the Noah’s Ark scene in John Huston’s “The Bible” — or so I was told. I later worked at the Pi Alley, but that’s another story. Ahh, the memories … All the theaters of my youth in Boston gone forever, but not forgotten.