Sorry, It’s been a crazy few months. Jaws banner I didn’t post yet but I will. I do however have this video on line of a Christmas party we had at Regal 1998.
Cool,
Sorry its taken so long to post the Columbia photos. It seems I’ve having to go through more boxes than I thought. Good news is while going through boxes I found a old cloth Jaws banner I’ve had for years. Will post asap.
I’m enjoy reading all the post here! Brings back a lot of great memories! This weekend I am going to go out to my shed and pull out all the pictures I took the night Columbia 1 and 2 closed. I remember going through there with a fine tooth comb taking every picture I could, even the bathroom! I will post them asap!
Thanks
I remember living just across the street from Columbia 1 and 2 and walking to see Jaws when it was re-released. I saw it at the Imperial in 1975 but I can’t remember the re-release date. Wasn’t it 1977 just before Jaws 2 or something like that? I do know it was before they chopped it up into small screens.
I remember the night The Matrix opened, the manager that was over me at the time had the bright idea that he was going to keep selling tickets to a sold out show and then interlock. I begged him not to do that because to me the risk was too great. As you know being Regal we already had enough to do. You could say that Regal’s middle name was “cut labor†so you know who had to clean auditoriums. Well, needless to say he interlocked them. The rest was history. Not only did the sound not start, moments later there was the first of many brain wraps as they say. End of story. So now we had the same amount of people going out as came in. 300 emergency tickets later it was over!
When (Star Wars) Episode I came out I did my best to try to old school the first showing as I remembered as a child. We didn’t have a big curtain like National Hills so the best I could do was to flip from flat to scope and the screen opened a little (for effect) because if my memory is correct I believe that National Hills at one point and time was one big theater and had a full curtain. Then I hit the lights and waited a few seconds to let’em cheer. It wasn’t National Hills but it was the thought that counted!
Don’t get me wrong Regal was fun at times but it really was way too focused on cheap labor. After the thread and start of 12 films every 2 hours wasn’t enough to drain you, cleaning 12 auditorium floors was! Then I thought I got smart and moved to the Regal 20 when it opened. The last film I threaded for Regal was “Chicken Run†in 2000. It was enough for me, the excitement of the movies had given itself over to slide projectors and a manager in a three piece suit cleaning popcorn between shows.
I’m sure during the 70’s many of you were working at real theaters. I was that little kid stretching his neck trying to look up at the projection window! It was awesome!
Thanks Guys
Yea, I was one of those managers back then at the village 12 and you are correct. I can remember bringing up the subject of union projectionist once in a while and get slammed for even saying the word! Yea, I could thread the projector and enjoyed it but I always had a great fear that when, and it did, something went wrong we were out! I could tell you some stories! Running a projector is a art, it is ashamed that all you have now is press play kids starting movies. I long for Jaws at the Imperial in 1975. One of my best memories is working for a couple of weekends at columbia square theaters just before it closed. Just being in the booth was a thrill and I felt like I was on Holy ground! Miss it dearly friends…
Sorry, It’s been a crazy few months. Jaws banner I didn’t post yet but I will. I do however have this video on line of a Christmas party we had at Regal 1998.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edHqiP6a1q4
Cool,
Sorry its taken so long to post the Columbia photos. It seems I’ve having to go through more boxes than I thought. Good news is while going through boxes I found a old cloth Jaws banner I’ve had for years. Will post asap.
I’m enjoy reading all the post here! Brings back a lot of great memories! This weekend I am going to go out to my shed and pull out all the pictures I took the night Columbia 1 and 2 closed. I remember going through there with a fine tooth comb taking every picture I could, even the bathroom! I will post them asap!
Thanks
I remember living just across the street from Columbia 1 and 2 and walking to see Jaws when it was re-released. I saw it at the Imperial in 1975 but I can’t remember the re-release date. Wasn’t it 1977 just before Jaws 2 or something like that? I do know it was before they chopped it up into small screens.
I remember the night The Matrix opened, the manager that was over me at the time had the bright idea that he was going to keep selling tickets to a sold out show and then interlock. I begged him not to do that because to me the risk was too great. As you know being Regal we already had enough to do. You could say that Regal’s middle name was “cut labor†so you know who had to clean auditoriums. Well, needless to say he interlocked them. The rest was history. Not only did the sound not start, moments later there was the first of many brain wraps as they say. End of story. So now we had the same amount of people going out as came in. 300 emergency tickets later it was over!
When (Star Wars) Episode I came out I did my best to try to old school the first showing as I remembered as a child. We didn’t have a big curtain like National Hills so the best I could do was to flip from flat to scope and the screen opened a little (for effect) because if my memory is correct I believe that National Hills at one point and time was one big theater and had a full curtain. Then I hit the lights and waited a few seconds to let’em cheer. It wasn’t National Hills but it was the thought that counted!
Don’t get me wrong Regal was fun at times but it really was way too focused on cheap labor. After the thread and start of 12 films every 2 hours wasn’t enough to drain you, cleaning 12 auditorium floors was! Then I thought I got smart and moved to the Regal 20 when it opened. The last film I threaded for Regal was “Chicken Run†in 2000. It was enough for me, the excitement of the movies had given itself over to slide projectors and a manager in a three piece suit cleaning popcorn between shows.
I’m sure during the 70’s many of you were working at real theaters. I was that little kid stretching his neck trying to look up at the projection window! It was awesome!
Thanks Guys
Yea, I was one of those managers back then at the village 12 and you are correct. I can remember bringing up the subject of union projectionist once in a while and get slammed for even saying the word! Yea, I could thread the projector and enjoyed it but I always had a great fear that when, and it did, something went wrong we were out! I could tell you some stories! Running a projector is a art, it is ashamed that all you have now is press play kids starting movies. I long for Jaws at the Imperial in 1975. One of my best memories is working for a couple of weekends at columbia square theaters just before it closed. Just being in the booth was a thrill and I felt like I was on Holy ground! Miss it dearly friends…