I asked to go to the consession stand to get food and use the toilet, which was an experience of its own. (No doors, wooden floor, no regular cleanings)

I detoured around to the side door marked employees only, opened the door, heard the projector running, stepped inside, and was about to close the door when I heard a loud crash of a shovel hitting the floor about 2 feet from me, and a voice screaming "GET THE F*CK OUT OF HERE!

I ran back to the car. I didn't tell Dad what happened till later, but I did get him to go back to the same drive-in later and go with me up to the door and knock. The same guy was there. This time, I got to see everything up close, and before I left, I got to do a changeover by stepping on the pedal with my toe! I have no idea what we saw, that night. I was too busy thinking about all that neet equipment, the smell of the carbons, and the sound and look of the film running through the projector.

I haven't given a tour in the last few weeks as I have been out with a case of satanic flu. I swear to god thats what it was.

I think i'll stick to being a filmcollector + all the theaters were i live dont give a damm about a good presentation anyway.

McDonald's. Or so it feels when I go to the large multiplexes of today and see the similarities between today's film handlers and the McDonald's folks. When I'm really down, I fear that the whole film handling business is already dead. We're merely seeing ghosts.

I know very well that there are good projectionists working at the multiplexes, but the profession as I know it is about to disappear, and it always makes me sad. (No insult intended.)

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If the art ever dies and we lose film projection, I will never visit another movie house again.

Give those tours and spread the magic.

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I have tried to kill a couple of projectionists and even a few customers by shoving them into the system but these damn simplex's and speco platters just wont do any damage. I need some of that dangerous equipment you have there.

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An about 10-year old kid and his dad (who liked to show his son that he knew everything there is to know about projection equipment by nodding and agreeing with me in what he hoped would be the correct places) visited the booth. The kid studied the 35/70mm Favorit70's with some sort of awed silence, checked out the sound racks with growingly HUGE eyes, and watched intently when I threaded one of the Favorit70 projectors, explaining as I went along what I did and why.

After a couple of minutes, the dad decided that they had had enough, thanked me for my time, and motioned the kid to follow him down the stairs. They whispered to each other on their way down, but the last thing I heard before the door closed were two heartfelt "wows", from both of them.

Made my day.

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