Sorry to hear of your bad experience at the GCC Mall of America. Unfortunately, the floor staff in theatres often fears letting "strangers" up to see the booth. They are responsible for security, after all. Having a business card from your own theatre, or some proof that you are indeed a fellow projectionist, sometimes helps (unless you are a competitor).

The good news is that the MOM's projectionist Andrew D'Vrey is a regular here on Film-Tech Forum. So maybe next time, you'll have an invite.

Exciting to hear you are driving to Dayton this weekend to see the Cinerama films. I wish I would have had a chance to get out there. John Harvey was in Seattle when we installed the Cinerama machines in November of last year. He supplied some of the test film we ran.

From what I have heard, just to keep everyone posted, we will be running Cinerama sometime during May. Exact dates have not been mentioned yet. I am not sure if we will have new prints, but probably not. Certain 'political' issues are still being hammered out before we will see any new prints. I am not that close to the matter so I don't want to spread rumors.

As for booth tours, anyone is welcome when they are in Seattle. I am normally there evenings and weekends, and if not the management is great about giving tours if they have time.

It is not the fact I was denied a tour. That is their right. It is the fact I was treated so rudely. The floor manager treated his staff (the ticket taker) as rudely as he did me. The lame excuse about being busy just took the cake.

Another thing too, if I was going to rob them, I wouldn't come in trying to get a booth tour, that would garuantee they'd recall my face so a sketch artist could accuratley draw it. If I was going to rob them I'd buy a ticket for a film (whats 5 bucks when your about to steal a couple thousand?) and wait for an appropriately dead time to come out and make my demands.

However, criminals are stupid and will do ANYTHING. So you can't be too careful. After all, they didn't care that anyone saw their faces, when they robbed a Pompano Beach theatre here in the 70s. The crooks intended to KILL everyone with a bullet in the back of the head, after they'd tied them up, face down, in the office...

I don't have the law handy to quote, but I do remember a couple of the guidelines on it such as "minimum 1 inch high letters", "complete contrasting colors, meaning "black letters on white background" or vice versa and such a sign must be posted at "every possible entrance to the building". I've never seen a theater comply with those and all of the other rules, hence feel free to go to the movies packin' heat...it's perfectly legal! A good thing the employees cannot protect themselves.