This is topic Celebrities in your theatre! in forum Ground Level at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


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Posted by Sally Ann Burgess (Member # 4746) on 10-01-2008, 01:20 AM:
 
My cinematic claims to fame thus far.....

Meeting Hugh Jackman earlier this year (he came in to watch I Am Legend on a break from Wolverine.) I shook his hand which was everything I imagined it to be, warm and manly. So every time I see his right hand in a movie I'll think, "I've shaken that."

Meeting Shania Twain twice. Much much smaller than she appears on TV, and very nice. I sold her a packet of Pineapple Lumps and a Pepsi. In case you were wondering!!!

Sting popped into Odeon Salisbury to watch King Kong a few years back. He, too, is much smaller than he seems on TV. Very very tanned!

Has anyone else had the rich and famous (or not so famous) in their cinemas? I tell you what though, if either Johnny Depp or George Clooney come and pay a visit here, I take no responsibility for my actions...
 
Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 10-01-2008, 01:30 AM:
 
quote: Sally Ann Burgess
So every time I see his right hand in a movie I'll think, "I've shaken that.
[eyes] [Eek!] [eyes]
 
Posted by Andrew Bangs (Member # 4938) on 10-01-2008, 01:48 AM:
 
quote: Sally Ann Burgess
if either Johnny Depp or George Clooney come and pay a visit here, I take no responsibility for my actions...
Down Girl!!!

mind I grew up in Hollywood CA. so most of my sightings were not in the theatre but on the Street. I did attend Hollywood High and Brandy (Moesha) was actually in my class till her senior year when she left to become a recording star. We performed in Antigone together. I have run across Jeff Bridges, Hayden Christensen, Kevin Kline, Bob Goldthwait, Michael Jackson (no I was not a little boy), John Travolta, Carol Burnett, and a few others that escape me right now. Frankly I always saw them as just regular old people like the rest of us. Nothing to amazing Just regular Jo's
 
Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 10-01-2008, 02:07 AM:
 
We have a concert venue a few miles down the road. In the 3+ years since I've been here, we've Kelly Clarkson and Velvet Revolver come in. I was blown away by how small Kelly is.

The previous theatre where I worked we had at least some members of Metallica come in. I wasn't there at work at the time so I don't know who. I guess one of them has a family member in the area.

And Gary Burghoff (Radar on M*A*S*H*) used to be a regular - in fact, one of his sons even worked for us for a while.

We had the real Jeffrey Wigand do a Q&A session and introduce a showing of The Insider. He was in the area doing a talk at the local community college and they actually contacted us to see if we could set it up.
 
Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 10-01-2008, 02:08 AM:
 
In the early '80's, I remember when Art "Stink" er - Linkletter came into our town as a representative of Zig Zigler's classic positive business selling tools.

We were doing a satellite duplex feed with another theatre back east and Linkletter was assigned at ours while 'Ziggy' was at that other one.

Then, at a 4plex I was working at, we had the hairband group "Twisted Sister" attend our theatre. Talk about a crowd gathering around the theatre afterwards!

Then, recently at a 21 complex that I was working at, Nancy Kuan (pro skater) was in Boise and attended one of the screenings we had.
 
Posted by Brian Michael Weidemann (Member # 2243) on 10-01-2008, 04:31 AM:
 
I wasn't in the building at any of these times, but we have confirmed visits from Arnold Schwarzenegger, Anne Hathaway, and Kobe Bryant. Not at the same time. I'm sure there have been more; we're a fairly high-profile location.
 
Posted by Cameron Glendinning (Member # 3516) on 10-01-2008, 06:48 AM:
 
Well many years ago in London at 5.30am I met and shook hands with Brad Pitt in the foyer at the Electric Cinema. I was projecting a James Bond all night movie marathon at the time, he turned up to watch Octopussy after a night @ the ministry of sound.

Chow Yung Fat was filmed by MTV in the Scala's projection room (complete with me doing changeovers in the background) during the closing weekend of the old Kings Cross institution. It closed with a bang! A John Woo Festival! What freaked me out was that he greeted me the next day by my first name.

For me it was a case of he's constantly on the screen, he does not speak english, boy does he knows how to use a gun, he is standing next to the projector, he knows my name, weird.

Spinal Tap at the now gone Valhalla Cinema in Sydney. I met them (well almost all of them, aparently the drummer had recently died) they gave me their album "Smell the Glove" and then I operated a spotlight for them.

When I worked at the Sydneys Planet Hollywood I did meet plenty of Home and Away actors and the ocassional Billy Zane etc. I remember Lachlin Murdoch and body guards came up to the projection room to thank us for the screening of Independance day.

Also Dennis Hopper at the Valhalla, Keanu Reeves @ the Chauvel.

Another true highlight for me was meeting and chatting to French Actress Romane Bohringer.

I have met plenty more celebrities when I worked for a tv station and in film production but thats pretty much the high lights of my in cinema celebrity sightings.
 
Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 10-01-2008, 09:41 AM:
 
We have several of the Tennessee Titans football players and their families come in a couple of years ago to watch Spiderman 2 and White Chicks. Really HUGE guys. They were much Bigger in person than they look on TV.

Also, being so close to Nashville, we've also had our share of country music stars come in. Not many, but a couple.
 
Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 10-01-2008, 09:54 AM:
 
Michael Moore is on our theatres board, and makes a point of personally introducing many of our films. This year we have also hosted Madonna, Donahue, Stanley Donen, Larry Charles, and many others.

At my previous location, Jerry Seinfeld and a large group of DreamWorks staff came in to do a test screening of Bee Movie.
 
Posted by Galen Murphy-Fahlgren (Member # 4535) on 10-01-2008, 09:59 AM:
 
We had Neil Patrick Harris come into my old theater with his boyfriend to see Prince Caspian. There were still decent crowds on a Sunday afternoon, so it must have been about the third week of the run. He had the cliched sunglasses and baseball cap on, but since there were several How I Met Your Mother fans among us, we recognized him easily. "He tried to disguise himself, but I recognized that distinctive bone structure," as the guy on ticket post said. I was pleased that no one bothered him, we just made a huge fuss amongst ourselves in the lobby after all the shows were in.
 
Posted by Jeff Eisentraut (Member # 1121) on 10-01-2008, 10:14 AM:
 
Out theatre is located in the hometown of 9-time UFC world champion Matt Hughes who attends regularly and as a matter of fact was here two nights ago while we were filming our weekly podcast and agreed to do a cameo..
 
Posted by Mike Williams (Member # 1140) on 10-01-2008, 10:32 AM:
 
My wife used to be an assistant manager at the Kendall 9 theater down in Miami. She saw OJ Simpson come in a few times.
 
Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 10-01-2008, 10:48 AM:
 
I ran a film for Martin Scorsese when he was in town to shoot his new movie (earlier this year). It was a print from his personal collection that he wanted to show to a handful of the people involved in his production (Leonardo Dicaprio and Mark Ruffalo were also in the audience). I got to shake his hand after the screening, and he thanked me for "excellent projection."
 
Posted by Warren Dewey (Member # 3609) on 10-01-2008, 11:39 AM:
 
We do live concerts too, so we get a lot of famous musicians-- but among the movie people are Clint Eastwood, who lives down the road. He came to see Diane Schuur perform. We talked about the old movie houses in Oakland that he went to when he was a kid. He mentioned his new movie which he said he was a little concerned about, because it was black & white, all in Japanese and subtitled.

We also had John Waters as a speaker-- very nice guy and pretty hilarious. He lost his paycheck in the airport.

D.A. Pennebaker, who directed Monterey Pop here 40 years ago, came in and spoke about the film.

One of the most interesting was Daniel Ellsburg, the guy who leaked the Pentagon Papers to the NY times back in the 70s. He came in to see "Dr Strangelove"! I found out later he had once worked for the RAND (BLAND) Corporation parodied in the movie.
 
Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 10-01-2008, 11:46 AM:
 
Scott, that tops everyone's list, in my book!

Lessee.. front of the camera ones that come to mind... I've schmoozed with Tab Hunter, Adam Roarke, Jose Ferrer, Miguel Ferrer, Juanita Moore, George Clooney (back when he was just Rosemary's nephew)... and I was Phyllis George's favorite projectionist, back when she was first-lady of KY. I always ran her shows whenever she went to the movies or had special screenings. She never failed to chat me up.

Although, I have been more awestruck by meetings and friendships made with film editors, cinematographers, and others behind the camera.
 
Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 10-01-2008, 12:22 PM:
 
I don't own or work in a movie theater, but I have seen famous people in the same theater I was visiting. This was back when I lived in New York City.

Can't remember for sure if it was The Doors or Born on the 4th of July, but I saw Spike Lee at The Ziegfeld Theater for one of them. He, and an attractive lady, sat in a little VIP booth at the back row of the theater's front center block of seats. The booth had a back door to an aisle that allowed him to leave ahead of the exiting crowd.

I've seen E-Street band member "Little Steven" Van Zandt (Silvio Dante on The Sopranos) twice at two different movie theaters. The first time was buying tickets for a 70mm showing of Alien Nation at the Criterion Theater in Times Square. The second time was while buying tickets for a 70mm show of Lethal Weapon 2 at the East 23rd Street Cinema. Van Zandt even had the bandanna on his head.
 
Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 10-01-2008, 12:32 PM:
 
I have run into or seen in theaters I service:

Clint Eastwood, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ron Howard, Harrison Ford, John Kerry... he's really an actor too! Dick Cheny also watches films at a theater I service but since it causes a 2-day disruption courtesy of the CIA in the theaters normal schedule they told him to take a hike on the last request.

A story that actually happened was that Clint Eastwood once complained of flutter in a Christie projector during a film he was watching... this caused Christie to cough up a new style round tooth belt kit in about a days time almost a year before they were available "off the shelf".

Mark
 
Posted by Galen Murphy-Fahlgren (Member # 4535) on 10-01-2008, 01:05 PM:
 
quote: Scott Norwood
I ran a film for Martin Scorsese when he was in town to shoot his new movie (earlier this year). It was a print from his personal collection that he wanted to show to a handful of the people involved in his production (Leonardo Dicaprio and Mark Ruffalo were also in the audience). I got to shake his hand after the screening, and he thanked me for "excellent projection."
Scott wins, hands down. Unless Zombie Fritz Lang himself shows up in your theater to screen an original print of Metropolis, that is gonna be hard to beat.

Mark, yours is great, too, I just think Scorsese is probably one of the best living directors, and a print from his collection at that!
 
Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 10-01-2008, 02:04 PM:
 
No arguement there Galen... I love the TV commercials he appears in!
 
Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 10-01-2008, 02:31 PM:
 
I have met in person Dom DeLuise, George Takei, Matthew Fox, Mel Brooks (a really nice and funny guy)while working as a projectionist in cimemas.

Doing home screenings I have met many people, although I don't think it would be proper to name names for home rooms in a public forum. Suffice it to say that with only one exception, they are all gracious and very appreciative of the quality projection I strive to provide.
 
Posted by Bill Enos (Member # 440) on 10-01-2008, 02:35 PM:
 
Been to a movie here, Dustin Hoffman, Jack Lemmon, Shirley McLaine, Richard Gere, Michelle Pfeiffer, James Earl Jones, Bruce Willis, screened 3 reels for Ridley Scott.
 
Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 10-01-2008, 02:53 PM:
 
We ran some test film for Big Fish, so met Tim Burton. Helena Bonham Carter came to some cast screenings (she's a doll, but fashion tragedy), Steve Buscemi came to screenings and real movies (nice guy). Jessica Lange has shot 3 movies in this area and has been here, but the less said the better. Ewan McGregor was talking to me while I was putting up posters, so didn't see him and didn't realize it was him until he left.

Sissy Spacek saw Pelle The Conqueror while she was filming Long Walk Home. She was very nice. Whoppi Golberg never attended, however.

Had DA Pennebaker and Chris Hedges down to present The War Room.

Many celebs back in the 80's when I used to work regularly at the AFI in DC.
 
Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 10-01-2008, 02:58 PM:
 
I went to a screening of American Splendor in a small screening room near Central Park. I sat right next to Kurt Loder and his date - both were very drunk. It was rather odd sitting next to someone who was actually in the movie. Gene Shalit was also in the audience.

[ 03-24-2009, 09:23 PM: Message edited by: Justin Hamaker ]
 
Posted by Jennifer Pan (Member # 2035) on 10-01-2008, 03:14 PM:
 
I'm a celebrity when I walk into any theatre! [Razz]
 
Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 10-01-2008, 03:27 PM:
 
No aurguement there, Jen. [thumbsup]
 
Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 10-01-2008, 06:09 PM:
 
Probably the most famous person we've ever had in the theatre was singer Dan Seals (known for songs like "Bop" and "Meet Me In Montana," as well as part of the duo England Dan and John Ford Coley in the '70s) ... but he was performing on stage, not going to the movie.
 
Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 10-01-2008, 06:21 PM:
 
I forgot to mention an interesting tidbit about Harrison Ford since you all don't get the news in this area... He has personally rescued two people off the Grand Teton when they became injured in climbing accidents... using his own helicopter. Imagine being rescued by Indiana Jones himself!! Flying any copter to that altitude is also a tad bit tricky in itself.
 
Posted by Jeremy Weigel (Member # 4208) on 10-01-2008, 06:29 PM:
 
The only 3 that come to mind are Shanon Miller, Garth Brooks, and Lou Diamond Phillips.

All 3 have or had family that live(d) here in Edmond.
 
Posted by Kenneth Wuepper (Member # 1174) on 10-01-2008, 07:16 PM:
 
Here at the Temple we have had live performances by Agnes Moorhead, Vincent Price and Dorothy LaMoure as Dolly in "Hello Dolly" on our stage. We also hosted two annual meetings of the Ted Nugent "Bow Hunters" show. Also Burl Ives made a singing appearance on our stage.

Please feel free to correct the spelling as I have a terrible headache at the moment.

KEN

[ 10-02-2008, 12:44 PM: Message edited by: Kenneth Wuepper ]
 
Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 10-01-2008, 07:23 PM:
 
The theatre I'm in runs Post-Production and Critic screenings in New York City. So we get many celebrities in for screenings and work with many of the top film makers.



[ 10-02-2008, 09:23 AM: Message edited by: Bill Gabel ]
 
Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 10-01-2008, 07:25 PM:
 
Sandra Bullock. John McTeirnan or whatever his name is who directed the Die Hard movies. John friggin' Elway. Probably more I can't remember. Maybe Ian can help.
 
Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 10-01-2008, 08:47 PM:
 
Also, in all probabilty, George W Bush.
According to the reliable reports of his time in Alabama not doing his Texas Air National Guard service, he spent his time drinking and picking up Huntingdon College girls. As Huntingdon is right down the street, it stands to reason he'd have brought a few to the nearest movie theatre for a quick grope [Wink]
 
Posted by Tyler Potts (Member # 4952) on 10-01-2008, 08:57 PM:
 
I transferred theatres, but Death Sentence began filming in Columbia, SC about a month after I left. Kevin Bacon, his wife, & James Wan frequented a number of Columbia theatres including my old one. A friend told me Bacon was reserved and quiet, wearing a beaten leather jacket and adidas pants (blended in well) but his wife was sociable and spoke with him at length about the projection process and was very interested in "the biz" on our side.
 
Posted by Lyle Romer (Member # 1266) on 10-01-2008, 08:59 PM:
 
Back in the day when I worked for GCC at Mission Bay Cinema in Boca Raton, FL we had a few celebs.......

Jim Belushi showed up on the opening weekend of "Curly Sue" to check out audience reaction.

Judge Reinhold came to see something (and was somewhat in disguise like anybody would bother him).

Kieth Byars of the Miami Dolphins used to come in all the time. He was supposedly going to start a movie review column.

At another GCC (Coral Square 8 in Coral Springs, FL) we got frequent visits from Chazz Palminteri's mother. We also had the drummer from Marilyn Manson bring Mr. (or Ms.) Manson's little brother to see something once. The floor staff was very excited at the time.

As far as anything recent, one of the girls from TLC goes to one of my theater locations relatively frequently.
 
Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 10-01-2008, 10:21 PM:
 
quote: Mark Gulbrandsen
Clint Eastwood once complained of flutter in a Christie projector during a film he was watching
Being on the receiving end of such a complaint from Clint Eastwood is probably quite motivational. [beer]
 
Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 10-01-2008, 11:38 PM:
 
Oh my...the list would be quite long....Showing Lawrence of Arabia to Sir David Lean and Freddie Young (F.A. Young) in 70mm is way up there. Being the DC-Metro area...I've had a large share of political types in my audience and booth. Also doing many, many screenings...I've had quite a few "stars" or other studio types (directors, producers, DPs....etc) in the theatre/booth.

Some of the cooler encounters (aside from David Lean) was definitely Ron Howard...Ran a 70mm screening of Backdraft...afterword he and his kids were still in the theatre (which is odd...normally the "talent" is long gone by the time the lights go down)...he actually talked to a couple of us about his up coming project...Far and Away being shot in 65mm.

Gene Hackman...bumped into him down in the lobby on a screening of Mississippi Burning...he was just pacing in the lobby. Again...I was amazed that he was literally "hanging around" waiting for the show it end. He felt it was his duty to promote the film he was in in any way he could...real nice guy.

Steve
 
Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 10-02-2008, 10:11 AM:
 
Mark - did Clint Eastwood call you "punk?"

As in, "You got a flutter in that Christie, punk."

[Big Grin]
 
Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 10-02-2008, 10:27 AM:
 
quote: Mike Blakesley
Mark - did Clint Eastwood call you "punk?"
Nope, but that woulda made my day! Unfortunately I was not at the theater at the time... he complained to the manager and I promptly got a call about it. I also ran into him in Ketchum, ID. at the now defunct Ski Time Cinema. Apparently he has homes in both Jackson and Sun Valley.

Mark
 
Posted by Joe Tommassello (Member # 4632) on 10-02-2008, 10:57 AM:
 
quote: Scott Norwood
I ran a film for Martin Scorsese when he was in town to shoot his new movie (earlier this year). It was a print from his personal collection
Can't believe no one asked this yet! What was the movie?

Some local celebrities showed up at a couple of Philadelphia area theaters I worked. Maria Bello (screening of Payback for her family/friends, etc. - she was very small amd chain smoked profusely), M. Night Shyamalan (private showing of Stuart Little for his family) and David Morse (apparently lives in the area with his family). Oh, and Fred the Elephant Boy from the Howard Stern show...if he counts. Attended a 70mm screening of Hamlet with Kenneth Branagh and a Psycho 3 screening with Anthony Perkins.
 
Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 10-02-2008, 11:35 AM:
 
I'd prefer not to post the details, since it was his personal print. Suffice to say, he wanted the cast of his new film ("Ashcliffe") to see some examples of 1940s Film Noir titles before they started principal photography. He had private screenings of such films at several venues in the Boston area early this year, though I was only involved with one of these screenings.
 
Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 10-02-2008, 07:04 PM:
 
quote:
Nope, but that woulda made my day!
BOOM BOOM! [thumbsup]
 
Posted by Tony Ratcliff (Member # 1196) on 10-02-2008, 07:58 PM:
 
During the filming of the movie "Madison" in 1999 here in Madison, Indiana, frequent patrons at my theatre were Jim Caviezel, Jake Lloyd and Paul Dooley.
They were back in 2004 for the Premiere of the movie.

Also, before my time, in 1958, the movie "Some Came Running" was shot here in Madison. It was directed by Vincent Minnelli and starred Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Shirley MacLaine.
Supposedly the dailies were run here at the theatre for them all during the shooting of the film.

A couple of years ago, Irene Dunne's grandson was here. Irene grew up here in Madison and the city erected an historic marker in front of the theatre in honor of her. Her grandson ( whom Irene raised ) was here for it and our screening of "The Awful Truth". His stories about growing up in Irene's house were fascinating.
 
Posted by Caleb Johnstone-Cowan (Member # 3710) on 10-02-2008, 09:40 PM:
 
Where I worked previously has many celebrities and film makers passing through because of the central location, both as customers and for the odd special screening. Quite a few went unnoticed because to be honest they were on the z-list, from Big Brother and so on. Personal best for me was meeting Quentin Tarantino who came in to watch a film. George Lucas was in a couple of times but I wasn't working those days, that would have been a big deal for me.
 
Posted by Brad Allen (Member # 470) on 10-05-2008, 06:47 PM:
 
Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson and Gena Davis came in several times while filming a League of Their Own here locally. All very nice people.

Met Penny Marshal the director of said film during a one day stint as an extra in that film.

George "Goober" Lindsey and Roy Clark used to come in once each summer while they were in town doing a show to raise money for a High School scholarship fund.

Met "Sammy Terrie" in the theatre I used to visit as a kid. See if anyone here knows of Sammy.
 
Posted by Dennis Benjamin (Member # 1137) on 10-05-2008, 10:10 PM:
 
I've met a few celebs that were patrons at my theatres:

Joe Pesci and family came to see "Casino" at my theatre. It was in Naples, Florida and he was filming "Gone Fishin". I also ran dailies for that film during that time too.

Jodi Foster, Chuck Norris, Jake Gylenhall (Spelling?), Iggy Pop, almost every member of the 2000 Miami Dolphin's team, The Rock's dad, Joan Jett, Charlie Daniels, Dennis Quaid, Julian Sands, Michael Moore (whom I referred to as Roger Moore), the dad from the Waltons, Clint Eastwood's family (but not him), and Brendan Fraser.

Larry Bird was a regular patron at the theatre in Naples (super nice guy). I met Johnny Bench too - but he was a real jerk that day and I am not a fan of his anymore. Dan Marino was kind of a jerk too.

Currently, my theatre is located near Fed-Ex field and regular patrons include some of the current Washington Redskins.

I hope to meet someday: Drew Barrymore, Angelina Jolie, and Maggie (Jake's sister).

I have met my fair share of directors and producers too (Brett Ratner being the nicest). I have to say that they were way more interesting than the celebs that I have met. [Big Grin]

I have met others too - but they do not stick out in my mind as much as the above ones I mentioned. The number one thing I realized is that are just regular folks that go see movies somewhere out there, just like the rest of us.
 
Posted by Richard C. Wolfe (Member # 431) on 10-05-2008, 11:12 PM:
 
I've been playing "Mamma Mia" for the past three weeks which stars Amanda Seyfried who happens to be from Allentown, Pa. My theatre is located a few miles from Allentown, so it has been conveinient for her family to come and see the picture here. Of course they have all seen it before when it first came out in the first runs, but have come back to see it again here. Over the past weeks there has been a steady stream of relatives, friends and neighbors. Last night her parents were in, and this afternoon her grandmother.

Her father told be last night that he has watched the picture in both digital and 35mm, and while the digital was excellent, he still prefers 35. Of course what made me really feel good was that he said that the best 35 print and presentation that he has seen was at my theatre.(So much for those crappy old run down 2nd run theatres, lol)My sound, for those that wish to know, is DTS with a Dolby 650 processor.

He and his wife, and it seems most of their family, took pictures of our marquee with Amandas name upon it. They agreed that it was probably the only place where they could get a picture like that as multiplexes never put star names up on their attraction boards.

In regards to the original topic: Celebrities in your theatre! While I can't recall any movie stars, we did run the dailies for the original "Hairspray" when a part of it was filmed at nearby Dorney Park in Allentown back in 1987. John Waters and the crew was here every night for a week for those.

As we are an old vaudeville theatre with stage facilities, we have throughout the 38+ years that I have owned the theatre presented all kinds of live entertainment. I have therefore met many personalities over the years that have played here. Some of them are: Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Mellissa Manchester, Martin Mull, the members of Blood Sweat and Tears, KISS, AC/DC, The Tubes, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band and many many more. One of the most amusing times I had was going down to the hotel at the end of the block and having dinner with the members of KISS. Not a person there recognized them as they were not in costume or makeup. My favorite though will always be Billy Joel. He was such a nice young fellow. He spent an hour or more in my office talking about his career, and how it got started.

As I look back over my theatrical career, my only regret is that I didn't get anyone to take pictures of me with all of the artists that performed here. The only ones I have pictures with are Robert Fripp, Leon Redbone and Glenn Beck. It just didn't seem important at the time, but would be fun to show my grandkids if I had.
 
Posted by Robert E. Allen (Member # 1351) on 10-06-2008, 01:20 AM:
 
Back in the 60s when I owned and operated the Mission Theatre in Solvang, California Clete Roberts brought his kids to my theatre. For those of you who were not born then Clete was a well known LA news anchor. You may have seen him doing the b&w news type "M*A*S*H" programs.
 
Posted by Alan Gouger (Member # 543) on 10-06-2008, 09:11 AM:
 
Back in the 1980s we were standing in line to purchase tickets at a local movie theater in East Rochester and Milton Berle was in line right in front us. He was with a woman (Im guessing his wife) who had on a large hat with at least a 18" rim with flowers which looked completely out of place and outdated. My dad cried out "hi Uncle Milti" and shook his hand at which point everyone turned and saw who it was and he became the center of attention, I felt bad I think he was trying to remain under radar. He was in town performing at the east Rochester dinner Theater next door.
 
Posted by Scott D. Neff (Member # 185) on 10-07-2008, 01:59 PM:
 
Here's my celebrity list:

Petaluma Washington Square 5
Elijah Wood
The Guy From "Herman's Head"
Peter Coyote

Fairfax 4
Sean & Robin Wright Penn
George Lucas
Francis Ford Coppola
Sofia Coppola

Tiburon 3
Drew Barrymore
Dan Rather
Robin Williams
-and my favorite-
JOYCE DEWITT

[Smile]
 
Posted by Cameron Glendinning (Member # 3516) on 10-09-2008, 09:02 PM:
 
Crispen Glover live on stage this week
 
Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 10-10-2008, 12:51 AM:
 
Oh, sorry to hear that, Cameron. [Wink]
 
Posted by Brad Allen (Member # 470) on 10-10-2008, 10:22 PM:
 
Tie his feet down, he likes to kick.
 
Posted by Jim Cassedy (Member # 4115) on 10-20-2008, 01:54 AM:
 
San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom dropped in
unannounced to see a movie tonight at the
theater I'm at. He let me take his picture after
the show.
-

>I must be doing a good job [Smile] Hizzhonor dropped in
AGAIN this week to watch another movie <

[ 10-29-2008, 05:18 PM: Message edited by: Jim Cassedy ]
 
Posted by Edwin Sheldon (Member # 4001) on 11-05-2008, 05:20 PM:
 
When I worked for Kerasotes in the Chicago suburbs, we would get a lot of Bears players. It drove the staff nuts. I just yawned and went back to threading, as I've never been into pro sports.
 
Posted by Mike Heenan (Member # 392) on 11-05-2008, 05:42 PM:
 
Crispin Glover? Ouch... kicking is the least of your problems in dealing with that guy... lol. Hopefully it went smoother than our screening did.
 
Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 11-05-2008, 07:51 PM:
 
quote: Edwin Sheldon
When I worked for Kerasotes in the Chicago suburbs, we would get a lot of Bears players. It drove the staff nuts. I just yawned and went back to threading, as I've never been into pro sports.
Same kind of thing in the Seattle area, although I am a sports fan (I just don't freak out about the people; they probably don't want a ton of exposure, esp when just seeing a movie w/ wife and kids).

As such, I've helped some players from the Seahawks and Sonics as well as former Seahawks coach Dennis Erickson right after he got fired and former Husky football coach Rick Neuheisel right after he got fired as well. I truly can't stand the latter; he's simply a weasel, awful person.
 
Posted by Robert Crabtree (Member # 4795) on 11-07-2008, 02:18 AM:
 
I didn't get to see him myself, but Chris Rock came to our theatre to see Hancock.

And way back when, John Travolta came in to see Wedding Crashers.

We used to get lots of Hulk Hogan and family, but not lately.
 
Posted by Tony L. Hernandez (Member # 3524) on 03-24-2009, 08:54 PM:
 
Well I'm not sure if my stories go in this thread considering our famous people have been asked to come rather than just stopping by to see a movie.
At my arthouse in Boulder, we have had many, many celebrities over the years since we started in 1941. Two that stand out in my mind since I've been there was when we had Terry Jones out (of Monty Python fame) about 2 years ago to introduce our screening of "The Life Of Brian" and do a Q&A after.
Just this last Monday (3/16), John Cameron Mitchell came out for a showing of "Headwig and the Angry Inch" to do a Q&A after the film. One of the highlights of that was this following story: After I ran the film, Mr. Mitchell was doing his Q&A when the battery died in our wireless mic. I immediately ran down to the front of the theater and swapped out the batteries for him. When I went to hand it back to him, he said "Thank You!" and gave me a huge hug...right in front of the 400 and-some people who were in the close to over filled theater. Although I always keep a very professional demeanor when at work, it was all I could do to keep from fainting right on the spot!
There is another story I will tell although it may not be of as much interest since I sadly cannot remember the man's name or what exactly he had to do with the film's production. About a year and a half ago, we had a screening of "Parallax View" (1974). It was about 30 minutes before showtime and I was at the bench building up the next day's feature. When I'm working in the booth before the shows, I usually leave the door open and if I see anyone peeking in, I invite them up for a tour. On this particular night, I saw an older gentleman peeking in the booth and as usual, invited him up for a tour. I went through the whole song and dance and at the end of the tour commented that he was in for a treat since that night's print was a new, archival print. He then said something along the lines of, "well I'm glad it is. I'm so-and-so and this is my movie". Turns out that he just happened to be in town and saw his movie was showing so he decided to come. I want to say he was either the director or producer but I'm not sure. About ten minutes before showtime, I was standing out front of the theater when my boss came walking up. He asked me how I was doing and I said "good and guess who's here!" When I told him he said "WHAT?!?!?" The look on his face was priceless. The gentleman was very,very kind and agreed to introduce the film and do a short Q&A.

At my historic first run house up in Estes Park,CO,(The Park Theatre)it is rumored that Clark Gable stopped by once in the 1930s to ask for directions. Weather or not that is true, I'm sure that theater has had more than it's share of celebrities who have quietly slipped in to watch a movie considering that Estes Park is a huge tourist destination and the theater has been showing movies since 1913.
 
Posted by Christopher Crouch (Member # 3784) on 03-24-2009, 11:06 PM:
 
Countless "B" level celebrities over the years; or "Z" level with Dustin Diamond, who was a regular at the AMC Fullerton 10 in the mid 90's.

Probably the biggest "name" celebrity to attend one of my theatres was Kobe Bryant. He rented out an auditorium to watch a film with one of his kids. However, he was barely visible during the visit; entering/exiting through the back exit doors, communicating through an assistant, etc. We had no contact with Kobe, but his assistant was very polite and considerate.

Interestly enough, I've found that the pseudo celebrities and want-to-be Hollywood types tend to be much more "difficult" than those that are actually famous. The "big names" I've encountered usually want nothing more than to get in and out with the least amount of hassle. Their less famous counterparts are the ones who feel the need to make a big deal out of who they are (example: Dustin Diamond always felt the need to request a manager and introduce himself as "Screech", expecting us to roll out the proverbial red carpet).
 
Posted by Tony L. Hernandez (Member # 3524) on 03-25-2009, 12:48 AM:
 
Couldn't Agree with you more, Christopher. I've run many films for some VERY high end celebrities and people, all who have been very polite and friendly. That said, I've also run many films for pseudo celebrities/filmmakers, many who have treated myself and our staff like [bs]
 
Posted by Joe Elliott (Member # 4006) on 04-03-2009, 09:30 AM:
 
Back in the early 90's when I managed the I-70 Drive-in, in Kansas City, The Evil Sam Graham stopped by. Does that count?
 
Posted by Don Furr (Member # 1469) on 04-03-2009, 10:05 AM:
 
Way back in 1993 we opened our second discount theatre in Conyers, Ga. The first summer we had cast members from "In The Heat Of The Night" TV show coming in for matinees. The bar scene that was used in that show was located next door to the theatre. Funny thing was that it actually WAS an operating bar but in the afternoon the film crew would show up and "re-decorate" the front of the building so they could start shooting. That same summer we had several "extras" who were involved in the film "My Cousin Vinny" (filmed a few miles away) show up in costume the weekend we opened that title. They all lived in and around Conyers, Ga.
 
Posted by Ian Parfrey (Member # 5122) on 04-09-2009, 06:14 PM:
 
Only one celebrity matters....

.....the "Projectionist" [thumbsup] [thumbsup]
 
Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 04-09-2009, 06:40 PM:
 
I showed 'TITANIC' to Geoffry Rush on the Friday before both he and 'Titanic' won their Oscars.

I also (ironically) showed 'SHINE' to William Hurt the same week.

I've had the pleasure of screening Chuck Jones' personal collection of his favourite Warner Bros. cartoons to him and 750 lucky patrons. He introduced each one and to a standing ovation at the end of the show he stood to one side and motioned to the rest of the cast and crew not around anymore to take the ovation with him. It was very touching. He was a class act all the way.
 
Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 04-10-2009, 10:04 AM:
 
Wow, I would have loved to be in that Chuck Jones audience. I've really enjoyed learning more about him and the WB cartoons in the "extras" sections of the various Looney Tunes collections.
 
Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 05-01-2009, 08:00 PM:
 
This has been the weirdest week ever. I had screenings with Gus Van Sant on Tuesday and Sasha Grey (supposedly the world's most popular porn star, and a surprisingly articulate speaker) on Thursday (at two different venues). Both did good Q&As after the shows.
 




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