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Posted by Daniel Bailey (Member # 654) on 05-28-2001, 11:27 PM:
I haven't been on here for some time because I've been busy. I was going through some boxes of stuff I had packed away and found an old memo from my theatre employee days that I found humorous. I decided to share it with past, present, and future theatre employees.
Here it is: To: All Cineplex 6 Employees
From 
managers name omitted) Manager
Subject:Weekly Employee Memo
Date: , 199 (exact date and year ommited)It has come to my attention that projectionists are watching "Baywatch" on a small portable TV in the projection room instead of keeping an eye on equipment in their station during shows. Luckily no breakdowns, burn-ups or general catastrophes have occured. However, Murphy's law can strike when you least expect it. You know who you are so please lose the TV.
Also, some of you are taking candy from the concession stand after hours during closing time. If you must take any please pay for it.
The rest of the memo has boring stuff like that we passed our health and fire inspection and some info on the new theatre movie info phone system.
Enjoy.
Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 05-29-2001, 06:24 PM:
At least "Baywatch" is a syndicated show, so it might actually be shown without any onscreen network or station logos. I think as a matter of principle anyone in the business should not watch anything with onscreen logos, in the theater or at home, as that shows they approve of this completely warped sense of aesthetics.
Posted by Aaron Mehocic (Member # 15) on 05-30-2001, 01:45 AM:
I have a small TV up in the booth that is used mostly for watching sports events and major newsflashes. We only take it out for these events and never leave it up for anyone to just come up and watch when not busy. During the week I keep it locked away and only myself and the other operators have keys. When I first brought it, the old manager was a little pissed, but the Oscars were on a few months later and the TV was then aloud to stay. How about that . . .
Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 05-30-2001, 03:45 AM:
I have to say that I'm against having anything in the booth that could distract people from work. Maybe you and I will use that TV what it was intended for. For instance, when there is some sort of emergency like a big storm it could be used to get information that could save lives. But I damn well know that there will be people watching "Baywatch" when they should be checking the film. These kinds of people find enough ways to goof off on their own. They don't need anything making it even easier. Before you know it there will be all kinds of film damage. I see too many people wearing Walkmans and reading comic books as it is. I have even seen one kid sitting in a swivel chair, spinning himself dizzy and drinking a Coke while a projector is brain wrapping not 10 feet from where he was sitting. People like this should at the very least be demoted back to usher for the rest of their lives. This kind of slacking off is probably number one on my list of things that should get your ass tossed out of the booth but I see it going on every day.
It's jerk-offs like this that spoil it for the rest of us! 
Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 05-31-2001, 07:00 PM:
I'd be in favor of installing video surveillance cameras in the booth, just so I can see exactly what's going on during the times I'm not there 
Posted by Gordon Hedges III (Member # 863) on 05-31-2001, 11:48 PM:
Every booth I have worked in, I could never get a good reception on a TV. I would mainly try to use one for major weather updates and such. Even a radio wouldn't work very well, except for this one great rock station. But Randy is right, there shouldn't be any thing to distract the booth operator from doing their job. My form of entertainment is trying to look for the bottle of Filmguard in an 11-plex booth. Here, Filmguard... Here, Filmguard... Where are you?...Actually, it is where it should always be. 
Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 06-01-2001, 01:41 AM:
If you want to find ANYTHING that belongs in the booth I can tell you where to find it:1) In the usher's podium.
2) In the scullery.
This is such a sure thing you could almost make money betting on it!
Posted by Jason Burroughs (Member # 68) on 06-01-2001, 11:38 AM:
Randy,I find that the BoxOffice is deffinatly in the top 5 of the hiding places of booth equipment. Why a cashier would need a film splicer I don't know....
Posted by Ky Boyd (Member # 23) on 06-01-2001, 04:00 PM:
Probably because he or she thought it was a fancy tape dispenser. I'm amazed at what makes its way into the box office and also amazed that no matter how much I bitch about it, nobody returns the flash light to the location where it came from. We have flashlights for box, concessions, ushers, booth, etc. and every one is labeled as to its home location. Grrrrrrr.As for the TV, it sits on the old rewind bench ready for the next time we have a video type rental event - nobody uses it because we have no tv reception - or at least none that you can get with a standard set of rabbit ears. 
Posted by Bill Enos (Member # 440) on 06-01-2001, 11:03 PM:
No t.v. in the booth for me. The damned thing keeps me awake, the constant noise from it is just too distracting to get a few zzz's. Too much steel & concrete to get good reception anyway.