This is topic Movie theatre urban legends? in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


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Posted by Scott D. Neff (Member # 185) on 04-28-2003, 12:25 PM:
 
I've been made curious now by a story I've now heard from NUMUROUS sources about the existence of theatre specific urban legends.

Being an auditor, I've heard this story now from many old time employees I've come into contact with and it makes me wonder... IS IT TRUE?

The story is about an audit at the Cress Theatre in Reno, NV. Then being operated by Fox West-Coast. It's all about how the company auditor was wrapping up his audit. (each time I hear the story, I hear the SAME name for the auditor and for the manager) The auditor is packing up his things, complimenting the manager on another audit well done when he opens the office door and standing there is the janitor with a box full of used cups and popcorn tubs and asks the manager by name "Will this be enough Mr. so-and-so?" And so the auditor turns around and sets his things down and says something along the lines of "Well I guess the audit ISN'T over."

First off -- is this story TRUE? Or is it just a humorous little anectode passed down the ranks. Either way, are there other similar stories you've heard that make you question whether they're real or not?
 

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Posted by Gerard S. Cohen (Member # 994) on 04-28-2003, 03:15 PM:
 
A former partner at the Victory theater once told me about a purchase that ended his appetite for theatre popcorn. At another theatre he once looked at his popcorn container and saw the name "O'SULLIVAN" spelled backwards on the box.

[For non-US readers: O'Sullivan heels were in wide use on US made shoes.]
 

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Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 04-28-2003, 04:39 PM:
 
Every theatre I've worked for has claimed to have at least one haunted auditorium where unexplained accidents tend to recur moreso than in other places.
 

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Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 04-28-2003, 04:47 PM:
 
Not exactly urban legend material, but an acquaintance who used to be an asst. mgr. told me how popcorn tubs were being "recycled" by a couple of industrious employees before being caught. They also had a regular customer who always took a dump behind the screen in their THX house. They were pretty sure it was the same person every time (I didn't want to ask HOW they knew that).
 

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Posted by Dustin Mitchell (Member # 372) on 04-29-2003, 02:13 AM:
 
Perhaps he liked corn?

 

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Posted by Patrick McDonough (Member # 1363) on 04-29-2003, 06:28 PM:
 
At our theater the older employees swear thet the place is haunted.
 

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Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 05-01-2003, 08:59 PM:
 
Supposedly our Theatre #6 is haunted by an electrician who died of electrocution while installing the spot lights. Appearently the other electrician installed two of the breakers incorrectly.

normal:

[_] wall scances

[_] spotlights

in #6:

[_] spotlights

[_] wall scances

So when he was installing the spots, he went up and cut the bottom breaker (which was supposed to be wired to the spots) and went back down to install the lights. He was shocked and fell 20ft onto the back row of seats. To this day, he haunts #6. I have never seen him personaly, but I know of one employee who absolutly refuses to enter 6 because of an experience she had cleaning the theatre by herself that she doesn't want to talk about. In any case, I like to blame projection problems on him.

To this day, the breakers are still wired backwards.

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*DISSCLAIMER: THIS POST IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES. THERE IS NO EVIDENCE (AT LEAST THAT THE AUTHOR IS AWARE OF) TO SUGGEST THAT ANY OF OUR AUDITORIUMS ARE HAUNTED.
 

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Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 05-01-2003, 09:06 PM:
 
I don't know how much truth there is to this one, but I hear there is an auditor who if the management doesn't cordially offer to buy him Chick-Fil-A on his inspections will slap the theater with all sorts of marks on the report.

Anyone else heard of that one?
 

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Posted by Jason Burroughs (Member # 68) on 05-02-2003, 12:06 AM:
 
Scott,

Oddly enough I used to work for a manager that, the story you told wouldn't be too far off from. Just subsitute floor staff for janitor.
 

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Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 05-02-2003, 12:41 PM:
 
I worked at a place that had a haunted auditorium. The story was that there was an elderly patron watching a movie who had a heart attack and died, and was found by the employees when they came in to clean.

During the time I worked there, the auditorium was always cold, no matter what we did. The projector/platter would also haphazardly damage film (often in odd ways) regardless of how many times the tech found nothing wrong. We always seemed to have problems with the dimmers, too.

=TMP=
 

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Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 05-02-2003, 02:01 PM:
 
The old Warner Theatre in Hollywood (aka:Hollywood Pacific) is
haunted by one of the Warner Bros. And the Vogue Theatre down the street is haunted by a former projectionist. An usher fell thru the ceiling over at the Egyptian Theatre across the street. (about a 45 foot fall) He fell during a show in the front right side of the screen. And a usher killed himself backstage at the Chinese Theatre. An the old GCC Sherman Oaks theatre 3-5 is also was haunted.
 

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Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 05-05-2003, 07:28 AM:
 
Gerard writes:

quote:

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At another theatre he once looked at his popcorn container and saw the name "O'SULLIVAN" spelled backwards on the box.

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