Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Booth Hauntings

This is topic Booth Hauntings in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Nathan Davidson (Member # 1698) on 05-08-2003, 06:55 PM:

How do you deal with ghosts in your projection booths even if there just the manegers trying to scare while your threading up a movie?

p.s i have a hamack completly made of throw away film from my work

Posted by John Stewart (Member # 989) on 05-08-2003, 08:25 PM:

Ask Todd Parr's brother, Lance. When he services my booth, he brings at least a dozen chocolate covered donuts to make Walter happy. Or a fresh Snicker bar. Walter died in the booth in May of 2000 while showing the first reel of CASABLANCA. Before that, maybe 30+ years ago, an old time operator named Charley died there. Walter seemed to get the creeps up there as he would see things move that shouldn't. Walter's funeral was in the theater.

Walter used to have a hiding place for his Snicker bars so that visiting spot light operators wouldn't find them. I usually keep them in the same spot.

Now he is there keeping an eye on me.

John

Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 05-08-2003, 09:03 PM:

In Hollywood, the Vogue Theatre's Booth is haunted. Its of a
former projectionist that worked there, his name was Fritz. He had been there for 40 years. Also in Hollywood, the old Warner Theatre is haunted by one of the Warner Bros.. He died back in 1927 [eyes]

The old GCC Sherman Oaks 3-5 booth was also haunted. And downtown
Los Angeles at the old Tower Theatre the projectionist died in the big easy seat in the booth. The union had to send a replacement operator to get them back on screen. So when the other projectionist got to the booth. He found the died projectionist still seated in the easy chair, but was covered
with a blanket. [Eek!]

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 05-08-2003, 10:37 PM:

oooOOOOoooo! I like haunted booths. It makes for an interesting "Evening with the carbon arc lamphouses." [Big Grin]

Never a dull moment. [Eek!]

Posted by Gracia L. Babbidge (Member # 582) on 05-08-2003, 11:48 PM:

If you're that worried do a cleansing ritual in the booth! [Wink]

One easy and effective ritual:
Pyschically empower some salt to your purpose (clearing off negative energy)
Scatter the salt around the perimeter of the area, let it stay there for several hours (overnight works well), then sweep up the salt, and bury it, or cast it to the sea. Don't forget to thank the appropriate element (earth or water), for dispersing the energy.

Or you could try talking to whomever is haunting your booth. Some spirits just want to see how much they can intimidate people, or just keep pushing to find out what they can get away with, some are just plain confused. Sometimes it helps to state that life belongs to the living, and you are certainly entitled to be in the space that they haunt.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-09-2003, 02:00 AM:

I have a projectionist who insists that our booth is haunted. She says she hears noises and projectors levitate and the undead occasionally walk through and begin changing trailers or whatnot. Nothing ever happens to me because the ghosts know that I will kick their ass. I am sure that many, many people have probably died in our theater. It would just be wrong for many people not to have died here. Died of boredom.

Posted by Nate Lehrke (Member # 1460) on 05-09-2003, 02:16 AM:

Joe, you, your booth, & your projectionists seem stupid. There are no ghosts up there, it's just me playing with your lovely projectionists mind. [Big Grin]

Actually, I worked at a theatre in St. Paul MN that most felt was haunted. Very large locked doors would randomly open, voices could be heard from the main auditorium whenever the theatre was empty, and footsteps from the basement were also heard a lot. I only knew of one person that died there, and I don’t think he would have haunted it.

Now, a woman I worked with is convinced that Marvin Mann, the original owner of the theatre, is the one haunting it. Making sure that everything is running smooth. Seems like a possibility if you believe in that stuff.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-09-2003, 02:37 AM:

Your theater had a basement? Is that where you hid the marquee stretcher and/or the squeegee sharpener? I think a theater basement would be a great place to put people who died in the auditorium overnight so you can get out early. Or just let the janitors take them out with the rest of the trash.

p.s i have a new car completly made of throw away film from my work

Posted by Nate Lehrke (Member # 1460) on 05-09-2003, 02:51 AM:

Joe -- Of course my theatre had a Basement! Only the coolest theatres have basements! Where else are the giant rats going to live? Plus, the staff smoke room & staff bathroom!

(Edited to include pictures in post [Smile]

)

[ 05-09-2003, 05:31 AM: Message edited by: Nate Lehrke ]

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 05-09-2003, 04:45 AM:

Please use the upload feature on this website rather than linking. Your files and that specific URL will not be around forever.

Posted by Patrick McDonough (Member # 1363) on 05-09-2003, 09:19 AM:

Ah man I saw those pictures and I thought I was looking at my theaters basement.I will try to post some pics.

Posted by Paul Konen (Member # 41) on 05-09-2003, 09:24 AM:

Nate,

I would like to see a picture of your basement reader [Smile]

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 05-09-2003, 09:38 AM:

Here's a pic of another theatre basement. That huge thing on the left is part of a Carrier Model 1 air conditioner, circa 1933. It still worked very well when this pic was taken in 1999, though it has since been removed.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-09-2003, 11:53 AM:

Nate- The flag painted on the wall of your theater basement has NO stars. Traitor!

Posted by Tony Ratcliff (Member # 1196) on 05-09-2003, 01:23 PM:

One of my assistant managers swears she saw a little, blonde haired boy go into the booth one day, but no one was there when she went in to find him.

Tony R.

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 05-09-2003, 03:30 PM:

Scott, what is on the other side of the little midget door? I like doors that lead to unknown zones... [Big Grin]

Posted by Nathan Davidson (Member # 1698) on 05-09-2003, 06:08 PM:

One of the assistant manegers swears that he saw a floating light in the near the middle of the theater. He say there was no light in the room due to the fact that everything was turned off.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 05-09-2003, 09:59 PM:

Paul--that door goes to the inside of the air conditioner. The compressors themselves live (lived) in a separate, adjacent room (with a separate entrance which would have been to the right of the photographer).

I have more pics of this basement which I will scan if anyone cares. There's not much else of interest, except for some 1930s electrical service panels and the platforms where the old motor-generator sets used to be located.

There was also a room with a scary-looking assembly of car batteries, which I wish I had bothered to photograph. In theory, it would once have been a backup system for exit lighting.

Posted by Dennis Benjamin (Member # 1137) on 05-09-2003, 10:43 PM:

One of the most popular 'booth ghost stories' I have heard (in the thirty-plus theatres I've worked in)is the "Ole Man Threader" story out of the Miami Lakes 17 Theatre, in Miami Lakes, Florida. (Currently a Cobb Theatre, formerly a Regal, and a Wometco 4 plex). There is a story of an old man who threads the films when the features drop. He has been seen by over 30 different people who have worked there, I personally never saw him myself. However - this has been the most widespread and most believed ghost story I have heard - and I have worked in some damn creepy theatres.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-10-2003, 12:45 AM:

Did he thread bottom-up? If not, no wonder he was dead.