So, I want to do something different this time. No movie illustrations, no history, no comics, just me. I get asked about what my favorite stories are from managing theatres for 20+ years. I am assuming you want the same thing. Please leave a comment if you have questions about managing theatres or leave your stories for me.
I had an 8-plex that had one women’s and one men’s bathroom in a far corner of the massive lobby. It was detached from the auditoriums, forcing one to traverse the length of the lobby to urinate. Auditoriums 3-8 were approximately 40 yards removed from the restrooms.
During the lull between the 7 o’clock set and the 9 o’clock set, an elderly woman appeared from that side. I noticed from my manager perch. Two people in concession noticed. The door person was checking auditoriums. She had “the look”, a specific gesture in body language, in the face, you know it.
She began her trek across the lobby. 10 feet from start she began urinating. 20 feet marked a visible trail on the carpet. She began removing her pants as she closed in on the restroom.
She stopped urinating when she reached the restroom door. Her pants were down around her knees, legs wet, a long trail stretched behind her.
She shrugged, turned, and waddled back to her auditorium. She was not visibly aware that we were watching. No one laughed. She was not seen by other customers. She rounded the corner to enter her auditorium and the door person was just passing. The door person pointed out to her that her pants were down. She thanked him in the sweetest voice and entered her auditorium, pants still down.
The door person came over to me and asked why everyone was so quiet. That made us all laugh. Not so much the door person as they had to mop the carpet.
© 2022, mikegallagherart. All rights reserved.
That’s quite a story… was it before I worked there, or after?
After
Oh wow. Those were crazy times…