Two years later I'd just returned to Montclair from a summer hitch-hiking to Spokane, Washington to visit a friend and experience Expo 74, an ecologically themed World's Fair.
I saw a classified ad for an assistant manager's position at the same Cinema I & II, and after a bit of pressing the point (the manager, Gary Beckstrom, was in a hurry to hire someone because he was going on vacation soon). So, even though I had no management experience, he had faith in my knowledge of the workings of a movie theat er. Thus, in August 1974, I was hired for my second stint at the theater.
In October, I had an opportunity and bought a "used" 35mm camera, a Canon FTb with 50mm f.1.4 lens.
I started with photos of friends like Joe, Kevin, Doug, Lee and Andy and of lad y friends like Mary Beth, and of my family members.
In December 1974, we received word that Mel Brooks was going to be attending a sneak preview of a new film on a weeknight, and Gary, fearing that we might not be able to fill the 900 seat theater had me out all day drumming up bodies to fill the seats (or was that DIGGING up bodies???). By showtime, the theater was packed for this anonymous film and Brooks showed up with wife, Anne Bancroft, hoping to observe audience reaction just as anonymously. But a s soon as his name appeared on the greyscale tones of the screen, the audience went wild with applause. So much for unbiased market testing...
But the first time we heard, "That's FRONK-en-steen," we were hooked. Yes, it was probably the very first public showing of "Young Frankenstein" ANYWHERE, and we watched it with the great Brooks and Bancroft.
Regrettably, despite having my camera, I didn't take any photos to keep in line with the low profile they were hoping to keep.
Weeks later, I was asked by GCC West Coast V.P. Saul Karp to be one of an army of theater personel to make a presence at the premiere of Irvin Allen's film, "The Towering Inferno" at GCC's Avco Center Cinema in Westwood, CA. It was a gala of the "old Hollywood" type. A stuntman was slated to light himself on fire and jump off an adjacent building as the high-profile guests arrived. When people started whispering that that the stunt was cancelled, I walked up to Karp and asked him why. "Premonition," was his one word reply.
So, with the over-staffing of employees in GCC blue blazers and management black, I asked Karp if it would be ok if I wandered off and took photos of the crowd. He cut me loose to photograph.
Lesson #1: if you ever get a chance to get inside, UNRESTRICTED access to the world's most famous actors and actresses, bring more than ONE ROLL of black and white film. Hey, I was a beginner!
But I got photos of my acting idols,
Henry Fonda and
Gregory Peck. As well as the great
Gene Hackman. And I wasted a few shots on the likes of Robert Vaughan (famous at the time for his role as Napolean Solo in the 1960's series, "The Man from U.N.C.L.E."), Mary Tyler Moore and Susan Blakely. I say wasted, because I should've saved the precious few shots I had for better pictures of Groucho Marx (I took ONE of him, and it was somewhat out of focus - hey, I was a BEGINNER, ok?!!!).
So, after nearly 30 years, I've finally dusted off the negatives from that event and display my photos of Fonda, Peck and Hackman in my Photojournalism gallery being interviewed by actress Ruta Lee.
Posted by: Adrian / 8:50 AM
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