I used to be a relief manager for Plitt Theatres in the late ‘70s and early '80s. For a short time, I covered the Will Rogers Theater. Considering the size of the theater, it had a rather large manager’s office. In addition, it was somewhat unusual in that the box office was physically outside of the theater building. I also worked at the Gateway, Varsity (in Evanston), and Nortown Theaters. The Nortown was my favorite…see my comments under that theater.
I started as an usher at the Nortown Theater in 1977. Eventually, I became a relief manager for Plitt Theatres. In addition to the Nortown, I also worked at the Gateway Theater in Chicago and the Varsity Theater in Evanston. But the Nortown was my favorite. It had suffered from water damage to the ceiling and walls but was still beautiful. Many times, especially on weeknights, the attendance was low. But we would still pack the theater with the right movie. We had to open the balcony during the early part of a half year run with the movie Star Wars. The last movie the theater showed as with a single screen was Footloose in 1984. After that, Plitt tripled the theater and added two screens that were placed in the balcony. The atmosphere of the theater was never the same after it was tripled. I still have fond memories of working there.
I used to be a relief manager for Plitt Theatres in the late ‘70s and early '80s. For a short time, I covered the Will Rogers Theater. Considering the size of the theater, it had a rather large manager’s office. In addition, it was somewhat unusual in that the box office was physically outside of the theater building. I also worked at the Gateway, Varsity (in Evanston), and Nortown Theaters. The Nortown was my favorite…see my comments under that theater.
I started as an usher at the Nortown Theater in 1977. Eventually, I became a relief manager for Plitt Theatres. In addition to the Nortown, I also worked at the Gateway Theater in Chicago and the Varsity Theater in Evanston. But the Nortown was my favorite. It had suffered from water damage to the ceiling and walls but was still beautiful. Many times, especially on weeknights, the attendance was low. But we would still pack the theater with the right movie. We had to open the balcony during the early part of a half year run with the movie Star Wars. The last movie the theater showed as with a single screen was Footloose in 1984. After that, Plitt tripled the theater and added two screens that were placed in the balcony. The atmosphere of the theater was never the same after it was tripled. I still have fond memories of working there.