Coate, I worked at the Eastwood during the very years you are trying to reconstuct. You might be right about Xmas 78 being “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” I remember that playing there at some point. Also remember in August of 79 the Who documentary “The Kids are All Right” opened when “Alien” ended its run, and it was the first time in a loooong time that the theatre showed something that was less than a hit. Maybe it was booked there because “Tommy” had played so well 5 years earlier, but I remember “Kids” playing to mostly empty houses after a decently attended opening night. I think they wound up pulling it earlier than planned. But Ron Keedy should be able to clear up some of my dim memories.
I worked at the Eastwood when Star Wars opened in May 1977. Just to add my memory to verify a few things brought up here already. There was an invitation only VIP screening 1 or 2 nights before the opening. I brought my family and a few friends. Seeing Star Wars before it’s official opening is a fact one of my guests (I was a high school senior at the time) still boasts about today. The first public screen was the standard 12:45 show on a Friday afternoon. When I showed up the typical 30 minutes early to start popping corn, there was already a line of 100 people waiting at the box office—something our concession stand wasn’t prepared for. That first weekend was an under-staffed madhouse. The concession would run out of ice every few hours, and I’d have to haul a huge cooler to the nearby Dairy Queen to bum a supply of ice to get us through the next wave of customers.
If memory serves correct, the midnight screenings began a few weeks later after it became obvious the huge crowds that were routinely turned away after the last show sold out could justify adding a 6th screening to the daily schedule. Considering Star Wars opened the last week in May, it’s likely Ronnie Clark saw his midnight show in June at the earliest. I believe the midnight screenings were only weekends, but I could be wrong about that.
I have zero memory of Marty Carr or Dave Battas; they must have been upper-management with C & W. As I lower-level employee, my only dealings were with the on-site manager, Ron Keedy, who later went on the run several repertory theatres in Indianapolis.
Coate, I worked at the Eastwood during the very years you are trying to reconstuct. You might be right about Xmas 78 being “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” I remember that playing there at some point. Also remember in August of 79 the Who documentary “The Kids are All Right” opened when “Alien” ended its run, and it was the first time in a loooong time that the theatre showed something that was less than a hit. Maybe it was booked there because “Tommy” had played so well 5 years earlier, but I remember “Kids” playing to mostly empty houses after a decently attended opening night. I think they wound up pulling it earlier than planned. But Ron Keedy should be able to clear up some of my dim memories.
I worked at the Eastwood when Star Wars opened in May 1977. Just to add my memory to verify a few things brought up here already. There was an invitation only VIP screening 1 or 2 nights before the opening. I brought my family and a few friends. Seeing Star Wars before it’s official opening is a fact one of my guests (I was a high school senior at the time) still boasts about today. The first public screen was the standard 12:45 show on a Friday afternoon. When I showed up the typical 30 minutes early to start popping corn, there was already a line of 100 people waiting at the box office—something our concession stand wasn’t prepared for. That first weekend was an under-staffed madhouse. The concession would run out of ice every few hours, and I’d have to haul a huge cooler to the nearby Dairy Queen to bum a supply of ice to get us through the next wave of customers.
If memory serves correct, the midnight screenings began a few weeks later after it became obvious the huge crowds that were routinely turned away after the last show sold out could justify adding a 6th screening to the daily schedule. Considering Star Wars opened the last week in May, it’s likely Ronnie Clark saw his midnight show in June at the earliest. I believe the midnight screenings were only weekends, but I could be wrong about that.
I have zero memory of Marty Carr or Dave Battas; they must have been upper-management with C & W. As I lower-level employee, my only dealings were with the on-site manager, Ron Keedy, who later went on the run several repertory theatres in Indianapolis.