While in High School, my buddy Pete Smith and I worked at the Regency I in 1975, 1976 for the Stimmel’s; Pearl and Shirly.
Pearl was a wonderful lady who managed with an iron-fist. She taught me many things that I used as a business owner, later in life (one being, when it’s slow, …CLEAN!) She was a tiny lady, but like a chihuahua, her bark was worse than her bite. With sell-out crowds for months on end, you learned to respect the fact that she always had control. She taught me how to deal with large crowds. Pearl managed M-S and her daughter, Shirley was the Sunday manager. It was a treat to work sundays with Shirley and you had to work your way to her good graces in order to be on her crew. This included the projectionists, Rebel (Reb) and I would have long conversations waiting for the projector change. Sylvester Stallone did not visit the theater, Pearl traveled to LA and met him in Hollywood at a private showing for theater-owners. She came back smitten and excited about the movie. Since it was a first-run theater, at the time we had just finished a 6-month run of One Flew Over the Cucoo’s Nest. I remember going to Winterland on a friday night to see ELO, on Saturday I was working the matinee and 3 members of the band came to see the Cucoo’s Nest. I recognized them in line and said “I had a great time at your concert last night, and, hey, I can get you in for free”. (with Pearl’s blessing) So, on their way out they stopped and said thanks and got me on the list for backstage for the Saturday Night concert. Pearl was not usually star-struck, but that changed when Katherine Hepburn also came to see a matinee of Rocky in 1976.
(She was appearing as Mrs. Basil in the touring company of “A Matter of Gravity). One evening, after we had just closed the Box-office, Pearl had already gone to the office and Francis Ford Coppola came with an entourage of a half a dozen people. I ran to the office and told Mrs. Stimmel that Francis Ford Coppola was outside and he wanted to see the movie, so she re-opened the box office, charged them normal price. He was just back from the Phillippines filming "Apocalypse Now” and his Sister played Rocky’s love interest, Adrian. Knowing this tid-bit, as I was tearing his ticket, I made the comment to Mr. Coppola “Oh, you came to see your sister Talia in the movie!” (pronouncing it Till-ia). He looked at me and said, “It’s TAL-ia”, took his ticket and walked in. They bought Rocky t-shirts, popcorn and sodas for everybody in the group.
Once, the film distributor inadvertently sent “Little Big Man” to the Regency. So Pearl decided to have an after-hours showing for staff and friends. We all watched from the balcony, just outside the projection booth and took turns switching over reels.
The greatest perk of working there was that the Stimmels would call any theater in SF to get you in for free. (Pearl seemed to know ALL the managers city-wide, Shirley even knew the Mitchell Bros. but I was too young for the O'Farrell :)
While in High School, my buddy Pete Smith and I worked at the Regency I in 1975, 1976 for the Stimmel’s; Pearl and Shirly. Pearl was a wonderful lady who managed with an iron-fist. She taught me many things that I used as a business owner, later in life (one being, when it’s slow, …CLEAN!) She was a tiny lady, but like a chihuahua, her bark was worse than her bite. With sell-out crowds for months on end, you learned to respect the fact that she always had control. She taught me how to deal with large crowds. Pearl managed M-S and her daughter, Shirley was the Sunday manager. It was a treat to work sundays with Shirley and you had to work your way to her good graces in order to be on her crew. This included the projectionists, Rebel (Reb) and I would have long conversations waiting for the projector change. Sylvester Stallone did not visit the theater, Pearl traveled to LA and met him in Hollywood at a private showing for theater-owners. She came back smitten and excited about the movie. Since it was a first-run theater, at the time we had just finished a 6-month run of One Flew Over the Cucoo’s Nest. I remember going to Winterland on a friday night to see ELO, on Saturday I was working the matinee and 3 members of the band came to see the Cucoo’s Nest. I recognized them in line and said “I had a great time at your concert last night, and, hey, I can get you in for free”. (with Pearl’s blessing) So, on their way out they stopped and said thanks and got me on the list for backstage for the Saturday Night concert. Pearl was not usually star-struck, but that changed when Katherine Hepburn also came to see a matinee of Rocky in 1976. (She was appearing as Mrs. Basil in the touring company of “A Matter of Gravity). One evening, after we had just closed the Box-office, Pearl had already gone to the office and Francis Ford Coppola came with an entourage of a half a dozen people. I ran to the office and told Mrs. Stimmel that Francis Ford Coppola was outside and he wanted to see the movie, so she re-opened the box office, charged them normal price. He was just back from the Phillippines filming "Apocalypse Now” and his Sister played Rocky’s love interest, Adrian. Knowing this tid-bit, as I was tearing his ticket, I made the comment to Mr. Coppola “Oh, you came to see your sister Talia in the movie!” (pronouncing it Till-ia). He looked at me and said, “It’s TAL-ia”, took his ticket and walked in. They bought Rocky t-shirts, popcorn and sodas for everybody in the group. Once, the film distributor inadvertently sent “Little Big Man” to the Regency. So Pearl decided to have an after-hours showing for staff and friends. We all watched from the balcony, just outside the projection booth and took turns switching over reels. The greatest perk of working there was that the Stimmels would call any theater in SF to get you in for free. (Pearl seemed to know ALL the managers city-wide, Shirley even knew the Mitchell Bros. but I was too young for the O'Farrell :)