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Starts Wednesday: A Year in the Life of a Movie Palace
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New Years

12/30/2014

5 Comments

 
Picture
St. George Theater at night. Credit: Bridge and Tunnel Club
Whoever may wander by this blog for the first time needs to know a few things before reading the most recent post:

1. The St. George Theater was and is located halfway up a steep hill in Staten Island, overlooking New York Harbor.

2. Along with my husband and an intrepid staff, I was involved in running that theater for a little less than a year, beginning in April, 1976.

3. Paul (Paulie) Plonski worked for us that year, usually behind the concession.

4. Then, as now, the ships in the harbor, clearly visible from the theater, make their presence known at midnight each New Year’s Eve.

On December 31, 2013, Paulie sent me this reminiscence, written thirty-seven years after the event. I’ve been waiting all this time to share it:

"On December 31, I always reflect on what I consider my most memorable New Year’s. We had a late show at the St. George. You and Dean made sure to get us out of the theater before midnight so we could make it home in time. My ‘68 Pontiac Firebird was parked on Hyatt Street, right in front of the theater. At around 11:30 I got in, started the car, but could not get it into gear. So... at midnight I was on the hill, waiting for a tow truck, the cold wind blowing. I was freezing.

Quiet, except for the wind. At the stroke of midnight the ships in the harbor sounded their whistles and shot off fireworks. It was just me, the wind and the ships with the NYC skyline, a night to remember, to cherish forever.

PS: The New Years party was still raging when I made it home (nothing missed)."

Paulie was a teenager then — now a father of four with vivid memories: the cold, the wind, the fireworks. Privation, exhilaration. These fit my overall experience of running the theater in 1976 and the first few months of 1977. It was going to be a cold cold winter. Although we didn’t know it, we’d be out on the street, broke, by spring. But the theater, while it lasted, was itself a kind of fireworks. I’m glad Paulie made it to the party!
5 Comments
Michaela
1/7/2015 05:50:47 am

I love this story. What a truly inventive way to appeal to your audience in a way they'll never know they were motivated by.

You are a sales genius!

MMMmmm popcorn. I can smell it now!

Reply
Paulie
1/27/2015 03:00:46 pm

Vicki, thank you for sharing what I have remembered all of these years. I used to think it would have been nice to have someone there with me, at the time, to share the experience. This New Years Eve was no different than the previous 37, in that as I reminisce, I can still feel the chill, hear the wind and whistles and see New York Harbor in its magnificent glory. I find it hard to believe how much time has passed. When I sent my remembrance to you 37 years had passed, and now 38, it seems like yesterday. To help put things into perspective, I think about what has happened since then, both in the world and in my life. At the time, I was a high school senior, eager to graduate, Thurman Munson (my idol) was catching for the Yankees, the Twin Towers weren't even 6 years old yet, Jimmy Carter was President, Ronald Reagan, who had moved from Hollywood to politics, had just left office after his second term as Governor of California, I thought George Bush was the fellow who owned Budweiser, Bill Clinton, who had not yet started his political career, was honing his saxophone skills, I didn't even know the owner of Budweiser had a son, and then the next one ... what's his name? Now that adds a little depth to the years. Then college; where to go, what to major in, and how to pay for it. Followed by the first "real" job, some
money in the pocket, a new Thunderbird (the only brand new car I have ever purchased). I drove it until it died on highway 70 in North Carolina, on the way to pick up my mother-in-law at Raleigh Durham Airport. Mother-in-law, now how did that happen? Oh, well, um, there was that late night on the canoe trip down the Delaware River in 1987, a cozy fire, a little snuggling to stay warm, romance and botta-bing, a mother-in-law. The birth of our first son in 1990, the beautiful baby and the thrill of being a parent, then a gorgeous daughter, followed another spectacular baby girl. Three children, all in diapers at the same time. Things were quite hectic, but we didn't have time to worry. The five of us got into a routine, well for six years anyway, then another wonderful boy. Now the first two are college graduates, the third a college junior, and the baby, a rising HS freshman. Wow, that puts a little distance between the New Years eve on the hill and where I sit now, typing on a laptop, waiting for winter baseball camp to finish so I can go home, and see my magnificent wife of 25 years. Good thing I was alone on the hill that night, otherwise there might have been a little snuggling to stay warm, and I might not have met my mother-in-law.

Reply
vicki
1/28/2015 09:07:59 am

Oh Paulie,
This is so rich! It's a memoir in its own right! I love the way a life--or many lives--spring out of a moment. Two moments, really--one in the Delaware and the other, older moment on Hyatt Street at midnight. That canoe trip was only a decade beyond the year at the theater. It fascinates me how slowly time seems to move when you're under 30 and how much it speeds up when you pass that mark. I really do want to meet your family, and especially your wife of 25 years. I remember when Dean and I celebrated our 25th anniversary--that was almost 25 years ago!!! Scary…! Anyhow, you must be an amazing dad--those kids are lucky! Keep writing, BTW--you should have your own blog!

Reply
Paulie
1/28/2015 11:56:24 am

Thanks again Vicki, this time for the compliments. So, you are closing in on finishing your 2nd 25, very nice. That means during the theater days, you were probably closer to being newlyweds than you were to having your Silver Anniversary. That is a good fit for coming of age in a movie palace. BTW, they announced the Westhampton Theater here in Richmond will be closing later this year, although it does not rival the St George in grandness, it has a character of it’s own, being completed in 1938. A lot of people are wondering what will come of the building. If your curiosity gets the best of you, there are a couple of articles and a blog on the web.
I am very excited about seeing you and Dean again, I would love for you to meet my wife, and family.

Reply
vicki
1/28/2015 03:44:47 pm

Will definitely check out the Westhampton. I wonder if any save-the-theater group has been started up? Everywhere I go there seem to be more and more communities doing that kind of thing.
Maybe I could do a blog post about that theater? Or maybe you could!?

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    Victoria Hallerman

    Author

    Victoria Hallerman is a poet and writer, the author of the upcoming memoir, Starts Wednesday: A Day in the Life of a Movie Palace, based on her experience as a movie palace manager of the St. George Theatre, Staten Island, 1976. As she prepares her book manuscript for publication, she shares early aspects of theater management, including the pleasures and pain of entrepreneurship. This blog is for anyone who enjoys old movie theaters, especially for those who love the palaces as they once were. And a salute to those passionate activists who continue to save and revive the old houses, including the St. George Theatre itself. This blog is updated every Wednesday, the day film always arrived to start the movie theater week.

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