orpheum

On Monday night i went to the Cineworld Enfield to see adreadful western starring Pierce Brosnan.It was projected on a digital projector.My mind wandered back to the days of changovers and film when anything could go wrong.I remember a number of occasions when it did including:-
1The projectionist failing to keep an eye on the carbon arc with the result that the light started to fail going fromblack and white to brown and white.Suddenly corrected after catcalls from the audience.
2The incoming projector being started up to late with the result that on the changeover we were treated to a fine view of the countdown on the academy leader.
3At a showing of The Lion at the Odeon Temple Fortune the film being stopped and the manager walking on stage to announce that the reels had been shown in the wrong order!Anyone wanting their money back could go to the box office.I did not notice and stayed on for the rest of the film.
I wonder if anyone else out there has similar tales particularly any projectionists.

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christoph404

One of my friends reported a very unsavoury event at a cinema in North London which shall remain nameless here, but he had taken his 10 year old son and 14 year old daughter to see "Casino Royale" the evening after its West End premier. The cinema was packed to capacity and a general air of excited anticipation prevailed, the film was due to start at 7 but by 7.30 the curtains of the screen remained closed with not even the ads or trailers to keep the restless crowd distracted. At 7.45 the lights went up in the auditoriom and the manager got on stage to announce that the screening would have to be cancelled due to major technical problems in the projection room and that everyone would receive a full refund and free tickets to come back another evening. At this announcement a riot errupted with the hapless manager fleeing from the stage being pelted with hot dogs , buckets of pop corn and soft drink cartons, a section of the audience started vandalising the seats and a rush to the doors ensued. It was an ugly scene with frightened youngsters being crushed in the ensuing melee to leave the cinema, my friend Scott said it was liike the end scene from "Day of the Locusts"!! ......scary....

PS68060

I went to watch the season of Alec Guiness films shown in Bracknell some eyars ago.
On one occasion the film snapped, we were not displeased, it all added to the old-style cinema atmosphere and it made the apology from the multiplex staff more amusing.

"Oh! Pete!"

christoph404

Im thinking of an article I read in a newspaper years ago (80s)about the projector breaking down in a cinema 20 mins before the end of the film which I think was a re-release of Gone With The Wind and the cinema staff taking to the stage and acting out the last scenes for the frustrated cinema audience in an imopromptu live performance .They received a well deserved standing ovation for their efforts and dedication! Wonder if anyone else remembers the incident, sounds like it should be the subject of a movie!