Movie Theaters and Personal Space

Below, Andy Fox mentioned he attended a movie with about ten or eleven other patrons in attendance. I thought I'd tell you about the time I went to see The Texas Chain Saw Massacre one hot August day a few years ago.


That day, the final day of the movie's run, the temp soared to over 100 degrees in Rhode Island, so I thought I'd catch the show and a little AC at the same time. Apparently, I was the only person in either Rhode Island or southern Massachusetts who had the same idea. I walked into the theater and found it empty. Let me tell you, it's an eerie feelings. I settled in, watched the previews, and waited for the massacre to begin.


All of a sudden, the door opened, and a shaft of sunlight hurtled down the aisle. Accompanying the beam, a rather heavy, death rattle sort of breathing hit me. HUUUUUUUh, HUUUUUUUh, HUUUUUUUh, is the best I can do to approximate the sound. I turned slowly, having glimpsed the outline of the figure in a shadow, and saw a man, weighing at least 400 pounds, lumbering and huffing down the aisle. The opening shot of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre appeared; coincidently, it's a shot of the sun blazing the earth. The man looked for a seat, stopped at the row where I sat, and took the seat one over from me.


Involuntarily, I sucked my breath in. He had the entire theater to choose from. Why there? Did I move?


I would have, but I was just a bit afraid he'd follow me, so I stayed put.


But, damn it, I would have liked the theater to myself just once.


John

Damn Funny!!


Great HUUUUUUUUh, HUUUUUUUUh, HUUUUUUUUh, post.


Zeno

I once almost had the theatre all to myself as well....really close.....I was sittin' there all by myself at a late show...when I start to wonder if anyone else was going to stroll in....all of a sudden a guy taps me on the back and says "I'll give you 2 free passes if ya let us go home early tonight"


I say, "make it 5 and ya got a deal...."


I walked out with 5 free passes and came back the next night for the same show and paid for a ticket to try and score the same deal but had no luck.....


Allan

For the record, I would have moved. And if he followed me, I would have told him to keep his distance.


But this reminds me of several years ago when I had a really nice classic XKE. I loved driving the car, and when I went to the grocery store I would park way at the end of the row where there were no other cars. Inevitably, when I returned, there would be a rusty pickup parked right next to it.


I could never figure out why he parked next to me when there were so many closer spaces. I decided it was just to piss me off.

but if he had not sat near you: you would have worried about what was wrong with you that a guy like that would avoid you....gl

maybe some of the "high class" of the xke will rub off on the truck... i know i use that strategy myself with my beat up truck..lol...

I went with a buddy to a major action film on release nite. It was a 10 pm show and almost full.


We were sitting in an upper row near the aisle and a couple were sitting just below us, one empty seat next to the aisle, the guy, another empty seat, and his girlfriend.


An older couple was climbing the stairs and looking for two spaces. It was obvious they could see none. So he asked the guy politely if he could move over one seat. He said no!


The older man asked again pointing to his wife and the guy said no again. Other people started getting involved urging him to move. He flatly refused.


It stated to get elevated in tempers. There were at least 15 people urging the guy to move. No dice.


The couple walked down the stairs and left. I though they might complain to managment and something would happen. Nothing more.


Jerk of all time!

i swear to god the next time i see somebody who parks right in the middle of two spaces im gonna try to squeeze in.


brad

have taken the two empty seats.

those of you who ride a train in the mornings probably know people like this. I ride the Long Island railroad every morning, and there are always people who hem and haw and give you dirty looks when you try to take an open middle seat. this guy in the theater reminds me of this.


Pat

if i would have been there, i would have physically made him move. if i had been the old man, i would have taken both the empty seats anyways. and personally sat between the guy and his lady. see how quick he moves after that!

John,


Great post!


Remember Moose McClintock from the URI Sailing Team - you can Google him if need to refresh your memory - Moose is a superstar these days and is crewing on an America’s Cup contender.


Anyway, years ago big, tough Moose and I somehow had time to kill and we ended up in this cruddy, creepy theater in downtown Fall River and watched "The Exorcist” for the first time. We were the only ones in the theatre except for a guy just like the one you described above seated a row or two back. Later we had to walk back through an even creepier back alley to get to the car. We were scared shitless and back then we thought we were the biggest swinging dicks on the planet when it came to our thing, which was racing in almost any weather, any sea, and almost any class of boat!


Speaking of the sailing team alumni, Ken Legler has coached at Tufts for about the last twenty years and is the “John Wooden” of intercollegiate sailing coaching from what I’ve read. Funny how we lose touch – we were so close back then.


Regards,


Rick


PS I wish I had $10,000 to trust you with.

Rick,


Are you sure it wasn't The Sexoricist you went to see that day?


John

They have sex in Fall River? I don't think so.

Probably.


Had a guy in my office building park his shiny, black convertible Corvette at the end of the row directly in front of the door, taking up not one, not two, but FOUR parking spaces.


So I parked next to him. /images/biggrin.gif