Movie, Inc.

Chapter 12
Movie, Inc., Leases The Guild

Oh, that is clever! I wish I had thought of that!

Movie, Inc. (pronounced movie ink), took over The Guild and began its new programming of better films on 9 April 1971. Alexander Nevsky in widescreen?????? Full-frame Silent prints of Laurel & Hardy in widescreen?????? Anna Karenina in widescreen?????? A Night at the Opera in widescreen?????? A Day at the Races in widescreen?????? Ninotchka in widescreen?????? Mutiny on the Bounty in widescreen?????? Wife versus Secretary in widescreen?????? David Copperfield in widescreen?????? Go West in widescreen?????? Strange Interlude in widescreen?????? Grand Hotel in widescreen?????? The Good Earth in widescreen?????? Nobody knew, nobody noticed, nobody cared. This is why I don’t make friends.


Silent film, generally regarded as inferior. Why?	Widescreen, generally regarded as superior. Why?

When Movie, Inc., took over The Guild, it opened with 1930’s/1940’s repertory. Beginning on Christmas Day 1971, the programming at The Guild changed. The 1930’s/1940’s Hollywood repertory was largely phased out, presumably because the audience was too small. Now that Donald Pancho’s was running almost all porn, the Lobo and especially the Hiland were doing what they could to take up the slack and cater to the repertory and artsy audience, but they seem to have failed miserably. The Hiland even went so far as to revive a couple of Bergman photoplays, The Magician on Saturday, 4 December 1971 and The Silence on Wednesday, 16 February 1972, and those two flicks were surely incoherent on that 1:2.00 screen. Then soon afterwards came the Eastdale, which screened strictly 16mm. The Eastdale ran repertory and how successful it was remains a mystery. Its parent company, United General Theaters of Los Ángeles and NYC, was founded in November 1970 and it copied the business structure of the ill-fated Jerry Lewis Cinemas. What happened, I do not know, but as of 13 October 1972, the Eastdale was operating minus the United General lease. Either United General had withdrawn or somebody had purchased its lease. That was a clever move, for by April 1973 United General Theaters had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In April or early May 1974, Commonwealth purchased the lease and converted the Eastdale to a 35mm second-run house. Further competition came from the Cinema Petite, which had abandoned its policy of kiddie flicks (insufficient product!) and switched, first, to second run, and then soon decided instead to crop stuff from the 1930’s through the 1950’s on its postcard-sized wide screen, but to all appearances it earned not a dime. When it comes to cultivating a loyal and sophisticated audience, corporate managers just don’t get it. To attract the artsy crowd, a cinema needs not merely to book a couple of oddball flicks. The cinema needs to create a welcoming culture, a welcoming culture that embraces and befriends the artsy crowd. Cinemas just don’t do that. And running old-timey films at 1:2.00 in acoustically dead auditoriums doesn’t help. At all. They just don’t get it. At all. Clueless, bloody clueless.

The Guild replaced the old-timey repertory with a new-timey repertory. The Guild seems to have sifted through the old newspaper ads to see what Donald Pancho’s had played in the early and mid 1960’s, and then just plundered that list. I do not know which booking agency The Guild was using at the time, but its instruction to its booker was apparently simple: sophisticated but cheap. Donald Pancho’s, in the past few years, had pretty much given up on attracting the artsy crowd, and just booked a lot of ho-hum-whatever. Yes, it booked the occasional Chaplin reissue, or the occasional Fields reissue, or the occasional foreign flick, or the occasional indie flick, but with a heavy concentration on endless streams of “adult” fare — whether that was porn or just lame off-color nonsense, I do not know. The Guild’s programming concentrated on inexpensive third-run items but it was arguably the most creative programming in town. The owner of The Guild was clearly in his element and he was clearly having the time of his life. I suspect he was a lot of fun to know back in those days. Despite his knack for intelligent booking, the owner of The Guild, I realize only now as I sit here typing these words, had not a clue about older audio and image formats. I remember in late 1975 when I tried to convince him to set up for the older formats, and I didn’t understand why he brushed me off. Actually, I now realize that he simply didn’t know what on earth I was jabbering about. Nonetheless, whatever else you might wish to say about him, and whatever personality traits he may have acquired since the early 1970’s, he really loved movies in those days, he really had a sense of humor, and he really had a bit of a heart.

As an independent house, unaffiliated with any other cinema on earth, with a mere 153 seats, and operated by someone who was not known to “The Industry,” The Guild had trouble getting a wide selection of movies. Distributors with expensive product were not about to waste it on a two-bit hole in the wall, and most first-run films had guarantees far higher than the house net. So, The Guild was stuck with the same handful of flicks that reappeared every few months or even weeks. Nonetheless, it thrived.

While the clueless rivals at the Lobo and at the Cinema Petite and at the Hiland and at the Eastdale were floundering, The Guild was attracting an audience. Donald Pancho’s was not even a rival. The ATGoA obviously had lost all interest in the cinema and just blindly followed routine formulæ, caring nothing about cultivating a loyal audience — or any audience, it would seem to me. Actually, it seems to me that the ATGoA just grabbed whatever was most cheaply available at the exchange on any given week. The entirely inconsistent programming at Donald Pancho’s appears to have driven audiences away. At the time, as a twelve-year-old, I did not have a concept of what I was witnessing. That is why, in November 2021, I devoted some days to doing research that nobody else on earth would think worthwhile: I made a list of every movie shown at Donald Pancho’s and at The Guild during this time and then tried to think through what the results meant. Besides, I had long been wishing that somebody else would compile such a list, of all the films shown at both those two cinemas, and, ideally, a complete list of every film shown at every Albuquerque cinema. Even more ideally: a complete list of every play and concert given at every venue in Albuquerque, or, rather, as complete as such a list can be. So much of our history was never recorded, alas. Of course, nobody in his right mind would attempt such a task. Too much work for too little reward. So, the duty devolved upon me. The more I look into this, the more I can read between the lines. Apparently Donald Pancho’s did not take kindly to the upstart independent cinema a mile east on Central Avenue, and there was apparently some bad blood. The details? I wish I knew. If you know, please do tell!

The exchanges. What were the exchanges? Where were they? My understanding was that the exchange was in Denver, which may have been true. Albuquerque was way too small to warrant its own exchange. Nonetheless, I can’t imagine that every movie that finished its run at any particular cinema was shipped straight back to Denver. There must have been a local storage room somewhere in Albuquerque to hold prints until they were retired from the NM market. Some of those prints must have hung around for decades, I’m sure. Can anybody fill me in? Thanks!

Albuquerque was too small to support more than a single repertory/art cinema, and yet, in 1971, there were five. The Guild decided that it would prevail as the only one. Soon enough, the Lobo and the Hiland largely abandoned their attempts to steal away the artsy audience, and the Eastdale, as I mentioned, was bought out. Soon enough, the Cinema Petite switched back to kiddie movies and second-run. All that was left was Donald Pancho’s, which, despite the occasional booking of a sophisticated film, was no longer an art house.

What had happened to Don Pancho’s? It had had the most exciting film programming in Albuquerque, but now it was running almost exclusively junk. I did not understand until I entered every day’s program at the cinema into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. The results were disheartening. The finest, most revolutionary, most subversive, most enchanting, most appealing films played a week or so. A few of them were endless repeats (King of Hearts, The Ruling Class, and a couple of others). The sensational films, on the other hand, played for many weeks or even months. Sometimes there was an overlap. I Am Curious (Yellow), for instance, is a brilliant film with endless layers of meanings. It is wonderfully playful in its ingenious blending of fantasy and for-real documentary. (For instance: A fictional character, armed with a tape recorder, conducts real interviews with real people, and the interviewees accept, because they don’t know that the interviewer is an actress following a script; they think she really is a student). The film forever breaks the fourth wall and it even integrates its own behind-the-scenes making-of into the film proper. Marvelous. Was that why people stormed in and packed the place to the rafters, show after show after show? No, that was not why. Not at all. It sold out simply because bluenoses had tried to get it banned from US screens. Even though the film was quickly cleared by the courts, cinemas that presented it faced police raids and criminal charges. That is why the film was so popular. It was held over at Don Pancho’s for months. A Man and a Woman was also immensely popular, first in its original version and then in its English dub. It ran for many weeks. Why? It was a love story, and quite a pleasant one — and quite a believable one, too. How people found out about the movie, I do not know. Maybe because they all heard the theme song on the radio 38 times a day? As soon as the movie opened, people who had not seen it and who really didn’t know what they were in for swarmed 2108 Central SE and the lines must have stretched around the block. Never on Sunday filled the place every show for a little over five weeks. Why? Because the Catholic Church condemned it. That was the only reason. It’s a dumb movie, but entirely likeable, and I can easily imagine a full 238-seat house roaring with laughter even though the movie is not really that funny. Whenever Don Pancho’s booked a film released by Radley Metzger, again, the place was packed and the films had to be held over. Now, I was friendly with Radley. He was a nice guy, intelligent, but he was a businessman, and he chose movies that would blend mainstream with erotica, and he did that for one reason and one reason only: The stuff sold like hotcakes. Some of the movies he released were nice. Some most definitely were not. Radley made his own movies, too. I don’t know what he really felt, and I don’t know what he told others, but he told me that he didn’t think much of his own movies. They were investments, nothing more. How Albuquerque audiences knew to seek out those movies, how they knew the titles or reputations, I do not know, but they did. Where did they hear about them? Not on TV commercials, certainly. I really don’t know. Yet, somehow, if a Radley release made it to Don Pancho’s, the crowds poured in. The really good movies, though, the addictive ones, the thoughtful ones, no, few did any exceptional business. Why, before it is even seen, is one movie popular while another movie is unnoticed? That’s a mystery to me. That must be why the ATGoA began booking Hollywood stuff, Academy Award-winners, and so forth. When the ATGoA tried out some “hot” adult titles, there were large crowds. After all, in 1968, give or take, censorship laws were relaxed tremendously and people were curious about what was now showing on “adults-only” screens. So the ATGoA decided to get its income easily: Book the porn, and more of it and more of it and more of it. Never mind that every last person in the audience left bitterly disappointed. Who cared? Every last bitterly disappointed person had paid for a ticket! That was all that mattered. It was a cheap way to make money. The problem with making money cheaply is that, sooner or later, probably sooner, the customer base will collapse. In the meantime, the clientèle that was so carefully cultivated is now alienated and will never return. A slow-but-steady reliable income is usually preferable to a wildly popular gimmick. Now, if I had been an exec at the ATGoA, if I had been the manager or booker for Don Pancho’s, would I have chosen slow-but-steady, or would I have chosen get-’em-in-here-get-their-money-get-’em-out-again so that I could luxuriate in giant pots of cash every evening? I admit it: I would probably have done what they did. I probably would have chosen the easy trick rather than a long-term strategy. The junk that called out to the curiosity seekers worked for Don Pancho’s for about two years, but then it didn’t work anymore. After all, by the end of those two years, there were porno houses all over Albuquerque. Don Pancho’s got lost in the crowd. Management had to build up a new customer base — and that was a losing battle.

Contradicting my intuition is the recollection of Mike Getz, nephew of Louis K. Sher:

Well, you know, another interesting thing, I don’t know, you know, at a certain point, Louie’s theaters went to porno. They stopped being art theaters and they went, became porno theaters.... But I think that they went to a porno policy because, again, Louie perceives it that that was a way to be more successful. He was having trouble with the business as an art theater, strictly art theater business. The good art movies, the bigger theater chains would grab them. And then he would, you know, be, he says, I’ve been your customer for all these years, and now you get a movie that I could actually make some money with, and you give it to my competitor. That happens all the time. So he said, you know, these porno movies, people want to see them. I can... they’re cheaper. You know, I can make, I can make more money. And so he, at that point he was more interested in making money than being an art theater owner. And then he eventually sold out to other companies, like Landmark bought a lot of his theaters.

So there you have it. The distributors decided to send their prime products to larger chains and to bypass the ATGoA. Maybe. My guess is that Mike Getz didn’t know the full story. Distributors put movies up for bid. Foreign movies that you have to read and that don’t deal with cops and gun fights and racing cars and explosions, well, the big cinema chains wouldn’t pay a plugged nickel for that stuff. It was only the little guys like ATGoA that would place bids. What must have happened is that, suddenly, the bigger chains decided they wanted to get in on the game as well. Perhaps they got interested when they saw the crowds pouring in to A Man and a Woman. Mike Getz might well be right, but what I think happened was simply that Uncle Louie was being outbid. He couldn’t have been outbid on all the artsy flicks that were put on the market. Further, nobody would have stopped him from running repertory. Methinks Uncle Louie gave up too quickly.

Here is some of the rival programming. A summary does not suffice. I wrote a draft of the above summary, but it dawned on me that no reader would grasp my argument. So I added a list of titles, but I realized that almost no reader would be familiar with the titles. So, I wasted days of my time and assembled the below, so that you can see, with your own eyes, the advertisements in parallel. That will give you a good feel for what Donald Pancho’s was doing wrong — and for what The Guild was doing right.

DON PANCHO’S		THE GUILD

Fri 09 Apr 1971	The Postgraduate Course in Sexual Love (1970, hardcore)	Fri 09 Apr 1971	Buck Rogers: Planet Outlaw (1939, CROPPED; premièred at the Mesa 28 Nov 1939) Flash Gordon: Mars Attacks the Earth (1938, CROPPED; original serial premièred at the Mesa 18 Mar 1938)

Fri 16 Apr 1971	Lip Service (1970, hardcore)	Fri 16 Apr 1971	Anna Karenina (1935, CROPPED; premièred at the Sunshine 20 Sep 1935)

Fri 23 Apr 1971	Sexual Practices in Sweden (1970, hardcore)	Fri 23 Apr 1971	A Night at the Opera (1935, CROPPED; premièred at the Sunshine 27 Dec 1935)

Fri 30 Apr 1971	Trash (1970, CROPPED; Albuquerque première)	Fri 30 Apr 1971	Ninotchka (1939, CROPPED; premièred at the Sunshine 30 Dec 1939)

Fri 07 May 1971	Investigation of a Citizen above Suspicion (1970; Albuquerque première)	Fri 07 May 1971	A Day at the Races (1937, CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 12 Jun 1937)


Fri 14 May 1971	Beyond Love and Evil (1969)	Fri 14 May 1971	Mutiny on the Bounty (1935, CROPPED; premièred at the Sunshine 16 Nov 1935)

Fri 21 May 1971	Pleasure Cruise (1969, hardcore)	Fri 21 May 1971	Wife vs. Secretary (1936, CROPPED; premièred at the Sunshine 13 Mar 1936)

Fri 28 May 1971	The Undergraduate (1971, hardcore)	Fri 28 May 1971	David Copperfield (1935, CROPPED; premièred at the Sunshine 29 Mar 1935)

Fri 04 Jun 1971	Enjoy: A Fresh Look at Marital Love (1970, hardcore?)	Fri 04 Jun 1971	Go West (1940, CROPPED; premièred at the Sunshine 31 Dec 1940)

Fri 11 Jun 1971	Red, White & Blue (1971; Albuquerque première)	Fri 11 Jun 1971	Strange Interlude (1932, CROPPED; premièred at the Sunshine 21 Jan 1933)

Fri 18 Jun 1971	The 9 Ages of Nakedness (1969)	Fri 18 Jun 1971	Grand Hotel (1932, CROPPED; premièred at the Mission 10 Aug 1932)

Fri 25 Jun 1971	History of the Blue Movie (1970, Sherpix, hardcore)	Fri 25 Jun 1971	Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941, CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 24 Nov 1941) The Bank Dick (1940, CROPPED; premièred at the Rio 08 Feb 1941)

Fri 02 Jul 1971	A Man and a Woman (1966; premièred at Don Pancho’s 24 Feb 1967)	Fri 02 Jul 1971	Way Out West (1937, CROPPED; premièred at the Mesa 22 Jul 1937) SHORT: Helpmates (1932, CROPPED; premièred at the Rio 14 May 1933)

Fri 09 Jul 1971	Lovers and Other Strangers (1970; premièred at the Hiland 18 Nov 1970)	Fri 09 Jul 1971	The Good Earth (1937, CROPPED; premièred at the Sunshine 28 Sep 1937)

Fri 16 Jul 1971	Woodstock (1970; premièred at the Hiland 22 Jul 1970)	Fri 16 Jul 1971	Casablanca (1942, CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 29 Jan 1943)

Fri 23 Jul 1971	Woodstock (1970; premièred at the Hiland 22 Jul 1970)	Fri 23 Jul 1971	Dinner at Eight (1933, CROPPED; premièred at the Sunshine 06 Jan 1934)

Fri 30 Jul 1971	Woodstock (1970; premièred at the Hiland 22 Jul 1970)	Fri 30 Jul 1971	King of the Cowboys (1943, CROPPED; premièred at the Rio 06 Jun 1943) The Big Sombrero (1949, CROPPED; premièred at El Rey 22 Jun 1949)

Fri 06 Aug 1971	Where’s Poppa? (premièred at the Lobo 30 Dec 1970)	Fri 06 Aug 1971	Key Largo (1948, CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 12 Aug 1948)

Fri 13 Aug 1971	Diary of a Mad Housewife (1970; premièred at the Cinema East 25 Dec 1970)	Fri 13 Aug 1971	Our Relations (1936, CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 09 Dec 1936) SHORT: Brats (1930, CROPPED; premièred at the Pastime 08 Feb 1931)

Fri 20 Aug 1971	Airport (1970; premièred at the Sunshine 27 May 1970)	Fri 20 Aug 1971	Camille (1936, CROPPED; premièred at the Sunshine 23 Jan 1937)

Fri 27 Aug 1971	Performance (1970; premièred at the Lobo 04 Nov 1970)	Fri 27 Aug 1971	The Big Store (1941, CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 21 Jun 1941)

Fri 03 Sep 1971	Performance (1970; premièred at the Lobo 04 Nov 1970)	Fri 03 Sep 1971	King Kong (1933, CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 23 Apr 1933)

Fri 10 Sep 1971	Gimme Shelter (1970; Albuquerque première)	Fri 10 Sep 1971	Citizen Kane (1941, CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 16 Nov 1941)

Fri 17 Sep 1971	Gimme Shelter (1970)	Fri 17 Sep 1971	Sergeant York (1941, CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 07 Dec 1941)

Fri 24 Sep 1971	Joe (1970; premièred at the Sunshine 30 Sep 1970)	Fri 24 Sep 1971	The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939, CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 20 Jan 1940)

Fri 01 Oct 1971	Love Story (1970; premièred at the Hiland 10 Mar 1971)	Fri 01 Oct 1971	Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933, CROPPED; premièred at the Sunshine 10 Nov 1933)


Fri 08 Oct 1971	Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969; premièred at the Fox 25 Dec 1969) Cactus Flower (1969; premièred at Loew’s 21 Dec 1969)	Fri 08 Oct 1971	In the Money (1958; premièred at the Tri-C 04 Feb 1959) Looking for Danger (1957; premièred at the Sunset 05 Aug 1960)

Fri 15 Oct 1971	Five Easy Pieces (1970; premièred at the Lobo 24 Feb 1971)	Fri 15 Oct 1971	The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948, CROPPED; premièred at the Chief 16 Apr 1948)

Thu 21 Oct 1971	Paint Your Wagon (1969; premièred at the Sunshine 25 Dec 1969)	Fri 22 Oct 1971	Little Caesar (1931, CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 26 Feb 1931)

Fri 29 Oct 1971	Freaks (CROPPED, premièred at the Mission 27 Feb 1932) An Andalusian Dog (1929, CROPPED; premièred at UNM 19 Jul 1952) Dementia (1955, CROPPED; Albuquerque première)	Fri 29 Oct 1971	At the Circus (1939, CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 28 Oct 1939)

Fri 05 Nov 1971	Freaks (CROPPED, premièred at the Mission 27 Feb 1932) An Andalusian Dog (1929, CROPPED; premièred at UNM 19 Jul 1952) Dementia (1955, CROPPED)	Fri 05 Nov 1971	Passage to Marseille (1944, CROPPED; premièred at the Lobo 13 Aug 1944)
		This print of The Gold Rush seems not to have been from Chaplin or his distributors. It was Paul Killiam’s badly re-edited edition with Bill Perry’s beautiful piano score, now distributed by Janus. What is the give-away? The typefont!.
Fri 12 Nov 1971	Drive, He Said (1971; Albuquerque première)	Fri 12 Nov 1971	The Gold Rush (1925, CROPPED; premièred at the Sunshine 25 Oct 1925, 26 Jun 1942; this was the Albuquerque cinema première of the 1970 Killiam edition)

Fri 19 Nov 1971	House of Wax (3D, 1953; premièred at the State 28 May 1953)	Fri 19 Nov 1971	The Public Enemy (1931, CROPPED; premièred at the Sunshine 05 Aug 1931)

Fri 19 Nov 1971	House of Wax (3D, 1953; premièred at the State 28 May 1953)	Fri 26 Nov 1971	The Lady Vanishes (1938, CROPPED; premièred at the Coronado 08 May 1940) The 39 Steps (1935, CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 23 Dec 1935)
I am quite convinced that this was booked only to test Don Pancho’s setup for Chris Condon’s 3D anamorphic side-by-side format.
Fri 03 Dec 1971	House of Wax (3D, 1953; premièred at the State 28 May 1953)	Fri 03 Dec 1971	Mata Hari (1931, CROPPED; premièred at the Mission 03 Jan 1932)

Fri 10 Dec 1971	Claire’s Knee (1970; Albuquerque première)	Fri 10 Dec 1971	Saps at Sea (1940, CROPPED; premièred at the Mesa 22 Oct 1940) SHORT: The Music Box (1932, CROPPED; premièred at the Pastime 11 Nov 1932)

Fri 17 Dec 1971	Bed & Board (1970; Albuquerque première)	Fri 17 Dec 1971	Little Rascals Varieties (1959, CROPPED; premièred at the State 22 Jul 1959) Buck Rogers: Planet Outlaw (1939, CROPPED; premièred at the Mesa 28 Nov 1939)
Business at The Guild had been disappointing. It was time to experiment, and so, beginning on Christmas Day 1971, there was a switch from nostalgia to cult. The usual terms were the same, I think: $150 guarantee for each booking, plus 60% of any net above that. Mean average ticket sales per movie: $400. That’s $250 above the guarantee, minus operating expenses (utilities, payroll, maintenance, supplies). I assume that operating expenses were about $250, maybe more. Percentage owed to the distributor: 60% of zero. The deficit could be made up from the concessions counter. It was a bare-bones business. From outward appearances, business picked up significantly when 1960’s/1970’s repertory replaced 1920’s/1930’s/1940’s repertory.

Fri 24 Dec 1971	Lawrence of Arabia (1962; premièred at the Fox 28 May 1963)	Sat 25 Dec 1971	Yellow Submarine (1968; premièred at the Cinema East 28 Jan 1969)

Fri 31 Dec 1971	Lawrence of Arabia (1962; premièred at the Fox 28 May 1963)	Sat 01 Jan 1972	Black Orpheus (1959; premièred at the Lobo 12 May 1960)

Fri 07 Jan 1972	The Stewardesses (3D, 1969, Blu-ray)	Thu 06 Jan 1972	Jules and Jim (1962; premièred at Don Pancho’s 30 Aug 1962)
Oh how little I knew! Do you know why Don Pancho’s ran The Stewardesses? Because Don Pancho’s owner, Louis K. Sher, produced it! He had established a new company called Sherpix and pooled some money with some other producers to come up with this prank that turned into a megahit that ran for years in some major venues. The $100,000 investment grossed $27,000,000. Sher mentioned the movie here. So now, nearly half a century later, I finally know why the screen at Don Pancho’s was painted aluminum. As he did for every booking of The Stewardesses, Chris Condon personally set the cinema up for proper projection. Yet we know that the projection was not entirely proper, since the image was cropped. Or, hang on a moment, was it cropped? I seem to remember a pair of properly cut .715"×.839" apertures in the booth, and maybe they were used for this movie and for House of Wax. I think I remember those apertures being there, and I knew that the lenses were too short to allow those apertures to be used for normal anamorphic films. If my memory is right, then The Stewardesses was not cropped after all. I suppose that Condon had something to say about the projectors barfing oil all over his film, but, as always in the movie business, nobody cared. And now that I know about Sherpix, I understand some of the other bookings, too. (Sherpix, Inc., 919 3rd Ave, NYC 10022, (212) 758-7400, contact: Saul Shiffrin.) (Other sources I eventually need to make sense of: Louis K. Sher in Chicago, Preservation and Conservation Association, vol. 12 no. 14; Louis K. Sher distributor, Boxoffice, 14 Dec 1964, p. 11; Joe Esposito, New Loft, [Tucson] Arizona Daily Star, Sat, 13 Dec 1986, p. 9-B.)

Tue 11 Jan 1972	The Stewardesses (3D, 1969, Blu-ray)	Tue 11 Jan 1972	Son of the Sheik (1926, CROPPED; premièred at the Sunshine 21 Nov 1926) SHORT: Roscoe Arbuckle (which film we do not know, CROPPED)

Fri 14 Jan 1972	The Stewardesses (3D, 1969, Blu-ray)	Sat 15 Jan 1972	King of Hearts (1966; premièred at Don Pancho’s 15 Mar 1968) MIDNIGHT 15TH: Horror Maniacs (1948, CROPPED; premièred at the Sunset 18 Oct 1963) Stranger’s Morgue (1946, CROPPED; premièred at the Sunset 18 Oct 1963)
		Definitely from the Chaplin estate. See below.
Fri 21 Jan 1972	The Stewardesses (3D, 1969, Blu-ray)	Sat 22 Jan 1972	The Circus (1928, CROPPED; Albuquerque première of 1969 sound version; silent edition premièred at the KiMo 11 Apr 1928) MIDNIGHT 22ND: The Black Raven (1943, CROPPED; premièred at the Rio 08 Jul 1943) Strangler of the Swamp (1946, CROPPED; premièred at the Rio 11 Jun 1946)

Tue 25 Jan 1972	The Stewardesses (3D, 1969, Blu-ray)	Tue 25 Jan 1972	Medium Cool (1969; premièred at the KiMo 04 Feb 1970)

Fri 28 Jan 1972	The Stewardesses (3D, 1969, Blu-ray)	Sat 29 Jan 1972	The General (11 Dec 1926, CROPPED; premièred at the Pastime 09 Mar 1928) MIDNIGHT 29TH: Brain Snatcher (aka The Man Who Lived Again, 1936, CROPPED; premièred at the Rio 11 Dec 1936)

Tue 01 Feb 1972	The Stewardesses (3D, 1969, Blu-ray)	Tue 01 Feb 1972	Stagecoach (1939, CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 11 Mar 1939) MIDNIGHT 4TH: Destination Moon (CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 19 Oct 1950)

Fri 04 Feb 1972	Modern Times (1936, CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 25 Apr 1936)	Sat 05 Feb 1972	Pool Sharks (1915, CROPPED; premièred at the Pastime 17 Nov 1915) The Golf Specialist (1930, CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 01 Dec 1930) The Dentist (1932, CROPPED; première was not advertised) The Fatal Glass of Beer (1933, CROPPED; premièred at the Pastime 19 Sep 1933) The Pharmacist (1933, CROPPED; première was not advertised) The Barber Shop (1933, CROPPED; premièred at the Sunshine 23 Aug 1933) MIDNIGHT 5TH: Destination Moon (CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 19 Oct 1950)
This calls for an explanation. When the authorities barred Charlie Chaplin from entering the US in 1952, he settled down in Vevey, Switzerland, and withdrew the movies he owned from release. In 1959, he created a new movie out of three of his old ones and called it The Chaplin Revue. He released it around the world but not in the US. My guess is that no US distributor dared put in a bid, not after all the McCarthy conflagrations. By 1964, Dean Rusk told Charlie that the US had no objection to his returning, and so Charlie softened. He reissued Monsieur Verdoux in the US and five years later he added music and a song to The Circus and put it up for US bids — and he got a bite! In 1971, Oliver A. Unger (formerly of J.H. Hoffberg Productions) tried to convince Charlie to reissue all of his films. At first, Charlie couldn’t care less, but once an investor named Mo Rothman handed him $5,000,000, he got excited by the idea and began reissuing his movies in September 1971. In March 1972, he returned to the US to accept an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement, and that was in conjunction with several of his movies flooding US screens again (cropped to 1:1.85 and 1:2.00, of course), for the first time since forever. Donald Pancho’s, normally devoting its schedule to trash, apparently couldn’t resist the temptation to re-première Charlie’s films in Albuquerque.

Fri 18 Feb 1972	City Lights (1931, CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 17 May 1931)	Fri 18 Feb 1972	The Magic Christian (1969; premièred at the Lobo 08 Jul 1970) MIDNIGHT 18TH & 25TH: Night of the Living Dead (1968; premièred at the Tesuque and at the Cactus 02 Apr 1969)

Fri 25 Feb 1972	City Lights (1931, CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 17 May 1931)	Sat 26 Feb 1972	The Big Sleep (1946, CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 24 Oct 1946) MIDNIGHT 26TH: The Thing (1951, CROPPED; was this the Albuquerque première?)

Tue 29 Feb 1972	City Lights (1931, CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 17 May 1931)	Tue 29 Feb 1972	Bananas (premièred at the Lobo 16 Jun 1971) MIDNIGHT 3RD: I Walked with a Zombie (1943, CROPPED; premièred at the Mesa 27 Sep 1943)

Fri 03 Mar 1972	The Great Dictator (1941, CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 27 Feb 1942)	Sat 04 Mar 1972	The Seventh Seal (1958, CROPPED, premièred at the SUB 14 May 1960)

Mon 06 Mar 1972	The Great Dictator (1941, CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 27 Feb 1942)	Mon 06 Mar 1972	Alexander Nevsky (1938, CROPPED; premièred at the Rodey 01 Apr 1950)

Thu 09 Mar 1972	The Great Dictator (1941, CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 27 Feb 1942)	Thu 09 Mar 1972	Gate of Hell (1953, CROPPED; premièred at the Lobo 29 Dec 1955)

Sat 11 Mar 1972	The Great Dictator (1941, CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 27 Feb 1942)	Sat 11 Mar 1972	Shoot the Piano Player (1960; premièred at the SUB 20 Sep 1963)

Mon 13 Mar 1972	The Great Dictator (1941, CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 27 Feb 1942)	Mon 13 Mar 1972	L’avventura (1960; premièred at Don Pancho’s 24 Oct 1963)

Thu 16 Mar 1972	The Great Dictator (1941, CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 27 Feb 1942)	Thu 16 Mar 1972	Wild Strawberries (1957, CROPPED, premièred at the Lobo 28 Jan 1960)

Fri 17 Mar 1972	The Anonymous Venetian (1970; Albuquerque première) A Man and a Woman (1966; premièred at Don Pancho’s 24 Feb 1967)	Sat 18 Mar 1972	Knife in the Water (1962, CROPPED; premièred at Don Pancho’s 26 Mar 1964) MIDNIGHT: Black Sabbath (1963; premièred at the Cactus 30 Apr 1965) Captain Marvel chapter 3 (1941, CROPPED; premièred at the Mesa 12 Jul 1941)

Mon 20 Mar 1972	The Anonymous Venetian (1970) A Man and a Woman (1966)	Mon 20 Mar 1972	Beauty and the Beast (1946, CROPPED; premièred at UNM 21 Jul 1951)

Thu 23 Mar 1972	The Anonymous Venetian (1970) A Man and a Woman (1966)	Thu 23 Mar 1972	Ballad of a Soldier (1959, CROPPED; premièred at Don Pancho’s 21 Apr 1961)

Fri 24 Mar 1972	Millhouse (1971; Albuquerque première)	Sat 25 Mar 1972	Black Orpheus (1959; premièred at the Lobo 12 May 1960) MIDNIGHT 25TH: The Pit and the Pendulum (1961; premièred at the Tri-C 08 Nov 1961)

Mon 27 Mar 1972	Millhouse (1971)	Mon 27 Mar 1972	Rashomon (1950, CROPPED; premièred at the Lobo 25 Apr 1952)

Thu 30 Mar 1972	Millhouse (1971)	Thu 30 Mar 1972	The 400 Blows (1959; premièred at the SUB 10 Aug 1962) MIDNIGHT 31ST: The Raven (1935, CROPPED; premièred at the Coronado 12 Jan 1951) Captain Marvel serial (1941, CROPPED; premièred at the Mesa 12 Jul 1941)

Sat 01 Apr 1972	Millhouse (1971)	Sat 01 Apr 1972	The African Queen (1951, CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 15 May 1952) MIDNIGHT 1ST: The Raven (1935, CROPPED; premièred at the Coronado 12 Jan 1951) Captain Marvel serial (1941, CROPPED; premièred at the Mesa 12 Jul 1941) MIDNIGHT 7TH: The House of Usher (1960; premièred at the KiMo 10 Nov 1960)

Fri 07 Apr 1972	Adrift (1969; Albuquerque première)	Sat 08 Apr 1972	Fellini-Satyricon (1969; premièred at the Lobo 09 Sep 1970) MIDNIGHT 8TH: The Masque of the Red Death (1964; premièred at the State 10 Sep 1964) Captain Marvel Chapter 6 (1941, CROPPED; premièred at the Mesa 12 Jul 1941)

Fri 14 Apr 1972	The Conformist (1970; Albuquerque première)	Sat 15 Apr 1972	Casablanca (1942, CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 29 Jan 1943) MIDNIGHT 15TH: The Curse of Frankenstein (1957; premièred at the KiMo 13 Sep 1957)

Tue 18 Apr 1972	The Conformist (1970)	Tue 18 Apr 1972	What’s Up, Tiger Lily? (premièred at the Lobo 26 Oct 1966) MIDNIGHT 21ST: Horror of Dracula (1958; premièred at the KiMo 01 Aug 1958)

Fri 21 Apr 1972	Murmur of the Heart (1971; Albuquerque première)	Sat 22 Apr 1972	Yellow Submarine (1968; premièred at the Cinema East 28 Jan 1969) MIDNIGHT 22ND: Horror of Dracula (1958; premièred at the KiMo 01 Aug 1958) MIDNIGHT 28TH: Night of the Living Dead (1968; premièred at the Tesuque and at the Cactus 02 Apr 1969)

Fri 28 Apr 1972	Tristana (1970; Albuquerque première)	Sat 29 Apr 1972	King of Hearts (1966; premièred at Don Pancho’s 15 Mar 1968) MIDNIGHT 29TH: Night of the Living Dead (1968; premièred at the Tesuque and at the Cactus 02 Apr 1969) MIDNIGHT 5TH: Casablanca (1942, CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 29 Jan 1943)

Fri 05 May 1972	El Topo (1970, CROPPED; Albuquerque première)	Sat 06 May 1972	Joe Hill (1971; premièred at the Sunshine 26 Jan 1972) MIDNIGHT 6TH: Casablanca (1942, CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 29 Jan 1943) MIDNIGHT 12TH: Barbarella (1968; premièred at the Cinema East 16 Oct 1968)

Fri 12 May 1972	Zachariah (1971; premièred at the Cinema East 19 May 1971)	Sat 13 May 1972	A Thousand Clowns (1965; premièred at the Lobo 20 Apr 1966) MIDNIGHT 13TH: Barbarella (1968; premièred at the Cinema East 16 Oct 1968)

Tue 16 May 1972	Zachariah (1971; premièred at the Cinema East 19 May 1971)	Tue 16 May 1972	The Wild Child (1970; premièred at the Lobo 06 Oct 1971) MIDNIGHT 19TH: The Thomas Crown Affair (1968; premièred at the Hiland 18 Sep 1968)

Fri 19 May 1972	Without a Stitch (1968, Sherpix)	Sat 20 May 1972	Minnie and Moskowitz (1971, Albuquerque première) * MIDNIGHT 20TH: The Thomas Crown Affair (1968; premièred at the Hiland 18 Sep 1968) MIDNIGHT 26TH: The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967; premièred at the State 31 Jan 1968)

Fri 26 May 1972	Bedroom Mazurka (1970)	Sat 27 May 1972	Elvira Madigan (1967; premièred at the Cinema East 01 May 1968) MIDNIGHT 27TH: The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967; premièred at the State 31 Jan 1968)

Tue 30 May 1972	Bedroom Mazurka (1970)	Tue 30 May 1972	Putney Swope (1969; premièred at Don Pancho’s 09 Jan 1970) MIDNIGHT 2ND: A Hard Day’s Night (premièred at the KiMo 27 Aug 1964)

Fri 02 Jun 1972	The Nurses (1971, Sherpix, hardcore)	Sat 03 Jun 1972	Joe Cocker: Mad Dogs & Englishmen (1971; premièred at the Lobo 26 May 1971) MIDNIGHT 3RD: A Hard Day’s Night (premièred at the KiMo 27 Aug 1964)

Tue 06 Jun 1972	The Nurses (1971, Sherpix, hardcore)	Tue 06 Jun 1972	Let It Be (1970; premièred at the Hiland 10 Jun 1970) MIDNIGHT 9TH: Help! (premièred at the State 26 Aug 1965)

Fri 09 Jun 1972	School Girl (1971, Sherpix, hardcore)	Sat 10 Jun 1972	Woodstock (1970; premièred at the Hiland 22 Jul 1970) MIDNIGHT 10TH: Help! (premièred at the State 26 Aug 1965)

Tue 13 Jun 1972	School Girl (1971, Sherpix, hardcore)	Tue 13 Jun 1972	Gimme Shelter (1970; premièred at Don Pancho’s 10 Sep 1971) MIDNIGHT 13TH: Isadora (premièred at the Sunshine 17 Dec 1969)

Fri 16 Jun 1972	A Night with the Great One (CROPPED)	Sat 17 Jun 1972	Taking Off (1971; Albuquerque première) MIDNIGHT 17TH: Isadora (premièred at the Sunshine 17 Dec 1969) MIDNIGHT 23RD: The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! (premièred at the Cinema East 13 Jun 1966)

Fri 23 Jun 1972	The Devils (1971; premièred at the Sunshine 09 Feb 1972)	Sat 24 Jun 1972	A Session with The Committee (1969; was this the Albuquerque première?) MIDNIGHT 27TH: The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! (premièred at the Cinema East 13 Jun 1966)

Tue 27 Jun 1972	The Devils (1971; premièred at the Sunshine 09 Feb 1972)	Tue 27 Jun 1972	Start the Revolution without Me (1970; Albuquerque première)

Fri 30 Jun 1972	Sympathy for the Devil (1968; Albuquerque première)	Fri 30 Jun 1972	Start the Revolution without Me (1970) MIDNIGHT 30TH AND 1ST: Alex in Wonderland (1970; premièred at the Fox 10 Mar 1971)

Tue 04 Jul 1972	Sympathy for the Devil (1968)	Tue 04 Jul 1972	Billy Liar (1963; premièred at the Lobo 30 Jan 1964) MIDNIGHT 7TH: The Magic Christian (1969; premièred at the Lobo 08 Jul 1970)

Fri 07 Jul 1972	Ten Days’ Wonder (1971; Albuquerque première)	Sat 08 Jul 1972	Midnight Cowboy (premièred at the Lobo 20 Aug 1969) MIDNIGHT 8TH: The Magic Christian (1969; premièred at the Lobo 08 Jul 1970)

Tue 11 Jul 1972	Ten Days’ Wonder (1971)	Tue 11 1972	Blow-Up (1966; premièred at Don Pancho’s 31 Mar 1967) MIDNIGHT 14TH: Alice’s Restaurant (premièred at the Lobo 15 Oct 1969)

Fri 14 Jul 1972	Yellow Submarine (1968; premièred at the Cinema East 28 Jan 1969) Help! (premièred at the State 26 Aug 1965)	Sat 15 Jul 1972	Zabriskie Point (premièred at the Lobo 22 Apr 1970)

Tue 18 Jul 1972	Yellow Submarine (1968; premièred at the Cinema East 28 Jan 1969) Help! (premièred at the State 26 Aug 1965)	Tue 18 Jul 1972	The Clowns (1970, Albuquerque première, CROPPED) MIDNIGHT 21ST: Where’s Poppa? (premièred at the Lobo 30 Dec 1970)

Fri 21 Jul 1972	Dirty Harry (1971; premièred at the Fox 19 Jan 1972)	Sat 22 Jul 1972	The Clowns (1970, Albuquerque première, CROPPED) MIDNIGHT 21ST: Where’s Poppa? (premièred at the Lobo 30 Dec 1970)

Tue 25 Jul 1972	Dirty Harry (1971; premièred at the Fox 19 Jan 1972)	Tue 25 Jul 1972	That Man from Rio (1964; premièred at the Lobo 21 Jan 1965) MIDNIGHT 28TH: The Circus (1928, CROPPED; silent edition premièred at the KiMo 11 Apr 1928; sound edition premièred at the Guild 22 Jan 1972)

Fri 28 Jul 1972	Putney Swope (1969; premièred at Don Pancho’s 09 Jan 1970)	Sat 29 Jul 1972	King of Hearts (1966; premièred at Don Pancho’s 15 Mar 1968) MIDNIGHT 28TH: The Circus (1928, CROPPED; silent edition premièred at the KiMo 11 Apr 1928; sound edition premièred at the Guild 22 Jan 197)

Tue 01 Aug 1972	Putney Swope (1969; premièred at Don Pancho’s 09 Jan 1970)	Tue 01 Aug 1972	You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man (1939, CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 29 Apr 1939) Man on the Flying Trapeze (1935, CROPPED; premièred at the Sunshine 20 Aug 1935) MIDNIGHT 4TH AND 5TH: Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
The ATGoA had tried second run at Donald Pancho’s, and it had tried adult stuff, and it had even tried copycatting The Guild, but apparently nothing worked. So now it went back to where the money was: porn, exclusively. This new program lasted for nearly half a year, and it must have tanked. The college kids wanted something different, and so they all flocked to the dumpy closet-sized cinema a mile east. Eventually, the ATGoA got the message.

Fri 04 Aug 1972	Bacchanale (1970, hardcore) Pornography in Hollywood (1972, hardcore)	Tue 08 Aug 1972	The Confession (1970; Albuquerque première) MIDNIGHT 11TH AND 12TH: if.... (1969; premièred at the Lobo 25 Jun 1969)

Fri 11 Aug 1972	Personals (1972, hardcore) Sessions of Love Therapy (1971, hardcore)	Tue 15 Aug 1972	Frankenstein (1931, CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 10 Jan 1932) Dracula (1931, CROPPED; premièred at the Mission 14 Mar 1931) MIDNIGHT 18TH: Flash Gordon: Mars Attacks the Earth (1938, CROPPED; original serial premièred at the Mesa 18 Mar 1938)

Fri 18 Aug 1972	The Gang That Could! (1971, hardcore) A Sticky Situation (1972, hardcore)	Tue 22 Aug 1972	The Twelve Chairs (1970; Albuquerque première) MIDNIGHT 25TH AND 26TH: The Andromeda Strain (premièred at the Cinema East 26 May 1971)

Fri 25 Aug 1972	Waitresses (1971, hardcore) Coming of Age (1971, gay porn, dir: Brad Kingston)	Tue 29 Aug 1972	Sacco & Vanzetti (1971; Albuquerque première) MIDNIGHT 1ST AND 2ND: The Manchurian Candidate (1962; premièred at the Terrace 14 Nov 1962)

Fri 01 Sep 1972	Deep Throat (1972, hardcore) Evil Ways of Love (1972, hardcore?)	Tue 05 Sep 1972	Duck Soup (1933, CROPPED; premièred at the Sunshine 18 Nov 1933) MIDNIGHT 8TH AND 9TH: Candy (1968; premièred at the Fox 25 Dec 1968)

Fri 08 Sep 1972	Deep Throat (1972, hardcore) Adultery for Fun & Profit (1971, Sherpix, hardcore)	Tue 12 Sep 1972	Tillie and Gus (premièred at the Mission 26 Nov 1933) MIDNIGHT 15TH AND 16TH: What’s New, Pussycat? (premièred at the Cinema East 30 Jun 1965)

Fri 15 Sep 1972	Open City ’72 (1972) Mona (1970, hardcore)	Wed 20 Sep 1972	The Circus (1928; silent première KiMo 11 Apr 1928; sound première Guild 22 Jan 1972) MIDNIGHT 22ND AND 23RD: The Stranger (1967; premièred at Don Pancho’s 08 Nov 1968)

Fri 22 Sep 1972	Hot Circuit (1971, hardcore) The Coming Thing (1970, hardcore)	Tue 26 Sep 1972	Le boucher (1970, Albuquerque première) MIDNIGHT 29TH AND 30TH: Take the Money and Run (1969; premièred at the Lobo 09 Oct 1970)

Fri 29 Sep 1972	What about Jane? (1972, hardcore) Hollywood Blue (1970, hardcore)	Tue 03 Oct 1972	Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971; premièred at the Cinema East 17 May 1972) MIDNIGHT 28TH AND 29TH: Harold and Maude (1971; premièred at the Fox 11 Feb 1972)

Tue 06 Oct 1972	Ask Any Hooker (1972, hardcore?) A Woman’s Liberation (1972, hardcore?)	Tue 10 Oct 1972	Brewster McCloud (premièred at the Lobo 27 Jan 1971) MIDNIGHT 13TH: Marat/Sade (1967; premièred at the Hiland 14 May 1968)

Fri 13 Oct 1972	Cherry Blossom (1972, hardcore?) Slip of the Tongue (1971, hardcore?)	Sat 14 Oct 1972	The Loved One (1965; premièred at the Lobo 23 Mar 1966) MIDNIGHT 14TH: Marat/Sade (1967; premièred at the Hiland 14 May 1968)

Tue 17 Oct 1972	Cherry Blossom (1972, hardcore?) Slip of the Tongue (1971, hardcore?)	Tue 17 Oct 1972	200 Motels (1971, CROPPED; premièred at the Lobo 29 Mar 1972) MIDNIGHT 28TH: Woodstock (1970; premièred at the Hiland 22 Jul 1970)

Fri 20 Oct 1972	Distortions of Sexuality (1972, hardcore) The Ice Box (1971)	Sat 21 Oct 1972	Woodstock (1970; premièred at the Hiland 22 Jul 1970)

Tue 24 Oct 1972	Distortions of Sexuality (1972, hardcore) The Ice Box (1971)	Tue 24 Oct 1972	Outback (aka Wake in Fright, 1971; premièred at the State 13 Oct 1971) MIDNIGHT 27TH: Yellow Submarine (1968; premièred at the Cinema East 28 Jan 1969)

Fri 27 Oct 1972	Female Sexual Emancipation (1970, hardcore?) Beyond All Limits (1970, hardcore)	Tue 28 Oct 1972	Derby (1971; Albuquerque première) MIDNIGHT 28TH: Yellow Submarine (1968; premièred at the Cinema East 28 Jan 1969)

Fri 03 Nov 1972	Dark Dreams (1971, hardcore) Teenage Fantasies (1972, hardcore)	Sat 04 Nov 1972	The Garden of the Finzi Continis (1970; premièred at the Lobo 31 May 1972) MIDNIGHT 3RD AND 4TH: The Ballad of Cable Hogue (premièred at the KiMo and Cactus 29 Apr 1970)

Tue 07 Nov 1972	Dark Dreams (1971, hardcore) Teenage Fantasies (1972, hardcore)	Tue 07 Nov 1972	Citizen Kane (1941, CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 16 Nov 1941) MIDNIGHT 10TH: Performance (1970; premièred at the Lobo 04 Nov 1970)

Tue 10 Nov 1972	Dynamite (1972, hardcore) Vice Versa! (1971, hardcore)	Sat 11 Nov 1972	King Kong (1933; premièred at the KiMo 23 Apr 1933) MIDNIGHT 11TH: Performance (1970; premièred at the Lobo 04 Nov 1970)

Tue 14 Nov 1972	Dynamite (1972, hardcore) Vice Versa! (1971, hardcore)	Tue 14 Nov 1972	High Sierra (1941, CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 02 Feb 1941) MIDNIGHT 17TH: The Party (premièred at the Cinema East 10 Apr 1968)

Fri 17 Nov 1972	The World of Susie Wrong (1972, no info) Danish Modern (1972, hardcore?)	Sat 18 Nov 1972	The Maltese Falcon (1941, CROPPED; premièred at the KiMo 20 Nov 1941) MIDNIGHT 18TH: The Party (premièred at the Cinema East 10 Apr 1968)

Tue 21 Nov 1972	The World of Susie Wrong (1972, no info) Danish Modern (1972, hardcore?)	Tue 21 Nov 1972	The Music Lovers (1970; premièred at the Lobo 13 Oct 1971) MIDNIGHT 24TH: How I Won the War (1967; premièred at the Lobo 06 Mar 1968)

Fri 24 Nov 1972	The Homemakers (1971, hardcore?) Try and Make Me (1970, hardcore)	Sat 25 Nov 1972	Women in Love (1969; premièred at Loew’s 15 May 1970) MIDNIGHT 28TH: How I Won the War (1967; premièred at the Lobo 06 Mar 1968)

Tue 28 Nov 1972	The Homemakers (1971, hardcore?) Try and Make Me (1970, hardcore)	Tue 28 Nov 1972	Unman, Wittering and Zigo (1971; Albuquerque première) Deep End (1970; premièred at the Sunshine 26 Jan 1972) MIDNIGHT 1ST: James Joyce’s Ulysses (1967; premièred at the Cinema East 27 Mar 1968 — the display ad read, “Now for the First Time at Popular Prices,” but I don’t think there was a previous screening locally)

Fri 01 Dec 1972	Sexual Liberty Now (1971, hardcore) Sweet Taste of Joy (1970, hardcore)	Sat 02 Dec 1972	The Battle of Algiers (1966; premièred at Don Pancho’s 03 May 1968) MIDNIGHT 2ND: James Joyce’s Ulysses (1967; premièred at the Cinema East 27 Mar 1968 — the display ad read, “Now for the First Time at Popular Prices,” but I don’t think there was a previous screening locally)

Tue 05 Dec 1972	Sexual Liberty Now (1971, hardcore) Sweet Taste of Joy (1970, hardcore)	Tue 05 Dec 1972	Five Easy Pieces (1970; premièred at the Lobo 24 Feb 1971) MIDNIGHT 8TH: Minnie and Moskowitz (1971; premièred at the Guild 20 May 1972)

Fri 08 Dec 1972	Appetites (1967) Pillow Party (1970, hardcore?)	Sat 09 Dec 1972	Reefer Madness (1936; CROPPED, Albuquerque première) SHORT: Martian Space Party (1972; Albuquerque première) MIDNIGHT 9TH: A Shot in the Dark (1964; premièred at the Hiland 10 Sep 1964) MIDNIGHT 15TH: Minnie and Moskowitz (1971; premièred at the Guild 20 May 1972)

Fri 15 Dec 1972	Censorship in Denmark (1970, hardcore) History of the Blue Movie (1970, Sherpix, hardcore)	Sat 16 Dec 1972	The Clowns (1970, CROPPED; premièred at the Guild 22 Jul 1972) MIDNIGHT 16TH: Minnie and Moskowitz (1971; premièred at the Guild 20 May 1972)

Tue 19 Dec 1972	Censorship in Denmark (1970, hardcore) History of the Blue Movie (1970, Sherpix, hardcore)	Tue 19 Dec 1972	Fellini-Satyricon (1969; premièred at the Lobo 09 Sep 1970) SHORT: Solo (1972) MIDNIGHT 28TH: Happy Birthday, Wanda June (1971; Albuquerque première?)

Fri 22 Dec 1972	Bad Barbara (1972, Sherpix, hardcore?) Kitty’s Pleasure Palace (aka Climax, 1971, hardcore)	Sat 23 Dec 1972	Monkey Business (1931, CROPPED; premièred at the Sunshine 19 Sep 1931) SHORT: Evolution (1971) MIDNIGHT 23RD: Happy Birthday, Wanda June (1971; Albuquerque première?)
		For whatever it’s worth, Friday, 29 December 1972, was the first time I attended The Guild, because my parents unexpectedly agreed to drop me off to see The Cocoanuts and to pick me up again afterwards. Everything about the movie and everything about the presentation confused me. It was not until three years later that I understood the presentation, and it was not until April 2020 that I understood exactly how Paramount Pictures entirely butchered the movie prior to release and then took no care to preserve it. I wrote about all that here.
Tue 26 Dec 1972	Bad Barbara (1972, Sherpix, hardcore?) Kitty’s Pleasure Palace (aka Climax, 1971, hardcore)	Tue 26 Dec 1972	The Cocoanuts (1929, CROPPED; premièred at the Sunshine 31 Aug 1929) SHORT: Evolution (1971) MIDNIGHT 29TH: Little Rascals Varieties (1959, CROPPED; premièred at the State 22 Jul 1959)
This puzzles me. My best guess is that this was the only program cheaply available that week, and so Don Pancho’s just took what it could get. There is another possumbility, though. Perhaps this was a test. Though I have no box-office reports and no eyewitness reports, I am certain that Reefer Madness was quite successful when it played at The Guild three weeks earlier. Why am I certain? Because Reefer Madness became a Movie, Inc., staple. Perhaps ATGoA was wondering if it would work the same magic at Don Pancho’s? Whatever the case, after this single week, Don Pancho’s returned to its regular porn programming, but for just a few more weeks. Don Pancho’s was on the cusp of declaring war.
Fri 29 Dec 1972	Reefer Madness (1936; premièred at the Guild 09 Dec 1972) SHORT: Martian Space Party (1972; premièred at the Guild 09 Dec 1972)	Sat 30 Dec 1972	Cisco Pike (1972; premièred at the Lobo 08 Sep 1972) MIDNIGHT 30TH: Little Rascals Varieties (1959, CROPPED; premièred at the State 22 Jul 1959) MIDNIGHT 5TH: Performance (1970; premièred at the Lobo 04 Nov 1970)

Fri 05 Dec 1973	Deep Throat (1972, hardcore) Teenage Fantasies (1972, hardcore)	Sat 06 Jan 1973	Macbeth (1971; Albuquerque première) MIDNIGHT 6TH: Performance (1970; premièred at the Lobo 04 Nov 1970) MIDNIGHT 12TH: The Magic Christian (1969; premièred at the Lobo 08 Jul 1970)

Fri 12 Jan 1973	The Hot House (1970) Prison Girls (1972)	Sat 13 Jan 1973	Harold and Maude (1971; premièred at the Fox 11 Feb 1972) MIDNIGHT 13TH: The Magic Christian (1969; premièred at the Lobo 08 Jul 1970)

Tue 16 Jan 1973	The Hot House (1970) Prison Girls (1972)	Tue 16 Jan 1973	Kes (1969; Albuquerque première?) The Wild Child (1970; premièred at the Lobo 06 Oct 1971) MIDNIGHT 19TH AND 20TH: Catch-22 (1970; premièred at the Hiland 27 Jan 1971)
Why was Don Pancho’s closed? Well, I had wondered for decades when Don Pancho’s converted its Peerless Magnarc carbon-arc lamphouses to xenon. I had wondered for decades when Don Pancho’s abandoned its 2,000' enclosed rewinder and replaced it with a 6,000' open rewinder. I had wondered for decades when Don Pancho’s discarded its change-over bells. I had wondered for decades when Don Pancho’s junked its 2,000' magazines and replaced them with 6,000' reel arms. I had wondered for decades when Don Pancho’s had installed its primitive automatic change-over system. (I wish I could remember the make and model, but alas.) Well, I need wonder no more. It was around this time that cinemas began to install such equipment, and this is the only time that Don Pancho’s was closed without an announced reason. This MUST have been when those modifications took place. This is also likely when the 16mm Bell & Howell Filmoarc was converted to xenon. My biggest question was not so much when as WHY. Why were these changes made? What good did they do? Now that decades have gone by, it occurs to me that Mr. Master worked at Don Pancho’s prior to these changes, and that he witnessed these modifications. That is because, one evening, he was telling me that the great advantage of 6,000' reels over 2,000' reels is that, if something went wrong, with the larger reels, he had an hour to make the necessary repairs. Back in the days of 2,000' reels, he had only 20 minutes at most. That is why he preferred the larger reels and automation.
Fri 19 Jan 1973	CLOSED	Sat 20 Jan 1973	Macbeth (1971) MIDNIGHT 20TH: Catch-22 (1970; premièred at the Hiland 27 Jan 1971) MIDNIGHT 26TH: Alice’s Restaurant (premièred at the Lobo 15 Oct 1969)
This was not the première showing. Don Pancho’s had run El Topo for a week beginning 5 May 1972.
Wed 24 Jan 1973	El Topo (1970, CROPPED; premièred at Don Pancho’s 05 May 1972)	Sat 27 Jan 1973	King of Hearts (1966; premièred at Don Pancho’s 15 Mar 1968) MIDNIGHT 27TH: Alice’s Restaurant (premièred at the Lobo 15 Oct 1969)

Tue 30 Jan 1973	El Topo (1970, CROPPED; premièred at Don Pancho’s 05 May 1972)	Tue 30 Jan 1973	The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (premièred at the Hiland 02 Oct 1968) MIDNIGHT 2ND: The Twelve Chairs (1970; premièred at the Guild 22 Aug 1972)
And below we have the official declaration of war. Don Pancho’s now gave its name in the newspaper ads as THE NEW DON PANCHO’S, and its programming was an almost exact duplicate of the programs at The Guild. If The Guild had had a success with a particular movie, The New Don Pancho’s would play it too. Of the two cinemas, Don Pancho’s was definitely the superior one. It was a bit larger, not quite as dark, not quite as dismal, and, besides, it was just across the street from the university campus. Remember, this was 1973. In 1973, many university students were movie-wild, but not for Hollywood pabulum. They got off on Bergman and Fellini, they worshipped the Marx Brothers as icons of iconoclasm, they held up Bill Fields as the antisocial emblem of their antiestablishmentarianism. Now that we are in the 2020’s, this sounds hard to believe, but it was true, it really was. University students were passionate about cinema. Not all university students, of course, but an impressive number of them were. The cinema was their church. Those days are over, as we all know. Now we can understand why the ATGoA installed the new automation. Cinema owners, who know less than nothing about the technical side of cinema, were sold a bill of goods. They were fooled by the salesmen into thinking that their presentations would be improved. Of course, automation does not improve presentations in any way whatsoever. (To make this point clearer, I should point out that film archives refuse to install automation, because it damages the films and degrades the presentations!) Instead of purchasing the latest doodads with blinking lights, it would have behooved the ATGoA to mask that I-beam behind the screen, to purchase more lenses to get the older formats on screen properly, to get better masking, to hire an audio technician to improve the acoustics and playback, to put the acoustical curtains on runners, to purchase a few feet of land from the neighbor and move the exit door so that the screen could be enlarged and placed in the center rather than be off-center to the left. Further, the ATGoA should have spent a few thousand dollars on getting its equipment serviced. Those machines leaked like sieves and they had loose parts. They needed a professional to go through them top to bottom, and, further, to modify them to run silent films properly. It would have been invaluable to sign a contract with a local musician who was trained to accompany silent films to do precisely that, rather than run those films with canned music or dead silent, which is what Don Pancho’s did. That was horrible. Better yet, the ATGoA should have purchased newer machines, ones that still had genuine parts on the market, machines that still had factory warranties. It would have helped to make an investment in paying construction workers to increase the rake of the auditorium floor. That’s what would have made a difference, not those useless gizmos that they spent way too much money on. About accompaniment: When we watch silent movies now, we are watching them being assassinated. Granted, on Blu-ray we can find splendid copies of silent movies, with sensitive scores, but even so, it is not the same thing. I have occasionally seen a silent film, in a properly restored and printed edition, properly presented, full silent aperture, proper speeds, with a full orchestra accompanying the film with a sensitive score that never overwhelms or contradicts the movie, but enhances it by underscoring it subtly. That is an experience, an experience I have had only in California, and only rarely. When we watch silent movies now, in black-and-white copies, dead silent, or with inappropriate music, or with canned music, it’s just not the same thing, not the same thing at all. Inappropriate accompaniment will totally wreck a film. Unfortunately, nowadays there are composers who see silent films as mere excuses to show off some wild, emphatic music, discordant cacophany, and they expect us to clap our hands together at the conclusion and give a standing ovation. Unfortunately, too many of us do. As for me, I walk out in total disgust. The very worst of all was accompaniment I heard by a small trio (French horn, violin, piano) who tortured Pandora’s Box to death. They were worthy of the firing squad. They ruined that hauntingly beautiful, hypnotic movie, ruined it completely, utterly, absolutely.

Fri 02 Feb 1973	if.... (1969; premièred at the Lobo 25 Jun 1969) The Conformist (1970; premièred at Don Pancho’s 14 Apr 1972)	Sat 03 Feb 1973	The Passion of Anna (1969; premièred at the Lobo 08 Jan 1971) MIDNIGHT 28TH: The Twelve Chairs (1970; premièred at the Guild 22 Aug 1972)

Tue 06 Feb 1973	if.... (1969; premièred at the Lobo 25 Jun 1969) The Conformist (1970; premièred at Don Pancho’s 14 Apr 1972)	Tue 06 Feb 1973	Savage Messiah (1972, Albuquerque première) MIDNIGHT 9TH AND 10TH: Joe Hill (1971; premièred at the Sunshine 26 Jan 1972)

Fri 09 Feb 1973	Gimme Shelter (1970; premièred at Don Pancho’s 10 Sep 1971) Trash (1970, CROPPED; premièred at Don Pancho’s 30 Apr 1971)

Fri 16 Feb 1973	Investigation of a Citizen above Suspicion (1970; premièred at Don Pancho’s 07 May 1971) Dr. Strangelove (premièred at the Lobo 26 Mar 1964)	Tue 13 Feb 1973	La Salamandre (1971; Albuquerque première) MIDNIGHT 16TH AND 17TH: Tom Jones (1963; premièred at the Hiland 22 Apr 1964)

Wed 21 Feb 1973	Elvira Madigan (1967; premièred at the Cinema East 01 May 1968) The Virgin and the Gypsy (1970; premièred at the Lobo 10 Feb 1971)	Tue 20 Feb 1973	The Decameron (1971; Albuquerque première)

I remember going to see The Mouse That Roared, a cute little movie. That was either on 15 or 16 July 1975. It was either the Scheuer book or the Maltin book that mentioned that the opening gag, during the studio logo, was a gem. I was looking forward to it. The movie started with the credits. Where was the logo? After the show, I asked the projectionist what had happened. “It was damaged and so I skipped over it.” I told him that there was something special in it. So he ran through the 16mm film in his fingers and described what he saw. That was enough. He was convinced, got out his splicer, and repaired that bit of film, which he ran at the next showing, a few minutes later.

Ahhhhhhhhh. I remembered that The Guild was rented on Saturday mornings by another outfit, which presented movies shown on a pair of Bell & Howell 16mm projectors with 1000W incandescent lamps. The picture was small and extremely dim, and there was a momentary pause at each reel change. I could not remember what this outside outfit was, but now that I finally have my ancient file folder in my hands again, I see that this outside outfit was Moving Pictures Ltd, a non-profit organization, 1015 Laurel Drive SE, Albuquerque NM 87108, (505) 268-6879.

It was a bit of a task to trace the earliest listings but I did it.

Mary Davis, wife of Dr. Paul B. Davis, a UNM professor of English;
Kim Lesser, wife of Dr. Matthew B. Lesser, a BCMC radiologist as well as a professor; and
Enid Howarth, wife of Dr. John Howarth, a UNM professor of physics.

Sat, 24 Nov 1973, Captain Blood (1935; premièred at the KiMo 11 Jan 1936)
Sat, 08 Dec 1973, Forbidden Games (1952; premièred at the SUB 13 Jan 1962)
Sat, 22 Dec 1973, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939; premièred at the Mesa 01 Feb 1940) and The Red Balloon (1956; premièred at the SUB 28 Apr 1962)
Sat, 05 Jan 1974, The Red Shoes (1948; premièred at the Sunshine 05 Dec 1949)
Sat, 19 Jan 1974, High and Low (1963; Albuquerque première)
Sat, 02 Feb 1974, The Men (1950; premièred at the KiMo 08 May 1951)
Sat, 16 Feb 1974, The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928; premièred at the SUB 20 Feb 1960)
Sat, 02 Mar 1974, Metropolis (1927; premièred at the Sunshine 01 Nov 1927)
Sat, 16 Mar 1974, Floating Weeds (1959; Albuquerque première)
Sat, 30 Mar 1974, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947; premièred at the KiMo 06 Nov 1947)
Sat, 13 Apr 1974, La symphonie pastorale (1946; Albuquerque première)
Sat, 27 Apr 1974, The White Sheik (1952; premièred at the SUB 05 Apr 1971)
Sat, 11 May 1974, Top Hat (1935; premièred at the Chief 06 Dec 1935)

The above is the second and final schedule for Moving Pictures Ltd. It is the only schedule I have ever seen from this nonprofit organization — and it is a thermal photocopy, not an original.

Hmmmmm. I’m curious. Few (if any) Albuquerqueans would have known about these movies, or even heard the titles. How these three housewives got interested in these particular films, I would love to know. I doubt they had seen most of them ahead of time. Let’s go through them, one by one.

Elizabeth the Queen. Under the title The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, this premièred at the Sunshine on 24 Nov 1939.
The Lower Depths (1957) premièred at the SUB on 12 Mar 1960.
Red River premièred at the KiMo on 26 August 1948.
L’Atalante (1934) premièred at UNM on 09 Jan 1954.
Zéro de conduite (1933) premièred at the Rodey on 15 Feb 1952.
Great Expectations (1946) premièred at the Sunshine on 11 May 1948.
Days and Nights in the Forest (1970) was an Albuquerque première.
Nosferatu (1922) premièred at UNM on 22 Nov 1952.
Smiles of a Summer Night (1955) premièred at Don Pancho’s on 02 May 1962.
Singin’ in the Rain premièred at the Sunshine on 25 Apr 1952.
Silence and Cry (1968) was an Albuquerque première.
The General (1926) premièred at the Pastime on 09 Mar 1928.
Le bonheur premièred at Don Pancho’s on 19 Aug 1966.
Day of Wrath (1943) premièred at the Rodey on 29 Mar 1952.
A Bill of Divorcement premièred at the Rio on 18 Oct 1933.
The Jackal of Nahueltoro (1969) was an Albuquerque première.
Stan Brakhage first presented his movies in Albuquerque on 18 May 1962 at the SUB.
Orpheus (1950) premièred at the Rodey on 08 May 1952.

Now, please remember, the films that had been shown in Albuquerque had played their one or two or three days, and then they were gone. People who missed the première showings did not get a second chance — until the films were shown again for a single night in 16mm at UNM. It was somewhat more likely that people would happen to catch them when flipping channels on the tube. Remember also that when films were shown on the tube in the 1950’s, they were interrupted by frequent commercials, but not the way you’re remembering! The commercials were not strategically placed between scenes; they cut into the middle of dialogue. Worse, the film was not stopped. You watched two minutes of commercials, and when the commercials ended, you discovered that you had missed two minutes of the movie.

Showtimes were 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon, except for the occasional longer movie. The first time I attended was on 25 January 1975 for The General. I had seen only the 25-minute abridgment as it appeared in The Great Chase and I was desperate to see the full film. In those days, I was stupidly misinformed by modern scholars who insisted that all silent films, no exceptions, need to be projected at 16fps. Little did I know! So I asked the projectionist to slow the 16mm projectors down. He said he would unless there were a music track. A few minutes later he told me, through the opening in the booth wall (hard to explain) that, “It’s silent,” and so he switched the speed switch to 16fps. Well, as the decades have dragged on since then, I discovered that almost no silent film past about 1908 should be projected at 16fps, that Hollywood movies from the early 1920’s should be projected at speeds approaching 22fps, that most Hollywood silent movies from about 1923 on should be projected between 22fps and 24fps, and that Buster Keaton himself wanted The General run at 24fps. I wish now that I hadn’t said anything. Oh well. The print was from Paul Killiam, with its washed-out look, its wrong continuity and its missing sequences. (You can see the Killiam version reconstructed here, though with greatly improved pictorial quality. If someone could be kind enough to post a genuine Killiam edition, that would be most kind indeed. If you want to see an authentic 1926/1927 copy, much better than the Killiam edition, get the Blu-ray from Kino.) The 30 or so people in the audience had no idea what they were in for, and they were so overwhelmed by what passed before their eyes that they found themselves clapping their hands in rhythm with the images, laughing uproariously, cheering, and, at the end, they gave it a standing ovation. Then they gathered in the microscopic lobby to chat about the movie enthusiastically and they stayed for the second show at noon. The second and final time I attended this series was on 5 April 1975, for Great Expectations (originally scheduled for 2 November 1974 but delayed). At age 14 I loved it. I doubt I would be able to stomach it anymore. The projectionist for both shows was someone I shall come to refer to as Mr. Riot Act, for reasons that will become obvious. I did some checking on the Internet and I see that he is still amongst the living. Since I do not wish to embarrass him or offend him or provoke him, I shall not identify him.

Just learned a tiny bit about Moving Pictures Ltd:

After one of those screenings (25 January 1975, I think), I hung around for a little while to chat with Mrs. A, and then someone phoned to ask when the main feature would start. She didn’t know and so she called up to the projectionist, who said he didn’t know either. They looked for a schedule but couldn’t find one. I found that highly amusing — irresponsible, but amusing. There the projectionist was, with the film laced in the projectors and ready to go, but he never bothered to ask anybody when the show would start. That’s a little bit off-kilter, isn’t it? I found it a bit endearing, though. Because they were so accommodating and laid-back, I thought that, at last, these were the sorts of people I could get along with. Wrong!

Wait a minute! It was Pancho Sheer who had hired Mrs. A to work at Don Pancho’s back in 1961 or maybe 1962. So, how on earth did I manage to chat with her at The Guild in January 1975????? Apparently, she had two jobs! Had I not written all this down, I would never have made the connection. The Guild would not acquire Don Pancho’s until March 1975, two months after I chatted with Mrs. A at The Guild. I wonder how long she had worked at The Guild. The two cinemas were hated rivals, and so it is more than surprising that they would have shared an employee. There’s nobody left to ask about this odd situation. My best guess is that she got the job at The Guild prior to the rivalry.

Moving Pictures Ltd. quietly flickered into existence in November 1973, barely noticed. Then, in april 1975, it quietly flickered out of existence, entirely unnoticed. If any of these three housewives are still amongst us, I would love to chat with them.

Occasionally, in the months after Great Expectations, when I attended a show at The Guild I would ask if I could visit the booth. Over the first fourteen years of my life, I had learned that the response to any request I ever made about anything was a screaming “NO!!!!!!!!” The people at The Guild were different. The answer was invariably, “Sure, come on up.” I opened the narrow door and made my way up that little ladder to the booth, and I drew pictures of the machines (those pictures are all lost now).

Minor memory, just because I vaguely remember and probably nobody else does. The lobby of The Guild was about as capacious and inviting as a prison cell. At some time, maybe 1976, maybe 1977, the east wall (and maybe the west wall, too) was lined with mirrors to provide at least the illusion of roominess.

Since I didn’t have a camera, I tried to draw pictures of the picture head and sound head, with the doors open. I have never learned how to draw and so my results were worse than chicken scratch. You can see where the hand crank was removed. My memory, which may well be false, is that, at The Guild, the hole was plugged. Later production runs did not have that hole. There are people who disbelieve my claim that any model of Super Simplex ever had a hand crank. Yes, despite popular belief, the original November 1929 production run of Super Simplex had hand cranks; nobody believes me, but hey. Despite the hole where the hand crank used to be, this is not an original November 1929 machine, but a later one. A lens shifter was standard on the November 1929 machines, but this machine does not have one. I love lens shifters and I deeply resent their absence on most machines. The original November 1929 machines had a knob to open and close the trap and that must have caused much gnashing of teeth, as projectionists surely reached for the trap knob rather than the framing knob far too often. This particular head mercifully has a lever to open and close the trap. The SH-1000 no longer has its photoelectric cell, but instead has a modern, and superior, solar cell. The Guild and Donald Pancho’s retained their photoelectric cells. Now let us take a look at an original:

Above is an original 1929 production run of the Super Simplex picture head, mounted on a Simplex stand, with Simplex reel magazines and a Hall & Connolly high-intensity rotating-positive carbon-arc lamphouse, which had condenser lenses rather than a reflector. A drive motor is attached to the bottom of the stand. It can be disengaged so that the operator may turn the crank. The crank can be removed so that the operator may engage the drive motor. Note that there is no sound reader of any sort. Below is a detail with some explanations:

For those who still choose to disbelieve me, here is a slightly later production run, with a lever rather than a knob to open the gate, minus the lens shifter, and with an extended crank shaft, but with the hand crank removed:

An even later production run entirely covered up the crank shaft, but it was still there, inside:

In ninth grade at Cleveland Junior High School, I was required to take an elective. I do not remember what my choices were, but I do distinctly recall that I was entirely unhappy about any of them. I chose “Filmmaking,” only because I thought it sounded not quite as irksome as the other alternatives. I was dreading the course. My stomach was not in knots, but darned near. I do not remember the name of the teacher, but I do recall that, to get to know her students, she gave us a quiz. I do not remember but a single question on the quiz, because I found it offensively presumptuous: “Who is your favorite rock band?” Since I had no interest in rock music, I provided the only answer I could think of: “Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.” On or about Monday, 9 September 1974, she told us that, if we were serious about cinema, we needed to start attending The Guild. Blank stares. Silence. Nobody except for me had ever heard of The Guild. It was a bit of an ironic thing for her to say. First of all, no ninth grader (apart from me) would have the slightest interest in anything more intellectually demanding than The Brady Bunch. Second, no ninth grader (apart from me) could possibly have any serious interest in cinema, or would even be familiar with the word. Third, no ninth grader (apart from me) would attend such films even under pain of death. Fourth, no ninth grader (apart from me) would acquiesce if confronted with such films, but would rebel, loudly and forcefully. Fifth, I had a sneaking suspicion that the teacher herself rarely if ever attended The Guild. You see, The Guild had recently cropped To Have and Have Not and its double feature, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (5–11 July), which my mother and I had attended. It had also recently presented A Shot in the Dark (Fri/Sat, 5/6 July, midnights), Fantastic Planet (12–25 July), Siddhartha (Fri/Sat, 12/13 July, midnights), They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (Fri/Sat, 19/20 July, midnights), The Twelve Chairs (26–28 July), Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (Fri/Sat, 26/27 July, midnights), Where’s Poppa? (29 July – 1 September), Little Big Man (2–8 August), The Boys in the Band (Fri/Sat, 2/3 August, midnights), Alfredo Alfredo (9–22 August), The Magic Christian (Fri/Sat, 9/10 August midnights), Thieves Like Us (23 August – 1 September), Start the Revolution without Me (Fri/Sat, 23/24 August, midnights), Bananas (Fri/Sat, 31/31 August, midnights). Now, that was a pretty respectable line-up. As soon as the teacher mentioned that we should all regularly attend The Guild, she wondered aloud, “What are they playing now?” I knew but I kept my mouth shut. She opened the newspaper, leafed through the pages, and provided the answer: “The Groove Tube,” which she pronounced Toob, not Tyoob. She paused. “So, what is The Guild playing?” Silence. “Groove Tube.” Now, the title alone would let us all know that this was not a great work of art and so it was rather absurd that she would establish this as a film we should attend. The teacher had no comment about that. That was the only time she ever mentioned The Guild. She had made her point and she was done. I think it was the next day when one of the guys in class (I can’t remember his name), came up to me, with a smirking leer and a piece of gossip, and confided in me a scandalous secret. Curious about what the teacher had recommended to us, he had looked at the newspaper ad, probably from Sunday, and muttered to me, with that evil leer: “The Groove Tube is rated R and it’s recommended by Playboy magazine.” I didn’t even bother to respond.

Oh. Wait. I lied. The teacher may indeed have mentioned The Guild one more time. This is my memory: Bicycle Thieves (wrongly retitled The Bicycle Thief) was scheduled at The Guild, and the teacher said we should all go to see it. Of course, nobody did — except for me, and I had wanted to see it anyway, regardless of the teacher’s recommendation. Predictably, the teacher warned us that we would not enjoy it, because we needed to get a bit older before we’d be able to understand it. So, I went to see the Saturday matinée and I really enjoyed it. At the time, I knew nothing about conditions in postwar Rome, but even so, it was a good solid story, and quite moving. I remember taking the Louisiana-Central bus to get there, watching the movie by myself (no fam or friends went with me), and then immediately returning home on the Louisiana-Central bus. Pretty clear memory. No obvious problems with it. So, I wanted to insert a link to the newspaper ad, partly so that I could pin down precisely when my teacher had made that remark. Shoulda been easy, cuz it would have occurred in 1974 between late August and mid-December. Zo, I went through the online newspapers, and I discovered that there was a problem with my memory, after all, namely: My memory was completely wrong. I did not see Bicycle Thieves at The Guild in the autumn 1974 semester, because it did not play anywhere in Albuquerque in 1974. It had not played in 1973. It would not play in 1975. It would not play in 1976. So, when did I see it? (Rather: When did I see 80% of it?) I am shocked, shocked, shocked, I tell you, shocked to discover just how terribly wrong my memory was. I saw it at The Guild on Saturday, 8 January 1977. That seems unbelievable. All my other movie-going memories were strikingly correct and confirmed by newspaper searches, but this one, and only this one, was completely off, and I do not understand why. Apparently, I took the teacher’s mention of The Guild and her recommendation about Bicycle Thieves, and smooshed them together with my memory of seeing Bicycle Thieves at The Guild more than two years later. The result was a vivid memory of a circumstance that never existed. If I ever get subpoenaed as a witness, I’d be charged with perjury, because I would misremember dates and places, or, worse, entirely forget them.

Donald Pancho’s sputtered and died, unable to withstand the competition from The Guild, and it probably didn’t help that the Student Union Building (SUB) had recently begun using its auditorium for public 16mm screenings of repertory, which largely duplicated the programming at Donald Pancho’s and The Guild. (The first mention I can find of that is January 1975.) The few times I attended, the crowds were rather large — but, apparently, business was still not good enough. After about a year and a half, the ATGoA gave up the fight and sold Donald Pancho’s. It had been an interesting eleven years, all told.

Here are two calendars from The Guild. Click on the images to enlarge:

01 Jun 1973 – 30Aug 1973
(I picked this up when I attended Helpmates and Sons of the Desert, both abysmally cropped to undercut 1:1.66.)

29 Nov 1974 – 27 Feb 1975.

07 Feb 1974 – 13 Feb 1974

Click here for a list of all presentations from 1973 through the merger with Don Pancho’s in early 1975.

Continue to the next chapter.