Page 133 - some-stuff-i-wrote-and-some-stuff-i-didn't-(2011)-h-morris-williams

Some Stuff I Wrote (2001) H. Morris Williams

The Lake Theater

May 10,1994

When I wrote about the Grand and DeSoto Theaters two weeks ago, several people asked me

when I would write about the more recent Lake Theater.

Today is the day.
One thing everybody remembers about the Lake Theater is the “love seats”— double width
seats spaced around the theater for couples who wanted to sit extra close. High School couples who

sat in the love seats took a lot of kidding at school.
The ticket price for kids to get into the Lake Theater was just nine cents but, even at that

price, some kids would try to sneak in free. One particularly creative youngster would simply walk
into the theater backwards and say to the ticket-taker, “Hey, great movie! I’ll be sure to tell all my

friends!” and continue walking backwards right into the movie without paying. Obviously, not all
ticket-takers were rocket scientists.

Then as now, some people used the movies as a place to take a nap. Student Raymond
Fennell took napping to an extreme one night when he dozed off in the balcony. When he awoke,
it was 2:00 a.m. and the theater was empty and all locked up for the night. No problem for

Raymond, he just kicked part of the front door down so he could get out and go home and finish his
night’s sleep.

My favorite movie goer was a very young kid nicknamed “Cowboy Tison.” Every Saturday
he wore his cowboy hat and two cap pistols when he went to see the westerns. He would sit on the

very front row and rescue his onscreen heros by yelling out warnings like, “Look out, Hoppy, he’s
sneaking up behind you,” and then he’d start blazing away with his cap pistols at the bad guys.

One day, Cowboy Tison made so much noise that other movie goers complained to the
manager. The manager knew a lot about child psychology so he simply explained to the kid that
gentlemen cowboys, the really good guys, checked their shooting irons at the popcorn counter for

the safety of the women and children present. Presented that way, the kid was glad to cooperate, but
he continued to yell his warnings to Hoppy.

In the beginning, the Lake Theater was brand new and beautiful - completely modem and

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