Memories of the National

(Pic by You-Are-Here.com.)

Franklin Avenue reader David Boito once worked at the Mann's National Theater in Westwood as an usher in the early 1980s. He emails this rememberance of the theater, which closed Thursday night after one final showing:

The National was Mann Theater's flagship venue at the time. The best directors liked to preview their movies there because it was known for its superior projection and sound system, not to mention its 70mm screen. It wasn’t a "palace theater," but it was close, and as a result it hosted quite a few premieres. I recall working the premiere for the movie "The Outsiders," an unsung Francis Ford Coppola film starring a young Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze and Diane Lane, among others.

The National was managed by an old school theater manager named Frank Ramsey, a man who had been in the exhibition business for some thirty odd years, since the end of World War II. Mr Ramsey was always greeted warmly by various celebrities when they came in either to watch a show or for premieres. I recall Warren Beatty having a warm chat with him one evening after the re-release screening of "Reds" one night. Dyan Cannon was a frequent patron. She would give him big hugs when she saw him. "I love it when she rubs her tits against me," he would say. Jack Nicholson made an appearance or two. Ramsey took exhibition very seriously and always showed up for Friday and Saturday evenings wearing a tuxedo.

The rest of us (ushers and usherettes) wore the requisite Mann Theaters 1980's polyester uniforms. Mr Ramsey ruled the theater with a firm hand: the theater had to be swept on a regular basis for cigarette butts, bathrooms had to be spotless at all times. He was always very nervous about the impromptu arrival of "Mr. Mann," (Ted Mann, who owned the theater chain at the time). Mr. Mann was rumored to fire people on the spot if there were the slightest trace of trash or overflowing ash receptacles anywhere in the building. (You could smoke in the lobby in those days). "Do it for Mr. Mann," was the motto, but during the two years I was there, I don't think I saw him even once...

One of our assistant managers, Ellen, was an attractive sorority girl who dated Emilio Estevez for awhile, after she met him at the premiere of "The Outsiders." I remember her exhilaration after she got "the call," asking her out...

People used to sneak into the National from the side doors on Gayley Avenue. A friend who had bought his ticket would go down there and let in four or five more friends. We valiant ushers would rush down the aisles with our flashlights and stake out the rear doors, eager to catch someone in the act of robbing the theater of its precious ticket sales.

The projection room in the National was staffed by career union projectionists, a thing of the past. These (mostly men) were dedicated to the art of a focused picture and excellent sound playback. While they were good at their jobs, they were strange. One of them had a pet boa constrictor that he kept with him in the booth. The projection booth even had a toilet right inside, so a projectionist didn’t have to miss a reel change if an urge overcame him.

It will live on in the hearts and minds of those who toiled within its confines and those who enjoyed this mecca for bigscreen cinema, this "Cinema Paradiso" of Westwood.