  Photographs © copyright Frederic Kellers
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17 years old
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A Cautionary Tale
I was learning projection at the theater in the pictures
They needed someone to give the regular fellow, Paul, his day off
I had worked with16 mm in high school extensively
In fact I received an AWARD OF MERIT at graduation, but this was the first time with 35 mm
I had learned it all fairly well and one day I asked Paul when he would take a day off
Not yet he would say, and I would continue threading up and making change overs, and he continued to watch over me
One Saturday we were showing a double feature for the farmers that always came to the show,
and we had a mystery and western showing
I was watching the film, and it came time for a change over
I got up and checked the projector once more, lit the arc and watched for the first cue mark
Kids were creeping through a cemetery at night with a flashlight. (Remember B/W)
The first cue came and I started the motor pulling the leader through and then the second one came and I pushed the change over button, AND, there was Donald Duck in living color!
All I could say was "Where did he come from?" as Paul jumped up, shut down the projector, and got the correct reel back on within about 60 to 90 seconds and we were back up and running
Then he turned to me and said: "Now I can take a day off. I've been waiting for that to happen and I know it will never happen again." And it never did while I was working there
One time we were showing 'Gone With The Wind' (13 reels) with continuous shows at 12. 4 and 8.
Normally we had a Mat. and .eve show
Paul was on vacation (I was well experienced by then.) So I worked from Noon to midnight
for three days
They would bring me supper from across the street
I just lived with the film for those three days watching it most of the time
We had a curtain (First class house) and an intermission in the middle
I knew and still know every inch of that film
My Mother had taken me to see it in 1940 when I was 11 and I've loved it ever since and still do