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The Patio Theater, just two miles away, happened to have 35-millimeter projectors. But owner Demitri Kouvalis had announced just a few days earlier that he was shutting down his theater too, at least for the summer, because his air-conditioning system had broken down.
But the whole situation turned out to be more screwball comedy than film noir. Owing to the cool weather, the society was able to finish its summer series at the Patio, and the Patio will be back in business with its own programming next month.
Carranza, Hall says, was uncooperative about giving the society members access to the theater so they could get their stuff (which also included an empty cash box and other box-office supplies). Later that weekend, though, one of Wolkowicz’s assistants got inside and let the film society, and also James Bond the projectionist, in long enough to reclaim their property.
“I still can’t believe we pulled off this move,” says Hall. “It’s so cool we didn’t lose our entire audience. It’s the craziest thing: another movie palace with the appropriate special film equipment that not every theater has was only two miles away.”
