GENERAL CINEMA White Settlement 12/23/2009 video 2

[Shawnpaulstewart]

Man, I’ve got a lot of stories I can tell you about this place: crazy managers, hanky panky in the projection booth, near-death adventures. It all happened, and it’s all true. In fact, I wrote a couple of stories about this theater. One of them is a little kid’s book, “Donny and the Doorman’s Nightmare,” self-published at Lulu.com. There’s a sample selection from the story on my WordPress blog. E-mail me on my YouTUBE channel if you’d like the link.

[Shawnpaulstewart]

This story was written in 1984, several years before the now famous “GCC Candy Band” made its first on-screen appearance (courtesy of George Lucas’ ILM) in the late ‘80s. Somewhere in my closet, there’s a couple of videos of the inside of this theater, featuring an old friend and fellow employee named Geronimo. Yes, that’s his real name.

[Shawnpaulstewart]

And somewhere I have 16 mm test footage for “Donny and the Doorman’s Nightmare.” The pictures you see in the children’s book were originally storyboards, since it was intended as a pre-feature short film. I sent the script to the then-president of General Cinema Corporation. He loved it. Too bad we couldn’t make the actual short film.

[Shawnpaulstewart]

Meanwhile, you can read some of the children’s book, and see some of the storyboards, at shawnsshorts(dot)wordpress(dot­)com. Just click on the “Stories” tab.

[davelounder]

Sad fate of the General Cinema Corp.! I worked for them in the 80s here in CT (Berlin Turnpike - Cinema I II III). The marquee supports and the parking sign are being used today. I have the actual parking sign face in my basement!

[joseph2899]

i will miss the dollar theater i remeber going there on frinights when i was a teenager

[danhostler1985]

I am glad I got video of the building when it was still around, I knew this day would happen eventually. Thanks so much for posting this.

Farewell General Cinema.