by
Stuart Munro
when i left school in the winter of 1963 i had no idea what sort of job i wanted to do. then a friend told me of this job at the Tivoli cinema in wimborne dorset a trainee projectionist. i arranged an interview with the manager a Mr. Dixon . when i arrived at the Tivoli Mr. Dixon , a man in his fifties , was dressed in a black dinner suit with bow tie he looked very stern . anyway i got the trainee projectionists job and had to work with the head projectionist john i was doing quite nicely for a couple of months learning all the projectionist skillls when a bout of flu hit the cinema staff. Mr .Dixon and John the head projectionist the other two stand by projectionists and two usherettes were to ill to work . they called in a trainee manager from somewhere else and Mr Dixons wife was usherette. anyway i had to do the projectionist job on my own and i was only sixteen years old. we were showing dumbo and davy crocket this particular night , and doing quite well, until the trainee manager decided to help me. as he was a little nervous , as i was so young . davy crocket was running on its third reel when the trainee manager decided to get the the fourth and next reel for me. i laced up the next reel , and then got ready for the change over. on the film davy crocket was holding his rifle aimed at a train , as i watched for the screen dots. when the next reel started. i got dumbo flying over a cartoon train instead. the trainee manager went ape. but i didnt get the sack. just restarted . but the audience so i gather really enjoyed it. and so did some of my friends watching. as i was ribbed about it by my friends in the town for months after.