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My First Job in The Movies

Posted: Friday, November 25, 2011

by Cleo Shahateet
Cyprus Marketing Solutions

My first job was a concession worker in the Double Movie Drive-In Theatre on South West Highway in the south side of Chicago. I was 13 at the time and the only reason I got the job was because my neighbor who was maybe 20 at the time was an assistant manager and somewhere told my parents that he can give me a job. My Dad insisted that I go and talk to my neighbor, I reluctantly did and my summer nights were never the same again. Or at least the next three years of high school.

I believe my starting pay was the minimum wage and around $2 per hour give or take a few. It was a very hard job at first, being one of the youngest at the time and of course everyone’s scapegoat when it came to the real dirty work. I hated cleaning under the steam table. I can still remember that first time (35 years ago) when I had to get on my knees to get all the food that has fallen underneath it, it must have been gathering for years. There were old curled up molded hot dogs, Hamburgers, pop corn, buns and holding things together was a very thick coat of spilled soda that was syrup. I think the entire week I was messing with syrup everyday.

Of course as time past I was no longer the new guy and as I made friends and discovered how much fun this kind of job would be and as a matter of fact I can now say that although at the time it seems like it was fun but now I know that really it was one of the worst jobs I ever had. It put in a place where the culture was not a good one for a 13 year old. There were many kids who worked there that were much older and had already been introduced to drinking and partying and it didn't take long before I was hanging out with them.

We usually started work at 6 and set up all the food and pop corn and were ready by the time the people rolled in. From there we stayed busy through the the first movie and the intermission and after the second movie started we started to clean up to close. Once we were done we can go out side and finish the movie. On the weekend they played the first movie twice and we watched every movie that came along. I remember seeing Greese, The Wariors so many times.

One of the older kids owned a full sized totally customized van with a couch and captain chairs. They would bring in Cases of been and throw then into the ice machine where they chilled until we finished work and hen they were drunk in the van watching the movie. It didn't take me long to be drinking with the best of them. When I came home everyone was a sleep and my parents never knew what I was doing, as a matter of fact they were very proud of me for becoming a man and holding a job.

Another thing that could of got me in a lot of trouble if not hurt. I realized that if I wanted I could take my parents car and they would never know. At first it was once in a while because maybe we were bored with the movie or the people or just to go and get something to eat. It was always with a couple of my younger co-worker who I kept in touch with for many years. We then started taking the car out every night and going to places all over the city. I was able to navigate my way around Chicago at night before I turned 17.

Unfortunately that lifestyle led me on a road that was a little too fast and along the way there was some bumps and potholes and through it all I feel blessed to have lived this with out hurting my self or anyone and hope because of that experience I can be a better parent to my kids so they will never come close to doing the things that I did. One more thing, joining the marines at 17 was exactly what I needed to straighten me up a bit. OK, maybe a lot.

Cleo Shahateet is the owner of Cyprus Marketing Solutions Ltd. a Paphos based company providing proven internet marketing solutions specializing in selling property in Cyprus to families relocating and buying property in Paphos district and surrounding area. He relocated from the Washington D.C. area to Paphos in July, 2006 and currently lives on the outskirts of Paphos, in Mandria Village with his wife and two young sons.

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