The word on a long tradition
By: MICHELLE BARRY
Staff Writer
As children play on the floor nearby and the small screen in the cafeteria plays the television show “Jessie,” music plays loudly from the speakers while the large screen drops slowly from the ceiling.
“We have a wonderful sound system,” Roy Cables, who works in Campus Life, said.
With adept ease, he presses the buttons and turns the knobs which will later bring the darkened cafeteria to life.
The Friday Night Movies have been playing at STLCC — Meramec since the 1970s, and have become part of the community college experience for many film-loving students. Chosen based on a combination of input from individuals and box office resiliency, these low-priced showings are always a hit with viewers. When “Aladdin” was shown in the past, attendance went all the way up to 500. The ever-popular “Rocky Horror Picture Show” has a way of making regular appearances, often once or twice in a year’s selection.
“The movies also act as a vehicle for clubs to earn money through co-sponsorship,” Cables said. “I try to get them a week or two before they go out to video.”
Its position as a second-run theatre is what allows Campus Life, along with their license, to show these movies for much less than what they go for in cinemas.
The location for the movies themselves depends solely on weather conditions. During summer classes and the warmer parts of fall sessions, they are usually held in the Quad outside the Student Center. A portable blow-up screen is what allows them to be shown occasionally in this format. But as with any event, things do not always go as planned at the Friday Night Movies. This week’s showing was meant to take place outdoors, but it was actually deemed too hot for that to work. Movies have a tad more flexibility than other events, such as the Car Show which was cancelled completely. Everything was staged instead inside the Student Center’s cafeteria, where the heat was less likely to affect anyone or distract from the film.
In order to get into one of these showings, it is $1 per person (which also covers snacks and drinks) with a student ID. A drawing is held each week for the “Most Comfy Seats”, with four chances to win well-cushioned spots in the front row. If you do not win there are plenty of small cushions available to borrow, in order to spread the comfort around. The films themselves tend to be for more mature audiences, seeing as it is a college theater, but there is some variety and opportunities to take younger family members or guests. All movies take place on Friday nights, with the doors to the Student Center opening at 7 p.m. and the actual movie beginning at 7:30 pm. “Fast and Furious 6” played on Aug. 30. The rest of the fall schedule for Friday Night Movies, are online at the STLCC website and listed below. The next movie is “Iron Man III” and will show Friday, Sept. 6.
