My Brief Encounter with George Carlin

Back in the early 1980's I used to be an usher at a movie theater in Merrillville, Indiana. It was a four screen (later nine) gem called Southlake Cinema (1978-2005) and it was just a few miles East of the Holiday Star Plaza where many famous acts came (and still do to this day) to perform. Sometimes these famous performers would come to the Cinema to see a movie on their night off. Through the few years I was there I managed to see such celebs as Kenny Rogers (refused to sign autographs), the group DeBarge (took pictures with patrons) and Danny Elfman and his Oingo Boingo band mates. Being a movie buff and not an Oingo Boingo buff, I had NO idea who Elfman was until he became a film composer a few years later but the usher (that day I was the cashier) recognized them and Elfman gave him an autograph and tickets plus backstage passes to the show.

My favorite brief encounter came in the fall of 1983. I'll never forget the day or the movie involved. This particular Friday the theater was unusually busy for a mid afternoon performance (around 4pm). The manager had moved into the cashier's booth and the cashier was sent to the concession stand to help out. As I stood waiting for people to approach with tickets a familiar face approached my usher's box and I knew right away who it was. George Carlin.

The first thing that struck me about him was how short he was. I stand 5'10 and he was much shorter. Otherwise he looked exactly as you would see him on his HBO specials. As soon as we made eye contact he went right into performance mode with me. He patted his shirt and pants and said, "Oh oh, you're the boss man who wants the tickets. Am I right?" Knowing exactly who he was I was a bit tongue tied but I was laughing. He politely grabbed my arm and pointed out a heavyset man with a beard at the front of the concession stand.

"You see the fat, ugly guy at the front of the line with the worst shirt in the world? He's with me and he has my ticket. Is it cool if I go inside? If he doesn't have mine then his ticket is mine and you can kick him out."

I gave him the okay to go in and he walked off into the auditorium. I immediately kicked myself for not asking for his autograph as I am sure he would have complied but I was too wrapped up in it to think straight. I was almost like Ralph Kramden in a tense situation (homana homana).

The other man did come over and present me two tickets and off he went as well. I remember the two of them sitting close to the front on the left side of the auditorium (the theaters were set up with an aisle in the middle and seats on either side). You can bet I checked the auditorium more than I ever had checked one before or since.

Unfortunately I was off duty when Carlin would leave the theater but it was fun feeling like he put on a mini-show just for me that lasted all of about a minute. Hell it was better than an autograph anyway. I would have lost that years ago. My memory of this will last forever.

Oh! The movie George Carlin saw? Tender Mercies with Robert Duvall in his Academy Award winning role.