Mid-1940’s

When he woke up it was darker than the inside of a cow’s belly.  As the story goes, it took him a little bit of time just to figure out where he was. 

Ted “Legs & Eyeballs” Armstrong was a childhood friend of my father.  As kids, Ted, Paul Beck and my dad along with a number of other local boys used to love to go the ISIS Theater and take in whatever movie was popular at the time.  

Back then Jimmy Parsons was the owner of the theater and the Blue Drug.  His two kids took turns running the businesses.   In the end, Warren “Buckshot” and Carletta (Johnson) Parsons ran the Aspen Drug, often referred as “The Blue Drug” where Warren was the pharmacist while his Sister, Marjorie and her husband, Earl Jenkinson ran the theater and lived in the apartment above the theater.  Earl also worked for the Electric Department as their billing clerk.  Each night after the movie was over and the crowd had left Marjorie or Earl would lock up the place and board the exit doors.  With the theater all secure and the lights off, off to bed they went.

On this particular night, Ted’s friends quietly exited the theater after the moved had ended but intentionally left Ted behind, fast asleep.   Without noticing Ted asleep in his chair, Percy or Mattie followed their usual routine and locked the place up.

No one knows for sure what time it was when Ted finally woke up but one thing was sure, he woke up in total darkness.   After figuring out where he was, Ted began to look for a way out.  Fumbling around in the seats and down the aisles without a speck of light, Ted eventually got to one of the boarded up, locked exit doors.  Finally outside of the Theater, Ted headed home while he plotted his revenge.  Although I am not sure what his revenge eventually was, rest assured, Ted was never one to let things go un-punished.

Every time Ted, my dad and any other friends got together the story of Ted’s movie adventure was told and retold.  Decades later, the story never got any less funny.

Sleep tight “Legs & Eyeballs!”