The recent renovation of Hollywood's Cinerama Dome, The Village & Bruin theaters in Westwood reminds me of the courage my friend Ray Howell had renovating the Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro in 1984. It was truly a labor of love & he convinced me & a handful of other cinema-lovers to join him in this odyssey, including film collector Mike Schleiger who put together ALL the classic film bookings; Morgan--an artist & former usher at the Grauman's Chinese Theater (where we had all worked) who helped with the painting restoration; and a number of veteran Mann Theater maintenance & concession mechanics who VOLUNTEERED their time to get the place in shape for opening day. Jack O., who had done all our hand & footprint ceremonies at the Chinese told me, "After all Ray's done for us over the years, he just has to say the word, and we're there for him." Now that's some kinda loyalty, yes? My time there was spent as manager, projectionist, and "tech guy"--it was a chance to both learn more about & share my love of film. There are also people who just love the SHOWMANSHIP of presenting a film to an audience & Ray was one of them. The fact that the Warner still exists, is due in part to his perseverance, hard work & love of cinema. FYI: Adding the word "GRAND" to the theater name was Ray's idea. It was not part of the original branding by WB, but it smacks of the grandeur of motion picture palaces of yesteryear, which the art deco design invokes and what Ray hoped the WG would be for the community of San Pedro. Glad to have lent a hand in helping to keep the movie-going experience alive in the 21st Century. 🍿