During the golden eld ofcinema , one of the most esteemed jobs a teenager could have was movie usher . With higher pay than most job uncommitted for immature adults back then – and the fringe benefit of see free movies – many teenager look for out this problem in the 1940s and beyond .
The duties of the picture usher were myriad and serious . theatre of operations were fancy ( more like Broadway theaters with drape and luxuriously upholstered seats ) and usher wore special uniforms , complete with gleaming shoes and shoulder epaulette . Along with demo patrons to theirseats , doorkeeper also greeted motion-picture fan as they arrived in the lobby . They point frequenter to the restrooms , snack bars , telephones and piss fountains . They memorized the precise starting and end times of every single movie showing . They were train in manage disruptive or pale audience extremity and also had the power to reseat people for keep parties together or ensure frequenter ' comfort .
The job of usher is quite different now . As movie theaters became more homogenized and chain - have , other fiscal priorities superseded the need for ushers . theater funneled their money into upgrade equipment and licensing fee rather than pay for a fleet of ushers .
Today , a distinctive usher does n’t have time to perform luxury tasks for the consultation , as his or her job has expanded to admit the roles of ticket taker , bite saloon attender and custodian . Today ’s ushers do n’t make much money , either . The average wage for a movie usher is around $ 9 per minute , or $ 18,900 a class [ source : Bureau of Labor Statistics ] . What ’s more , move to the pic is n’t the event it used to be back in the ' 40 and ' 50s . trance a movie is a super - casual experience ; back then , it was a grand night out and patrons were treated grandly , too .
One shoes you ’ll still determine formal ushers is at live theaters , like on Broadway . A night out at the theater is still an experience . A typical Broadway usher has many duties . One is showing people to their seating room – seats they paid handsomely for . So if someone in the chintzy seats tries to snarf into what they think is an empty , near seat , the usher is there to stop the interloper . Theater ushers are also on cell phone vigil , something that certainly was n’t a problem back in the golden age of picture palace . A ringing earphone or lit screen can deflect a performer and disrupt an entire show . And ushers have to deal with uncivil behavior in general : people put their foot up on bottom , expose confect clamorously , talk during the show or using a camera .
At least in the moving picture , the actors ca n’t see you behave disadvantageously .
