And that's me below as seen by hundreds of thousand of TV viewers in the Summer of 1984. It was immediately following the Opening Ceremonies of the 1984 Olympics on KABC, the local ABC affiliate. Of course, just about everyone in Los Angeles was tuned in to see the hometown on television and a reporter asked me about the lack of tourism in Westwood. Boy, did I get in big trouble with Mann Theaters management for this interview. The report starts with an introduction about how local shop owners were very disappointed because the expected influx of tourists from all over the world weren't shopping.
Video clips show deserted sidewalks and frustrated souvenir salesmen.
Several are interviewed and then they come to me. I was almost fired after this 1984 television interview aired. Well, I wouldn't call it a 'ghost town,' but we do seem to have a lot more parking spaces available than usual. But your theater is empty. I was the assistant manager of the Village Theater in Westwood in the Spring and Summer of 1984.