| Show mgmmmaA6 2SV The Salt Lake Tribune Wednesday June 10 1987 Newspaper’s Copy Clerks? Boy Have They Changed Steals the Show at Theaters Vendor-Comi- c By Scott Rivers Tribune Staff Writer Three months ago I attended the pening of Sylvester Stallone’s "Over the Top” at the Mann Flick Theaters in Trolley Square What made the evening memorable however was not the film but the "entertainment” preceding it Ten minutes before the trailers a concession vendor made his way into the screening room — selling pop Other Side of Provo’ ” The audience laughed hysterically Regrettably the Stallone movie soon flashed on the screen An hour into the film many of the viewers had become restless A neatly attired gentleman shouted "Bring back the vendor!" The audience cheered The vendor in question is Eric Prize — the world’s first "concession stand-u- p comedian” For the past five years he has entertained Provo and corn soft drinks candy and other items augmented by his own brand of stand-ucomedy For example: "Only in America can you buy the taste treat called Goobers I feel like I'm the Am way party nobody want6 to buy crap! If I don’t sell all these items by the time the movie starts the Big Man up there is going to call me home We will be showing the sneak preview of ‘Man's Search for Happiness Part II — The p Salt Lake moviegoers and at times saved a screening from total disaster "I encourage people to tell the management what they think of my said Mr Prize “There performance" are people who leave the theater and say ‘This guy is funnier than the show' Other couples have said 'If it wasn't for you we wouldn't be married’ " For two years Mr Prize has been seen at the Flick on Friday and Saturday nights — generally when it’s busi-es- t He also performs nis shtick at the Academy Fox Carillon and Central Square theaters in Provo Occasionally he visits the Mann Cottonwood Mall four-ple- x during special promotional screenings "A few years ago the local theaters thought or having people come in and sell things before the show started” recalled Mr Prize "However I decided to tell a few jokes in between — it gave me an opportunity to try out new material as a comic As far as I know I’m the only one doing this” "My original costume was that of an usher but 1 decided to dress differently because the usher uniform turned off people Besides the red slacks work really well” he said while adjusting his bow tie Mr Prize has performed in Salt Lake establishments such as Cartoons Nino's Gepetto's and the Zephyr In Los Angefes he has played at two popular starting bases tor young comics — the Improv and the Comedy Store "When LA audiences love you they really love you” Since originating the movie theater stand-uformat nowever he feels more comfortable in that environment in a movie "Performing stand-utheater is actually harder than anywhere else At the Flick I generally perform four times a night On the other hand Carillon Square has four theaters — which means several appearances Audiences can range from 250 to 350 patrons The first time people see me they are sort of shocked They wonder ‘What’s all this? What's going on?’ Eventually the crowd relaxes and has a good time” he said There is a method to Mr Prize’s madness but it is occasionally confuses unsuspecting theater-goer- s “I've been called a multi-ethni- c “I’m actupersonality” he explained ally Hawaiian but 1 have been mistaken for many nationalities However I use that to my advantage I work a lot on characterization which is the basis of my humor plus there’s a fair amount of audience participation Being a good comic is not just funny “BOOOOOOYYYY!” It just isn’t the same anymore I tried the old Tribune office call the other day to see if it still worked and the night office clerk (nobody calls them copy boys anymore) just looked at me and laughed “BOOOOOOYYYY!” I was a copy kid the call of “BOOOOOOYYYY!” meant I’d better drop whatever I was doing and hightail it to the desk of the caller Never mind that I wasn’t a a but “BOOOOOOYYYY!’’ “GIRRRRRRLLLL!" Never mind that I was covered with black ink from changing the ribbon on the national news wire or was in the When middle of stocking the supply cabinet with notebooks and pens Whenever the call of “BOOOOOOYYYY!” rang through the newsroom I was expected to be there no questions asked And low — now the copy er office clerks simply sit back and laugh When I was a copy kid if I had laughed and refused to run when former news editor Keith Otteson bellowed “BOOOOOOYYYY!” I would have been booted in the behind and told to pack up my sneakers I would have been cursed at yelled at and humiliated in front of the entire newsroom That was eight years ago Today everything is done by computer Copy clerks don’t carry copy anymore They don’t roll wire tapes trim wire stories change wire ribbons and stock wire paper They are rarely yelled at they never have to plug parking meters and they never fetch coffee and cigarettes or make hamburger runs When I was a copy clerk I had to do all these things and more A copy kid was expected to know a little bit about everything after two hours on the job We didn’t have time to sit around and laugh when somebody yelled p “BOOOOOOOYYYY!” We were too busy rolling tapes changing wire paper running downstaire p lines but improvisational niques" for page proofs and half sheets emptying "out" baskets filling “in” baskets running errands to the “cop shop" state capitol and city hall picking up obituaries at the bus depot hoisting in the flags sorting mail delivering photos hauling ancient dusty volumes of The Tribune from the dark basement vault clipping stories for reporters in ‘‘the cage" picking up papers in the mailroom and delivering them to the homes of the editor and publisher sharpening pencils answering telephones buying hamburgers for Harold Schindler and helping the executive secretary put in her contact lenses In short we were paid slave wages to do whatever anybody in the office asked us to do Yes it was often humiliating and yes it felt like we were “kissing up” But we would grit our teeth and did it and here's why: We wanted desperately to be on the other side of the wire machine the other side of the "out” basket We wanted to holler "BOOOOOOOYYYY!" and hand somebody our pencils and empty coffee mugs Hell we even wanted to write obits And the only way to do that was to “do time” as a copy kid I knew that the newspaper business was the business for me the first time I walked into The Tribune newsroom I was a senior in high school and had come to the newspaper to apply for a job as a high school correspondent It was a Friday afternoon and the air was filled with excitement and cigarette smoke John Mooney was typing a column with two fingers and smoking a cigar Bob Woody the business editor was wearing a visor sitting at a desk covered with news clippings and dusty pictures and smoking an even fatter cigar Telephones were ringing editors were shouting A woman with three poodles was waiting to have her picture taken in the photo studio I knew then and there that I had to get hired I received permission from the “IN” section editor to write stories about s but it wasn't enough I wanted to work in the newsroom in the middle of the smoke the cussing editors and ringing telephones So every Friday when I brought in my stories I stopped at the promotional director’s office and asked for a job I did this every week for seven months but each time I was told “Sorry no openings But we’ll keep you in mind kid” Finally three weeks after I had decided I would never be hired I received the phone call: “We have a copy kid opening The shift is from 3 pm to midnight five nights a week You'll have to work weekends and you won’t get Christmas off Can you start immediately?” I was there within the hour My first night on the job Rod Pressly who was then the head copy clerk and was required to train me took me to the Dead Goat Saloon on my lunch break and bought two pitchers of beer “One's for you one's for me” he said “If you're going to cut it as a copy clerk you have to be able to drink" I didn't even like beer and I wasn’t old enough to drink it but drink it I did because it was a copy clerk tradition And traditions at The Tribune are very important I was told Later however I realized that some traditions were more enjoyable than others “BOOOOOOOOYYYY! BOOOCOOOOYYYYY!” Vard Jones the wire editor wanted a wire trim a new ink pad and his pencils sharpened They were already sharp but I sharpened them anyway “BOOOOOOOOYYYYY! BOOOOOOOOYYYY!” Keith Otteson wanted an A-- page proof pronto and wanted the ribbon on the changed The ribbon didn't need changing but I changed it anyway It took me awhile but I soon learned to get trims and sharpen pencils before I was called and Harold Schindler started to let me keep the change from my hamburger errands The change was rarely over 12 cents but that didn't matter I felt like I fit in that I was part of the team I learned the secret of getting obit packages from uncooperative bus clerks (punch them in the stomach and run) learned to look the other way when pressmen were showering in the basement with the door open and learned when to tell hot secrets about office romances and when to keep my mouth shut Copy clerks knew everything then “BOOOOOOOOYYYY! BOOOOOOOOOYYYY!” It just isn’t the same Copy clerks today don't know what they're missing And I'm sure they're feeling pretty lucky about it too tech- "I enjoy performing with Salt Lake audiences more than Provo crowds Most of the jokes are in Salt Lake but the Provo audiences are a little uncomfortable about them” he added Like the best comedians even Mr Prize has off nights "Occasionally there are evenings when I go to one theater and it will be hilarious Then I go to the next theater and nobody's laughing and I wonder ‘Why am I doing this?’ Luckily my success rate is generally higher than that" he said On the whole Mr Prize enjoys his inventive occupation and hopes to eventually do commercials “I could be a successor to Ernest as an advertising-pitchmaI'm doing a good job as long as I make people d —Tribune Staff Photo by Jeff Allred Eric Prize displays his versatility as the come- world’s first "concession stand-up i I dian” at Mann Flick Theater He can also be seen cavorting in Provo movie houses laugh" m Twelve students from high schools in the Jordan and Granite school dis- - tricts received awards Thursday from Salt Lake County Sheriff ND Pete" : Hayward for their work in classes de- - vcloped in the Sheriff's Assisting V Youth Program ’ Sheriff Hayward presented awards to the students in the Metropolitan Hall of Justice Deputies nominated the students for awards based on overall grades citizenship in the schools and interest in law enforce- : ment and the criminal justice system The students are Eldon T Packer Brighton High School Jennifer Knappenberger Alta High School ' Jeff C Jensen Jordan High School Vickie Creno Hillcrest High School ‘ - Jeremy Ziegler Bingham High and Robert Greg Wagstaff Kearns High School Other award recipients were Brenda Earl Cyprus High School David Davis Granite High School Donald F Murray Skyline High School Cassidy O Chytraus Olympus High Mark Miller School Cottonwood High School and Michael Crane Taylorsville High School Sheriff Hayward complimented the students for their achievements and challenged them to advocate community support for law enforcement The sheriff credited the program for creating better understanding of law enforcement among students in the two districts t Incidents of assaults on teachers school vandalism and drug and alcohol abuse have fallen in high schools School since the SAY program began in 1978 he said Since that year deputies and school officials have developed courses that teach students their legal rights and responsibilities and that encourage students to pursue careers in law enforcement and criminal justice Sheriff Hayward said a number of students who have taken the program have made careers in several law enforcement agencies including the Sheriff’s Office Because students understand the role of law enforcement in society students’ attitudes toward police officers have improved he said About 5100 high school students have taken courses in the program Some 640 students enrolled in the courses this year nn South Jordan Adopts Budget With No Hike Property-Ta-x Continued From SV-- 1 again Mr Argyle plans to reside in the subdivision Two upcoming events were noted at the City Council meeting A g event for the youth baseball league will be held June 29 and the South Jordan Town Days celebration will be July 9 through 11 The council also approved the nine-milevy on the Glenmoor Special Service District in South Jordan's northwest corner The Glenmoor area holds about a third of the city's population of 9000 The mill levy raises $45000 to provide parks and recreation facilities for the area 7 fund-raisin- ll n imnei Specials for DAD WILSON SELECT 1595 King's Supreme — of our finest nuts! 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