From: bje@ripco.com   
      
   OM  wrote:   
      
   > ...Let me get this straight: You're saying that you saw the theatrical   
   > cut *before* September 17, 1977, but in the US? What part of the   
   > country were you living in at the time?   
      
   God I hope that is a typo and you meant 1978, if we're talking about 1977,   
   I'll assume a case of alzhiemers and rescind everything I said up to this   
   point.   
      
   It would of been in Chicago and likely summer, july or august.   
      
   Thing is, one can beat this like a dead horse and not get anywhere. I did   
   find out the main library downtown still has the old newspapers on   
   microfiche so one of these days I'll waste the afternoon and try to get a   
   handle on it. I figure by just checking the fridays paper for the two years   
   in question (78 and 79), some kind of clue can be found.   
      
   There was one slight derailment while researching this, it sort of leads to   
   everyone having the correct answer to the chicken and egg question. I   
   emailed a few buddies I went to high school with that we've stayed in   
   contact with. One pointed out it was around then (although I think it was 79   
   not 78) that one of the first legit jobs I had was working at a video store   
   here (they rented both machines and movies). The guy who ran it was a crook   
   and used to run off the bootlegs in the back. Now I remember what he did was   
   more along of the lines of buying one copy and running a dozen off then   
   renting those in the front. But the buddy thinks there were advanced copies   
   and pre-release stuff also.   
      
   So if he's correct, it's possible I did see the movie before the premier of   
   the tv show, sans the theater and sensoround.   
      
   I think he's wrong but did throw a monkey wrench in anyways.   
      
   One question though, assuming I'm 100% wrong with my memory and there was no   
   special viewing, midnight movie run or bootleg tape prior to the tv series   
   premier, what time frame are we talking about when the movie first was   
   available to the general public in the u.s.?   
      
   Christmas 78?, the summer of 79, later than that?   
      
   -bruce   
   bje@ripco.com   
      
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