"It always seems to have its spikes and valleys over the years, but it always seems to come back. I mean, Krista brought it back, and did a good job. Unfortunately, Dave Helie and his partner had kind of let the programming go too esoteric; and Krista brought it back, and I thought she did real well there for a time.
"I said to Krista, 'cause we go back a long way, 'If you feel like it's too much and the Valley Art is wearing you down too much and you want to end your lease early, I wouldn't be the typical kinda landlord who would insist you stay there and keep paying rent.' But we're all on the sidelines praying that Krista makes it, 'cause I like what she does. She programs a lot of stuff that might not be right for, say, the Camelview, but that fits there."
Due to an unrelated legal wrangle, Harkins doesn't currently play any New Line or Fine Line films, and Harkins has encouraged Griffin to play them, as she would have no competition from other chains in downtown Tempe. Griffin resists, citing the high cost of renting major studio films. "Imagine what Wag the Dog would've done at the Valley Art exclusively," Harkins notes. "I mean, Austin Powers! I said, 'Krista, Austin Powers alone would've bought you, who knows, a new snack bar.'"
Griffin recalls the conversation. "Yeah, Dan said if he would have played Austin Powers at Centerpoint, he would have made $13,000 the first week. And I said, 'Yeah, and I would have made $1,300 here at the Valley Art.' No matter what the fuck I play, nobody comes."
Says Harkins: "I think she's being too pessimistic about her potential there." But optimism is easier when you have plenty of operating capital.
It's Halloween in Tempe, around midnight. Mill Avenue teems with thousands of revelers in costume--Scream specters, Monica Lewinskys and Warrior Princess Xenas all drift past. And for once, the crowd inside the Valley Art reflects the crowd outside. Rocky Horror is packed. There's not an empty seat, except when the crowd leaps up to join in the "Time Warp." They scream "Asshole!" at Brad, and "Slut!" at Janet; they ask the criminologist where his neck is.
The crowd has Griffin in high spirits. Her glumness is gone, and she's remembering the fun side of what she does. "We had Russ Meyer here, live, with Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!. We had Tori Amos here before she was famous; we had Shawn Colvin; we had Jeff Buckley before he died--he spent his last birthday here. We had Crispin Glover. So if we go out of business--" She shrugs. "It's all in God's hands anyway."
Inside the theater, the crowd lets out another happy whoop. Behind the concession stand, Abby stirs from her snooze, and contentedly thumps her tail on the floor.
Contact M. V. Moorhead at his online address: mmoorhead@newtimes.com
