Larry’s story:

THE OUTDOOR PICTURE SHOW

Do you remember when it was harder to say no to your bootlegger then it was to your girl friend.Hard to believe that there was such a time!This is such a story, a little exagerated to provide some humor, but it happened just this way, back in the day of the outdoor picture show in Rugby, ND.Its hard to believe that the owner ever shut it down.Some say he did, because he got religon, and the movies were showing to much sex, violence, and bad language. We all are in trouble arn’t we?If he thought them movies were getting that way back in the sixties, what would he think now?I don’t know!But as we get older, we all know we are getting a little closer to our maker.There is now a church on the old movie site on the south side of Rugby.Maybe there is a reason for that?

I understand that someone bought and movedthe screen and movie equipment up to a site near Rolla, ND.I hope them folks up there enjoyed the outdoor movies as much as we did.I’m sure there is a few Dunseith folks, who have attended movies over there and have their own stories to tell.

The story

There was going to be a dusk to dawn showing of movies at the outdoor theater in Rugby.Excitement was running high all day, as plans were being made.The car was washed and vacuumed, everyonewould be bathed, dressed to catch a grils eye,and ready to go by 9:00 am.Arrangements were made to meet the bootlegger and to obtain the refreshments for the trip.Everything was going according to plan. The three of us had met our bootlegger, who was also our friend,and he had went into the bar and was buying our refreshments.As you probably noticed,I’m trying not to say beer here as I understand that their may some reading this that detest the word or be offended.Thats right, we all are from Dunseith or the proximity.Who am I kidding?Our bootlegger came out of the bar with the beer, and jumped into the car, and announced that he had decided to go to the movies with us.You could of heard a pin drop.A near 30 year old man going to the movies with us, a bunch of teen agers.Who would have thought?Nothing to do, but make the best out of a bad situation and buy more beer, and after all, we would have our supplier with us.I guess we would be just watching the movies and running back and forth to the restroom.Damn beer.

We made it into the movies.Sometimes they searched your car for more people who were trying to get in free by laying down on the floor, or hideing in the trunk.I guess that old guy rideing shotgun (on the passenger side up front) was doing some good after all.

We were all watching the movies and maybe getting a little bored.Usually the first one was a fairly new movie and probably the best one of the night and then the next three went downhill from there.I think it was about the middle of the third movie of the night, when this big fellow seemed to get interested in the movie that was playing, right in front of our car, blocking our view of the screen.Now, I don’t remember who threw the beer can and told him to get the hell out of the way.But, I knew from the size of this fellow, that this might not be a good thing.Hell, this guy was big, He looked like he could have escaped from a NFL training camp for Viking, centers.No, I think he was even bigger,He was probably more likely from a Green Bay Packer camp? He was big.He had shoulders that went from here to there, long arms,no neck and a small head.

Does anyone remember that lyceum at the old city hall, when some artist was up on stage showing everyone how to draw pictures.He did a drawing of Mr. Jerstad and he said he had a football players build, because he had no neck?

Like I said, this guy of very little brain, looked like a Bruiser and he came up to the window of the car and saw there was four of us.He said we were in trouble, and that he was coming back.We all looked at each other with that look, “What the hell are we going to do now”?

This guy looked like he was bad.When he turned and walked away from us his arms were so long, I swear his knuckles were draging on the ground behind him.Now I said he was bad, but he was no way as bad as them fellowsyou heard of walking the streets of Mandan, ND. in the sixties, after midnite on Saturday nights.Them guys were bad!I heard tell that some were so bad that they had moss growing on their backs!Thats Bad!Thats damn bad!

Anyway, Dick, the son-of-John, I know you are getting ahead of me with this story?No, I did not ask the guy his nationality.This is not a joke. It seems every time I send Dick a joke about, Ole and Lena, or Lutafisk.He sends one back to me about sauerkraut or tubed meats (sausage).This just makes me hungry.There is nothing better in a slow cooker then a couple of pounds of sausage, (country or German) and a bag or tin of sauerkraut, or a half of a sliced pork loin with a bag or tin of sauerkraut. Let it cook all day. Then enjoy.I can’t imagine anyone trying to mix Lutafisk or balute with sauerkraut, but its been noted before that a few from that class of 65 will eat any damn thing?

This guy that said he was coming back.I think he wof these people that use to live in this part of Pierce County.Some say that when civilization started moving into this area, this group was forced to move out.According to the history of Pierce County, between pages 65 and 66 this group split into two parts.Half moved up to Northern Canada and the other half moved to the Southern Appilachians where they were accepted as kin.Apparently this guy was a straggler and was infatuated with the Creature From The Black Lagoon.Anyway, He said he was coming back.We, continued watching the movie, had another beer or two, and wondered what hell he was coming back as?

It wasn’t long before our car was surrounded with about eight guys,none looking any sharper then the other, and all had about the same build as that first guy, I described.Apparently that history of Pierce County was wrong.They didn’t all move to Northern Canada, but we all know that, that portion of the group that moved South, did move South don’t we? I think Bill verified that in a prvious corespondence.Them eight fellows were all kind of just leaning against our car, like they were tired.

Well anyway, we all knew that we were definitely in a precarious situation.That big dude came up to the front,as a troglodyte.Someone once said there was a encampment passenger side window.Our bootlegger rolled open the window.This Troglodyte at the window, slobbered that he wanted us to get out or they would pull us out.Sounds like they wanted a game of pump-pump-pull-away.Our bootlegger who was as calm as a cucumber, motioned to the fellow to look down at his lap.The fellow looked down and his eyes got bigger then they were, and he shouted, “He has a gun”.Them fellows disappeared so fast, that a person didn,t even know that they were there.I leanedup and looked over the front seat and their in our friends hand was a pistol.I don’t think he had a concealed carry permit.I don’t think we knew what a concealed carry permit was at that time in our lives. So after typing this story and thinking about it,Its probably not a good idea to say no to your bootlegger, if he wants to go along to the outdoor picture show.

Remember to laugh,

Because when you laugh the whole world laughs with you.

Some say that the more you laugh the longer you live and by laughing, you will be helping others live longer also, as they will be laughing with you.

Think about that?

Larry