Texas Woman Angered by Movie Theater Ban on Text Messages; Theater Puts Her in Anti-Texting Commercial
June 8, 2011 — -- Tim and Carrie League started the Alamo Drafthouse movie theater chain, they said, because they liked good films and good beer, in a nice, quiet setting. Since they first opened in Austin, Texas, in 1997, the Leagues say they've had a strict policy against talking in the theater, using a cellphone and, more recently, bothering people by texting during a film.
About a month ago, Tim League says, a woman was thrown out of one of the chain's 10 theaters for sending text messages -- and retaliated by leaving an angry voice mail on the box office phone line. League said he thought it was so over-the-top that it was funny. They used it as the public service announcement they play before films to encourage people to keep quiet.
"The reaction has been huge," League said in a telephone interview with ABC News. "People love it in the theater."
People love it -- or perhaps we should say they $#*! love it. The language in the original voice mail is, well, colorful, and the version you can watch in our video player above (or click HERE) was heavily cleaned up by the theater chain. The uncensored version, League says, is only played in one theater, and only before R-rated films.
"I was wondering if you guys actually enjoy treating your customers like pieces of s---?" says the woman in the recording. "Because that's how I felt when I went to the Alamo Drafthouse!"
"I was not AWARE that I couldn't text in your theater. All right? I've texted in ALL the other theaters in Austin, and no one ever gave a f--- about what me -- I was doing on my f---in' phone."
She went on, but you get the idea. "I'm gonna tell EVERYONE about how $#!#! you are."
League says that's just fine with him. "It's really just a common-courtesy issue," he said.
He added, "It's really great the story has spread. Maybe people will get the message." Text messaging, he said, has gotten out of hand, with a survey from the Pew Research Center showing that a third of American teenagers send more than 100 texts per day. And besides, he said, "It was driving me crazy."
So have a seat and enjoy the show. But until it ends, please be so kind as to shut the $#!#! up.
