Tivoli Theater Stars in Gecko Commercial

The following was received from Norma Deardorff Plummer:
"Have you seen one of Geico's gecho ads on TV where he's on a stage as a ventriloquist with a little gecho dummy? That commercial was shot at the Tivoli Theater in Downers last August under a cloak of secrecy and is finally making the airwaves. It was filmed by the director of the King's Speech, which makes this an even more prestigious event for the Tivoli. If you haven't seen it, you can Google Geicho gecho commerials and look for ventriloquist; or you can click on the title of this blog post as I've linked it to the commercial. The opening shot is of the front of the Tivoli and toward the end of the commercial you can hear an organ playing. That's being played by Steve Margison who is the Tivoli's technical director.I don't know if you were aware that the Tivoli is owned and operated by Ross Johnson's brother Willis (class of 55) and his family. They own 11 or 12 other theaters in the area under the name of Classic Cinema. Although many of the other theaters are multiple screened, he has kept the Tivoli just as it was only better. It's also used for many other community events: talent shows, concerts, recitals, book signings, live performances, etc. He's made it a real asset in this town."

After hearing about the gecko, Garland Edgell started reminiscing and sent the following:
"I was an usher there for about a year and was made the head usher by default at age 14 and was working 40 hours a week. The Christmans who managed the Tivoli then were very friendly to our family as several of my cousins and my oldest sister all had worked there. The attached photo was a promotional picture taken to advertize a bicycle giveaway of some sort. I didn't have the jacket to the usher uniform on but the rest of the get up was what we wore back in 1953-54."

Probably like the rest of you, I have a lot of good memories about the Tivoli (and the Don, too --- remember that theater?). My brother and I went to double-feature matinees every Saturday (in hindsight, my folks got rid of us each week). I ate Boston Baked Beans and Holloway Suckers (Slo-Pokes, today). One give-away, I won a bag of marbles, and as I returned to my seat, on the way up the aisle, the bag broke and I lost my all marbles (no pun intended).Any of the rest of you have Tivoli memories? Let me know.........