Off the Wall Memories
A random collection of images from the Off the Wall archives and stories from friends and colleagues
Do you have an Off the Wall memory that you’d like to share on this page? Or a question you’re dying to ask? Do you just want to say hi? Drop us a line! Michael, Larry, Jay, David, and Mike will all be delighted to hear from you. Don’t forget to include a name (or alias) for attribution.
Got an image? Email it over and we’ll include it on the site as well.
And don’t forget to add your email address to our mailing list for site and celebration updates.
Off the Wall Cinema Verité
Off the Wall Cinema co-founder Larry Silverman brought a video camera to Off the Wall's closing party and captured the reactions of staff, supporters, and friends to create Last Night at Off the Wall, four minutes of priceless memories. See the fabled owners before they were old and cranky!
Jackson Bruce Madnick, a Cambridge artist and supporter who also ran the projector now and then, designed a sign intended for the Main Street location. It turned out to be very elaborate, with lighting inside a 2-sided glass sign, and it took him more than two years to make it.
Early fan mail — from some flounder, no doubt
Dear Off the Wall,
After two years in the cultural desert of Miami, your celluloid coffee house is like an oasis -- it must be a mirage -- it's too good to be true!
“In the fifteen years I have been a movie freak I have seen literally thousands of them -- even tens of thousands -- anywhere from my favorites, like "8 1/2" and "Children of Paradise," to such laughable bombs as "Invasion of the Slime People" and "The Blood Feast," but some of the films I've seen at your place in the past four months have been among the most memorable.
"Keep up the good work!
Michael Landis [we think]
The See Through Magic Circle
This was the first public mention of Off the Wall. Larry Silverman arranged this, and our second week's Stan Vanderbeek, our only all video show.
The owners and kitchen managers at Pearl Street, circa 1985: David, Greg, Jay, Michael, Maggie, Mike
David Mendelson reviewing a press packet while on kitchen duty
15 Pearl Street, circa 1981, by Mike Peck — ink wash and coffee stains
Our first run in with City Hall.
The Brattle, the Orson Welles, the Harvard Square Theater, and Off the Wall Cinema were all called on the carpet by the Cambridge Board of License Commission for showing midnight movies.
After the Fall
Michael prepping films to screen at the Middle East Café.
A Comedy Clubhouse flier.
“Ron Lynch hosted a comedy club at Off the Wall that was like comedy boot camp for young comedians: midnight on Saturday night only, at a place that didn't serve liquor. I loved working that shift — Ron was terrific, the comedians were good people, and it was fascinating to watch routines develop over the course of weeks or months. A lot of people got their start there. I would see them eventually in clubs or on TV, or see their writing credits. Always a thrill.” —Mike Peck
Interview with a Vampire Michael Nicholson
Michael chats about the purpose and origins of Off the Wall, discusses Magic Movies, and more. It’s only dark because it was raw footage transferred after many years.
“Off The Wall was one of my favorite places when I went to Boston University in the late 1970s. It was a small movie theater/coffee house started by Michael Nicholson and a few friends for the purpose of showing short non-Hollywood films. This is raw tape from a piece I made for a TV production class in 1980. I shot it using a hand-held Sony camera attached to a 1/2'' reel-to-reel video recorder, then transferred to DVD.” —Rick Usifer
Mike Peck sports a collared shirt and tie while Michael Nicholson goes business casual to lead a planning meeting.
Ingrid Schorr checking her phone messages while handling concession duties in the very narrow kitchen space.
Albert Lamb, seen here touching up a bit of artwork, enriched a number of our silent film series with his distinctive, bluesy piano style. Albert couldn’t read music, but he would only have to watch a film once or twice before sitting down to accompany the entire feature with a seamless combination of improvisation and classic themes.
Albert began his association with Off the Wall the same way many of our most dedicated supporters did — by wandering in one day and asking if we needed help.
Laurie McKenna, Greg Arnold, and Maggie Brown bonding at the Green Street Grill.
Michael thinking wistfully about Magic Movies
Jay prepping for some demo at 15 pearl Street
David being the best version of himself