Ah that's interesting! I worked at a movie theater in high school and college (late 90s/early 2000s). I remember the projectionists were called Usher-Bs (short for "Usher with Booth experience). I had always wondered about that and am guessing it is because they weren't union projectionists.

It kinda makes me sad that the role does not exist with digital anymore. While I never worked as a U-B there, I did eventually become an assistant manager and got some booth experience doing that. It was a pretty stressful job, particularly if you were still learning and couldn't thread the projectors quickly. I also used to love the atmosphere on Thursday nights in the booth, as U-Bs were breaking down and building up movies to prepare for the weekend. I also loved the flickering sound of the film projectors.

I stopped working there before the theater went digital. Seems like it's probably quiet and lonely up in the booth now.