MOVIE THEATER

ERVIN COPPI

"Movie Theater" was a hosted classic and horror movie show, hosted by Ervin Coppi. The show ran from around 1978 until the 1980s. It ran on WSIU-TV Channel 8 and WUSI-TV Channel 16 in Carbondale, Illinois, USA. The show was screened at 10:00pm on Friday through to Monday nights. Coppi shared his incredible knowledge and love for classic films. On Horror Night, Coppi would host classic horror movies. From IMDB: Ervin (Erv) Coppi was born on 21 March 1926, in Royalton, Illinois, USA, to Carlo Coppi and Esther Gianni. He first worked as an announcer for the city softball team when the new softball park opened in 1941. Erv also spent many hours in the magical darkness of the Royal Theater, watching the legends of the silver screen. Always the class clown, his love for the stage was evident at an early age, as the lead in numerous school plays. It was during a holiday pageant rehearsal that Erv heard about the bombing at Pearl Harbor, not realizing how the attack would impact his life a few years later. After graduating from high school in 1943, at age 17, Erv enrolled at Southern Illinois Normal University. He had only completed one year at SINU before he was drafted into the U.S. Army. After five months of basic training at Fort Riley, Kansas, Erv's unit, the 32nd Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, was called for immediate deployment to the snowy forests of the Ardennes region of Belgium. Under the direction of General George Patton, the unit received three gold battle stars, the final for the Battle of the Bulge, signaling the end of the conflict in Europe. President Truman pulled the troops out of Belgium, for deployment to the Pacific Rim, but the war ended before the soldiers had to sail for Japan. After World War II, Erv moved to Chicago to enroll in the Columbia College of Radio and Drama. Upon completing the course, he returned to Southern Illinois and married his high school sweetheart, Marie Fairley. Erv and Marie loved movies and they chose Hollywood as the destination for their honeymoon. This was but the first of many happy family vacations, with Miami, New Orleans, and the Gulf Coast their favorite locations. Erv began his broadcasting career in 1951, at WFRX in West Frankfort. He had only been there for a few months before the tragic Orient 2 mine explosion occurred at Christmastime. It was on that day that Erv learned some of his most valuable lessons about conducting broadcasting interviews, especially during times of tragedy and sorrow. The following year, Erv joined the staff at WGGH in Marion, and it was there that Erv launched his most famous radio program, "The Egyptian Ballroom." The program simulated an actual ballroom, with sounds of the audience enjoying music, food and drink. It was so real; people thought there really was an Egyptian Ballroom. Erv's final job in radio broadcasting was at WJPF in Herrin. It was during that time his daughter Carla was born. Named for her grandfather, Carlo, Erv and Marie said it was "the happiest day in their lives." Erv's last broadcasting position was with WSIU Television, as host of a popular weekend movie series where he shared his incredible knowledge and love for classic films. He passed away on 14 November 2018, in the Memorial Hospital, Carbondale, Illinois, USA. There are no known clips from the show:

LINKS

Internet Movie Data Base "Movie Theater"

Internet Movie Data Base "Ervin Coppi"

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