by June Stoddard Chappe

I remember the first day I walked in the door
Of Vidiots, just down the block,
with David in our first months of courtship
He lit up, Took me on a tour
Showed me his favorite sections
Action movies, Film Noir, Spaghetti Westerns
We watched for hours, and… cuddled
Talking and analyzing each film

He remembered the films frame by frame
I just remembered how it made me feel
Caught up in the film as if I was in it
He a creator and story analyst
Focused on seeing how each film was made
When six months into our relationship,
After we’d moved in together in Venice,
During the writer’s strike of ‘88
He got a gig in India
Was stuck in London while the producer
Consulted the star charts for
Success of the project
Then to India for months
Desperately missing each other
And then home, Bleary and jet lagged
He sent me to Vidiots for a stack of films
One being Tampopo
And he became obsessed with noodles
And sent me in search of the best ramen house on The Westside
Did I call and ask Vidiots where the best Ramen was, I can’t remember,
I’m sure they would have known, in the years before the internet, they knew Everything, And I found it Asahi Ramen on Sawtelle…
Vidiots was the place, the only place to go
He was a lifetime member.
And I’m a lifetime supporter because of
Its intellectual curiosity, Entertainment, Trivia
Gatherings of like-minded folk
Rarities that inspire a new generation to dream
Create, find new ways to tell old stories, And new stories from old ones
We can’t let this go
Watching at home online, Chatting online isn’t enough
In person experiences challenging our little grey cells
Vidiots has kept its promises for thirty years
Now it is time for us to keep Vidiots.
Priceless and vanishing

June Stoddard Chappe once worked as the auction coordinator for Vidiots, in Santa Monica, CA. Vidiots began as a movie rental store with a fierce commitment to making as wide an array of films available as possible—from vintage to foreign to documentary—and their event programming and outreach has that same eclectic flavor.

The Vidiots Foundation expands the reach and community involvement of Vidiots through partnerships with community organizations, schools, filmmakers, artists and educators by providing free classes, screenings, panel discussions, spoken word, live music and other cultural events.