Bekah Miller MacPhee recounts her experiences as a customer of the Howard Hughes/Main Street Video Co-op. She was a frequent customer visiting multiple times a week. Foreign film was her favorite collection held by the video store. MacPhee discusses fun memories and moments with past employees and the overall positive atmosphere of the video store. She also mentions the differences in space when comparing the old versus new location.

Beau Newsome: sweet Okay, I think we're good to go, so my name is Bo newsome i'm here with the with becca.

Beau Newsome: We are here on behalf of the University of Idaho library archives and special collections department we're doing oral oral History project on Howard Hughes videos last mainstream video co op.

Beau Newsome: becca if you wouldn't mind seeing your name.

Beau Newsome: And just give a little brief description of how and when you found out about the video store when you move to Moscow.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah my name is becca Miller mcphee I moved to Moscow August of 2006 as a transfer student at ui and was really looking for.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: places that would make me feel at home.

Beau Newsome: Where did you move from.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: I oh I moved from nashville Tennessee.

Beau Newsome: Okay.

Beau Newsome: yeah was there any kind of videos stores or.

Beau Newsome: Cocoa shops and all sorts of stuff.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: In nashville um.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Yes, yeah there, there were but not any that I was attached to I think I think there were still some big chains kind of hanging on when I left but not anything like Howard Hughes.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: So.

Beau Newsome: We like to hear.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah so yeah when I got to Moscow, I found a lot of it really charming and yeah Howard Hughes was just one of the many one of the many downtown gems I found.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Early on yeah.

Beau Newsome: um Do you remember what store.

Beau Newsome: One iteration of a story was that when you move here was on fifth street.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: It was on yes, it was on fifth street.

Beau Newsome: Right across.

Beau Newsome: A lot yep Okay, and it was the big store so.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Big yeah.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Okay yeah yeah.

Beau Newsome: How often do you think you visited the videos.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Oh lot.

Beau Newsome: A lot to me twice a week.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: i'm probably at least twice a week honestly yeah I remember um.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Oh gosh i'm getting my years mixed up but yeah at least twice a week, I was mean I was renting a lot of a lot of videos a lot of DVDs their netflix wasn't there yet.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: No, no, it wasn't around yet.

: and

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah and I was really blown away with the selection.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Specifically, the foreign film selection and when I was in college my attention span was better than it is now I just remember watching hours, the foreign films and reading the subtitles right like didn't have someone on yet.

Beau Newsome: yeah.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: i'm having a lot of fun doing that.

Beau Newsome: yeah it seems like you can that's how I was to like now, I look at like the running time of a movie and i'm like I don't got time for that you know back in the day I could watch three hour long foreign films that were slow paced and whatever so.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah I just feel like I was more immersed in the experience to like now, even if I liked the movie and i'm watching it i'll look up things about it, while i'm watching it but yeah I was just really.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Really tuned in back then, and I was specifically yeah.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: impressed by the Foreign film section, so I ended up renting all kinds of foreign films I didn't know anything about because.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: You know I wasn't looking things up on my phone before I would just go in and read the back, so I think I spent I think I spent a good amount of time in the actual store reading the you know the backs of DVD cases and that's how I was figuring out what I wanted to watch.

Beau Newsome: The video story introduced you to foreign films or did you.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: know I like the pre i'd watched them previously and yeah actually when I was in nashville there was a.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: There was a theater there that showed a lot of foreign films, and of course there wasn't and there's not in North Idaho but.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah it was fun to find that that selection I don't really consider myself a connoisseur a foreign films at all just really just really enjoy seeing how different cultures, like what's it was taboo in different cultures and what's not you got really good films.

Beau Newsome: yeah it's really.

Beau Newsome: Great way, at least for me anyways to see how other countries and their cultures are and.

Beau Newsome: Without being able to travel there.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: it's like yo.

Beau Newsome: watch a movie by their their actors and filmmakers and stuff like that.

Beau Newsome: yeah would you say the foreign section was your favorite section of the video Sir.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Certainly at the beginning yeah yeah.

Beau Newsome: Any foreign movies stand out that.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah the name of this one's really cheesy but I really liked it but it's it was a Spanish film called lovers of the Arctic Circle.

Beau Newsome: Oh wow I never heard of that one.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah and I, I have tried to find it sense and i've only found it for purchase from like $50 which maybe i'll buy it someday.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah, but it was yeah that was it was really good, and it was just took place in it was a Spanish film and the characters were Spanish but it mostly took place in the Arctic Circle and.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah it was just really fun and beautiful to watch.

Beau Newsome: Yes, cool yeah I try to.

Beau Newsome: I remember my first foreign film was run little around it was a German.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: felt I know it yet, but I didn't grow up watching foreign films at all really so.

Beau Newsome: It wasn't until I started working there that I got into.

Beau Newsome: watching movies, with subtitles you know yeah.

Beau Newsome: Oh, I forgot to ask you did you sign the waiver.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Yes, I did.

Beau Newsome: And do you remember your account number.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: I do 1771.

Beau Newsome: I knew it was easy one, and I knew it was a four digit one, but I couldn't remember it till I saw you, the other day.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: I remember um I remember I don't know if the counts became five digits I had some friends who got memberships later in their account numbers were five digits and I was always so proud that Brian was.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: was a good one, especially if you.

Beau Newsome: started reading there and oh six because they did go up to five digits But then when we moved to Main Street they kind of reset and so people were getting like three digit numbers and stuff.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Like okay.

Beau Newsome: The 1771 That was a good one there's.

Beau Newsome: there's a handful of good ones that you could just kind of remember off the top your head.

: yeah.

Beau Newsome: We used to take pride and typing in people's numbers before they came up to the counter you know.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah you always remembered it.

Beau Newsome: Do you remember some of the employees that work there, besides myself.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: I remember, I also remember Taylor.

Beau Newsome: Oh yeah okay yeah.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: And he's part of he's he's part of that story, I was recalling.

Beau Newsome: Okay, you ready to tell it go ahead yeah.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: I am.

Beau Newsome: I want to hear yeah.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: jailer was always somebody who I.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Like if I was going to go rent something like kind of embarrassing.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: You wouldn't want to go to him.

Beau Newsome: Does he call yeah right.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Oh yeah yeah so I still will maintain and i'm not embarrassed about it anymore, I still will maintain the grease cheers better than Greece.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Really Oh yes, and i've got good.

Beau Newsome: This might be going on the record here, you might be the only one.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Well, it does yeah recently took place in an instagram Pole and I was like part of 2% who thought this way but.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: But um I was getting I was at my friend renee really liked grease the original and I was telling her the sequel so much better.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: And she just grew up with releasing was really attached to Stanford D and.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: I was like oh my gosh I bet Howard Hughes has it, we have to go right into it, so we were looking for it, we couldn't find it and I was like It just seems like a movie they'd have but Taylor was working.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: We got to go up and ask him and he was like why.

Beau Newsome: That sounds exactly like a and i'm hoping to can't get Ahold of them quite yet, but i'm hoping to interview Taylor because.

Beau Newsome: yeah that's exactly what he would say.

: Why.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: But um how are you did have it, we did rent it.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Rooney did love it.

Beau Newsome: More than the first.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: I don't know if I can see that, but if she didn't at least love it and that wasn't the last time I rented Greece to from Howard Hughes.

Beau Newsome: was their movies, that you remember renting multiple times of increase.

Beau Newsome: because some people like treated as kind of their own personal like Oh, I can just go and get that movie again.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: um.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Another one that I rented multiple times is is my is going to be my movie recommendation.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: And that is death becomes her.

Beau Newsome: Oh yeah.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Oh yeah.

Beau Newsome: Bruce willis.

Beau Newsome: Meryl Streep.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: goldie hawn and op ED yeah.

Beau Newsome: that's a great movie.

: mm hmm.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah I I grew up watching a movie probably was like quoting that at a disturbingly young age.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: like it.

Beau Newsome: um so I guess maybe just talk about a little bit of the like I guess importance you think the video store had on Moscow and kind of you mentioned it a little bit like what made it unique but.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah I mean, for me it was just.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: It was one of the first places that I went to when I was you know, a transfer student looking for from faraway not knowing anybody.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: kind of looking for some places to call home base.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: And I just felt like.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: I mean I shouldn't when I found the video store I just was like you know, this is a cool town, this is a nice town to have a place like this.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah um and it just made me feel really optimistic about the Community that there was this variety of choices they're like that's that just felt really unusual and to me if I like a reflection on the Community like obviously people want you know they want this year.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: And then you know once I started making friends, I just remember going in there with friends and having fun renting films together and that's something that I really miss you know, in the time that we're in now, we don't have that I do remember looking at.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Employee recommendations and.

Beau Newsome: Never fun.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah sometimes taking them and what I remember more, though, is like.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: i'm sometimes judging.

Beau Newsome: Sure that's what that's what they're there for.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah I remember somebody had one of my favorite movies, is their recommendation and I can't remember who it was but they had before sunset is there one of their racks.

Beau Newsome: And I would have been me good it was it was mine at one point but.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: I was just like oh my gosh I have a kinship with this person.

Beau Newsome: yeah such a good movie so well such a good trilogy actually.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah.

Beau Newsome: yeah I don't know I mean it could have been me could have been somebody else take us, I think it was picked a few times by different employees, you know.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah.

Beau Newsome: Such a good such a good movie.

Beau Newsome: um so Do you remember, so were you still renting when the moves the video sword moved to Main Street video.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Oh yeah oh yeah absolutely we.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: did not want it to go away and I was really sad to me when it went away.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: We got him we got to a membership, when it became a Co op and yeah we kept renting movies, and we weren't I mean I wasn't renting movies, like, I was in 2006 just because my life doesn't, allow me to watch not many movies anymore.

: Unfortunately.

Beau Newsome: Well we've we've gotten that mean past interviews is as a question I would ask is what did we renting towards the end of the video store and a lot of people were like oh no not not as much as I used to you know and it's this is kind of the way it was going.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: We would, we would, though, if we wanted to see something we would call the video co op and see if they had it before we were.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: On a streaming device.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: It did feel like I mean it did feel different than you know Howard Hughes in the beginning days it felt like this election was a little bit last and i'm.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: In in I just again leave my lifestyle just didn't, allow me to watch like hours and hours.

Beau Newsome: During that could you read the five for five a lot.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Well yeah yeah.

Beau Newsome: yeah how about new releases were you a new release.

Beau Newsome: person or.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: New releases yeah I did yeah and then I also.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: started renting from the criterion collection quite a bit.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: cool yeah um.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: And you know, like we would.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: We would like turn our DVDs in a day or so late and be like that's our donation to the Co op.

: yeah.

Beau Newsome: That was my question is you I don't ever remember you getting late fees, but did you get a lot of late fees or you.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: didn't get a lot of late fees just on occasion, and then we would put credit on our account to.

Beau Newsome: Oh yeah yeah.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: We really we were really sad I was really sad when it went away.

Beau Newsome: Do you remember it moving from fifth street to Main Street before it came a call.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Yes, I do.

Beau Newsome: yeah how did, how did that transition to go Okay, for you.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: As.

: A customer.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah it went Okay, I was bummed about it just felt like a lot smaller.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah i'm a little different you know I mean because it was smaller it was just harder to spend as much time in there.

Beau Newsome: i'm real yeah and everything was tight and.

Beau Newsome: We had to.

Beau Newsome: kind of take vhs off the floor and.

Beau Newsome: yeah mostly DVDs turned on their spines basically.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah and I do I do remember walking through there often and getting flack for it, a couple times from you.

Beau Newsome: For just just walking through to go to the Co op.

: Yes.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: In the winter yes.

Beau Newsome: yeah we got a lot of that but.

Beau Newsome: hey just as long as you're coming into the store I figured they're bound to rent.

Beau Newsome: Some time right.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah um.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah and you know I actually when it was in the new location I, I do have a I have a good memory there to I went to the.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: ash, I think it was in 2016.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: i'm.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: I went to the experimental music project in Seattle, which was really it was fun and all but the funnest part of that to me was there was a horror film exhibit.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Oh, I went and checked that out, and I got really interested in these classic horror, films and I went back to Moscow and Howard Hughes had, like all of them that I wanted right yeah so.

Beau Newsome: Were they in that little.

Beau Newsome: classic SCI fi horror section by the.

Beau Newsome: By the counter.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yep yep yeah.

Beau Newsome: Do you remember some of the titles.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: I do i'm wicker man, which is one of my favorite films now and i'm not talking Nick cage.

Beau Newsome: Not the NIC cage remake.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Oh i've never seen it and I don't want.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: To like the 70s, one I love it.

Beau Newsome: Really yeah.

Beau Newsome: I can say i've seen it but.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: um you know it's um it's out there.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Okay yeah it's fun.

Beau Newsome: right here it's Christopher Lee right, seeing it.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: um yes.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Lord of the Rings movies yep yeah he's young ish it's it's such a it's so weird.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: it's like.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Little kids dancing around the maypole talking about like singing about penises and how children are born and.

Beau Newsome: it's like a killer or movie yeah.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah it's um.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: I think yeah I think probably devout Christians wouldn't like it.

Beau Newsome: Why, why was the music experience, where was the thing in Seattle, showing it.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: I don't know, I have no idea um you know I went there with some friends who are really interested in the nirvana exhibit that was there.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: And I watched through it and it was really cool, but I was just wondering downstairs and I have no idea, but there was this horror film exhibit and I.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: never really considered myself a big for film person, but after going through this exhibit, I just wanted to watch all of these and I brought wicker man up first, because now I watch it every mayday like.

Beau Newsome: Really.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: I love it.

Beau Newsome: So take this movie take place may day or something.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: It doesn't but they have a maple and they celebrate me.

Beau Newsome: Okay okay.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Is who we're doing some stuff.

Beau Newsome: gets really weird and dark.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah it's pretty dark um but I I am they had some information about a text Texas chainsaw massacre and i've never been interested in watching that movie and I got so interested in it, and then I watched it, I was like this is fascinating and.

Beau Newsome: It is fascinating it's I think it's more fascinating than a scary movie but it's also freaky you know it's.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah yeah and I just learning about what the filmmaker like where he was coming from and what he was doing with the soundtrack and it was really cool yeah.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: And then.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Okay.

Beau Newsome: One of the scenes, where the the Gal is.

Beau Newsome: I guess the antagonist or protagonist of the movie where she's tied up with the family.

Beau Newsome: mm hmm and she's they're all doing their weird thing and apparently the director left her tied up when they went to lunch.

Beau Newsome: So it made her got the reaction from her, and that was just like real kind of like.

Beau Newsome: punk filmmaking kind of a thing to do.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah yeah yeah that's definitely a punk thing to do.

Beau Newsome: couldn't get away with it today that's for sure.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: um another another movie I watched because of that exhibit was to Syria.

Beau Newsome: Oh, which was also a remake recently.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: It was and.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: I really don't love torture that one was a little harder for me.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah right.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: um.

Beau Newsome: I think I hit mute though just some time.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah yeah.

Beau Newsome: Water went down the wrong too.

: yeah.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah so that one is not one that I watch over and over again, but it, but I rented that from from Howard Hughes also and I love the music from it.

Beau Newsome: Also spirit.

Beau Newsome: hmm it's a.

Beau Newsome: it's a goblin.

Beau Newsome: yep okay yeah that's cool.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah I am.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: I have this weird thing, where I like like in September, October spooky season, I like to run at night and listen to creepy music and I love that theme.

: scary.

Beau Newsome: um.

Beau Newsome: Do you remember Kevin wind that used to work at the video store.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: You friends with he was friends with Richard.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Oh, probably i'm sure.

Beau Newsome: They would love your goblin reference they told me about goblin.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Oh yeah.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah it's really good.

Beau Newsome: yeah.

: that's cool.

Beau Newsome: that's cool that I mean we've talked about this in other interviews is.

Beau Newsome: you've watched documentaries you listen to film podcast you hear people talk about movies and it's like it was cool to have something in Moscow that it's like Oh well, most likely I can get that title there you know, like that was a pretty rare and cool thing.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah.

Beau Newsome: Having Moscow.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: You know, it was always it was always fun to me if I was looking for something in the person behind the counter had seen it or have thoughts on it, you know that was just a.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: bit if human interaction we've lost.

Beau Newsome: And Taylor probably wouldn't have given you shit for renting wicker man or.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Oh, I wouldn't have been embarrassed about those.

Beau Newsome: Right, he would have been that goes cool that's cool.

Beau Newsome: yeah.

Beau Newsome: she's written yeah she's written wicker man that's cool.

Beau Newsome: Hopefully we can get him on here, and he can.

Beau Newsome: Talk about some of that stuff but.

Beau Newsome: So you kind of mentioned some things that you miss.

Beau Newsome: versus the fifth street store, you know because it got smaller and.

Beau Newsome: Maybe the selection wasn't quite as as big and in your face.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah.

Beau Newsome: I think that was maybe some reasons of why the video store struggle, towards the end.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah maybe I mean it's so hard to say right, I mean I know streaming I mean I would imagine streaming services heard it more than anything else that's just what I would imagine but um but yeah when it was in the smaller location, it just was harder to kind of hang out and.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: You know, feel like.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: It was more than going and getting a movie I mean it was still more than going and getting a movie but.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: there's just less space to do that yeah and you couldn't browse the same way.

: Right.

Beau Newsome: yeah and the old store, you can find a little corner away from everything and.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: The old store the old location was like a bookstore.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: that's what it.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: was like you go in you browse you sit down you read about stuff you decide what you're going to take any people about it too.

Beau Newsome: yeah yeah one thing, too, is it was so wide open you didn't feel if there was three other people in the store and the all the new location, you were kind of like all right i'm ready to go like i'm gonna get out of here feels a little too cramped yeah.

Beau Newsome: yeah cuz did you start to.

Beau Newsome: Now, you said you were a member of the co op you did do that did you do the pay in increments thing or did you do up front.

Beau Newsome: I become a member.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: I didn't up front.

Beau Newsome: and

Beau Newsome: You kind of talked a little bit about of it, but how how did, that the Court change from like mainstream or Howard Hughes video at the Main Street location.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: You know I don't I mean I don't really know I know how my like it changed my perception I don't know how much of this is rooted in reality, I just got really worried.

Beau Newsome: yeah just.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Just felt like um.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: It was a little bit less of this like weird quirky people really want it here kind of place and more of this like we're you know communities, important and we're really trying to hang on to this but we're clearly trouble.

Beau Newsome: grasping at straws kind of a thing.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah that's kind of how it that's kind of how it felt um so I guess, I felt I felt more like.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: I don't know, I guess, I mean I, how do I put this I felt more like.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: i'm trying to keep this thing going that was important to me, but.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: it's um.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah it felt different that's probably explanation.

Beau Newsome: No it's good it's that seems to be the consensus, you know it's like there was a lot of people that just wanted to keep going but.

Beau Newsome: again.

Beau Newsome: You know lifestyles change, people are renting as much there's other options out there, but I think people really wanted it to stay there, even though maybe they weren't renting every day and.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah and.

Beau Newsome: I think it was inevitable, but unless there was some sort of angel investor or something that.

Beau Newsome: It was a good try.

Beau Newsome: Because there was, I think it was the last like the last attempt to keep it to keep it going so.

Beau Newsome: You did your part.

Beau Newsome: 1711771 kept right.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: But there are so many you know it's it's there are so many titles that Howard Hughes had that you can't find anywhere.

Beau Newsome: No, you can't.

Beau Newsome: Although you know the University of Idaho did get some so that's kind of what spawned this whole thing.

Beau Newsome: kenworthy did get all the criterion collection.

Beau Newsome: And all the French movies, and all a lot of the critics choice okay.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: hold on.

Beau Newsome: yeah cuz there's a French film festival wsu and you have I do so, they wanted to keep them for that, so you can still rent you can't rent the movies, but you can rent out the kenworthy and watch whatever you want that they have so that's one way of this library living on a little bit.

: yeah.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: i'll have to do that sometime just have a film a film party.

Beau Newsome: All you gotta do is get 10 people to.

Beau Newsome: it'd be worth it, I think, as far as the money goes but.

Beau Newsome: Do you remember where you were when you heard it actually close to stores during.

Beau Newsome: shut down.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yep I was at work at the women's Center you have, I and my co workers partner was managing it when it.

Beau Newsome: Oh, who is that.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Her name is Jackie sodano in his name is Connor what's connors last name.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: o'rourke o'rourke yep.

Beau Newsome: I interviewed him.

Beau Newsome: So yeah okay I didn't okay I didn't know you knew Connor yeah.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Oh yeah yeah.

Beau Newsome: yeah.

Beau Newsome: How.

Beau Newsome: You probably weren't shocked.

: No.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: I was sad yeah oh yeah she told me that it was it was shutting down.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: So I remember going in there, and you know renting something as well, I still could.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Sure, it was nice to have it a chance to say goodbye to it.

Beau Newsome: There you go.

Beau Newsome: One one bright aspect of it yeah um do you think you'd still be renting there if it was still open today.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: I do, I do um there are things I want to see I can't find anywhere else.

Beau Newsome: I know that's yeah that's that's one of the big bombers his.

Beau Newsome: Collection was so good.

: mm hmm yeah but.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: I remember to something I really liked about Howard Hughes was you know I would I would go through phases, where I just wanted to watch like you know.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: A specific actor and just see what they've been in and Howard Hughes just always had several options.

Beau Newsome: You know.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: And there's just not really any place, you can do that no.

Beau Newsome: house oh algorithms.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: uh huh yeah and even if you, you know, even if you're on imdb and you search for somebody and you find out they've been in like 10 films like you might find two of those streaming, but I just you know I mean, especially if they're not like really mainstream.

Beau Newsome: Where you theater goer did you go to movie here.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: uh yeah I did.

Beau Newsome: Okay, she did that on top of renting.

Beau Newsome: videos as well.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah I mean, yes, not as much because i'm there were lots of movies, I wanted to see I couldn't see in the theater around here and then like you know when I was coming in, oh 607 like it was a lot cheaper to rent DVDs and it was to go to theater but I was going to the theater to.

Beau Newsome: yeah some people just they just didn't go to theaters and they waited for us to get the new releases and that was that's how they consume their new.

Beau Newsome: movies, but.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: I did both.

Beau Newsome: Are you still in contact with anybody.

Beau Newsome: I guess other customers are.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: uh huh yeah yep i'm still in contact with renee when I went there with many times and still in contact with Connor.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Okay um and he actually gave me one of my favorite movie recommendations from from there.

Beau Newsome: Oh yeah tell me about that.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: He recommended first reformed.

Beau Newsome: Oh yeah haha yeah.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: And he did so kind of reluctant Lee in maybe that's because I worked with his partner, and he was like I don't know you'll like it, but.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: I hope you do.

Beau Newsome: I had some some dark movie tastes but.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah, but I just really, really liked it like it was a movie that made me put my phone down and.

Beau Newsome: look up the actors afterwards and, like the.

Beau Newsome: director and stuff.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah yeah it was dark, but it was just yeah I mean it was dark and it was uncomfortable um you know and, like the EU, the climate change stuff likes.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: There, so I mean it was just so good in it was so beautiful and I really liked it a lot.

Beau Newsome: Oh cool.

Beau Newsome: And our mutual friend cheryl.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Oh yeah i'm sure i'm going to see here this weekend.

Beau Newsome: Are you really are you going traveling.

Beau Newsome: know.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: come up and see me.

Beau Newsome: Oh cool maybe I can she can squeeze in an interview I she's here.

Beau Newsome: But yeah it's cheryl worked for me for a little bit at the Main Street Star and but she she was a long time renter and stuff like that.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: He had some really good she had some really good movie he would yeah she had she saw some obscure films, I never would have I don't think discovered.

Beau Newsome: yeah I wanted to talk to her about this when she took her trip to Italy, she came in and rented like some of the classic Italian movies, like know Al pacino and.

Beau Newsome: Cinema parody CMO and stuff like that and white bicycle fees and things like that yeah.

: yeah.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: I have a couple of college friends who recently moved back to the area they used to go to Howard Hughes a lot their movie tastes are much different than mine but they rented a lot there to.

Beau Newsome: Cover that Who are they.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: There are Lindsay and Aaron.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: A couple forever.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: We graduated together, but they like.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: They like kid movies, a lot, which is good, because they have a kid now.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: But they were less than to the obscure stuff but they went there quite a bit to it when we were in college.

Beau Newsome: Oh cool.

Beau Newsome: um.

Beau Newsome: I know.

Beau Newsome: Is there any like memorable moments at the store that you remember, I.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: have one with you.

Beau Newsome: You do okay yeah.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: um I read, I read Jane fonda's auto biography.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Like in 2009 anyway, and so I was just really interested in her films, like her early films after that I remember, I went and rented clues and I wanted to rent Barber ella.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: mm hmm and of course Howard Hughes had them both.

: Both.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: And I.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: I asked you, where I could find Barbara rela you found it and you're like oh that that opening scene, where she's like coming out so hot.

Beau Newsome: slow motion floating in air undressing.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: read that that was a really.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: physically painful experience for her.

Beau Newsome: Oh, I didn't read that.

Beau Newsome: part.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: But that was, I mean things like that were so fun about renting from Howard Hughes like going and getting like just like you know of course you've seen Barber ella.

Beau Newsome: Right yeah.

Beau Newsome: yeah and we love like you know some speaking for a lot of other employees, but we love giving recommendations we love being able to answer questions like people will give us two lines of a movie be like oh yeah that's turn ah, you know something like that.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: That was fun to the the trivia on the board.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: mm hmm I rarely got it, but it was really exciting when I.

Beau Newsome: was sometimes I asked, would you remember any of the trivia questions that were up there.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: I can't remember I can't remember any specifically I just remember, most of the time I didn't know and the couple of times I did I was like.

Beau Newsome: walk out a little taller that day that's right.

Beau Newsome: that's cool i'm well how are you consuming your movies now.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Well, you know um maybe like a lot of people i'm consuming consuming more TV shows.

Beau Newsome: hmm did you rent a lot of TV from the video store.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: I did actually um.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah I think that's how I watched all of the Friday night lights collection.

Beau Newsome: Great show.

Beau Newsome: I.

Beau Newsome: I recommend that all the time, but everybody's like.

Beau Newsome: i'm not gonna watch that.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Well, you know what I really do like that show probably one of wanted to rent it on taylor's watch.

Beau Newsome: But I do like that Joe Taylor told me to watch it.

Beau Newsome: Oh yeah.

Beau Newsome: yeah cuz yeah we both we both loved it we recommend it to people all the time.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: that's.

Beau Newsome: college or high school mellow drama about Texas football.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: it's so good.

Beau Newsome: Yes, it is I tell people, to this day.

Beau Newsome: still tell people to watch it yeah.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: I when I when I moved to Moscow in 2006 I had never seen friends before.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah so I rented I rented that from Howard Hughes as well, I was like I might as well check out this part of the culture.

Beau Newsome: And the verdict.

Beau Newsome: Right okay.

Beau Newsome: um.

Beau Newsome: You know.

Beau Newsome: chantelle they used to work for us at the video store.

Beau Newsome: back when it was the big store on fifth street you'd be like we got to get friends on DVD we got to get friends and I remember being like it'll never rent it'll never rent so we finally got it if it was one of our biggest renters of all.

Beau Newsome: yeah yeah so I was wrong on that one.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: um I also rented quite a lot of the Bob newhart show.

: Oh.

Beau Newsome: not to be confused with just new heart.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Oh, I rented out to banker oh yeah.

Beau Newsome: Which one came first.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Bob newhart show.

: Okay.

Beau Newsome: Was that the one where he was a psychologist or is that the one where.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: And then new heart he's the innkeeper the.

Beau Newsome: innkeeper yes that's right okay.

Beau Newsome: um so usually you mentioned one recommendation, do you have any other recommendations that somebody.

Beau Newsome: Do you remember, getting a recommendation at the video store.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Trying to look up the name of this film and I could never find it there was somebody who i'm see I can't even remember I can't remember who he was he was young ish he had dark hair This is like not going to help you at all, but um I went my sister was in town.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: And I was like you gotta come check out this awesome video store I go to all the time and we went and.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: This guy behind the counter was flirting with her pretty heavily and recommended this this movie I can't even remember what it was we didn't even get through it, it was terrible.

Beau Newsome: No, I want to know who it was and what movie but.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: I don't I feel like it wasn't someone who works there for very long, but I was that was my sister's first impression of our.

Beau Newsome: letter is employees and not very good recommendations.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: But I assured her they they had Greece to so.

Beau Newsome: Do you have any do you personally have any recommendations of something you've watched recently.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Something that I watched recently.

Beau Newsome: movie or TV either either one.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: um i've really fallen in love with search party.

Beau Newsome: Oh yeah.

Beau Newsome: The TV show yeah.

Beau Newsome: it's great you know.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Pretty weird.

Beau Newsome: If i'm thinking of is it have, maybe from arrested development alia.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: I can't remember her name.

Beau Newsome: yeah there was one there was one season and that that was it right.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: No, there are five.

Beau Newsome: What.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah yeah it was on tbs for one or two seasons and and then the.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: One or maybe two.

Beau Newsome: I think it was two yes.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Like a three year hiatus.

Beau Newsome: yeah.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Where is it now HBO.

Beau Newsome: Really HBO Max.

Beau Newsome: Oh boy i'm gonna have to look that up because it kind of ended with a cliffhanger and i'm like well that's how it ends, I guess.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah it's been renewed for another season.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Okay yeah.

Beau Newsome: wow that's cool that's that's good it's good news because I was a big fan of that show so that's.

: that's a.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah that's a fun one.

Beau Newsome: hipster New York show yeah.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Oh yeah I just love the making fun of millennials to and.

Beau Newsome: Well, in the fact to that they.

Beau Newsome: In episode of search party.

Beau Newsome: they're filming an episode of girls on the streets of New York City.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Oh, my gosh I missed that that's awesome.

Beau Newsome: yeah, I think, or maybe they are maybe there was one other New York or maybe it was a broad city or something.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Oh, I love bronson.

Beau Newsome: But it brought like.

Beau Newsome: All three of them together like search party girls and broad city, yes.

Beau Newsome: yeah that's cool that's good that's a good recommendation.

Beau Newsome: yeah cuz cuz now I can track it down.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: No catch up yeah.

Beau Newsome: yeah.

Beau Newsome: cool so.

Beau Newsome: Is there anything we've talked about that you haven't talked about that you want to.

Beau Newsome: about the video store.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: I miss it.

Beau Newsome: As we all do yeah.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah I just feel like there are, I mean something that's kind of.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: A bummer for me to is well not having access to this, you know the titles that I used to but.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: By now, I have a kid and there are lots of like there are lots of shows I watched as a kid you can't find.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: I just know Howard Hughes would have them right.

Beau Newsome: Sure, have you have you shared a movie with your kid that.

Beau Newsome: You grew up watching that they're watching now.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: i'm the only success i've had.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: with him liking, something that I liked as a kid is David the gnome, which was a nickelodeon show.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Okay yeah yeah um.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: I liked I liked some strange like I want to know if they're strange or not, but like I I liked a cartoon movie called Canada and Mimi that i'm just like you can't find that anywhere.

Beau Newsome: it's like a video store did we even have it.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Well, I didn't look.

Beau Newsome: Okay, that doesn't sound familiar.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Okay it's like it's this cartoon that takes place in China and it's it's kind of weird but they still have it and there's another cartoon I like to call the reluctant dragon can't find it anywhere.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Just like stuff that i'm like gosh I bet Howard Hughes would have some stuff.

Beau Newsome: yeah we had some of those obscure.

Beau Newsome: Even family movies, you know yeah, let alone are called classics but we had just obscure family movies, know that.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Also, I supervise some jen's ears now.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: And I was just talking at a staff meeting, I made a reference to the dark Crystal and they were like what is that in so I.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: I put a map it from there on our teams channel and they were like this is scary.

Beau Newsome: Over these kids.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: A 2324.

Beau Newsome: Oh well, it should they should know because didn't the netflix do a reboot of dark crystal.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: None of them had heard of that reboot yeah I was asking them, have you seen.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: labyrinth legend like you know there were like wow I wish I could say you need to go to Howard Hughes like go check out some stuff.

Beau Newsome: yeah we've.

Beau Newsome: interviewed a couple ui professors that would send students into us, you know it'd be mandatory for them to watch a movie but you know they'd begrudgingly come in and we had a hard time convincing ui students to come in.

Beau Newsome: Well, except for the handful of ones, they would just they would.

Beau Newsome: seek us out and find us, no matter what you know, but a lot of times we just weren't didn't really appeal to the mass college student that's.

: Bad.

Beau Newsome: Well cool I mean that I mean this is, this is what I miss is like having people coming in every day talking movies, giving recommendations hearing recommendations so.

Beau Newsome: doing something like this is the closest thing you know we'll get to our to use video.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah.

Beau Newsome: it's kind of neat it's a neat that they're at least doing this.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: yeah it's pretty cool who who initiated the project did you do that or.

Beau Newsome: um well, it was because I think University of Idaho library was always kind of interested in Howard Hughes his library of movies, and I think they even may have offered to purchase it at one point but whenever they did, I think the price is too high.

Beau Newsome: And then the the shutdown was quick, you know the coven know that just came quick and I.

Beau Newsome: kenworthy got titles, but they were overrun.

Beau Newsome: So they had to sell liquidate some of them and donate a lot of them, and so they donated some to the university library.

Beau Newsome: which then so that, since they have some of the library they're like well let's try and put an oral history to do just because it was a staple in Moscow and.

Beau Newsome: And we've got a lot of good response you know so.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: My mom did go over and buy a bunch of Thomas the train DVDs were selling.

Beau Newsome: At the kenworthy.

Beau Newsome: Oh so that's really went yeah.

Beau Newsome: well.

Beau Newsome: To be perfectly honest, I wasn't worried about the Thomas the train.

: DVDs.

Beau Newsome: A little more worried about the criterion and.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: stuff like that, but yeah.

: yeah.

Beau Newsome: it's good to see they're still intact, but that yeah that's kind of what spawned this whole thing, and you know it's good to see that kenworthy kept.

Beau Newsome: intact as much as I could, as far as having room and stuff like that, and you can it's good to know that you can least watch him.

Beau Newsome: You wanted to rent out the the theater you know.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Well i'm sure that's in my future yeah yeah.

Beau Newsome: it'd be fun, especially if cheryl comes to town, we can.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: mm hmm.

Beau Newsome: get together and watch something cool.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Howard Hughes reunion.

Beau Newsome: or burrell or Greece or something like that.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: You think will come.

Beau Newsome: Well, if you get 10 people I think it's 20 bucks a person So hopefully at least 10.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: I can find 10 people to pay $20 to watch reese to.

Beau Newsome: my sister what.

Beau Newsome: Oh yeah yeah she made me watch I watched as a kid because I had to.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: You know cuz she knows Michelle Pfeiffer is a better role model than olivia Newton john.

: Of course.

Beau Newsome: She was I remember liking as a kid I.

Beau Newsome: And then, as I grow up people are like panning It is like it's just another bad sequel but no it's wonderful.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: it's good.

Beau Newsome: What was the name of the song.

Beau Newsome: cool writer.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Oh wait oh cool writer yep yeah.

Beau Newsome: And you never saw that actor again anything else.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Well caulfield except you did see him an empire records.

Beau Newsome: Oh, he wasn't that okay.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Playing sexy sexy.

Beau Newsome: Oh.

Beau Newsome: There you go yeah so.

Beau Newsome: Well yeah if you don't have any last.

Beau Newsome: remarks about the video star really glad you were able to do this and.

Bekah Miller MacPhee: Oh me too it's really fun.

Beau Newsome: bring back all the memories.

: yeah.

Beau Newsome: yeah well thanks again becca for being a part of this and yeah you want to hang tight i'll just stop recording here, but just once again thanks for doing this.