The Bob Elliott Show Ep. 34 - Peggy Johnson of The Loft Theater in Tucson Arizona

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The following content provided in this show belongs solely to the host and guests, and does not represent the opinions of Live The Dream Media. The content provided in The Bob Elliott Show is for educational and entertainment purposes only.

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In a world of titles, positions, and unfiltered city noise, we forget that people make the job. The job doesn't make the person. Before the success lies an unwritten story. From Wildcats legend and NBA veteran to Tucson community leader, Bob Elliott goes beyond the resume to uncover the heart, grit, and real unedited stories shaping Southern Arizona. Welcome to The Bob Elliott Show.

Exclusively on the Live The Dream Media Streamverse Network.

Bob Elliott (1:04)

Welcome to The Bob Elliott Show.

We love to educate, we love to have fun, and love to get you to meet people in our community that maybe you think you know, but we're gonna find out who they really are. My guest today is Peggy Johnson, who has been tied to The Loft Theater for years and years now. She's the emeritus. So Peggy, welcome to the show.

Peggy Johnson (1:28)

Thank you, nice to see you Bob, I'm flattered to be here.

Bob Elliott (1:30)

Oh, this is, we say you're in the bird's nest. So, you know, my nickname was Big Bird back in the day. So we're in the bird's nest, and we have a good talk. But you know, first thing we love to do is get people to know about you. So let's just, as I like to say, rewind the DVD, tell us where you were born, tell us about siblings and family.

Peggy Johnson (1:51)

Okay, I was born in a little town in Colorado called Lamar. I think of my early life as a black and white movie, and then when I grew up and went to Denver to college, it turned to color kind of.

Because it was a dusty little cow town, but it was great, and most of my memories really have to do with just being with my family and going to every movie that came to the movie theater, and watching a lot of television, a lot of sports, being very involved in elections. My dad, my parents were big into that, and so that was kind of my childhood. I had, you know, just, I think I had a really nice experience growing up.

Bob Elliott (2:33)

Any siblings?

Peggy Johnson (2:34)

Small town. I have a sister who died last year. Oh. One sister.

Bob Elliott (2:40)

Yes, okay. Now, you know, you think about Colorado, I mean, I put everything in relation to Denver, so your town is what direction?

Peggy Johnson (2:48)

My town is basically right above the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandle, and basically part of that culture, that look, you know, the tumbleweeds and the prairie and the Dust Bowl history and all of that.

Bob Elliott (3:03)

So it sounds like a small town.

Peggy Johnson (3:05)

8,000 people. I think it's smaller now.

Bob Elliott (3:08)

Is there, was there one high school?

Peggy Johnson (3:10)

One high school. 100 kids in my class. One high school for the county. Oh my, for the county. Yeah, for the county. It was small.

That's a statement in itself. One kid rode a horse to school. So, you know. For real. For real. Not every day, but it was a cultural, it was, you know, it was, I used to know Larry McMurtry before he died pretty well. And I always told him that HUD and Last Picture Show, is that that was me. And when I saw those movies, it was like, oh, people from this part of the country, maybe we can be interesting.

Bob Elliott (3:46)

Now that's, that's amazing. You know, you get that small town feel, which I mean, I was talking to somebody yesterday.

What's attractive to a lot of us here in Tucson, is it does have a small town feel. There should be one stoplight at Stone and Broadway. Even though we have a million people in this metropolis.

Peggy Johnson (4:05)

And don't you get impatient if you have to wait one light?

Bob Elliott (4:08)

I know, yeah, yeah, no, no. And I just came back from being in San Francisco yesterday. It's like, oh no, no, no, no. That's not the kind of life that I want to live.

Peggy Johnson (4:15)

That traffic is.

Bob Elliott (4:16)

So what about college?

Peggy Johnson (4:18)

I went to the University of Denver for two years. And then I dropped out to protest the Vietnam War and be a hippie for a couple of years.