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Meet Larry Ratliff

Today we’d like to introduce you to Larry Ratliff.

Larry, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was riding high as a nationally known, award-winning Dallas/San Antonio-based film critic in 2008 when the bottom began to fall out of the newspaper business. The price of newspaper ink had gone up just as newspaper advertising was going south, and I don’t mean to South Padre Island for a beach holiday.

More and more advertisers took the internet plunge and left newspapers behind. The writing was on the wall that layoffs loomed in newsrooms across the U.S. I preferred to look the other way; at movie screens and larger-than-life scenarios that involved Spider-men, comedies, drama, and romance where almost any problem could be solved by the time the end credits rolled.

On a Friday in early January 2009, just as I was rushing out the door to catch an early matinee, the phone rang. It was my newspaper editor calling from San Antonio. “That’s odd,” I thought, “Why would he be calling me. Me?” In less than five minutes, he apologized for not doing this grisly task in person, talked about how much it hurt him, then fired me and moved on to the next call to apologize for not doing that grisly task in person and, I assume, moved on to the next dedicated journalist whose job, career and life’s passion was about to be shattered.

I was stunned, then mad, then panicked about what to do next. I pouted for about three weeks.

Then, I got busy to reinvent myself. Thanks to encouragement from my wife Suellen, and two mentors, and friends, I created “Movie Memories with Larry Ratliff,” a unique public speaking business where I share my love for movies with behind-the-scenes insight, historical facts, and humor.

Has it been a smooth road?
It wasn’t easy at first. I was doing something that, to my knowledge, no one had attempted before. “What do you do, just show movies?” one potential client after another would ask before they said, “We already have Movie Night.”

Once I got over that hump by explaining that while I show some movie clips in my presentations, “Movie Memories” is theme-based with subjects such as “Life Lessons I’ve Learned at the Movies,” “Hollywood’s Great Romantic Scenes” and “‘Casablanca — Hollywood’s Classic Happy Accident,'” just to name a few.

There were also equipment issues. Some meeting rooms had projection and sound equipment, others didn’t. I solved that by buying my own equipment: a quality projector, sound system and speakers and portable screen.

I was able to perform anywhere and I was on my way.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Movie Memories with Larry Ratliff story. Tell us more about it.
Almost everyone loves movies. They take us places we will never get to visit in person. They allow us to take chances and face danger and delight from the safety of a movie seat. Movie Memories with Larry Ratliff heightens, rekindles or ignites memories of those moments in our lives when something truly magical happens on movie screens.

I now offer more than two dozen Movie Memories presentations. I’ve written a book of humorous essays titled “Did I Write That Out Loud? — We Might As Well Laugh, It’s Only Life.” And, just to make sure I don’t get too complacent, I’ve added stand-up comedy (“We Might As Well Laugh”) to my list of presentations.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Public speaking is a challenging business. There are thousands of speakers out there and event planners, corporate planners, activity directors and others looking for just the right person to match up with their needs.

I’m proud to say that I’m still the only speaker I know who spent decades traveling the world interviewing A-list movie stars and celebrities who now shares the highs and lows of a long journalistic journey with audiences.

I was not a spring chicken when my original career path was upended, so reinvention was the only option. I love what I’m doing now because I get to travel the U.S. doing what I truly love, meeting new people and entertaining them with revived movie memories and humor.

I am not rich. I’m something better. I am enriched.

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3 Comments

  1. Sue Bullock

    March 8, 2019 at 6:51 pm

    I live at Highland Springs, an active retirement community, in north Dallas. I moved here from San Antonio, TX, in 2009–the same year Larry was fired. I loved to read Larry’s “jalapeño” movie reviews and found him more reliable than Roger Ebert for my taste and funnier, too! Imagine my delight when I discovered that our Activities Director booked one of his first Movie Memories presentations! (I had no idea what had happened to end his newspaper career). He’s given several ore stations here over the last 10 years; all of which I’ve enjoyed, especially ‘“Casablanca”. Thanks for the interview with Larry—I’m looking forward to telling him myself the next time he comes!

    • Sue Bullock

      March 8, 2019 at 6:53 pm

      Please correct “ore stations” to “more presentations” -s

    • Larry Ratliff

      March 13, 2019 at 8:26 pm

      Thanks for the kind words, Sue. I’m looking forward to my next visit to Highland Springs.

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