Miller Theatre

708 Broad Street,
Augusta, GA 30901

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Showing 76 - 100 of 222 comments

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on March 22, 2011 at 7:49 pm

YEAH, they turned into a Fancy Nightclub,that lasted a few months,But she is still standing for private parties,now I think.

HenrySchmidt
HenrySchmidt on March 21, 2011 at 10:24 pm

Thanks, Mike. The Friends website doesn’t seem to change much; unless I’m missing something there, I don’t find much current news. I’m happy to hear that the Modjeska survives; I thought only the Broad St. façade still existed. Yes, Augusta is very fortunate to have these treasures!

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on March 21, 2011 at 8:24 pm

I don’t know.Everyone in the Arts would love to have the Miller going,but The Imperial is across the street.It is a tad smaller about 800 seats.we had more when it played movies.A new roof was put on the Miller.FRIENDS OF THE MILLER,which is on CT could probably answer alot of Questions.At least Augusta saved the MODJESKA,IMPERIAL and MILLER Theatres.

HenrySchmidt
HenrySchmidt on March 21, 2011 at 2:08 pm

My memory of the Imperial stage was that it is no wider than the Miller’s, maybe not even as wide, but I suppose the stage house is deeper. The Miller stage would be more suitable for symphony concerts, as has been contemplated, if the lift were operable. When raised to stage level, one would gain significant front-to-back floor area (equal to that of the pit opening, obviously).The problem will be lighting this stage setup for reading music, which I imagine would involve breaking through the ceiling and dropping pipe stanchions and the whole ugly mess of theatrical necessity along with it. And the second big problem is the acoustic of the hall. Movie houses, which rely on amplified sound, are very often not suited to purely acoustical music, as a symphony orchestra is by nature. I’m sure these and other considerations have already been thought of. And by the way, what IS the present status of Peter Knox’s gift offer of the Miller to the Augusta Symphony?

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on March 19, 2011 at 12:27 pm

Yes, they had a full orchestra for ballets and operas.Tight,but we got them all in.I have pictures of almost every room in the Miller.The Elevator I don’t think was working.The Dressing rooms were much nicer than the IMPERIAL’s across the street,but the Imperial had a larger stage.

HenrySchmidt
HenrySchmidt on March 19, 2011 at 10:19 am

So Mike, do you know whether the pit elevator was actually in working order at that time? And was there a real live orchestra in the pit for “Carmen”? What about the Hammond organ? Was it still there at the time? (This was c. 1983, right?). I would love to have been able to explore all parts of the Miller when it was in good shape. I never got backstage (I got close once, but didn’t have the nerve) or the basement, dressing rooms, projection room (the Holy Grail!) etc. I assume that entry to the pit was from under the stage. What about that staircase next to the manager’s office—-where did that go?

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on March 18, 2011 at 8:46 pm

I worked as a Stagehand on “CARMEN” we spent weeks fixing up the dressing rooms downstairs and getting it ready for the Opera and Ballet.I put the Marquee up on “CARMEN” the only one I ever did Downtown,even though I worked the Imperial as an Doorman and later Assistant Mgr..I have a picture of “Carmen” that I hope my friend Nick in Tampa will get on since he has a printer,Shows the set and most of the stage.I don’t think we used the pit Elevator at all, Henry 41.

HenrySchmidt
HenrySchmidt on March 15, 2011 at 9:59 am

Sorry about that dead link to the Palace Theater page. This may work better: http://tinyurl.com/5t5kmvs

HenrySchmidt
HenrySchmidt on March 15, 2011 at 9:54 am

The Friends site confirms that there was indeed an elevator pit in the Miller; see this page http://www.friendsofthemiller.com/id4.html, scroll down the list of contractors to “Orchestra and Organ Lifts—-Constructed by Bruckner Mitchell, Inc.”
I never saw an orchestra in the Miller pit, and I doubt if there were many occasions in the working life of the theater when an orchestra would have been used. The “Carmen” performance in 1983 might have been one such. I would venture to guess that the lift had been inoperative for a long time. More and more when I see photos of the Miller interior I am reminded of Radio City Music Hall: the Arte Moderne styling, fabric covered walls, elevator pit, etc. Of course, Radio City holds 6,000 and the Miller “only” 1,500. As a working classical musician for 40 years, I have performed on stage and pit of many theaters, but none with a pit elevator.
I saw movies at all the Broad Street houses as a kid: Rialto, Modjeska, Imperial, Miller. The joke about the Rialto was that you took two sticks with you: one to sit on, and one to beat the rats off. It was a movie house pure and simple (“shoebox” design) and had no stage to speak of AFAIK. The others were real theaters. Vaudeville was staged at the Modjeska and Imperial before my time, but by the advent of the Miller that form of stage entertainment had pretty much vanished nationwide, a victim of the film industry. In corresponding fashion, the movie houses succumbed because of television, among other reasons.
BTW, there is one other surviving theater building in Augusta, the Palace (see http://www.friendsofthemiller.com/id6.html)) The building stands near the site of the late, lamented Union Station. (Why do we always demolish our most important structures? The concept of adaptive reuse has yet to penetrate the noodles of many of our real estate developer geniuses.)

Cajun
Cajun on March 15, 2011 at 9:02 am

I remember the saturday youth revue radio shows and listened when I didn’t attend the live show which was followed by a youth oriented movie and cartoons(no serial or b-westerns) before the regular saturday feature schedule began. I really thought it was cool that they had a visible applause meter on stage for the talent judging.

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on March 14, 2011 at 10:37 pm

Thanks Henry,plez add more to our Augusta theatres,can’t get many locals interested about CT.

HenrySchmidt
HenrySchmidt on March 14, 2011 at 9:14 pm

By the way, the Miller opened on Feb. 26, 1940, and closed in 1985, according to its website http://www.friendsofthemiller.com/ The dates at the top of this page (1938, 1983) are incorrect and should be amended. When I attended the movies at the Miller the theater was only about ten years old, give or take, (same age as I at the time!) and it was scrupulously maintained. I can’t believe the ratty condition of the Miller in the photos; it makes my heart sink. But such is the fate of many old structures; they are real money pits for maintenance.

HenrySchmidt
HenrySchmidt on March 14, 2011 at 8:57 pm

I grew up in Augusta in the 1940s, and was a regular summer visitor throughout the ‘50s, as my grandparents lived there. I saw many movies at the Miller and have many fond memories of this beautiful theater. Does anyone recall the Saturday Youth Review, sponsored by Sancken Diary, a half-hour program broadcast live on Saturday mornings from the stage of the Miller on radio station WGAC, which was located on the second floor of a building just down Broad St. (at the corner of 7th) from the theater. The Miller had a Hammond organ in the pit, and at the beginning of the program it came rising up with the program’s theme song “Smile, Darn Ya, Smile” being played by the organist, Jack——?, who also worked at WGAC. In fact, I believe that the entire orchestra pit was an elevator, not just the organ pad, which would make it most unusual for a small regional theater. Can anyone confirm this? In the years since childhood, I have lived in many cities, including New Orleans, New York, and Rochester, and lived through the Golden Age of Radio as well as the last glory years of the American cinema, but the Miller will always be my “home” theater, and my favorite of all.

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on January 5, 2011 at 6:52 pm

had nice screen too.I never Worked the MILLER as a theatre Employee,did work there as a Stagehand after the movies were gone.

I spent most of time finding movies for the Imperial,National Hills and Columbia 1 and 2 Theatres to put on CT.I did jot down a few of the MILLER’s Movies here are just a few:

June 6 1970 love Clint,“PAINT YOUR WAGON” playing.not one of his favorites.Playing 4 shows daily.

“THE VISTOR” playing Nov.2 1979 a cheap horror movie starring Glenn Ford and John Huston.“WHAT!”

March 3 1975 has “LENNY” still being held over.

“TOWERING INFERNO” leaves the MILLER for WEIS CINEMAS,Big Screen to the joke of town.This on March 3 1975.

April 4 1975 the MILLER has First Run “GODFATHER II” April 4 1975

Nov.28 1969 a sure fire winner,John Wayne “THE UNFEATED”

July 7 1967 the Miller was home to 007.“YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE” opens.
“DIRTY DOZEN” across the Street at the IMPERIAL.

“WATTSSTAX” at the Miller a black Woodstock. Rated R on Feb 24 1978.

June 17 1977 the Miller, like Weis Cinemas used the term “sennsround” loosly “ROLLERCOASTER” opens but not with the Sound effects.The Imperial was the only theatre to have that,I know I help put them in and Universal still owes me and a couple other Ushers from National Hills for the Work. I ain’t forgetting.

Dec 25 1970 Musical “SCROOGE” opens.

June 27 1970 “PAINT YOUR WAGON” is ending its last days at the MILLER.

“COTTON COMES TO HARLEM” pretty good Black film Rated R,Opens Sept 11 1970.

June 20 1975 and first run “TOMMY”.

August 9 1968 has “BANDOLERO” playing. carrying the “M” RATING.

Just only a few of the Good and Bad movies made by Hollywood.

JackCoursey
JackCoursey on January 2, 2011 at 5:15 pm

Nice photo of the interior: Miller Stage

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on November 26, 2010 at 1:47 pm

Whp i can check with Bill and see if he has anything on Scotty and Boots,if he does i will get them on here or the MODJESKA site on CT.

Cajun
Cajun on November 23, 2010 at 8:52 am

Correction to above. The Woolworth store was at 8th and Broad, not 9th. Also, I think Scotty and Boots had a radio show on WRDW whose studios were in the old Masonic Building, also at 8th and Broad next to the Modjeska. I can recall the sidewalks being absolutely jammed, shoulder to shoulder with people. What a pleasure it is to remember simpler times of childhood 60+ years ago.

Cajun
Cajun on November 23, 2010 at 8:43 am

Re: Stage shows. Does anyone remember the husband and wife country music duo Scotty and Boots? Their revue played every Friday and Saturday evening on stage at the Modjeska during the late 1940s. Shockingly, years later Scotty ended up a begger on 9th Street by Woolworths five and dime store.

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on November 22, 2010 at 10:19 pm

Claude Casey shown in the Cwalczak post played alot of shows on stage at the MODJESKA in Augusta,but never at the Miller.This from Bill Barkley retired projectionist.

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on November 12, 2010 at 2:08 pm

I have the AUGUSTA CHRONCILE with the whole front page story on “EVE”,I saved it from the dump.

edblank
edblank on November 10, 2010 at 11:13 am

One correction in the caption under the photo of the Miller marquee for “Three Faces of Eve”: Joanne Woodward may have been unavailable to attend the premiere because she was making a picture with Marlon Brando, but it wasn’t “The Young Lions”; it was “The Fugitive Kind.”

CSWalczak
CSWalczak on November 10, 2010 at 2:16 am

There are some photos related to the world premiere of “The Three Faces of Eve” in 1957 on p. 46 here (you may need to scroll down to see them): http://tinyurl.com/26mv9sb One of the captions provides a fun fact: after a pre-premiere gala at the Bon Air Hotel, the stars and dignitaries were conveyed to the Miller Theater in brand new Edsels.

mdeas19652
mdeas19652 on November 2, 2010 at 9:24 pm

Augusta Amusements announces another event scheduled for Friday December 10th at the Paul Simon Theater. Nick Hilscher and his Big Band will perform “A Swingin' Holiday Featuring the Music of Frank Sinatra”. Matinee concert at 3PM and evening show at 8PM. More information at www.augustaamusements.com

mdeas19652
mdeas19652 on October 9, 2010 at 5:24 pm

Augusta Amusements in partnership with Augusta Landmarks is presenting a Classic Movie Night Saturday, October 30, 2010 at 7PM as a benefit to “Save Augusta’s Historic Theatres”. More information at www.augustaamusements.com

TLSLOEWS
TLSLOEWS on September 5, 2010 at 4:10 pm

No Mike thats the real count.As of that day.