Recently found a postcard showing a handsome little 2-story corner building, modest ArtDeco style, a marquee with “The Strand” on the front and one visible side – no changeable letter boards. Looks like Tullahoma (which I’ve always heard pronounced TEL-ah-HOHM-ah)had a pretty little downtown, with the Stand Theatre the one jazz-baby on a street of genteel Victorians.
It is worth a footnote here that it really is named the Sarratt Cinema. Not to be confused with the similarly named Scaritt College, absorbed by Vanderbilt some decades ago.
Ron Allen’s research on the Crystal says the following:
“The Crystal originally opened as a silent movie theater at 425 South Gay Street. The theater was renamed the Ritz Theater in 1930, adding vaudeville entertainment. Later, it moved to 31 Market Square and again assumed the original name of the Crystal Theater.”
In 1935 there is a different theatre on Western Avenue using the name “Ritz.”
Here is a further link with a fairly comprehensive list of pre-1950 theatres in Knoxville. His comments listed as the Auditorium and Bijous are particularly interesting.
Yeah, it’s cooler here in the hills of East Tennessee. Those cotton fields get steamy. Though, that’s sort of the whole point of a drive in, isn’t it? Actually, back on topic, what’s the story behind a brand new drive in? There’re aren’t many people expecting to make a living on any single screen anything, let alone a drive in.
Randall, thanks for the correction. I was drawing on the Junchen “Illustrated History” but must have confused the list. Easy to blame the darn bifocals. Having played a couple of services at Central Methodist I’ve found the Moller to be a truely uninspired instrument despite having something around 60 ranks. I wouldn’t call it orchestral in the least. The oral history I heard was that the Wurlitzer went there after WWII, but it doesn’t surprise me that it was earlier. I agree with you 100% on the Tennessee Wurlitzer being a fine example of an updated original installation.
Google Earth has a nice photo of the River Breeze site (see address above). Though the screen is long gone, the parking lot and its curved rows are still clearly visible. The entrance drive is also clearly visible, though some newer buildings seem to have been constructed across it. Or is that the box office? Is that the projection/concessions building still standing in the middle of the site? I’ve never been to the flea market even just to poke around looking for drive-in artifacts.
The site of the Knoxville Drive-In was cleared and a shopping center built there in the mid-1990’s. The shopping center now stands almost completely empty with no anchor and only one or two small store-front tenants. There is a commemorative plaque mentioning the drive-in and the brick yard which preceded it.
The drive-in’s south edge bordered the busy Southern Railroad main line. Wonder what it was like to be sitting in the back seat of an un-airconditioned 1955 Chevy, not watching the movie, as a mile of heavily laden coal cars thundered past every half hour?
Bob, There is a red-brick 1950’s era colonial house still standing on the River Breeze property. Was this part of the screen tower? I’ve seen a couple of designs (in old trade journals) where the screen tower sort of grew out of the house. The house would be where the manager and his family lived. It was one twisted architect that came up with that idea!
There’s a great book waiting to be written about growing up living in the base of the drive-in movie theatre screen.
The Riviera was Knoxville’s finest purpose-built movie theatre between 1920 and 1928. It was only superceded when the palacial Tennessee Theatre opened a block away.
In its last years, the Riviera had a large mural of Charlie Chaplin painted on the exterior rear wall which was visible from the business loop road that ran behind the theatre.
After the Riviera was torn down, the site was used as a parking lot. Nearing completion on this site is the new Regal Riviera Stadium 8: a completely new, 2000 seat facility with very consious nods to movie palace design. The Regal Riviera is set to open in the late summer or early fall of 2007.
There were two Wurlitzer organs in the old Riviera. The first was a style E-X (2-manuals, seven ranks, in two chambers) opus 355 dated October 14, 1920. The 2nd was another style E-X, opus 1357, dated June 9 1926. Reflecting on the considerable cost of even a small Wurlitzer, it seems odd that the Riviera’s owners saw fit to replace their 6 year old organ with another of the same design. The “why’s and what-fors” of that story are likely lost to time.
Opus 1357 remained in the theatre until just after World War II when it was given to Central Methodist Church, Knoxville. The Methodists kept the organ until 1960 when it was replaced by a (forgetable IMHO) Moller church organ. It was Moller’s practice when replacing an organ, that the older instrument’s pipes would be taken back to Hagerstown MD and melted down for the pipe metal. The wooden parts would be sent to the dump. Moller wanted no competition from used organs on the market.
Interesting that the Lyric Theatre (q.v.) operated at 109 West Vine some years previously. Looking at the Sanborne Fire maps of the area, these both appear to have been small storefronts.
Celloman, the Robert Morton is under the able care of John Hiltonsmith of Memphis. The management company is VERY supportive of the organ, knows its history and value and fully intends to maintain the organ in as close to original form as possible. That said, the economics involved in just getting the building open again are considerable. Word from John (who is also staff organist at the Memphis Orpheum and an award winning, multi-faceted, professional musician) is that the flood damage was minimal – confined to the blower and lower half of the console. The chambers were untouched – see my note from November 29 2005 above. The console suffered less damage than would be expected, it can be rebuilt rather than replaced. Obviously we can’t fault them for not tackling the organ project before the venue itself is repaired.
The cashier at the Malco (Orpheum) a half-block south was killed by a gun man around the time of the 1968 riots. I never heard anything about a murder at the Princess, but it certainly isn’t beyond the relm of possibility.
LM, yes that is the place, even says so in the realestate listing. If I’m not mistaken, the vertical sign is visible in the photo all the way to the right. However, a capacity of 485 must be a typo. I’d expect it to be more in the neighborhood of 1000.
Tim, do I remember correctly that Knoxville’s Bijou was also closed (temporarily)when the Tennessee opened? Was the Bijou also controlled by Paramount-Publix at the time? How many other halls closed in the wake of the Tennessee’s opening? Publix all but had a monopoly on the theatres in Knoxville didn’t they?
Dear D30678
Only the nouveau riche sit closer than Orchestra Center, row C. Which has had me resting my chin on the foot lights at many shows. I’ll take row B balcony any day. Avoid row A balcony if you’re over four feet tall. The stage is 50+ feet wide and you just can’t see it all if you’re right up on it.
Lee, THANK YOU for writing. Please write in with ANY memory of what the Princess looked like. Same for the Suzore. Thus far, no photos or descriptions have turned up for either hall. Sometimes childhood memories can be vivid.
If you were downtown during the early ‘50’s surely you went to the Strand, the two Loew’s theatres and the Malco. Hope you’ll reminisce about all of them.
WHW, thank you. I had completely forgotten about the collage behind the concession stand. It realy was the only decorative element in any MALCO hall that I ever visited and it was WELL done.
Recently found a postcard showing a handsome little 2-story corner building, modest ArtDeco style, a marquee with “The Strand” on the front and one visible side – no changeable letter boards. Looks like Tullahoma (which I’ve always heard pronounced TEL-ah-HOHM-ah)had a pretty little downtown, with the Stand Theatre the one jazz-baby on a street of genteel Victorians.
Somebody please explain how a theatre came to be combined with a bus station and parking garage. Is the interior more interesting than the exterior?
It is worth a footnote here that it really is named the Sarratt Cinema. Not to be confused with the similarly named Scaritt College, absorbed by Vanderbilt some decades ago.
Ron Allen’s research on the Crystal says the following:
“The Crystal originally opened as a silent movie theater at 425 South Gay Street. The theater was renamed the Ritz Theater in 1930, adding vaudeville entertainment. Later, it moved to 31 Market Square and again assumed the original name of the Crystal Theater.”
In 1935 there is a different theatre on Western Avenue using the name “Ritz.”
http://www.knology.net/~ronallen/Theaters.htm
According to the website listed below, the Bonita reopened as the Cable Theatre in 1913, though that contradicts my own research.
http://www.knology.net/~ronallen/Theaters.htm
Here is a further link with a fairly comprehensive list of pre-1950 theatres in Knoxville. His comments listed as the Auditorium and Bijous are particularly interesting.
http://www.knology.net/~ronallen/Theaters.htm
Nice bit of research here.
View link
Additional link here.
View link
Additional link here, some nice research by Ron Allen.
View link
Interesting bit of research here by Ron Allen.
View link
A couple of links to newspaper articles:
View link
View link
Yeah, it’s cooler here in the hills of East Tennessee. Those cotton fields get steamy. Though, that’s sort of the whole point of a drive in, isn’t it? Actually, back on topic, what’s the story behind a brand new drive in? There’re aren’t many people expecting to make a living on any single screen anything, let alone a drive in.
Randall, thanks for the correction. I was drawing on the Junchen “Illustrated History” but must have confused the list. Easy to blame the darn bifocals. Having played a couple of services at Central Methodist I’ve found the Moller to be a truely uninspired instrument despite having something around 60 ranks. I wouldn’t call it orchestral in the least. The oral history I heard was that the Wurlitzer went there after WWII, but it doesn’t surprise me that it was earlier. I agree with you 100% on the Tennessee Wurlitzer being a fine example of an updated original installation.
Google Earth has a nice photo of the River Breeze site (see address above). Though the screen is long gone, the parking lot and its curved rows are still clearly visible. The entrance drive is also clearly visible, though some newer buildings seem to have been constructed across it. Or is that the box office? Is that the projection/concessions building still standing in the middle of the site? I’ve never been to the flea market even just to poke around looking for drive-in artifacts.
The site of the Knoxville Drive-In was cleared and a shopping center built there in the mid-1990’s. The shopping center now stands almost completely empty with no anchor and only one or two small store-front tenants. There is a commemorative plaque mentioning the drive-in and the brick yard which preceded it.
The drive-in’s south edge bordered the busy Southern Railroad main line. Wonder what it was like to be sitting in the back seat of an un-airconditioned 1955 Chevy, not watching the movie, as a mile of heavily laden coal cars thundered past every half hour?
Bob, There is a red-brick 1950’s era colonial house still standing on the River Breeze property. Was this part of the screen tower? I’ve seen a couple of designs (in old trade journals) where the screen tower sort of grew out of the house. The house would be where the manager and his family lived. It was one twisted architect that came up with that idea!
There’s a great book waiting to be written about growing up living in the base of the drive-in movie theatre screen.
The Riviera was Knoxville’s finest purpose-built movie theatre between 1920 and 1928. It was only superceded when the palacial Tennessee Theatre opened a block away.
In its last years, the Riviera had a large mural of Charlie Chaplin painted on the exterior rear wall which was visible from the business loop road that ran behind the theatre.
After the Riviera was torn down, the site was used as a parking lot. Nearing completion on this site is the new Regal Riviera Stadium 8: a completely new, 2000 seat facility with very consious nods to movie palace design. The Regal Riviera is set to open in the late summer or early fall of 2007.
There were two Wurlitzer organs in the old Riviera. The first was a style E-X (2-manuals, seven ranks, in two chambers) opus 355 dated October 14, 1920. The 2nd was another style E-X, opus 1357, dated June 9 1926. Reflecting on the considerable cost of even a small Wurlitzer, it seems odd that the Riviera’s owners saw fit to replace their 6 year old organ with another of the same design. The “why’s and what-fors” of that story are likely lost to time.
Opus 1357 remained in the theatre until just after World War II when it was given to Central Methodist Church, Knoxville. The Methodists kept the organ until 1960 when it was replaced by a (forgetable IMHO) Moller church organ. It was Moller’s practice when replacing an organ, that the older instrument’s pipes would be taken back to Hagerstown MD and melted down for the pipe metal. The wooden parts would be sent to the dump. Moller wanted no competition from used organs on the market.
Interesting that the Lyric Theatre (q.v.) operated at 109 West Vine some years previously. Looking at the Sanborne Fire maps of the area, these both appear to have been small storefronts.
Celloman, the Robert Morton is under the able care of John Hiltonsmith of Memphis. The management company is VERY supportive of the organ, knows its history and value and fully intends to maintain the organ in as close to original form as possible. That said, the economics involved in just getting the building open again are considerable. Word from John (who is also staff organist at the Memphis Orpheum and an award winning, multi-faceted, professional musician) is that the flood damage was minimal – confined to the blower and lower half of the console. The chambers were untouched – see my note from November 29 2005 above. The console suffered less damage than would be expected, it can be rebuilt rather than replaced. Obviously we can’t fault them for not tackling the organ project before the venue itself is repaired.
The cashier at the Malco (Orpheum) a half-block south was killed by a gun man around the time of the 1968 riots. I never heard anything about a murder at the Princess, but it certainly isn’t beyond the relm of possibility.
LM, yes that is the place, even says so in the realestate listing. If I’m not mistaken, the vertical sign is visible in the photo all the way to the right. However, a capacity of 485 must be a typo. I’d expect it to be more in the neighborhood of 1000.
Tim, do I remember correctly that Knoxville’s Bijou was also closed (temporarily)when the Tennessee opened? Was the Bijou also controlled by Paramount-Publix at the time? How many other halls closed in the wake of the Tennessee’s opening? Publix all but had a monopoly on the theatres in Knoxville didn’t they?
Dear D30678
Only the nouveau riche sit closer than Orchestra Center, row C. Which has had me resting my chin on the foot lights at many shows. I’ll take row B balcony any day. Avoid row A balcony if you’re over four feet tall. The stage is 50+ feet wide and you just can’t see it all if you’re right up on it.
Cheers!
Lee, THANK YOU for writing. Please write in with ANY memory of what the Princess looked like. Same for the Suzore. Thus far, no photos or descriptions have turned up for either hall. Sometimes childhood memories can be vivid.
If you were downtown during the early ‘50’s surely you went to the Strand, the two Loew’s theatres and the Malco. Hope you’ll reminisce about all of them.
WHW, thank you. I had completely forgotten about the collage behind the concession stand. It realy was the only decorative element in any MALCO hall that I ever visited and it was WELL done.