Back in the early 1960’s I came with my parents to some revival meetings at this theater. It probably had stopped being a movie theater. My mother always told me that this theater had two balconies. When I went in the 1970’s they had dropped the ceiling and sealed off the upper balcony.
This is how I remember this auditorium. Before it was the Columbia, it had wall to wall carpet and for a while, you could not bring drinks into the auditorium
To the best of my knowledge, this drive-in closed quite some time before the Thunderbird up the road. It was demolished for a grocery store, probably an A&P. There was also a 24-hour Eckerd Drug Store here. Other smaller businesses were in this strip center.
During the late 1970s someone tried to open a second run theater in this center. It was also called the Forest Park Theater, not to be confused with the other Forest Park listed CT. This theater was a converted storefront. It had about 100 seats. I went there to see The Other Side of the Mountain. Later it showed Airport 1977. It was only opened for anout two months.
There is still a street that runs along the edge of the strip center called Theater Way.
I remember an old book I used to have that showed a picture of Whitehall St. Below Hunter St. In the picture was the J. M. High department store and the Central Theater. It goes on to say that the Central was the sight of the old Vaudette.
I never went to this drive-in. My brother went here with my cousin and saw that the manager who was a member of our church. What is funny is my church at that time did not approve of movies or movie theaters. Now my church has movie nights. Of course you will not see some of the stuff this place would play. I seem to remember this drive-in would play adult movies once a month.
There is a building on the block that the Empire was located. It is a yellow building with a funky mural painted on the side. I thought at one time that this was the Empire. I do believe the Empire was a yellow building but it appeared to be on the opposite end of the block across from what is now Georgia State Stadium.
StanMalone From what I could tell, the Floor and Decor started at about the area of the Atlantic and stretched almost across the length of the parking lot. I doubt if Floor and Decor used the right wall of the Atlantic for its wall.
I believe this theater actually lasted into 1979. It had become a dollar house. The last movie that played here was Animal House. My brother and cousin saw it there the Saturday before it burned. This was the first weekend of 1979. The next day, a fire started in a restaurant in the section it was in and burned everything in that part all the way to Everybodies pizza.
My parents went to revival meetings at the Tower Theater. They said that it had two balconies. They said I went with them but I must have been all of 2 or 3.
I remember seeing Peter Pan here after the cinerama conversion. They had dropped the ceiling under the second balcony and curtains ove r the walls. There was also wall to wall carpet. You could not bring drinks into the auditorium because of the carpet.
In the 1970s I saw King Kong there. The wall to wall carpet was still there and very smooshy.
I saw most of the major attractions there when it was the Columbia. The wall to wall carpeting was gone. This was the last place my father saw a movie. We saw Greystoke here. My parents were surprised at how it had changed.
This drive-in was a sister drive-in to the Stewart Drive-in. They both were closed at the same time for an Arlans department store. Arlans was similar to K-Mart. The Arlans building here became a flea market, then demolished. The Arlans building at the Stewart location is still standing but is now a Kroger.
I remember riding the bus from Hapeville to Buckhead to see movies when this was the Capri. The first movie I saw here was “Funny Girl.” I remember seeing “Earthquake” and “Roller Coaster,” both in Senserround. “Roller Coaster” was the last movie to play at the Capri.
I made a mistake about southside theaters playing XXX movies. The Gordon theater in West End did end its run as a movie theater playing this type of movies. Other than that, there were no others to think about.
I never worked there but I went there many times to see a movie. Originally there were three screens. One large screen, one medium and a smaller auditorium between the other two.
Around 1980 a fourth auditorium was added to the left of auditorium 3. It was a little larger than the one beside it. It was here that during the 1980’s three-d Old National would show the 3-D movies. I do not think the screen in this auditorium was curved like the other three.
During the mid 1980’s two additional auditoriums were added above the lobby. This was the time that the theater looked terrible. It was like they took out the roof over the lobby and had tarps over it. I do not believe that the top two auditoriums had curved screens.
After this time, they split the large auditorium. I remember seeing the remake of The Blob here.
After this, I do not remember them having an eighth screen. I did see Terminator 2 at a 12:30 am opening day screening. The last movie I saw there was Bebe’s Kids.
It is sad to see what was once a good place to see a movie go to seed.
StanMalone I have had to change my id because I lost my passwords from previous times. Growing up in Hapeville, I do not remember any theater on the southside playing any XXX movies. I do remember playing such movies as The Cheerleaders but not what would be classified as porn.
As previously stated, Arrowhead would play some X-rated movie like “Shame of the Jungle.” It is interest to see how things have changed from the 1960’s to now. And how there is only one movie theater in the area that contained Arrowhead, Old Dixie, Old National, Southlake, Cinemas 8 at Southlake, Southlake Plaze and others.
I was not offended when others correct me about “The Sound of Music” not playing a year at Lakewood. It just seemed that way.
It was actually the mid 1970s when the auditorium was split. I remember seeing Carrie here after it was divided in half.
Back in the early 1960’s I came with my parents to some revival meetings at this theater. It probably had stopped being a movie theater. My mother always told me that this theater had two balconies. When I went in the 1970’s they had dropped the ceiling and sealed off the upper balcony.
This is how I remember this auditorium. Before it was the Columbia, it had wall to wall carpet and for a while, you could not bring drinks into the auditorium
When this theater was part of the Weis chain, it was a sister theater of the Arrowhead theater.
To the best of my knowledge, this drive-in closed quite some time before the Thunderbird up the road. It was demolished for a grocery store, probably an A&P. There was also a 24-hour Eckerd Drug Store here. Other smaller businesses were in this strip center.
During the late 1970s someone tried to open a second run theater in this center. It was also called the Forest Park Theater, not to be confused with the other Forest Park listed CT. This theater was a converted storefront. It had about 100 seats. I went there to see The Other Side of the Mountain. Later it showed Airport 1977. It was only opened for anout two months.
There is still a street that runs along the edge of the strip center called Theater Way.
You should have seen the sequined letters at night. Computerized marquees do not have the same effect.
I remember an old book I used to have that showed a picture of Whitehall St. Below Hunter St. In the picture was the J. M. High department store and the Central Theater. It goes on to say that the Central was the sight of the old Vaudette.
I never went to this drive-in. My brother went here with my cousin and saw that the manager who was a member of our church. What is funny is my church at that time did not approve of movies or movie theaters. Now my church has movie nights. Of course you will not see some of the stuff this place would play. I seem to remember this drive-in would play adult movies once a month.
There is a building on the block that the Empire was located. It is a yellow building with a funky mural painted on the side. I thought at one time that this was the Empire. I do believe the Empire was a yellow building but it appeared to be on the opposite end of the block across from what is now Georgia State Stadium.
StanMalone From what I could tell, the Floor and Decor started at about the area of the Atlantic and stretched almost across the length of the parking lot. I doubt if Floor and Decor used the right wall of the Atlantic for its wall.
I do believe this drive-in was gone before the Fanning sisters were born. Perhaps Holly Hunter, another Conyers native may have seen movies here.
I believe this theater actually lasted into 1979. It had become a dollar house. The last movie that played here was Animal House. My brother and cousin saw it there the Saturday before it burned. This was the first weekend of 1979. The next day, a fire started in a restaurant in the section it was in and burned everything in that part all the way to Everybodies pizza.
My parents went to revival meetings at the Tower Theater. They said that it had two balconies. They said I went with them but I must have been all of 2 or 3.
I remember seeing Peter Pan here after the cinerama conversion. They had dropped the ceiling under the second balcony and curtains ove r the walls. There was also wall to wall carpet. You could not bring drinks into the auditorium because of the carpet.
In the 1970s I saw King Kong there. The wall to wall carpet was still there and very smooshy.
I saw most of the major attractions there when it was the Columbia. The wall to wall carpeting was gone. This was the last place my father saw a movie. We saw Greystoke here. My parents were surprised at how it had changed.
This drive-in was a sister drive-in to the Stewart Drive-in. They both were closed at the same time for an Arlans department store. Arlans was similar to K-Mart. The Arlans building here became a flea market, then demolished. The Arlans building at the Stewart location is still standing but is now a Kroger.
I remember riding the bus from Hapeville to Buckhead to see movies when this was the Capri. The first movie I saw here was “Funny Girl.” I remember seeing “Earthquake” and “Roller Coaster,” both in Senserround. “Roller Coaster” was the last movie to play at the Capri.
After years of being overgrown someone has taken over the land and is redeveloping it.
I made a mistake about southside theaters playing XXX movies. The Gordon theater in West End did end its run as a movie theater playing this type of movies. Other than that, there were no others to think about.
I never worked there but I went there many times to see a movie. Originally there were three screens. One large screen, one medium and a smaller auditorium between the other two.
Around 1980 a fourth auditorium was added to the left of auditorium 3. It was a little larger than the one beside it. It was here that during the 1980’s three-d Old National would show the 3-D movies. I do not think the screen in this auditorium was curved like the other three.
During the mid 1980’s two additional auditoriums were added above the lobby. This was the time that the theater looked terrible. It was like they took out the roof over the lobby and had tarps over it. I do not believe that the top two auditoriums had curved screens.
After this time, they split the large auditorium. I remember seeing the remake of The Blob here.
After this, I do not remember them having an eighth screen. I did see Terminator 2 at a 12:30 am opening day screening. The last movie I saw there was Bebe’s Kids.
It is sad to see what was once a good place to see a movie go to seed.
StanMalone I have had to change my id because I lost my passwords from previous times. Growing up in Hapeville, I do not remember any theater on the southside playing any XXX movies. I do remember playing such movies as The Cheerleaders but not what would be classified as porn.
As previously stated, Arrowhead would play some X-rated movie like “Shame of the Jungle.” It is interest to see how things have changed from the 1960’s to now. And how there is only one movie theater in the area that contained Arrowhead, Old Dixie, Old National, Southlake, Cinemas 8 at Southlake, Southlake Plaze and others.
I was not offended when others correct me about “The Sound of Music” not playing a year at Lakewood. It just seemed that way.
This theater is now demolished. A Floor And Decor now occupies this spot.