My name is Andy Smalls, but you may know me as the Knoxville Cowboy. I grew up in Georgetown South Carolina & my formative years were spent in a ½ block area of downtown around Screven & Broad Streets during the late 30’s & early to mid 40’s(World War 2 era). Both The Strand Theater & the Palace Theater are in that area & between them was a pool hall & a Walgreens. I played football at the time & I remember having to make sure our football coach didn’t see us going into the pool hall or we would have gotten into big trouble! Now, I have always had a love for the B westerns & the Strand Theater in Georgetown was instrumental in forming my love for the B westerns. I had always wanted to be a B western movie star due to this influence, & I had all the moves the Cowboy stars had. I could ride a horse well, twirl my 6 shooter with both hands like the stars I loved to watch in the B Westerns.
The Strand theater & The Palace theater were the 2 dominant theaters in Georgetown in the time of my youth. The Palace Theater is no longer there with only a placard on the bank building a half block down from the Strand. The Strand Theater, or Peerless as was also known is still in operation to this day but not as a movie theater, but more as a playhouse & live event venue! The Strand was owned by Morris Abram & his brother(they owned a lot of property in downtown Georgetown in this time frame). Back in the 1920’s, the Palace Theater showed silent films. The Strand started showing films when it opened then moved to more mainstream movies early in its existence. When I was 13 I saw Stagecoach(a John Wayne movie) & it had a lot of influence on me & my desire to become a western cowboy. Other movies featured were Oxbow Incident with Henry Fonda & I was also fond of movies featuring Bill Elliott. These times bring back memories of not only movies at the Strand Theater but also some personal stories of my youth.
As I was seeing movies at the Strand, I had gotten a job with the theater changing the marquis. I was working with my brother Joe & an older gentleman named Ollie. There were nights that the Strand would show scary movies & after we saw the scary movies, we would be scared when we walked home. There was one night when I was walking home with Joe & we were very scared. Ollie had told us earlier to put taps on our shoes so that we would make a lot of noise as we walked home. What a sound & sight we must have been walking home that late making all that noise with the taps on our shoes & I can say we always made it home safely. As I was starting to mature & get older, the specter of war was changing the world around us in ways we couldn’t imagine.
The world and America greatly changed on December 7, 1941 as Japan bombed Peal Harbor & drew the US into World War 2. Hollywood became increasingly pro America as the war waged on for 4 long years. This also was reflected in the movies I saw during World War 2 at the Strand. Movies I remember seeing are Back to Batan, In Harms Way with John Wayne and Patricia O’Neil and The Life of Jesse James. By the end of the war in 1945, these movie productions really reflected pro America status in Hollywood. As the war ended & we moved into a time of peace, my dream to become a cowboy star was now once again in the forefront.
Another personal story I fondly recall from my days working at the Strand was a little later in my childhood as I started to find that girls were becoming more interesting to me. There was one night when I offered to take a young lady named Doris(she worked as a ticket taker) home on my bicycle. I got onto the bike seat and she sat on the handlebars & we started for home. About half way there, she turned and looked at me and said “this ain’t working”. I did make sure she got home that evening, but it sure wasn’t on the handlebars as she walked the rest of the way. Later, we had a good laugh about it & it is one of my favorite memories from the Strand Theater.
During the war, there was an acute housing shortage due in part to all the soldiers coming home from all branches of the service. In our household, we took in an Ensign from the Navy(I don’t remember his name). I was always interested in playing the guitar & the taught me 3 basic chords on the guitar & I have been playing ever since. The Ensign’s mother also worked at Universal Studios and so the Ensign spoke to her and she said she would love to have me come out and audition for a part in a B Western movie but first I would need to get my high school degree. So I worked to complete my education and as the 1940’s came to a close I received my diploma.
Now, as you remember from earlier in this article, I had always wanted to be a B Western star. I had all the moves down as I could twirl a 6 shooter with both hands and was proficient in riding a horse. Now, as fate would have it, the Ensign staying with us once again contacted his Mother at Universal and told her I had gotten my degree and was ready to come out for an audition. At this time, the age of the B Westerns was in it’s twilight and I was advised through the Ensign not to come out for an audition as they won’t be making many more B Westerns. Although disappointed I understood so I enrolled at Clemson and completed my higher education there. It was one of those decisions that hurt at the time but really worked out well in the long run.
As you can see, the Strand Theater really played an early role in developing my love for the B Westerns that has stayed with me to this day. To this day, I still have a TV show on PBS called the Riders of the Silver Screen where I keep the B Westerns alive by playing all the old movies and serials. Thanks for reading this & remember, if you don’t wear a white hat, please wear a smile so we can tell you from the bad guys.
My name is Andy Smalls, but the people in Knoxville TN know me as Marshal Andy or the Knoxville Cowboy. I was born in 1929 in Georgetown, SC & my childhood was encompassed in the one block area between Broad Street & Screven Street which was the main part of the downtown area on the waterfront. On this one block were the Palace & Strand Theaters which were to play a huge part in my childhood & shape my life in more ways than I could ever imagine.
The Palace theater is now a bank, but when it opened in 1936 it was next door to the Gladstone Hotel. Next to it was Amos Barber shop & next to the barber shop was a bank. Next door to the Palace was the Walgreens Drug store where all kids of Front Street would congregate & hang out.
The Palace theater was built by Morris Abrams & opened in 1936. I first attended the Palace theater in the fall of 1936 seeing a Charles Starrett movie, or what we would call a B western today. On Saturdays, the Palace would show a serial(these would include Buck Rogers, Our Gang comedies & Fighting with Kit Carson), cartoons(these would include Mickey Mouse, Tom & Jerry & of course, Bugs Bunny), selected short subject films & movie news before the main feature. These would play from 12:15pm to 11:00 pm & would feature western films starring Ken Maynard, Hoot Gibson, Buck Jones & Tim McCoy. As the 1930’s progressed, singing cowboys such as Gene Autry & Roy Rogers became increasingly popular. I remember seeing Tumbling Tumblweeds at the Palace in late 1936 or early 1937 & really enjoyed the singing cowboy westerns genre. With the Blue laws of the day in effect, the Palace wouldn’t open on Sundays until 1:15pm & then wouldn’t open back up until 9:15 at night.
On Mondays & Tuesdays, the Palace theater would show what is now consider to be A production films. These films included dramas, love stories & westerns & featured such actors as Clark Gable, Henry Fonda, Jimmy Stewart & Robert Taylor. Wednesday at the Palace was double feature day. These included westerns & then a comedy or a Tarzan movie. Thursdays & Fridays the Palace went back to showing matinee idols that were featured on Monday & Tuesdays.
As the 1940’s began & WWII loomed on the horizon, I got a job at the Palace theater delivering circulars & taking tickets. As mentioned earlier, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers & Johnny Mack Brown movies were played. As WWII raged, more patriotic movies became in vogue featuring more A list stars as Hollywood jumped on board with the war effort. As the war ended in 1945 & we progressed into 1946, movies such as Back to Batan & To Hell & Back were shown at the Palace.
One instance of a promotional event at the Palace stands out in my memory. During the war, automobiles were impossible to get as all production went into the war effort. After the war, I had gotten a job at the local Ford dealership(Loyal Ford) doing odd jobs such as cleaning up vehicle & other jobs they asked me to do. The promotion the Palace decided to do was a giveaway of a Ford vehicle. When I reported to work at the Palace the night of the giveaway, I was asked to draw the name of the winner. Anita Stokes was the lucky winner & she was thrilled because their family couldn’t afford a vehicle. As the car was unveiled, I realized it was a car that I had washed that very day working at the Loyal Ford dealership! I really felt good about this & was very appreciative of the work the Palace was doing in the community.
As I look back on my life, it was hard to imagine the impact the Palace theater would have on my life. For the last 37 years, I have had a show in the local Knoxville TN PBS station, ETPBS, called the Riders of the Silver Screen featuring B westerns, serials & cartoons much as they were featured at the Palace back in the day. Without my experiences at the Palace in my youth, I truly believe my life would have turned out completely differently. I feel truly blessed by my experiences at the Palace Theater & want to record this information as best as I can recollect it & save it for future generations to come. Thanks for reading this & remember, if you don’t wear a white hat, please wear a smile so we can tell you from the bad guys.
Andy Smalls
Marshal Andy, the Knoxville Cowboy
MARSHAL ANDY STRAND THEATER
My name is Andy Smalls, but you may know me as the Knoxville Cowboy. I grew up in Georgetown South Carolina & my formative years were spent in a ½ block area of downtown around Screven & Broad Streets during the late 30’s & early to mid 40’s(World War 2 era). Both The Strand Theater & the Palace Theater are in that area & between them was a pool hall & a Walgreens. I played football at the time & I remember having to make sure our football coach didn’t see us going into the pool hall or we would have gotten into big trouble! Now, I have always had a love for the B westerns & the Strand Theater in Georgetown was instrumental in forming my love for the B westerns. I had always wanted to be a B western movie star due to this influence, & I had all the moves the Cowboy stars had. I could ride a horse well, twirl my 6 shooter with both hands like the stars I loved to watch in the B Westerns.
The Strand theater & The Palace theater were the 2 dominant theaters in Georgetown in the time of my youth. The Palace Theater is no longer there with only a placard on the bank building a half block down from the Strand. The Strand Theater, or Peerless as was also known is still in operation to this day but not as a movie theater, but more as a playhouse & live event venue! The Strand was owned by Morris Abram & his brother(they owned a lot of property in downtown Georgetown in this time frame). Back in the 1920’s, the Palace Theater showed silent films. The Strand started showing films when it opened then moved to more mainstream movies early in its existence. When I was 13 I saw Stagecoach(a John Wayne movie) & it had a lot of influence on me & my desire to become a western cowboy. Other movies featured were Oxbow Incident with Henry Fonda & I was also fond of movies featuring Bill Elliott. These times bring back memories of not only movies at the Strand Theater but also some personal stories of my youth. As I was seeing movies at the Strand, I had gotten a job with the theater changing the marquis. I was working with my brother Joe & an older gentleman named Ollie. There were nights that the Strand would show scary movies & after we saw the scary movies, we would be scared when we walked home. There was one night when I was walking home with Joe & we were very scared. Ollie had told us earlier to put taps on our shoes so that we would make a lot of noise as we walked home. What a sound & sight we must have been walking home that late making all that noise with the taps on our shoes & I can say we always made it home safely. As I was starting to mature & get older, the specter of war was changing the world around us in ways we couldn’t imagine. The world and America greatly changed on December 7, 1941 as Japan bombed Peal Harbor & drew the US into World War 2. Hollywood became increasingly pro America as the war waged on for 4 long years. This also was reflected in the movies I saw during World War 2 at the Strand. Movies I remember seeing are Back to Batan, In Harms Way with John Wayne and Patricia O’Neil and The Life of Jesse James. By the end of the war in 1945, these movie productions really reflected pro America status in Hollywood. As the war ended & we moved into a time of peace, my dream to become a cowboy star was now once again in the forefront.
Another personal story I fondly recall from my days working at the Strand was a little later in my childhood as I started to find that girls were becoming more interesting to me. There was one night when I offered to take a young lady named Doris(she worked as a ticket taker) home on my bicycle. I got onto the bike seat and she sat on the handlebars & we started for home. About half way there, she turned and looked at me and said “this ain’t working”. I did make sure she got home that evening, but it sure wasn’t on the handlebars as she walked the rest of the way. Later, we had a good laugh about it & it is one of my favorite memories from the Strand Theater. During the war, there was an acute housing shortage due in part to all the soldiers coming home from all branches of the service. In our household, we took in an Ensign from the Navy(I don’t remember his name). I was always interested in playing the guitar & the taught me 3 basic chords on the guitar & I have been playing ever since. The Ensign’s mother also worked at Universal Studios and so the Ensign spoke to her and she said she would love to have me come out and audition for a part in a B Western movie but first I would need to get my high school degree. So I worked to complete my education and as the 1940’s came to a close I received my diploma. Now, as you remember from earlier in this article, I had always wanted to be a B Western star. I had all the moves down as I could twirl a 6 shooter with both hands and was proficient in riding a horse. Now, as fate would have it, the Ensign staying with us once again contacted his Mother at Universal and told her I had gotten my degree and was ready to come out for an audition. At this time, the age of the B Westerns was in it’s twilight and I was advised through the Ensign not to come out for an audition as they won’t be making many more B Westerns. Although disappointed I understood so I enrolled at Clemson and completed my higher education there. It was one of those decisions that hurt at the time but really worked out well in the long run. As you can see, the Strand Theater really played an early role in developing my love for the B Westerns that has stayed with me to this day. To this day, I still have a TV show on PBS called the Riders of the Silver Screen where I keep the B Westerns alive by playing all the old movies and serials. Thanks for reading this & remember, if you don’t wear a white hat, please wear a smile so we can tell you from the bad guys.
My name is Andy Smalls, but the people in Knoxville TN know me as Marshal Andy or the Knoxville Cowboy. I was born in 1929 in Georgetown, SC & my childhood was encompassed in the one block area between Broad Street & Screven Street which was the main part of the downtown area on the waterfront. On this one block were the Palace & Strand Theaters which were to play a huge part in my childhood & shape my life in more ways than I could ever imagine.
The Palace theater was built by Morris Abrams & opened in 1936. I first attended the Palace theater in the fall of 1936 seeing a Charles Starrett movie, or what we would call a B western today. On Saturdays, the Palace would show a serial(these would include Buck Rogers, Our Gang comedies & Fighting with Kit Carson), cartoons(these would include Mickey Mouse, Tom & Jerry & of course, Bugs Bunny), selected short subject films & movie news before the main feature. These would play from 12:15pm to 11:00 pm & would feature western films starring Ken Maynard, Hoot Gibson, Buck Jones & Tim McCoy. As the 1930’s progressed, singing cowboys such as Gene Autry & Roy Rogers became increasingly popular. I remember seeing Tumbling Tumblweeds at the Palace in late 1936 or early 1937 & really enjoyed the singing cowboy westerns genre. With the Blue laws of the day in effect, the Palace wouldn’t open on Sundays until 1:15pm & then wouldn’t open back up until 9:15 at night.