Thanks for the correction Bob. You’re right, it’s Michael Todd Jr. His name is listed plain as day on the IMD site but in my haste in typing my prior comment I inadvertently left out the Jr.
We were lucky to have a Cinerama theatre locally. On my initial visit I had no idea what I was in for. The transformation of the Palace from a standard theatre to a Cinerama theatre was amazing. “THIS IS CINERAMA” was basically a glorified travelog (as were most of the three-panel films) but I found it extremely enjoyble even for an 11-year-old. The America The Beautiful segment near the end was emotional, and apart from the coaster sequence it was the highlight of the film.
I was shocked to hear about the cost involved in filming the coaster sequence. According to the Internet Movie Database, the coaster sequence cost a grand total of $33 (apart from salaries.) It was directed by 21-year-old Mike Todd who at the time was on vacation from Amherst. The cost covered the rental of a station wagon to transport the equipment, and also for the bolts needed to attach the camera to the coaster. That small sum of $33 produced one of the most famous scenes in movie history!
Yes, the black & white prologue was about half the size as the one you see in the video. Part of the excitement of experiencing Cinerama in the theatre is when the massive curtain opens to full-screen after the prologue. When I first saw “THIS IS CINERAMA” I remember griping the armrests of my seat tightly all through the coaster sequence…I felt it in my stomach…it was that real! And the scenes of flying between canyons when the plane tilts slightly from one side to the other gave me motion sickness.
I think Cinerama would look o.k. on an large IMAX screen as long as the screen is curved. I’ve seen several IMAX installations with large curved screens and others with smaller screens and practically no curvature at all. I doubt it would work as well on those. And of course how many IMAX theatres today have curtains? Without any curtains that slowly open wide the effect just wouldn’t be quite the same. :–(
Major goof! Just realized it wasn’t this drive-in that we visited. It was Kings Mountain in Bessimer City. Nevertheless I wish Big Mo well with their 3rd screen. Sorry Mike…just one of my many senior moments!
Thanks Mike. I think it was still a single screen drive-in a few years back when I was visited the area. Glad I got the chance to see this theatre although it certainly wasn’t easy to find. As I recall we got lost at least three times! The Big Mo is a nice country-ish drive-in. Evidently it was doing well enough to have added a 2nd and now a 3rd screen. Hopefully they won’t make the mistake the Fun-Lan did in Tampa with 5 screens. Every time I drive by the Fun-Lan I cringe!
The long-awaited “CLEOPATRA” opens at the Palace on April 15, 1964. Two friends and I stood in a very long line waiting to buy tickets on a Friday evening. Just as we were approaching the box-office they sold out! And there were still about 200 people behind us: View link
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! “THE SOUND OF MUSIC” reaches a milestone one full year of showings on April 6, 1966. Unprecedented in Tampa theatre history. The film would run for another 5 months. The one year anniversay celebration featured skylights, music by Mary Help of Christians School Band, free orchid corsages for the first 200 ladies, and free birthday cake: View link
The Exclusive West Coast Engagement of “WEST SIDE STORY” reopens the remodeled Florida Theatre on April 4, 1962. Admission of $1.25 to $2.00 makes this the most expensive movie ticket in town for 1962: View link
“WEST SIDE STORY” runs for 10 weeks and is followed by a 3-week run of “STATE FAIR” which I sat through twice the first weekend, twice the second weekend, and twice the third weekend. One of my guilty pleasures and yes, I loved every minute of it! View link
Click on image and “view all sizes” to enlarge.
Mike, Thanx for the plug & the thumbs up, I can use the extra publicity…LOL! Remember you also did a great job on the National Hills book! Andy, if you’re reading this and are interested in a copy I can send you one if you’d like. It’s just a booklet listing all the films I saw here along with some history of the theatre and several anecdotes that I recall from years ago. Just email me your address at and I’ll mail you a copy.
What great double features tlsloews! Just like the programs The Ritz in Tampa ran in the early 1960s. Here’s a long street shot of 6th Avenue North with The Knickerbocker Theatre on the left. Looks like the double feature for the day is “Hot Rod Girl” and “Girls in Prison." View link
Thanks tlsloews for providing this photo. Here’s a nice shot dated 1949 showing entrance and marquee. Judging by the number of kids in line this looks like a Saturday matinee! View link
Here are some photos of the Paramount provided by tlsloews. These were taken around opening date circa 1930. A beautiful shot of the front entrance with blade sign, marquee, and box office: View link
Nice clean projection booth: View link
Great shot of auditorium with a full house: View link
It was great except for that screen on the fence! I haven’t been back since that night but I guess the screen is still there. Has to rank as just about the shoddiest set-up I’ve ever seen for a drive-in. The Fun-Lan is but a shadow of it’s former self.
It’s actually 1-275. Yes, we drove right by it. After the drive-in was demolished there was some talk of a development with shops and a hotel which never did materialize. And the property remains vacant which is such a shame. The drive-in could still have been in operation today had they not torn it down.
Here’s a photo of the building and auditorium when theatre opened as the Trans-Lux Inflight Cine. Not bad for a 16mm setup. Sorry photos are so small but attempting to enlarge them blurred the image. View link
Mike, I had no idea there were 70mm prints for A CHORUS LINE but sure enough the Internet Movie Database lists the film as 70mm (6-track) & 35mm (Dolby.) Augusta moviegoers were lucky to have a theatre like National Hills that played so many 70mm releases.
On your memory of Coke being the only drink served, they may have served Coke for several years and later switched over to Pepsi. When the Tampa Theatre reopened in 1977 they served Pepsi products exclusively for some time before switching over to Coke. I think it’s funny that most people cannot tell the difference between Coke or Pepsi anyway when it’s served in a cup.
And here’s a current aerial of the lot as it looks today. A new car dealership replaced the Skyway and today that dealership is history. I say bring back the Skyway! View link
Here’s a current aerial of the property as it looks today. The building at the top center is the former Hillsboro Eight Cinemas (now Century Buick Dealership.) View link
Thanks for the correction Bob. You’re right, it’s Michael Todd Jr. His name is listed plain as day on the IMD site but in my haste in typing my prior comment I inadvertently left out the Jr.
We were lucky to have a Cinerama theatre locally. On my initial visit I had no idea what I was in for. The transformation of the Palace from a standard theatre to a Cinerama theatre was amazing.
“THIS IS CINERAMA” was basically a glorified travelog (as were most of the three-panel films) but I found it extremely enjoyble even for an 11-year-old. The America The Beautiful segment near the end was emotional, and apart from the coaster sequence it was the highlight of the film.
I was shocked to hear about the cost involved in filming the coaster sequence. According to the Internet Movie Database, the coaster sequence cost a grand total of $33 (apart from salaries.) It was directed by 21-year-old Mike Todd who at the time was on vacation from Amherst. The cost covered the rental of a station wagon to transport the equipment, and also for the bolts needed to attach the camera to the coaster. That small sum of $33 produced one of the most famous scenes in movie history!
Yes, the black & white prologue was about half the size as the one you see in the video. Part of
the excitement of experiencing Cinerama in the theatre is when the massive curtain opens to full-screen after the prologue. When I first saw “THIS IS CINERAMA” I remember griping the armrests of my seat tightly all through the coaster sequence…I felt it in my stomach…it was that real! And the scenes of flying between canyons when the plane tilts slightly from one side to the other gave me motion sickness.
I think Cinerama would look o.k. on an large IMAX screen as long as the screen is curved. I’ve seen several IMAX installations with large curved screens and others with smaller screens and practically no curvature at all. I doubt it would work as well on those. And of course how many IMAX theatres today have curtains? Without any curtains that slowly open wide the effect just wouldn’t be quite the same. :–(
Major goof! Just realized it wasn’t this drive-in that we visited. It was Kings Mountain in Bessimer City. Nevertheless I wish Big Mo well with their 3rd screen. Sorry Mike…just one of my many senior moments!
Thanks Mike. I think it was still a single screen drive-in a few years back when I was visited the area. Glad I got the chance to see this theatre although it certainly wasn’t easy to find. As I recall we got lost at least three times! The Big Mo is a nice country-ish drive-in. Evidently it was doing well enough to have added a 2nd and now a 3rd screen. Hopefully they won’t make the mistake the Fun-Lan did in Tampa with 5 screens. Every time I drive by the Fun-Lan I cringe!
The long-awaited “CLEOPATRA” opens at the Palace on April 15, 1964. Two friends and I stood in a very long line waiting to buy tickets on a Friday evening. Just as we were approaching the box-office they sold out! And there were still about 200 people behind us:
View link
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! “THE SOUND OF MUSIC” reaches a milestone one full year of showings on April 6, 1966. Unprecedented in Tampa theatre history. The film would run for another 5 months. The one year anniversay celebration featured skylights, music by Mary Help of Christians School Band, free orchid corsages for the first 200 ladies, and free birthday cake:
View link
The Exclusive West Coast Engagement of “WEST SIDE STORY” reopens the remodeled Florida Theatre on April 4, 1962. Admission of $1.25 to $2.00 makes this the most expensive movie ticket in town for 1962:
View link
“WEST SIDE STORY” runs for 10 weeks and is followed by a 3-week run of “STATE FAIR” which I sat through twice the first weekend, twice the second weekend, and twice the third weekend. One of my guilty pleasures and yes, I loved every minute of it!
View link
Click on image and “view all sizes” to enlarge.
Mike, Thanx for the plug & the thumbs up, I can use the extra publicity…LOL! Remember you also did a great job on the National Hills book! Andy, if you’re reading this and are interested in a copy I can send you one if you’d like. It’s just a booklet listing all the films I saw here along with some history of the theatre and several anecdotes that I recall from years ago. Just email me your address at and I’ll mail you a copy.
Tlsloews and Mike: The photos sure look nice. Thanks for sharing them with CT fans. Send me any others you have including ads and I’ll get them up.
What great double features tlsloews! Just like the programs The Ritz in Tampa ran in the early 1960s. Here’s a long street shot of 6th Avenue North with The Knickerbocker Theatre on the left. Looks like the double feature for the day is “Hot Rod Girl” and “Girls in Prison."
View link
Nice photo of entrance & marquee. Opening night of MY FAIR LADY in 1964. The film runs for nearly a full year. Photo provided by tlsloews.
View link
Thanks tlsloews for providing this photo. Here’s a nice shot dated 1949 showing entrance and marquee. Judging by the number of kids in line this looks like a Saturday matinee!
View link
Here are some photos of the Paramount provided by tlsloews. These were taken around opening date circa 1930. A beautiful shot of the front entrance with blade sign, marquee, and box office:
View link
Nice clean projection booth:
View link
Great shot of auditorium with a full house:
View link
It was great except for that screen on the fence! I haven’t been back since that night but I guess the screen is still there. Has to rank as just about the shoddiest set-up I’ve ever seen for a drive-in. The Fun-Lan is but a shadow of it’s former self.
It’s actually 1-275. Yes, we drove right by it. After the drive-in was demolished there was some talk of a development with shops and a hotel which never did materialize. And the property remains vacant which is such a shame. The drive-in could still have been in operation today had they not torn it down.
Thanks Mike. Awaiting arrival of photos and will get them on for tlsloews as soon as I receive them.
Here’s a photo of the building and auditorium when theatre opened as the Trans-Lux Inflight Cine. Not bad for a 16mm setup. Sorry photos are so small but attempting to enlarge them blurred the image.
View link
Mike, I had no idea there were 70mm prints for A CHORUS LINE but sure enough the Internet Movie Database lists the film as 70mm (6-track) & 35mm (Dolby.) Augusta moviegoers were lucky to have a theatre like National Hills that played so many 70mm releases.
On your memory of Coke being the only drink served, they may have served Coke for several years and later switched over to Pepsi. When the Tampa Theatre reopened in 1977 they served Pepsi products exclusively for some time before switching over to Coke. I think it’s funny that most people cannot tell the difference between Coke or Pepsi anyway when it’s served in a cup.
Here’s an aerial of the property as it looks today:
View link
Here’s a current aerial of the property. Note the barely but still visible parking ramps & entrance roadway:
View link
Here’s a current aerial of the property as it looks today:
View link
And here’s a current aerial of the lot as it looks today. A new car dealership replaced the Skyway and today that dealership is history. I say bring back the Skyway!
View link
Here’s a current aerial of the property as it looks today. The building at the top center is the former Hillsboro Eight Cinemas (now Century Buick Dealership.)
View link
Here’s a current aerial showing lot as it looks today:
View link
In contrast with the above aerials here’s an aerial of the former lot as it looks today:
View link