Comments from Robbie Stewart

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Robbie Stewart
Robbie Stewart commented about Gatlinburg Theatre on May 12, 2024 at 4:38 am

My late dad started playing gigs around the Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge areas around 1978, which also meant that my bro and I used to spend weekends with him down there. We only got to see one movie at the old Gatlinburg Theatre back in late 1981. And it was one movie that really stood out for several reasons. It was “Modern Problems” staring Chevy Chase. One because it was where I first learned about Cocaine at in the scene where the late Nell Carter’s character pours it on the floor around Chase’s bed and then Chase’s character goes “Oh boy, Oh boy, nobody knows, Oh boy” and then he slides around the bed sniffing it all up and then his face fills up the screen and he screams “YES, oh ho ho I LIKE IT.” Not only did my dad laugh his arse off, but so did everyone else in the theatre at the time. Dad had to later explain to me what the so called Angel Dust really was and why that particular scene was so funny since I was only 12 years old at the time. But the movie also stood out because of a song by the Tubes that appeared in the movie’s ending credits called “Gonna Get It Next Time.” I would spend the next thirty years looking for that particular song after dad asked me to find it for him so he could learn it. I would later learn that 20th Century Fox only released it to radio stations for airplay in promotion to the film. The song was never released commercially on any soundtrack, but it was since showed up on You Tube in several third party uploads.

Robbie Stewart
Robbie Stewart commented about Rogers Theatre on Sep 25, 2021 at 11:39 pm

@Patsy,

According to:
https://uptownshelby.com/available-properties/commercial-for-sale/343-213-e-marion-st

the property is still for sale. Contact: Gary Kulas, 828-351-8648, HavenInTheHills.NC (at) gmail.com

Robbie Stewart
Robbie Stewart commented about Carmike 4 Cinema on Sep 25, 2021 at 7:07 am

I remember my uncle taking my brother and I to see “Rocky 2” at this theatre in Cinema 2 back in 1979. Sadly, it would be the only movie that I got to see at this theatre before it’s closing since my grandparents didn’t go to movies very often. My grandparents form of entertainment was either a RCA 25 inch colour console TV that picked up three TV stations out of the Charlotte market, and two TV stations out of the Asheville, Greenville-Spartanburg market, pa paw’s music room downstairs, or going to gigs that my pa paw’s band was booked to play at.

Robbie Stewart
Robbie Stewart commented about Rogers Theatre on Sep 25, 2021 at 6:51 am

Oh, how I remember the Rogers Theatre. This was were I saw the first “Star Wars” at back in 1977 when it first premiered. Except back then, it didn’t yet have the episode IV or “A New Hope” branding that would be added to it later on after George Lucas started making sequels to it or prequels for that matter. My late father, along with my uncles took my brother and I to see it. I will always remember the Cantina Band scene. More so now with dad’s death in August of 2014. My dad, being a professional musician and entertainer at the time, stood up in the middle of the theatre and yelled “Hey, that’s my band.” The theatre was packed and everyone started laughing their arses off after dad made that comment. Many in Shelby also knew my dad because of my late pa paw (Hubert Stewart) who lived just outside of Shelby at the time and went by the CB handle “Piano Picker,” drove trucks for the former McLean Trucking Co which used to have a terminal in Shelby, and he also had a band that played local clubs around Shelby called “Six of Clubs.” My dad and both of my uncles would sometimes sit in with him, but it was mostly comprised of him and his CB buddies. They would also come over to my pa paw’s house and jam in his music room downstairs.

Robbie Stewart
Robbie Stewart commented about Kingston Four Cinema on Feb 26, 2021 at 5:30 am

Saw many movies here in the late 1970’s but I remember two in particular. I remember Dad taking my bro and I to see the first Superman movie starring Christopher Reeve here around 1980 on a Sunday night and to the former Darryl’s down the road on Bearden Hill for dinner that night. Also remember my mom and her co-worker taking myself and her daughter to see “Animal House” back in 1978. I was only nine at the time, but that movie was my first introduction to college fraternities, something that would eventually be out of my reach later on in 1989 due to my GPA and lack of funds. Before finding this page, I had completely forgotten about the fire that happened a year after in 1979. Must be why they moved The Rocky Horror Picture Show down the road to the old Capri Terrace Tap House where it ran for many years afterwards and always at midnight. I remember finally getting to take in the “Rocky Horror” experience that I first became aware of from the movie scene in “Fame” in 1993 when I went to see it at a midnight showing and that was only because I had the next day off from work at the time.

Robbie Stewart
Robbie Stewart commented about Fox Theatre on Nov 7, 2020 at 7:54 pm

I remember my mom taking my brother and I to see several movies at this theatre back in the early 1970’s when we first moved to Knoxville in 1971. It was either this theatre or the former West Town Theatre that fronted West Town Mall. We lived on Alki Lane at the time. My late father (Bob Stewart) was a professional musician and entertainer who played several nightclubs on the west end at the time (Bobby McGee’s on Northshore Drive and the Tiki Lounge further down Kingston Pike) so we’d end up here whilst dad was at work. Eventhough my reading level wasn’t so good at the time, I do remember the marquees that were on the front of the building and the one facing Kingston Pike that had the Fox name above it. Shortly after this theatre closed, I remember it became a music store called “Music Isle,” which later moved to a location on Downtown West Blvd. Bought several cassettes from them including Eagles “The Long Run,” Supertramp’s “Breakfest In America,” and the soundtrack to the movie “Teachers” in 1984. Glad to see that David’s Bridal has kept the original marquee facing Kingston Pike, although they have modified it to their use.

Robbie Stewart
Robbie Stewart commented about Mid-Town Drive-In on Jun 27, 2020 at 2:53 am

I remember going to this place a lot back in the mid to late 1990’s when I just happened to get a rare Friday or Saturday night off. Saw many movies here. Having the sound in stereo over FM was great too. I used to take both my generic Walkman and a radio headset so I didn’t have to worry about running my car battery down. Still miss it.

Robbie Stewart
Robbie Stewart commented about Twin Aire Drive-In on Mar 27, 2020 at 3:07 pm

Back in the late ‘70’s we used to live down the street from the Twin Aire in the former Green Acres Trailer Park (now Woodland Meadows). Jim Clayton owned Green Acres back then and had his corporate office in an old motel across the street from it whilst his Mom (Ruth Clayton) managed the park at the time. As such, we used to go see movies at Twin Aire just about every weekend back then. I remember seeing “Good Guys Wear Black,” “The Rose,” “The Legacy,” “Little Darlings” and “Smoky And The Bandit, Part 2” there. Back then, it was either Twin Aire or Powell Cinemas for us, unless Mom took us down to Gatlinburg for the weekend to see dad who was working there at the time.

Robbie Stewart
Robbie Stewart commented about Midway Drive-In on Mar 27, 2020 at 2:46 pm

I remember my mom taking my bro and I to see “Love At First Bite” starring George Hamilton at this drive-in one night back in the late ‘70’s, whilst my late dad (Bob Stewart) was playing a gig at the old Steak Chalet Restaurant & Nightclub that was right across the street from it. The Steak Chalet was owned by Jim Bookstaff whom at the time also owned a second location in Gatlinburg that was across the street from the Mountain Mall. My dad had an apartment suite above it at that location. I used to walk out on the balcony late at night and stare down at the parkway as a kid.