Ritz Theatre
204 Marion Street,
Athens,
AL
35611
204 Marion Street,
Athens,
AL
35611
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Moving Places: A Life at the Movies, by Jonathan Rosenbaum, grandson of Louis Rosenbaum, who opened this theater in 1928, has a few paragraphs about the Ritz which can be found on this web page. The section names the architects of the Ritz as the Nashville firm of Marr & Holman.
The Ritz was gutted and rebuilt on the inside. It is now the Marion Street Church of Christ.
It closed in 1973 not 1963.
PREVIOUSLY OPERATED BY:
MUSCLE SHOALS THEATRES (CRESCENT)
ROSEBAUM THEATRES
MARTIN THEATRES
Above reads 1936 and shoud read 1836. R.H. Walker was the owner and builder of the Ritz, who also owned and edited the Limestone County Democrat Newspaper. The first two movies shown at the Ritz were the United Artists 1927 “MY BEST GIRL” with Mary Pickford and Buddy Rogers . United Artist was founded in 1919 by Mary Pickford, Charles Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith. The other movie was a MGM 1928 comedy “FAIR AND MUDDY”.
Was the first address a different site of the theatre (now a church) or did Athens change its street numbering system?
The site of the Ritz is now the Athens Fire Department, did they use any of the Ritz Building?
CT could use photos, both inside and out, and more info.
JRF
Chief Bob Jensen
Manteno, Illinois