Yes, I did understand the small drug store you mentioned, MarkE, that was attached to the Inglewood. I was just referring to the Eckerd that sits empty. I have been the guest organist at your childhood church, Ingleweood MC, many times as well, and am the current organist at a church just a mile further towards downtown. Enjoyed your recollections. ;–)
I too, MarkE, attended many a Saturday Matinee at the Inglewood in the 60s. If you’ve been past the site lately, you’ll know the Inglewood Bowling Alley is shuttered, and the Drug Store, which replaced the Inglewood Theatre, is also shuttered. Time marches on I guess?
LOST MEMORY! You get my vote for Member of the Year for ALWAYS, and I do mean ALWAYS, coming through with the best photo links. Thanks for being a member here and participating so wonderfully. Keep those ‘Theatre Organ’ photos coming in!
The Wurlitzer at the Tennessee Theatre, Knoxville, (3 manuals) has always been thought of by me as being the smaller sister to the Wurlizter at the Alabama Theatre, Birmingham, Ala.(4 manuals), known to those fans as ‘Big Bertha’. www.theatreorgans.com/alabama/bham/
I saw 2001 A Space Odyssey at the Belle Meade in 1968-69 as well bbrown1. I was a Senior in High School at that time with 2001 seeming a long way off then :–)! The Paramount and Tennessee were still around but the Belle Meade was still a nice place for a movie.
I too would like to thank all of you who continue to provide the wonderful insight of the behind the scenes operation of this great theatre! I share the same anticipation as you LeonLeonidoff when attending a theatre where the orchestra and organ are on lifts. If I had my way, I’d have a lift installed for my Reuter pipe organ at church and enter the sanctuary that way while I played the overture. . er…prelude! :-D Theatre presentation, whether it be in an auditorium or a sanctuary, evokes emotion from an audience.
Perhaps, Leon, people aren’t necessarily more stupid today, as they are litigious?
Working near this former theatre site in downtown Nashville, I walked thru what remains of the theatre yesterday, which is just the side walls which still comprise the walls of the adjoining buildings. No roof, front, nor back walls. In fact, it is merely a parking lot in the middle of the block with the parking lot entrance where the screen once stood. If you didn’t know that a theatre had been there, you could not imagine one. For those that recall the Knickerbocker, the only remaining trace of it is where the balcony steps joined the blocks midway up the wall.
The August 1967 fire was not the first fire to damage and eventually destroy the Loew’s Vendome. The Tennessean reported that the first fire occurred on January 2, 1902, when faulty electrical wiring in the upper boxes created a fire causing between $35,000-$50,000.00 in damages.
The theatre was repaired, remodeled, and reopened on September 12th, 1902. The boxes were ivory and gold, the walls were shaded with a red tint varying from a pale rose to terra cotta. The new ceiling mural, entitled “Love’s Awakening”, replaced “Aurora”, which had fallen in the flames (Banner).
The theatre closed as a playhouse and reopened as a movie theatre on April 14th, 1915 (Banner).
The theatre was once more remodeled and opened on March 22, 1920 (Tennessean) after $100,000.00 was spent towards upgrades. Vaudeville was still performed and motion pictures were shown. The organ was added at a cost of $20,000.00.
By reviewing the Tennessean newspapers records, The Capitol Theatre, costing $250,000.00, opened somewhere around May 1st, 1926, at this site.
The Tennessean (4/18/1926) reported that F. Arhur Henkel will direct the Capitol Orchestra. Mr. Henkel is the director of the Nashville Symphony, as well as the former head of the Organ Department at Ward-Belmont College in Nashville, and current organist at Christ Church Episcopal at Broadway & 9th Ave. N. Mr. Henkle, although not the organist at The Capitol Theatre, had a 3 manual, 36 stops, Moller organ installed in his home at 1600 Linden Avenue, City.
The organist of The Capitol Theatre’s $35,000.00 organ will be Leon Coles, who up until recently had been the organist at The Belmont Theatre since December 20th, 1925. The first film was “Let’s Get Married”.
On March 17, 1929, The Tennessean reported that a fire had damaged the theatre with a loss between $70-90,000.00. The greatest loss was the Vitaphone equipment, the organ, and projector room equipment. Apparently the theatre was not rebuilt here, but moved to the second Capitol Theatre listed in Nashville, located at 835 2nd Ave., S.
The Bijou was constructed on the site of the former Adelphi Theatre which had burned in December 1902. The Adelphi was known as The Grand when it was destroyed by fire.
When the Bijou opened on September 14th, 1904, as a playhouse, it reportedly (Tennessean 7/19/1957) seated 1,642. The theatre had pink marble wainscoting, a tiled vertibule, soft green interior trimmed with white and gold, a guilded proscenium arch, and hand painted figures on the ceiling. The first production, “Sign of the Four” was an adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s novel.
When the Bijou converted to motion pictures, it’s seating capacity was reduced to accomodate the screen.
The Tennessean newspspaper (3/31/1912) reported that F.A. Leatherman Co., located at 12 Arcade, Nashville, was to install a Wurlitzer Duplex Pianorchestra at a cost of $5,000.00. The opening date was to be the week of April 8th, 1912.
The Knickerbocker opened on March 22, 1916 with an ivory, green, and gold color scheme. William H. Wassman was the manager and Buel B. Risinger was the opening organist on the Kimball theatre pipe organ. The main organ pipe chambers were above the proscenium and there was an echo pipe chamber in the balcony. This organ could be played manually or with an automatic roll player. A grand piano was attached to the console which also allowed the organist or roll player to use that instrument as well.
Mr Risinger was also the Orchestra conductor, with a few of the more famous members of the orchestra being: E. Daniel Worland, Flute; George Modges, Tympanist, and Mozart Lucier, Violinist and Ass’t. Director.(Tennessean 3/12/16)
The theatre became a Crescent property in 1920. The theatre closed on February 4th, 1961
This Paramount’s Wurlitzer was the first theatre organ in Nashville to be situated on a lift in November 9, 1930. On November 14th, 1930, the Tennessean reported that theatre organist C. Sharpe Minor, also known as Charlie Minor, billed as the “manipulator of the manuals”, would be introducing the 3 manual Wurlitzer. The opening night’s film would be “Fast and Loose” with Miriam Hopkins, Frank Morgan, and Carole Lombard. Tickets were 60 cents.
On December 14th, 1931, the film “Frankenstein” was playing with Johnny Winters at the Wurlitzer.
On November 7th, 1946, the film “The Strange Loves of Martha Ivers” starring Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin, and Lizabeth Scott was being shown, with Bob Luck at the organ.
When The Belcourt was known as the Hillsboro Theatre, a Mr. Benedict gave the opening performance on opening day, May 15th, 1925, on the Kimball pipe organ.
Leon Coles, Nashville organist, was employed as the Belmont organist on December 20th, 1925, with Arthur Henkel directing the orchestra. The theatre closed on March 15th, 1961.
Thanks to all for the comments regarding my recollections of 1969 at RCMH. Naturally, my primary reason for going to RCMH as an 18 year old organist, for the first time, was to see/hear the Wurlitzer. Now that I’ve read your comments Bill H., it could have been the Loew’s State where I actually saw the Apes I or II movie. It is good to hear your collective memories from a period that was 39 years ago!
I was reading the comments on the Ziegfeld Theatre page here and noticed that they were talking about the return of The Planet of the Apes movies to the Ziegfeld Theatre. I recalled seeing Planet of the Apes (1) or maybe (2) I can’t remember which, in the spring of 1969, when I graduated from high school and made my first trip to NYC to see RCMH and the Big Wurlitzer. I remember finding it odd that those in the audience laughed when they saw parts of NYC abandoned in some of the scenes. Apparently the RCMH didn’t have the solo run of this movie, as they mentioned it was also at the Capitol and perhaps other theatres. Anyway, always enjoyed RCMH on that trip and many since. Would love to get my fingers on that well/overly guarded Wurlitzer!
Pinslasher, the Inglewood Theatre in Inglewood, a surburb of Nashville, TN, was on Gallatin Road, directely in front of the Inglewood Bowling Lanes, next to the Inglewood Methodist Church. The Bowling Lanes remain but are closed, fenced off, and boarded up.
The theatre had a drug store occupying the only other store front area in the front of the building. It was a free-standing theatre and had a great Party room upstairs with a large glass window which allowed auditorium viewing.
I think the Melrose and Belle Meade theatre favored one another more so than the Inglewood which had a futuristic outward appearance with a tall tower and the words INGLEWOOD vertically displayed.
The nearest thing to an usher in the Nashville TN area would have been an attendant that stood at the exit gate of the property in order to assist with the directing of the exiting patrons. While the entrance to the Drive-In was usually on a main thoroughfare, the exit from the Drive-in was sometimes to a side street. The attendant would stop traffic on the side street and use his flashlight to signal the exiting patrons to drive forward, turning either left or right onto the street.
I never saw anyone who cleaned windshields, washed cars, or repaired flats or stalled engines. The employees of the Drive-Ins collected your money at the Box Office, served you in the concession stand, operated the projector, and assisted you with traffic direction at the conclusion of the film(s).
I attended the Drive-in Theaters of Nashville TN in the 1950s when I was a child (born 1951). My Grandparents would take me for entertainment when I visited them on the weekends. The majority of the cars contained parents/grandparents with children, and on the back rows, naturally, the dating teen couples. I can’t recall any single moms with their children, nor ever seeing Afro-Americans. I can’t recall any immigrants being patrons either, as the mid-south was not a destination, at that time, for immigrants. During the 50s, I do not recall ever seeing an usher for the drive-in. You merely drove your auto into the line at the box office, picked up a car heater if it was cold, and drove to the parking space you chose. Parking spaces around the concession stand were the most popular. There was generally playground equipment near the large screen for the children for the time period before the movie began and at intermission. There were also twin screens at some theatres. Your parking space included a hard-wired speaker on a post, or in later days, you could tune your car radio to a particular channel and receive the signal. Most times, there was always a double feature. In the summer, patrons would bring their folding lawn chairs and sit outside of their vehicle. The Drive-Ins reduced the number of patrons that would attend the downtown movie theatres because you could be more comfortable in your clothing at the Drive-Ins. Some of the Nashville area Drive-Ins were the: Skyway, Colonial, Montague, and Bordeaux. Today, only two Drive-Ins remain in the Greater Middle Tennessee area. One is in Dickson, and one is in Franklin, KY. The Franklin, KY drive in charges $9.00 per carload and always has two First Run pictures each weekend from March til October. This theatre is always at full capacity during these months.
My early 1960s organ teacher, Mary Doster, was a fill-in organist at the Paramount. She used to tell me that the organ was removed to a Dr’s home in Bowling Green, Ky. I had never heard that the organ was ‘broken-up’ as mentioned in this thread, and am not too sure that it is true, as a color picture of the Wurlizter console is on the inside first few pages of the last edition (4th book in the series, I believe) of the Encyclopedia of the American Theatre Organ. You can see this book’s ordering form here (http://www.atos.org/marketplace/) as well as the place to order a back copy of the American Theatre Organ Society’s quarterly publication 2007 Vol. 49, No.1, No.2, in which a picture of an organist at the console of the Paramount Nashville Wurlitzer is also listed under the category of Mystery Organist.
In speaking with organist Gaylord Carter many years ago by telephone when checking on a CD I had ordered from him, he told me that the organ from the Loew’s Vendome was in either the Oakland or LA area, as he had played it.
Yes, I did understand the small drug store you mentioned, MarkE, that was attached to the Inglewood. I was just referring to the Eckerd that sits empty. I have been the guest organist at your childhood church, Ingleweood MC, many times as well, and am the current organist at a church just a mile further towards downtown. Enjoyed your recollections. ;–)
I too, MarkE, attended many a Saturday Matinee at the Inglewood in the 60s. If you’ve been past the site lately, you’ll know the Inglewood Bowling Alley is shuttered, and the Drug Store, which replaced the Inglewood Theatre, is also shuttered. Time marches on I guess?
LOST MEMORY! You get my vote for Member of the Year for ALWAYS, and I do mean ALWAYS, coming through with the best photo links. Thanks for being a member here and participating so wonderfully. Keep those ‘Theatre Organ’ photos coming in!
The Wurlitzer at the Tennessee Theatre, Knoxville, (3 manuals) has always been thought of by me as being the smaller sister to the Wurlizter at the Alabama Theatre, Birmingham, Ala.(4 manuals), known to those fans as ‘Big Bertha’. www.theatreorgans.com/alabama/bham/
It is the original Wurlitzer organ installation ‘Patsy’ and ‘Lost Memory’.
I saw 2001 A Space Odyssey at the Belle Meade in 1968-69 as well bbrown1. I was a Senior in High School at that time with 2001 seeming a long way off then :–)! The Paramount and Tennessee were still around but the Belle Meade was still a nice place for a movie.
I too would like to thank all of you who continue to provide the wonderful insight of the behind the scenes operation of this great theatre! I share the same anticipation as you LeonLeonidoff when attending a theatre where the orchestra and organ are on lifts. If I had my way, I’d have a lift installed for my Reuter pipe organ at church and enter the sanctuary that way while I played the overture. . er…prelude! :-D Theatre presentation, whether it be in an auditorium or a sanctuary, evokes emotion from an audience.
Perhaps, Leon, people aren’t necessarily more stupid today, as they are litigious?
Beautiful photos Lost Memory! Thanks for posting!! These photos make the theatre appear even more beautiful than opening day.
Working near this former theatre site in downtown Nashville, I walked thru what remains of the theatre yesterday, which is just the side walls which still comprise the walls of the adjoining buildings. No roof, front, nor back walls. In fact, it is merely a parking lot in the middle of the block with the parking lot entrance where the screen once stood. If you didn’t know that a theatre had been there, you could not imagine one. For those that recall the Knickerbocker, the only remaining trace of it is where the balcony steps joined the blocks midway up the wall.
Great outside pic ‘Lost Memory’ ~ Thanks! I last played the organ there in 1978, pre-restoration. Even then, it was a great Wurlitzer to play.
The August 1967 fire was not the first fire to damage and eventually destroy the Loew’s Vendome. The Tennessean reported that the first fire occurred on January 2, 1902, when faulty electrical wiring in the upper boxes created a fire causing between $35,000-$50,000.00 in damages.
The theatre was repaired, remodeled, and reopened on September 12th, 1902. The boxes were ivory and gold, the walls were shaded with a red tint varying from a pale rose to terra cotta. The new ceiling mural, entitled “Love’s Awakening”, replaced “Aurora”, which had fallen in the flames (Banner).
The theatre closed as a playhouse and reopened as a movie theatre on April 14th, 1915 (Banner).
The theatre was once more remodeled and opened on March 22, 1920 (Tennessean) after $100,000.00 was spent towards upgrades. Vaudeville was still performed and motion pictures were shown. The organ was added at a cost of $20,000.00.
By reviewing the Tennessean newspapers records, The Capitol Theatre, costing $250,000.00, opened somewhere around May 1st, 1926, at this site.
The Tennessean (4/18/1926) reported that F. Arhur Henkel will direct the Capitol Orchestra. Mr. Henkel is the director of the Nashville Symphony, as well as the former head of the Organ Department at Ward-Belmont College in Nashville, and current organist at Christ Church Episcopal at Broadway & 9th Ave. N. Mr. Henkle, although not the organist at The Capitol Theatre, had a 3 manual, 36 stops, Moller organ installed in his home at 1600 Linden Avenue, City.
The organist of The Capitol Theatre’s $35,000.00 organ will be Leon Coles, who up until recently had been the organist at The Belmont Theatre since December 20th, 1925. The first film was “Let’s Get Married”.
On March 17, 1929, The Tennessean reported that a fire had damaged the theatre with a loss between $70-90,000.00. The greatest loss was the Vitaphone equipment, the organ, and projector room equipment. Apparently the theatre was not rebuilt here, but moved to the second Capitol Theatre listed in Nashville, located at 835 2nd Ave., S.
The Bijou was constructed on the site of the former Adelphi Theatre which had burned in December 1902. The Adelphi was known as The Grand when it was destroyed by fire.
When the Bijou opened on September 14th, 1904, as a playhouse, it reportedly (Tennessean 7/19/1957) seated 1,642. The theatre had pink marble wainscoting, a tiled vertibule, soft green interior trimmed with white and gold, a guilded proscenium arch, and hand painted figures on the ceiling. The first production, “Sign of the Four” was an adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s novel.
When the Bijou converted to motion pictures, it’s seating capacity was reduced to accomodate the screen.
The Tennessean newspspaper (3/31/1912) reported that F.A. Leatherman Co., located at 12 Arcade, Nashville, was to install a Wurlitzer Duplex Pianorchestra at a cost of $5,000.00. The opening date was to be the week of April 8th, 1912.
The Knickerbocker opened on March 22, 1916 with an ivory, green, and gold color scheme. William H. Wassman was the manager and Buel B. Risinger was the opening organist on the Kimball theatre pipe organ. The main organ pipe chambers were above the proscenium and there was an echo pipe chamber in the balcony. This organ could be played manually or with an automatic roll player. A grand piano was attached to the console which also allowed the organist or roll player to use that instrument as well.
Mr Risinger was also the Orchestra conductor, with a few of the more famous members of the orchestra being: E. Daniel Worland, Flute; George Modges, Tympanist, and Mozart Lucier, Violinist and Ass’t. Director.(Tennessean 3/12/16)
The theatre became a Crescent property in 1920. The theatre closed on February 4th, 1961
This Paramount’s Wurlitzer was the first theatre organ in Nashville to be situated on a lift in November 9, 1930. On November 14th, 1930, the Tennessean reported that theatre organist C. Sharpe Minor, also known as Charlie Minor, billed as the “manipulator of the manuals”, would be introducing the 3 manual Wurlitzer. The opening night’s film would be “Fast and Loose” with Miriam Hopkins, Frank Morgan, and Carole Lombard. Tickets were 60 cents.
On December 14th, 1931, the film “Frankenstein” was playing with Johnny Winters at the Wurlitzer.
On November 7th, 1946, the film “The Strange Loves of Martha Ivers” starring Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin, and Lizabeth Scott was being shown, with Bob Luck at the organ.
The opening film was “Charlie McCarthy Detective”, the theatre reportedly costs $250,000.00 and was managed by Edwin J. Jordan.
When The Belcourt was known as the Hillsboro Theatre, a Mr. Benedict gave the opening performance on opening day, May 15th, 1925, on the Kimball pipe organ.
Leon Coles, Nashville organist, was employed as the Belmont organist on December 20th, 1925, with Arthur Henkel directing the orchestra. The theatre closed on March 15th, 1961.
Thanks to all for the comments regarding my recollections of 1969 at RCMH. Naturally, my primary reason for going to RCMH as an 18 year old organist, for the first time, was to see/hear the Wurlitzer. Now that I’ve read your comments Bill H., it could have been the Loew’s State where I actually saw the Apes I or II movie. It is good to hear your collective memories from a period that was 39 years ago!
I was reading the comments on the Ziegfeld Theatre page here and noticed that they were talking about the return of The Planet of the Apes movies to the Ziegfeld Theatre. I recalled seeing Planet of the Apes (1) or maybe (2) I can’t remember which, in the spring of 1969, when I graduated from high school and made my first trip to NYC to see RCMH and the Big Wurlitzer. I remember finding it odd that those in the audience laughed when they saw parts of NYC abandoned in some of the scenes. Apparently the RCMH didn’t have the solo run of this movie, as they mentioned it was also at the Capitol and perhaps other theatres. Anyway, always enjoyed RCMH on that trip and many since. Would love to get my fingers on that well/overly guarded Wurlitzer!
Pinslasher, the Inglewood Theatre in Inglewood, a surburb of Nashville, TN, was on Gallatin Road, directely in front of the Inglewood Bowling Lanes, next to the Inglewood Methodist Church. The Bowling Lanes remain but are closed, fenced off, and boarded up.
The theatre had a drug store occupying the only other store front area in the front of the building. It was a free-standing theatre and had a great Party room upstairs with a large glass window which allowed auditorium viewing.
I think the Melrose and Belle Meade theatre favored one another more so than the Inglewood which had a futuristic outward appearance with a tall tower and the words INGLEWOOD vertically displayed.
The nearest thing to an usher in the Nashville TN area would have been an attendant that stood at the exit gate of the property in order to assist with the directing of the exiting patrons. While the entrance to the Drive-In was usually on a main thoroughfare, the exit from the Drive-in was sometimes to a side street. The attendant would stop traffic on the side street and use his flashlight to signal the exiting patrons to drive forward, turning either left or right onto the street.
I never saw anyone who cleaned windshields, washed cars, or repaired flats or stalled engines. The employees of the Drive-Ins collected your money at the Box Office, served you in the concession stand, operated the projector, and assisted you with traffic direction at the conclusion of the film(s).
I attended the Drive-in Theaters of Nashville TN in the 1950s when I was a child (born 1951). My Grandparents would take me for entertainment when I visited them on the weekends. The majority of the cars contained parents/grandparents with children, and on the back rows, naturally, the dating teen couples. I can’t recall any single moms with their children, nor ever seeing Afro-Americans. I can’t recall any immigrants being patrons either, as the mid-south was not a destination, at that time, for immigrants. During the 50s, I do not recall ever seeing an usher for the drive-in. You merely drove your auto into the line at the box office, picked up a car heater if it was cold, and drove to the parking space you chose. Parking spaces around the concession stand were the most popular. There was generally playground equipment near the large screen for the children for the time period before the movie began and at intermission. There were also twin screens at some theatres. Your parking space included a hard-wired speaker on a post, or in later days, you could tune your car radio to a particular channel and receive the signal. Most times, there was always a double feature. In the summer, patrons would bring their folding lawn chairs and sit outside of their vehicle. The Drive-Ins reduced the number of patrons that would attend the downtown movie theatres because you could be more comfortable in your clothing at the Drive-Ins. Some of the Nashville area Drive-Ins were the: Skyway, Colonial, Montague, and Bordeaux. Today, only two Drive-Ins remain in the Greater Middle Tennessee area. One is in Dickson, and one is in Franklin, KY. The Franklin, KY drive in charges $9.00 per carload and always has two First Run pictures each weekend from March til October. This theatre is always at full capacity during these months.
My early 1960s organ teacher, Mary Doster, was a fill-in organist at the Paramount. She used to tell me that the organ was removed to a Dr’s home in Bowling Green, Ky. I had never heard that the organ was ‘broken-up’ as mentioned in this thread, and am not too sure that it is true, as a color picture of the Wurlizter console is on the inside first few pages of the last edition (4th book in the series, I believe) of the Encyclopedia of the American Theatre Organ. You can see this book’s ordering form here (http://www.atos.org/marketplace/) as well as the place to order a back copy of the American Theatre Organ Society’s quarterly publication 2007 Vol. 49, No.1, No.2, in which a picture of an organist at the console of the Paramount Nashville Wurlitzer is also listed under the category of Mystery Organist.
In speaking with organist Gaylord Carter many years ago by telephone when checking on a CD I had ordered from him, he told me that the organ from the Loew’s Vendome was in either the Oakland or LA area, as he had played it.