Henry Thomas was one of the first union Projectionists to run the booth.He would later move to the Performing Arts Center at Augusta College and run that complex. At one time he thought about buying the Thomson theatre in Thomson,Ga. But ill health stopped that dream.
Projectionists of record. Chuck Dray a staple in Augusta theatres moved from the Regency Triple in the Mall. To work the EXCHANGE. Other UNION projectionists weren H.V. HANSON and BILLY BARKLEY who had run movies like Dray in several Augusta theatres. They used Tom Dray for relief and a non union man to help out. BY that time the Union was seeing the writing on the wall.
When it was getting ready to open I actually went by an got an application for a management spot. The lady there gave me the tour and explained it was a manager/operator theatre. “you mean we have to worry about the booth and the floor?” She said Yep, that is the way REGAL operates.
I pity these managers today. Say what you will about UNION projectionists,they made my life alot easier back in the 70’s and early 80’s at GCC. Needless to say, I threw the application in the trash later.
Big Clint Eastwood fan. I am sorry to say HONKEYTONK MAN played there to mainly EMPTY showings. Clint should have known better. I couldn’t talk people into CINEMA TWO when the other 2 cinemas sold out.
March 31 1972 The Modjeska is playing its regular fare. THE STEPMOTHER. Rated R. The newspaper here made them take out the word SIN in the ad and add TRANSGRESSION. Shows start at 12:30.
March 31 1972 DANIEL VILLAGE is playing the Disney hit BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS. Prices are 2.00 for adults and no longer 75 cents it is now 1.00 for kids.
Yeah, when i wrote it i remembered National Hills was still a pile of dirt. It is just that if you were able to see the two theatres if you had any kind of epic film and National Hills WAS OPEN you would want it booked there. IT was run in35 mm at Daniel Village.No 70mm there only at NATIONAL HILLS. I have the 70mm storage cases in my basement.
Now SHOWING at the ROSA DRIVE IN SATURDAY ONLY! Four Big Features.
TARZAN AND THE VALLEY OF GOLD, THE DIRTY GAME, GUNMEN OF THE RIO GRANDE, I guess the fourth feature was not included in the ad.
One problem is in 1956 there was a REDA DRIVE IN in Middlesboro. It parked 450 cars.And was owned by D.Reda. I wonder if at sometime the Drive in changed names. I know the Manring Theatre in that town is on CT. And locals have written on the Manring Theatre. Wish they would get on and help with this.
REDA DRIVE IN Middlesboro,Ky. ROSA DRIVE IN Middlesboro ,Ky. ?
I have visited the lot and a few years ago the concession/booth was still standing with the roof still on it. Bullldozers had piled dirt and speaker pole bases around the doors to keep people out .but I WAS ABLE to do my best Indy Jones and climbed by all the trash piled around the doors.
The screen was gone as was the Box office. Water was getting into the snack bar pretty bad, but the booth was quite dry.
There is nothing to work out iam glad to get the picture to you. I wish someone had a picture of the Forest Hills Drive in here,so i know what it will mean to you.
Yeah, it is on an off street from the main business district, Parts of the ROSA Drive in in Middlesboro were standing.The concession and booth on one level still standing. Haven’t found anything on the ROSA drive in yet on CT.
To know Chuck Dray was to know your typical projectionist. He never held anything back. And the first time i was a doorman helping out at the Imperial he came walking in to work the evening shows. I did not know him. Asked for a ticket he said “ I am the %$##@ projectionist.” Scared the crap out of me.
One night on a late show some longhaired hippie walks by and Chuck says loud enough for the guy to hear"Geez, He looks like the afterbirth of a sheep!“ that was Chuck Dray.
I remember often a couple of times i would get to know a waitress at Sondy’s Pizza next to COLUMBIA 1 and 2 and after the movie we would sit on the floor by the back exit doors sip a few cold ones and talk. I remember one girl all she wanted to talk about was the new VALENTINO movie,THAT we weren’t playing! Maybe, just maybe I would have gotten lucky that night had we been playing that 1977 dog of a movie.
Two of Goldie Hawn’s first films play here CACTUS FLOWER and THERE IS A GIRL IN MY SOUP with Peter Sellers. Sellers would also show up at NATIONAL HILLS for WHERE DOES IT HURT?
Boy, For a conservative town CINEMA X was not shy about newspaper ads. August 9 1974 at the CINEMA X 2 all new X rated films. No titles given. Shows started as early as 10:00 am.and ran until midnight. It was located in Newport, Ky. Kentucky should be as conservative as Southern Ohio.
August 9 1974 the ACT 1 Cinema is a NEIGHBORHOOD THEATRES chain theatre. Admission was $1.50 and it was playing SPYS with Donald Sutherland and Elliot Gould. It was a second run theatre by 1974.
Also Playing for you Ohio moviegoers at the GRAND was Sidney Poitier in UPTOWN,SATURDAY NIGHT. They even ran a late show on this movie at 11:40 pm. Rated PG. This was part of the MID STATES CINEMAS inAugust 9 1974.
August 9 1974 THE STING opens,at the Ambassador. It was under the banner NEIGHBORHOOD THEATRES. They ran 11 screens in Cincinnati. IT was 2.50 a seat to see the STING.
The ALBEE a Stanley-Warner Theatre on August 9 1974 they are showing TOUGH ! about a tough black kid, Rated G. Guess some G rated movies do play in Downtown theatres in those days. It was first run.
Henry Thomas was one of the first union Projectionists to run the booth.He would later move to the Performing Arts Center at Augusta College and run that complex. At one time he thought about buying the Thomson theatre in Thomson,Ga. But ill health stopped that dream.
Projectionists of record. Chuck Dray a staple in Augusta theatres moved from the Regency Triple in the Mall. To work the EXCHANGE. Other UNION projectionists weren H.V. HANSON and BILLY BARKLEY who had run movies like Dray in several Augusta theatres. They used Tom Dray for relief and a non union man to help out. BY that time the Union was seeing the writing on the wall.
When it was getting ready to open I actually went by an got an application for a management spot. The lady there gave me the tour and explained it was a manager/operator theatre. “you mean we have to worry about the booth and the floor?” She said Yep, that is the way REGAL operates.
I pity these managers today. Say what you will about UNION projectionists,they made my life alot easier back in the 70’s and early 80’s at GCC. Needless to say, I threw the application in the trash later.
Big Clint Eastwood fan. I am sorry to say HONKEYTONK MAN played there to mainly EMPTY showings. Clint should have known better. I couldn’t talk people into CINEMA TWO when the other 2 cinemas sold out.
Yes, I took pictures of the old concession and Booth. Some of the sound equipment was STILL mounted on the wall.
March 31 1972 The Modjeska is playing its regular fare. THE STEPMOTHER. Rated R. The newspaper here made them take out the word SIN in the ad and add TRANSGRESSION. Shows start at 12:30.
March 31 1972 DANIEL VILLAGE is playing the Disney hit BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS. Prices are 2.00 for adults and no longer 75 cents it is now 1.00 for kids.
Yeah, when i wrote it i remembered National Hills was still a pile of dirt. It is just that if you were able to see the two theatres if you had any kind of epic film and National Hills WAS OPEN you would want it booked there. IT was run in35 mm at Daniel Village.No 70mm there only at NATIONAL HILLS. I have the 70mm storage cases in my basement.
The Newspaper ad has the ROSA DRIVE IN on PINEVILLE ROAD. U.S. 25.
Now SHOWING at the ROSA DRIVE IN SATURDAY ONLY! Four Big Features.
TARZAN AND THE VALLEY OF GOLD, THE DIRTY GAME, GUNMEN OF THE RIO GRANDE, I guess the fourth feature was not included in the ad.
Starting SUNDAY JOHN WAYNE in the ALAMO.
One problem is in 1956 there was a REDA DRIVE IN in Middlesboro. It parked 450 cars.And was owned by D.Reda. I wonder if at sometime the Drive in changed names. I know the Manring Theatre in that town is on CT. And locals have written on the Manring Theatre. Wish they would get on and help with this.
REDA DRIVE IN Middlesboro,Ky. ROSA DRIVE IN Middlesboro ,Ky. ?
I have visited the lot and a few years ago the concession/booth was still standing with the roof still on it. Bullldozers had piled dirt and speaker pole bases around the doors to keep people out .but I WAS ABLE to do my best Indy Jones and climbed by all the trash piled around the doors.
The screen was gone as was the Box office. Water was getting into the snack bar pretty bad, but the booth was quite dry.
There is nothing to work out iam glad to get the picture to you. I wish someone had a picture of the Forest Hills Drive in here,so i know what it will mean to you.
I will mail the stuff out to you Monday. I assumed you lived up the road in ATLANTA.
It was owned by H.S.Cole in 1956.
Yeah, it is on an off street from the main business district, Parts of the ROSA Drive in in Middlesboro were standing.The concession and booth on one level still standing. Haven’t found anything on the ROSA drive in yet on CT.
To know Chuck Dray was to know your typical projectionist. He never held anything back. And the first time i was a doorman helping out at the Imperial he came walking in to work the evening shows. I did not know him. Asked for a ticket he said “ I am the %$##@ projectionist.” Scared the crap out of me.
One night on a late show some longhaired hippie walks by and Chuck says loud enough for the guy to hear"Geez, He looks like the afterbirth of a sheep!“ that was Chuck Dray.
I remember often a couple of times i would get to know a waitress at Sondy’s Pizza next to COLUMBIA 1 and 2 and after the movie we would sit on the floor by the back exit doors sip a few cold ones and talk. I remember one girl all she wanted to talk about was the new VALENTINO movie,THAT we weren’t playing! Maybe, just maybe I would have gotten lucky that night had we been playing that 1977 dog of a movie.
Two of Goldie Hawn’s first films play here CACTUS FLOWER and THERE IS A GIRL IN MY SOUP with Peter Sellers. Sellers would also show up at NATIONAL HILLS for WHERE DOES IT HURT?
Nick, Hope you spot your Drive in on recent comments.Haven’t seen any of your work.Everything okay?
Boy, For a conservative town CINEMA X was not shy about newspaper ads. August 9 1974 at the CINEMA X 2 all new X rated films. No titles given. Shows started as early as 10:00 am.and ran until midnight. It was located in Newport, Ky. Kentucky should be as conservative as Southern Ohio.
August 9 1974 the ACT 1 Cinema is a NEIGHBORHOOD THEATRES chain theatre. Admission was $1.50 and it was playing SPYS with Donald Sutherland and Elliot Gould. It was a second run theatre by 1974.
Also Playing for you Ohio moviegoers at the GRAND was Sidney Poitier in UPTOWN,SATURDAY NIGHT. They even ran a late show on this movie at 11:40 pm. Rated PG. This was part of the MID STATES CINEMAS inAugust 9 1974.
August 9 1974 THE STING opens,at the Ambassador. It was under the banner NEIGHBORHOOD THEATRES. They ran 11 screens in Cincinnati. IT was 2.50 a seat to see the STING.
The ALBEE a Stanley-Warner Theatre on August 9 1974 they are showing TOUGH ! about a tough black kid, Rated G. Guess some G rated movies do play in Downtown theatres in those days. It was first run.