Comments from Don K.

Showing 176 - 180 of 180 comments

Don K.
Don K. commented about Decatur Theatre on May 22, 2005 at 2:32 am

Here’s a link to a photo of the Decatur Theater:

View link

It’s from the Lane Brothers Photography Collection at Georgia State University’s Pullen Library. If you run a search on their site, you’ll find another photo of the Decatur, as well as other Atlanta area theaters.

Having grown up in Atlanta, I literally saw scores of movies at the Decatur. Hadn’t realized it had 800 seats. Somehow, that seems like a lot.

Don K.
Don K. commented about Decatur Theatre on May 22, 2005 at 2:32 am

Here’s a link to a photo of the Decatur Theater:

View link

It’s from the Lane Brothers Photography Collection at Georgia State University’s Pullen Library. If you run a search on their site, you’ll find another photo of the Decatur, as well as other Atlanta area theaters.

Having grown up in Atlanta, I literally saw scores of movies at the Decatur. Hadn’t realized it had 800 seats. Somehow, that seems like a lot.

Don K.
Don K. commented about Loew's Grand Theatre on May 22, 2005 at 1:50 am

For images of the Loew’s Grand go to this site:

View link

This is the web site of the Pullen Library of Georgia State University. It features a search engine where you can search the files of the collection of the Lane Brothers photographs. There are a number of good shots of the Loew’s Grand.

They are certainly nostalgic for me, since I grew up in Atlanta and attended the Loew’s Grand many times. And yes, I saw GONE WITH THE WIND there several times when it was rereleased.

Unforgettable!

Don K.
Don K. commented about Fox Theatre on May 22, 2005 at 1:40 am

The word “fabulous” is an understatement when applied to the Fox. My personal connection to the Fox is intense since I grew up in Atlanta in the 1950’s and 1960’s. As a small boy, my father took me to the Fox a number of times. Among my most memorable experiences was seeing John Ford’s THE SEARCHERS (1956), starring John Wayne, at the Fox. Over the years, I saw a lot of movies there, as well as live events.

After the demolition of Atlanta’s Paramount, Roxy, and Loew’s Grand, I am doubly thankful that the Fox was saved. On the my most recent visits to Atlanta, I took the tour of the Fox. It was very gratifying to say the least.

When my father was dying in 1996, I visited him in the hospital immediately after taking the tour of the Fox. In spite of his suffering, he brightened up when I told him how wonderful the theater looked. Our shared memories of the movies that we saw there turned what might have been a grim visit into a a very happy experience for both of us. It was the last conversation that I had with him before he died.

In a way, I owe that wonderful last experience with my father to the Fox Theater.

Don K.
Don K. commented about Paramount Theatre on May 22, 2005 at 12:09 am

First of all, I grew up going to this theater in the 1950’s. The first post by Mr. Coursey is incorrect. The posts by R. McGee and Mr. Bearden are accurate. The Paramount Theater was located next door to the Collier Building, which stood at the Southeast corner of Peachtree Street and Ellis Street. The Paramount was north of, and next door, to the Loew’s Grand. There was an alleyway between them.

At one time, Peachtree Street also boasted The Roxy Theater and the Capitol Theater, which stood next door to each other just north of Davison’s Department Store, on the west side of the street.

The Howard Theater opened in 1920. It was acquired by the Paramount chain about ten years later. Here is a link where you can find a number of photographs of the theater:

View link

This is the website for the Pullen Library of Georgia State University. You can search the site for photos from the Lane Brothers Collection.

My father knew the projectionist of the Atlanta Paramount. He told us in 1960 that the theater had been bought by an insurance company and was slated for demolition. Regrettably, he was right. The Paramount Theater was torn down in the summer of 1960. The office building that took it’s place was torn down to make way for the Georgia Pacific tower that now sits on the site of the Loew’s Grand. The last time that I was in Atlanta, the site that the Paramount Theater stood on was an open grassy lawn behind a wrought iron fence.

The demolition of Atlanta’s Paramount Theater was a personal loss for me. The Paramount Theater was a great place to see movies. Trust me, I saw a lot of them there.

Peachtree Street has never been the same.