Gordon Theatre

Here's (atlantatimemachine.com/commercialbldgs/gtheatre.htm )a now & then photo of the Gorden from the Georgia State Unv. photo archive. Strange it's uncanny resemblance to the West End.

Here is the link that Jack posted above:
http://atlantatimemachine.com/commercialbldgs/gtheatre.htm

The Gordon Theater (the original address was 960 Gordon Street, SW) was possibly the largest of the second run, neighborhood theaters in the Atlanta area in its day. It was one of only several to have a balcony (another was the Euclid Theater in Little Five Points). Although I didn't get to attend the Gordon Theatre as much as the neighborhood theaters on Atlanta's east side, I did like this theater a lot.

On one occasion, my father took me to see TARZAN THE MAGNIFICENT (1960) on a first run engagement. Gordon Scott, who starred as Tarzan, made a personal appearance.

The Gordon Theatre was a great venue for horror movies and other such guilty pleasures when I was a kid.

The Gordon Theatre (now the Shrine of the black Madonna at 960 Ralph Abernathy Boulevard - formerly Gordon Street) should not be confused with the West End Theatre, which once stood at 595 Lee Street, SW. If you know West End, then you probably realize that Lee Street intersects Ralph Abernathy Boulevard (Gordon Street), near the train trestle. The former site of the West End Theatre on Lee Street and what was once the Gordon Theatre on Gordon Street were about a quarter of a mile apartment. The two theaters really looked nothing alike. When I first encountered the old West End Theatre, it had ceased to operate as a movie theater. It was being used as the location of Cantrell's bookstore. The West End Theatre was one of a number of Atlanta area movie theaters that went out of business in the early to mid 1950's. The West End Theatre was torn down in the 1960's, as I recall.

Here is a night shot of the Gordon Theatre.
http://www.library.gsu.edu/spcoll/spcollimages/av/lane/jpeg/LBCB117-090b.jpg

"THUNDER ROAD" Now Playing at The Gordon Theatre.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24391992@N00/773196203/

Prior to becoming a porno house, the Gordon was only open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Obviously not enough people were attending during the week. It stayed this way about a year before going all adult. When it first began showing "Art films," the Gordon was showing rather high class porn becacuse I remember seeing these at other downtown theaters. Although after a few weeks, it was showing the usual stuff.

It is interesting to note that the East Point Theater also was only opened on the weekends before it closed.

Back in the 1940's, the Gordon was a rather elegant neighborhood theater, featuring plush seats (some of them built for two). Either side of the stage were huge sculptures of Native Americans or other tribes. I spent many happy days at matinees there, seeing films such as "Holiday Inn", and "Blue Dahlia" .

Once my brother and I sat through three showings of "Song of the Islands" with Betty Grable.

This was one of at least three theaters that Lucas & Jenkins built in 1940 in Atlanta.

See this article for a contemporary mention:
BoxOffice, (March 23, 1940) L&J Circuit Building Three In Atlanta (page 75)

The article indicates the Gordon was 1,300 seats when built. The Little 5 location was the Euclid (now Variety Playhouse) and if you look at the photos linked above you can see a definite similarity between the Gordon's design and that of Variety.

The third location described is where the downtown connector & Georgia Archives are now, so it no doubt is long demolished.

Here is a September 1951 ad:
http://tinyurl.com/nzyv6z