North Dekalb Theatre

My recollection is this theatre opened in early 1966. It showed the occasional first-run movie (FANTASTIC VOYAGE) at the beginning of its life, but was more of a deluxe suburban run house with semi-exclusive titles before the movies trickled down into the neighborhood theatres and drive-ins. The first movies I saw at North DeKalb were THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING, THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING and THE GREAT RACE, but I don't recall the order. THE GREAT RACE played around March, following its first run at the downtown Rialto. The movie went to the neighborhoods in June.

At Christmastime 1966, I was borrowed from the Emory to help in the concession stand at the North DeKalb during the first suburban run of THE SOUND OF MUSIC. Two shows per day and it was a mob scene, selling out time and time again. I hated working all day because it meant I was one of the chosen ones to sweep out that auditorium during the two-hour dinner break each day. It was very hard work, but I fell in love with that big screen and the theatre.

I'd attend movies every chance I could. I vividly remember BORN FREE (1966) and, later, CHARLY (1968), which was what we saw on my first date.

The North DeKalb was very successful and Storey Theatres management risked larger guarantees to nab bigger first-run titles and Atlanta exclusives. I remember hearing talks of twinning it as early as 1971, but their exclusive on DIRTY HARRY stopped that for awhile. It was a monster cash machine.

While in college, I jumped at the chance to become the full-time projectionist in November, 1972, although it was one of the lower paying jobs, a Storey trademark.

That Christmas, the North DeKalb had the Atlanta exclusive of JEREMIAH JOHNSON. It ran 8 weeks with turnaway business every weekend to the end. It could've played much longer, but Storey let it go when the movie went wide the next day. That was an astonishing decision to witness.

The funny thing about JEREMIAH JOHNSON was the company considered backing out of the first-run exclusive near opening day. They had a big guarantee down and were worried about making their money back. They decided to raise ticket prices from $2 to $2.50, a huge increase and price for Atlanta. They were worried customers wouldn't pay the exhorbitant admission.

I quit in June, 1973, after HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER opened. I had had only two days off in all those months, which I had to beg for in order to fulfill schooling needs. (That was a grievance with my Union, not the management.)

I saw a few films on the big screen afterwards, including SHAMPO0 (1975). I worked relief a few times, showing THE HINDENBURG (1975). It wasn't long before the dreaded twinning occurred. I ran the sad, cluttered booth with the destroyed auditorium once, maybe twice. The thrill was gone.

The North DeKalb was one of my favorite booths and theatres in my career.

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As for the comparison to the Emory, I don't get it. See the Emory Theatre thread for details.

STARTS WEDNESDAY AT THE NORTH DEKALB THEATRE
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24391992@N00/525258846/in/photostream/

NORTH DEKALB THEATRE TICKET.
ADMIT ONE.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24391992@N00/596172972/

I was so crushed when I went back to Atlanta to find this theatre torn down. I remember vividly seeing many wonderful movies there. The two greatest movie going experiences I had was seeing OLIVER! there in it's "popular prices" run. Every Saturday my Mom would drop off a me and a friend to see OLIVER! Later it would be WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. I saw that many times there too. Throughout the years I saw many others too, including THE HINDENBURG. I didn't like it when they turned it into a twin theatre. That was the beginning of the end for that wonderful theatre. I think the last film I saw there was THANK GOD IT'S FRIDAY.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWXjFHqc7gc

Has anybody created a page for the Cineplex Odeon Market Square theater that opened in North DeKalb Mall?

Boxoffice of August 9, 1965, said that "Lord Jim" had opened at Storey's new North DeKalb Theatre in Decatur. That must have been the premier feature at the theater, as the August 23 issue of Boxoffice mentioned that the house had opened "Two weeks ago...."

Two small photos depicting the North DeKalb's marquee and lobby appeared in Boxoffice of April 17, 1967. The article was about the Storey circuit's new Lakewood Theatre in Atlanta, and said that both the Lakewood and the North DeKalb had been designed by the same architects, the Atlanta firm of Finch, Alexander, Barnes, Rothschild & Paschal, which was fairly active in theater design about this time. Each of these theaters had 900 seats, according to Boxoffice.

The June 21, 1976, issue of Boxoffice reported that the North DeKalb Twin had opened the previous month, bringing the total number of screens operated by the Storey circuit to 21. The twinned house had 450 seats on each side, according to Boxoffice, so given that the single-screen configuration had also provided 900 seats, and some space must have been sacrificed for the new dividing wall, the new seats must have been somewhat smaller.

Joe, Many thanks for all of your comments relating to Boxoffice. I never worked for Storey, and never attended this theatre after it was twinned, but I would doubt that new seats were used to keep the total number at 900.

The single screen layout had three section seating with two off center aisles, and I am sure that they just built the wall down the center and the aisles became single center aisles with two section seating. I worked at several theatres that were twinned in this way and the only ones to relocate the center section seats so that they pointed at the relocated twin screens were the Tara and South Dekalb. Since the new screens were much smaller most theatres just added the surplus seats in front of the old front row. I think that the old North Dekalb had a small stage a couple of steps off of the floor in front of the screen. They may have taken this out to give them more room to add new front rows thus allowing them to keep the 900 seat capacity.

I never found quality of presentation to be a concern when twinning theatres was underway. The public never seemed to care so why should the owners?