Princess Theatre

TLSLOEWS on July 13, 2010 at 11:37 am

Very nice glad they saved it.

Chuck1231 on April 22, 2009 at 1:22 am

This theatre should also have an AKA Valley Cinema.

lostmemory on March 31, 2009 at 9:38 am

There should be an aka name of Palace Theatre.

lostmemory on August 21, 2008 at 7:14 pm

Here is a July 2008 photo.

lostmemory on March 6, 2007 at 4:59 am

This is an 8/6/2006 article about the Princess Theater.

“Sales of South Pittsburg DVDs to help preserve Princess Theater.

Source: Chattanooga Times/Free Press
Byline: Dick Cook

Aug. 6—SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. — People may look for themselves on film and help preserve the old Princess Theater by purchasing DVDs of small-town life produced in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. Bob Hookey, president of the South Pittsburg Historic Preservation Society, said the organization is selling DVDs of films shot in the town in 1941 and 1954. There is also a videodisc of films made in South Pittsburg Elementary School in 1954, 1955 and 1961. “Herman McDowell, who was the manager of the Princess Theater from 1934 to the late 1950s, commissioned these films,” Mr. Hookey said. “The crew went around town filming town life as it was. He would show these in the theater to get local interest in his business,” he said. “He was a man ahead of his time.”

When Mr. McDowell passed away, he left the films to the South Pittsburg Public Library, Mr. Hookey said. They were restored and put into videodisc format by Bradley Reeves, a film preservationist from Knoxville, Mr. Hookey said. “They turned out fantastic,” he said. June Chance, 61, who works at Lodge Outlet Store, was a fourth-grader when the 1955 film, “A Day in Our School!” was shot. She said she is featured in the film retracing the river route of the Lewis and Clark expedition on the bulletin board. “It’s really interesting to see a lot of the faces you’ve forgotten about,” Ms. Chance said. She said the camera captures the faces of schoolchildren for brief moments, but her appearance in the film is a little longer than most. “I’m up there for a good while,” she said. “ Carolyn Millhiser, a longtime member of the historic society, said many people who grew up in South Pittsburg and have since moved out of state have shown an interest in the DVDs. "I got a call from Agatha Smith in Florida,” Ms. Millhiser said. “Agatha played basketball and remembers being in the 1941 film.

“She wanted to get the DVD to show her grandchildren that she really did play basketball,” she said. E-mail Dick Cook at HOW TO ORDER The South Pittsburg Historic Preservation Society is offering DVDs of life in the town in 1941, 1954 and school films shot in 1954, ‘55 and '61 for a $10 donation for each film. For information, call Carolyn Millhiser at (423) 837-8327".

JackCoursey on July 9, 2006 at 6:10 am

Here are a couple of photos from July 2006 of the Princess. Although I wasn’t able to get a view of the interior, the restoration appears to be going quite well. Does anyone know anything about the Opera House located just across the street from the Princess?