Navrang Theatres

This theatre opened new in 1978, if the manager timeline history scrawled on the wall to the left of projector one was accurate. My entry thereupon was from 09-81 until 12-84. Cinema I seated 231 and Cinema II seated 328. The projection booth had no a/c in the summer and no heat in the winter. This theatre may have been the most economically designed theatre ever built. Many nights it was just me and one employee. I met some of the finest young people I ever knew while managing that place and ran some of the finest movies ever made. Jedi in the summer of 83 in both houses was an event to remember. Terms of Endearment, Christmas 84 still makes me long for the days when outstanding movies reigned. Most memorable were my assistant manager whose loyalty and dedication have never been met or surpassed by anyone else in all the ensuing years, and strangely enough a xenon bulb which had logged over 9000 hours when I left. I sometimes wonder if that bulb is still burning.

I never attended either of these places, but do remember when both came into existance. I think that Raymond is right about the Roswell Village being the Jerry Lewis. If my memory is correct, not a sure thing these days, Septum took over the old JL at the same time as the Buford Hwy JL. They then built the Brannon Square later on. Or, it may have been vice versa, but I am pretty sure the Brannon appeared in the Septum ads after they were already established.

I’ve heard several stories about Brannon Square’s origins. The nearby Roswell Village was definately a Jerry Lewis at one point. Both came under Cineplex Odeon control with the buyouts of Plitt and Septum. Was operated for a short time by Carmike after they took over from Cineplex Odeon. A friend on mine’s father was with Carmike as a VP and showed me the financial info that Carmike got when they took over from Cineplex and the ONLY theater that Cineplex had left that was turning a profit was Brannon Square! As I understood it, Carmike took over the locations they did from Cineplex for a token amount with an understanding they would also take one of the Memorial Dr. theaters if Cineplex could make it turn a profit, that’s why the one Memorial Dr. theaters continued on under the Cineplex banner for a few more months.