Electric Theatre

This theatre was the first in Milledgeville, GA. Oliver Hardy at a very young age attended Military College there. Here is some info from his Biography:
‘Norvell Hardy was born in the small farm town of Harlem, Georgia on January 18, 1892. His father, Oliver senior, died on November 22nd of that year. So, young Norvell was raised by his mother Emily. The family moved to Milledgeville, Georgia where Emily became manager of the Baldwin Hotel. Norvell attended Georgia Military College, and later Young Harris Mountain college as a teenager.

By around 1910, he used the name Oliver Norvell Hardy, and became manager and projectionist in charge of the first movie house in Milledgeville, called the Electric Theater. Here was his introduction to the movies. All before his very eyes, this exciting new medium must have inspired the young Oliver to enter the world of show business.'

The theatre was located on Hancock Street above a Pool Hall, up a flight of stairs, the Pool Hall still exists today.
I don’t know when the theatre closed.

I played in a band in Milledgeville in the mid-1970’s we played in a night club upstairs that was supposed to be in the area where the theatre once was. The night club was called "Oliver’s" for Oliver Hardy.
I have a copy of a Map of Milledgeville around 1865. It shows in the same location is written "Opera House". So I guess that location was for Opera performances from around 1860 until early-1900 changed to the new medium of a film theatre.

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