Empire Theater
214 Montgomery Street,
Montgomery,
AL
36104
214 Montgomery Street,
Montgomery,
AL
36104
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Described in this 1917 trade article: archive
Here is a photo I made shortly before the historic theater was razed.
Artist Robert Cottingham has painted nine large pictures of this theater’s marquee in different media based on photographs he took of it in 1996: View link.
Does anyone know anyting about another Empire Theatre located on Commerce St. from about 1910 thru 1916?
Here are two 1988 photos:
Photo1
Photo2
A Pilcher theater organ opus 951 size 2/10 was installed in the Empire Theater in 1917.
In 1963, the Empire was part of the R.M. Kennedy theater circuit, headquartered in Birmingham. Kennedy also operated the Jasper in the city of Jasper and the Druid in Tuscaloosa. Kennedy theaters in Tennessee were the Bonnie Kate and Capitol in Elizabethtown and the Family Drive-In in Johnson City. Kennedy also operated the Center, Skyline Drive-In and South Drive-In in Greensboro, North Carolina.
For a picture of the Empire’s auditorium, click below:
View link
A terrific picture of the Empire is here:
View link
I was the manager of the Empire in 1969-1970, and it remains one of the favorites of my 30 year theatre management career. Remodeled into its final configuration in 1956, (it re-opened with John Wayne in “The Conqueror”), it had no balcony… rare for theatres of that era; all seats (776 of them) were on a single floor. I assumed management duties when the theatre was sold to Martin Theatres, and arrived during the roadshow engagement of “Funny Girl,” which played a total of 12 weeks.
I’m saddened that it’s gone; while it certainly wasn’t the most ornate of the movie palaces, seeing a film there was pure joy.
Here is a vintage black and white photo of the Empire Theatre.
View link
I worked at the Empire Theater in Montgomery from 1961 thru 1964 as an usher. Mr. Bicky Covey was the manager. I sat the first black patrons in this theater in 1964. This was a very historic moment in the civil rights movement in Montgomery. I have always had wonderful memories of this theater, the people who worked there, and the movies I saw.