Byrd Theatre

the NTI Offices with TWO Huge garbage bags almost too heavy for me to carry!
My mom thank god was a big film buff herself and she wasa willing to wait for me at the nearby historic Department Store Thailhimers (Which Morton G. Thailhimer was ALSO the owner ofThe NTI Chain) So I had added a 1-sh or lobbycard request for Gone With The wind (Mom’s All Time Fave)to my list and Damned if Ray didn’t make sure I left there with a Poster for the 1968 IIRC Anniv. GWTW Rerelease poster! And My favorite of ALL time PLANET OF THE APES!

I got Lobby’s, Posters,for ALL 5 Apes! and although My elusive Futureworld

wasn’t there on file Ray made a call and I was sent down to the now demolished Capital theater.Where I saw the manager there (can’t remember his name BUT I FINALLY had my Futureworld “Is This You Or Are You YOU?” Poster! lol PLUS I got a regular order put in at the National Screen Service.So I Found myself making the trek a couple of times a month to pick up some 1-Sheets ($2.50 ea. or Lobbycard sets usually $5.00) A few months later Moviemachine Invited me up to the Screening Room in the NTI Offices He and the Staff were checking out a Film called “The Idol Maker” starring a then little known Peter Gallagher and Ray Starkey (sp) It was about the Starkey Character managing the Careers of these bands/singers (Gallagher) in the late 50’s early 60’s era.They wanted to get the feel for what the Teenage audience might think of this one and that would help the Moviemachine decide where the Film might best be Exibited to the biggest Audience,WOW,Ifelt so important! lol Up until this point I had been getting in BIGGGG Trouble for figuring out how to contact the actual studios in California and I told them the Truth (sometimes) and Occasionally I’d represented myself to be a School Paper.in no time I had racked up $400 Phonebills! So now I had found great conections right in town!I started Bothering the Local newspaper Reviewers and began getting monthly boxes of Presskits and other Promo goodies! and even caught the attention of a reporter who did an Article ON ME and my Memrobilia Collecting!(hey she was hard up for an article and it did help me get some crediblity with my friends and still Angry Step Dad)So finally as I got older I didn’t as actively persue my hobbie but I did start going to alot of the Midnight Shows by the Movie Machine Playing at the Ridge,Even sugguested “Enter The Dragon” one week.My bestfriend’s Uncle became the Manager at the Byrd around the time Sam Jones' Flash Gordon was released (Love That Poster! still have it!)and it was then The Moviemachine introtuced me to the Manager of the three side by side Movie Palaces located in had become by 1981Richmond’s “Seedier” Area,Saddly These Theaters From what I could see HAD been as Beautiful as the Byrd (Well the biggest of the 3 called The Colonial originally The National) Giant Urns,Big Velvet Blood Red Curtins.So anyhoo,by this time The current Manager Jerry,Warned me and my best bud that wecould come watch anything we wanted but we'ed probly be better off watching from the projection booth! Yeah it got that rough,especially when there was a “MovieMachine All Nite Black Belt Soul Brother” Showing!I Attended Two of these Extravaganzas, and watched Arrests,Drinking,Drugs Lots of Audience particapation! lolBUT,I did Inherit EVERY BlackSplotation Title (Lobbies and Posters) and when the Towne State and Colonial Finally closed Their doors for good (around 1987) I actually got the Entire 35mm Print of “Coffy” with Pam Grier Still in the Original Cans Boxes of Preview Trailers and Poster Frames A goldmine!Still Sad to see these Classic Theaters go though and the empty screens just sat and were still sitting when I left Va.in 1992 .My Parents related to me memories of any Local Theaters they’d attended including about how the Legendary Huge Chandiler hanging from the Ceiling at the Byrd Theater had to be Lowered in Sections for Cleaning,Still I sat beneath this Crystal Monster my first Time at the Byrd One eye on The Movie (Golden Voyage Of Sinbad) the other on this
Giant Fixture affraid it was gonna fall and crush us any second!So in the mid 80’s My friends Uncle had moved on from the Byrd and in his place TheTheater had gotten back a Gentleman who had started working with this cinema as an usher in the late 30’s and almost 50 years later he now was the manager!What a story I thought so I called on Mr. Stitzer (Sp) while at the Byrd with my Granny He was a most Gracious man and confirmed what I’d herd about the Byrd having a backlog of 1-sheets and Lobbies stored in a room somewhere beyond the Stage,Well not only did this room exsist but Mr.Stitzer had seen my article in the paper and was actually gonna let me check out these treasures and told me to have some titles in mind that I might be looking for because there was just “Too Many To Browse” OMG! lol our meeting was to be early Sunday morning this was a Weds,I could not wait!So Saturdaynight was like Christmas Eve For me I couldn’t sleep,I flipped on the TV and to my Shock there was the report that Mr. Stitzer and one of his ushers had been robbed of the Boxoffice recpts and during the crime the Usher had been wounded and Mr. Stitzer Shot and Killed.
This was so sad and needless

So,on a happier note the Byrd reopened under new management awhile later.My dream had been to Actually be envolved in Cinema and I did get my chance my uncle had gotten himself on an Extra’s List" for whenever a Film Production came to Richmond or nearby parts of Virgina,I ended up in What About Bob? Love Field,a reenactment for “America’s Most Wanted” (I was in a Barroom that gets shot up! lol)and my fave “A Woman Named Jackie” with Stephen Collins Of Star Trek the Motion Picture (Nicest Guy you’d want to meet!) Finally Talk about full Circle I ended up in a commercial for a Local News Guy on Channel 6 WTVR and it was Filmed in the Byrd.and another PSA about Picking up your Trash also shot in the Byrd’s Balcony.Then around August 1992 I came down here to florida during Hurricane Andrew and The Storms Blew my Wife (Of Sixteen Years into my Arms!lol) Of course now I collect DVDs and I’m amazed at how many of these obscure little Titles you can either buy online or even Download yourself! Because of Ray/Moviemachine and all these Theater Owner/Operators Kindness and Encouragement,Iwas inspired toTeach myself about Film of course the Classics but my real interest is early 70’s through 1990 Sholocky Ed Wood Type Stuff or Explotation Films like “Blackenstien” or “The Incredible Melting Man” Godzilla or The Green Slime!Sure around here in Naples Fl.there’s only one of these GI-NORMOUS! 21Plex Cinemas and although it has NONE of the Personality of say,a Byrd or Colonial It’s nice to see most are still run by good people who still seem to really love film and imho I think it’s a lil' bit easier to get ahold of the Posters and such now than it was in the 80’s I just turnrd 43 and I’m an old Trekkie,so I asked this Manager my age because my Daughter wanted a Hanna Montanna and mentioned looking forward to the new Star Trek movie,She told me to stop by the office after our film was over and when I did she layed on me a roll of Posters in a tube that contained Everything that had come out since Iron Man! Sweet!Nice to know I still got it1 lol Well thanks for lettin' me ramble and RAY/Moviemachine, Thanks for lettin' a kid feel like a Movie Mogaul for awhile I’ll never forget it!
All The Best
See Ya' At The Movies!
JOHN B. aka Theaterboy66

A friend of mine who grew up in Richmond sent me an article on the Byrd. They recently celebrated their 80th anniversary. Go Byrd!

I hope one day money is raised to put a proper marquee back on the Byrd. I think we should list the best remaining movie palaces still showing movies in the United States. I know the Byrd would be one of them.brucec

To be sure the publicity is great. I never said they come up with anything they believe is fake, what I think is that they are conviced that what ever they “detect” is otherworldly. I’ve been at the Byrd for 20 years and have never seen or heard anything that isn’t totally explainable. The ghost hunters don’t want to know about real world explanations

For a very early exterior photo of the Byrd, check
www.richmondthenandnow.com the click Richmond Then and Now the Byrd photo will be on page 7 of the photos

Of course,it may have just been Mr.Memory they encountered.I’m convinced he COULD NOT be human and come up with the spooky stuff he uncovers.

The Byrd Theatre has been purchased by the Byrd Theatre Foundation. After 3 years of negotiations with the estateof Samuel and Irma Warren, the foundation closed on the building a couple weeks ago. Operationally the transition was seemless. The former operating company, Nelson Commnications moved out one morning and the foundations LLC opened at 6:45 pm, the normal time that evening. There will be fund raisers etc. to raise money for some much needed repairs as well as paying off the mortgage.

I lived in Richmond for a few years in the late ‘90’s. One of my favorite places to hang out was Cary Town a fun evening would include visits to Plan 9 Records, World of Mirth, the tobacconist, dinner at Mary Anglea’s and a movie at The Byrd. The midnight shows were the best. I remember going to see “Pink Flamningos” there (I think I still have the stub somewhere).

Some updates on the Byrd. Yep! All the carbon arcs are now gone, along with the dust and the associated mess. We now have a much brighter and cleaner metal halide lighted follow spot. Also during the first week of November ‘06 we were closed for 3 days for the removal of the old sound system and the installation of a new Dolby Digital system. There are new left, right and center channel speakers as well as 4 sub woofers behind the screen. Twenty surround speakers have also been installed, giving equal coverage to the balcony as well as the main floor. The processor is a Dolby CP 650. Connecting the speakers required 5700 feet of 12 ga. speaker cable all but about ten feet of which is out of sight.

I am so glad to see that people still apreciate the elegance and magic of the old movie houses!
I grew up in, around and under the Byrd Theater.
My grandfather, Eddie Weaver, wa the house organist for many, many, many years.
He would entertain twice nightly before the main feature with music,
song slide sing-alongs and his speciality, the parody.
Many times I would go along, climb down into the (dungeon) basement, go through the tiny door to the elevator shaft where the ‘Mighty Wurlitzer’ lived when it wasn’t performing, climb up next to my grandfather and ride to stage level where he would unleash the awesome power of the organ pipes, the ghost percussion section and the piano in the side balcony that seemed to play itself!
I once even met a celebrity there. When the James Bond film “Goldfinger” was playing, I met Harold ‘Odd-Job’ Sakata, the right-hand hench man for Goldfinger. I wasn’t allowed to see the movie so I didn’t know he was a “bad guy”. He was very large and scary at first but turned out to be very nice and gentle and gave me an autographed picture.
Ah, memories……….
Lee Wampler
zedlee

Where in NEW YORK can you drive your car to FREE,safe parking,have a good meal for 2 for under 30.00,see a current movie in a REAL movie palace for 2(each) entire dollars?????Where Mr Big Town???

Yep, I think we all agree that the statement above made by Camden was rather ridiculous. Unfortunately, that sort of sentiment runs rampant with many New Yorkers. “If it’s not in New York…..IT’S CRAP!!!” Give me a break.

I’ve never spent any time in Richmond (only passed through), but everything I’ve read and seen of the city looks just great. The Byrd Theatre looks incredible, and I hope to visit in person some day soon.

Keep your heads up, Richmond. I’d rather be in a dungeon in your town than a penthouse in New Stinkin' York.

Forgot to mention-the balconey is the place to sit-the seats aren’t as worn and the view is beyond compare.