Overton, Texas is a quiet town. Much like Washington, Georgia. But while the folks in Washington were unable to save the Wilkes Theatre, the folks in Overton are saving the famed Overton Theatre.
Of course they are battling the same problems that the Miller Theatre in Augusta faced — moldy curtains, torn stage curtains, leaky roof, bird droppings and so on. The theatre was built in 1938 and remained open until 1965. John Cohagen’s father-in-law was the projectionist during the 40s. He said movies were 15-cents. And one could get a Coke for 5-cents and candy for 5-cents.
As stated above, The Overton Theatre was bought by Loretta and John Posey, a husband and wife team that want the theatre open for the small town of 2400.
The Overton area was served by the small Redwood Drive-In which held 100 cars and was owned by Paul Horton. I couldn’t find out if he also owned the Overton Theatre.
Contributed by Tyler Morning Telegraph/Mike Rogers.
From I-40 North you could see the screen of the Newport Drive-In. Beside it was the Woodzo Drive-In whose screen was opposite so you saw the back. It could have easily been a twin drive-in but both drive-ins were separate.
The Newport parked 200 cars and was owned by Newport Amusements. Surprizingly the last time I drove by, the box office was still standing as well as the marquee. The screen was also still standing but most of it was gone. The concessions and booth had stood for a long time but had been bulldozed down. I walked through the torn down concessions and could find nothing but a frame for a now showing slide-in insert. I tried to unscrew it but didn’t have a screwdriver so it was left behind. Maybe one day I’ll get it!
Newport had three drive-ins, The Newport, The Woodzo, and another that I can’t remember the name but it was clearly the newest. A shopping center that’s now closed is in that location. It faced a radio station on a East Tennessee ridge. I always thought the DJs could catch a nice movie. No sound but they could clearly see the screen.
The screen at the Woodzo was made of very solid concrete blocks and supports behind. It had a dark yellow/brown paint design. The last time I drove by the screen was still standing and the box office was still there with the glass windows.
You would’ve thought by now vandals would have broken those windows! The concession stand and booth are on one level and its really a nice size concessions with the booth to the right front. Four posted display cases were mounted on the wall separating the booth from concessions.
Walking through the lot the Johnson grass was almost waist high. I carefully watched for Copperhead snakes that surrond that drive-in near the mountains. The Projectors were gone but the booth had reels, trash, and coming attractions all over the floor. Popcorn baskets were still stacked in the stock room with cups and such.
I went back a year or so ago to find a padlock on the snackbar/booth. I did find a storage shed and grabbed several drive-in speakers! Many were rain-damaged and rusty. I couldn’t find the Woodzo listed in my 1956 Motion Picture Almanac so I assume it was built in the 60s.
I did find a ledger showing all the money the box office took in each night on each film. The last entry was “Die Hard 3” which took in $350.00 on Friday night 5-19-95, and $447.00 on Saturday night 5-20-95. So the Woodzo was still going in the mid-90s.
The ledger states that on 5-20-94 “Maverick” grossed a total of $1,081.00 for the first week. I can add more if people are interested in a certain movie between 5-20-94 and 5-20-95.
I don’t know if it was locally owned. The marquee was the only thing missing. I did got some letters and my kids spelled their names with them!
It is simply amazing the Wilkes Theatre was ever allowed to be torn down in a city like Washington that prides itself on such historical treasures.
The Wilkes Theatre was on the end of downtown Washington, about half way between Augusta and Athens. As a child going to Athens for Georgia Football games, my dad and I would drive right by the theatre.
On the outside of town there was a hot dog joint and we would eat there. Beside the take-out window were little handbills for features coming to the Wilkes Theater. I think most of the time I wanted a little movie ad handbill to look at and keep. Wish I’d saved one. Well, I took ‘em home later to lose them!
One night coming back from the ballgame the lights were on the rusty red sign. The vertical marquee or name sign was a regular look for those theatres that wanted something more than a simple marquee. The spire in Wilkes reaches higher than the small town roofs around it. It hits the sky, I remembered, with an indian feather look.
That night the Wilkes was playing “Rosemary’s Baby” and I thought how scary that movie must’ve been! Funny how you never forget certain movies! I know when I drove by in 1981 it was closed -
darkened to the world. Many years later instead of taking the little by-pass around Washington I decided to drive through town for a look at the Wilkes Theatre. Like so many theatres on Cinema Treasures – a parking lot!
According to the historical society, they were, as they told me, “very upset not to have been able to save the Wilkes.” And yes, the theatre was torn down for a parking lot.
The Wilkes was a Martin Theatre of Georgia. I guess it seated 500 or 600 folks – don’t know if it had a balcony.
According to my facts Georgia Square Mall 1-2-3-4 Cinemas opened the opening day of the mall on February 11, 1981 as a General Cinema Theatre as stated above.
It was located towards the back of the mall. Upon entering the mall you’d spot that white open little box office much like the one at Regency Mall 1-2-3 in Augusta.
I was suprised by the opening date because when I came up from Augusta to help Craig Zacker who was in desperate need of a good second man after being talked into it, the mall just had a worn look like it could’ve opened in the late 70s.
So it opened in a town made up of ABC-Plitt Theatres, Georgia Theatres, an independent theatre, The Alps, and the Beechwood Cinemas. It made a huge inpact. Soon the Athens Drive-In near the mall would close.
The concession stand was large. You went down 10 steps or so, and you would step down into the theatre to the concessions stand. When Georgia Bulldog basketball players would come for a movie their heads would almost hit the ceiling. I think we had two one-sheet frames. At one time we didn’t have any one-sheets so I put up some old ones from the 70s. I heard lots of comments, “that’s been on TV!”
We played the usual midnight shows and they played quite well. Mr. Zacker even played “Rocky Horror” a movie we had to pull out of Augusta! (see Regency Mall 1-2-3).
The crowds in Athens were well behaved. Sorta dull after Augusta. The booth was run by Herbert Smith, and his wife Miss Anne ran the box office for years. Karen Shaw was our other box office girl and she was a licensed pilot! She was a sweetheart. Pam – Lars – Tommy – and so many others. We had a good staff. Lars would always change the names on midnight shows like “Rocky Horror” was “Transvestites A Go-Go” and such.
1983’s “The Big Chill” was probably one of the longest running films to play at Georgia Square Mall. Sam Peckinpah’s last movie, “The Osterman Weekend” played there – a great looking one sheet.
Singer Kenny Rogers, an Athens resident, came to see “Deal of the Century” and I was off in the mall when he presented a $100 bill. The box office girl couldn’t take it unless a manager was there so he had to walk over to a restaurant to break the bill. I apologized to him when he came out for not being there. He said, “it’s no big deal, I worked in a theatre before”. After seeing “Deal of the Century” I’m surprised he didn’t demand a refund!
Charles Pileggi was the other assistant manager. Mr. Zacker, Pileggi, and myself shared shared a trailer unti Mr. Zacker could move his family up to Athens. As I remember, Charles kept forgetting to pay the bills after we gave him the money. Often the gas or cable would be off. The warm theatre was a welcome relief!
Lots of out of town college football teams seem to come out to our theatres Friday night before playing Georgia on Saturday. Hershell Walker came to see “Vacation”. I saw “The Dead Pool” there while my wife Rochelle and newborn son Sean Rogers watched “Roger Rabbit” (Sean slept).
Five more cinemas would be built outside the mall for Georgia Square Mall – all GCC theatres. Craig wanted a golf cart! But I don’t think he ever got one.
I ended my theatre career in Athens at Georgia Square Mall. The cinemas inside the mall are long gone. I’ve been wanting to go by there one day. A large food court now takes that space. The five cinemas outside the mall are dollar theatres, and are run by Georgia Theatres.
This is a column written in the Richmond County News in 1978 by a then 22-year-old reporter – me!
“Another Gone”
Another fad of the 1950s is slowly slipping away from Augusta. And like many 50s fads it stayed as long as it was supported. The Skyview Drive-In Theatre which for over twenty-five years had shown everything from Humphrey Bogart movies to the latest R-rated soft-core sex film will close come the end of July leaving Augusta with two drive-in theatres.
When I heard Georgia Theatres was closing the Skyview, I called a good friend who was the projectionist at the Skyview for a number of years, Wave Ballard. I hate to see any theatre in Augusta close especially ones such as the Modjeska and Skyview. Wave talked about “the good old days” of movies when the Skyview would sell out two shows a night with close to a thousand cars on the lot. He laughed about the time the police would have to direct traffic on Olive Road when the Skyview was doing great. Business did drop off in the mid- 50s when television hit.
The Skyview’s days have been numbered for quite awhile, and with more and more neighborhood cinemas poppping up, the film product did become hard to acquire. The grade B film product flooded the Skyview keeping the family trade away by the hundreds. The grade B film consists usually of soft-core sex and hard-core violence that pulled the beer drinking rednecks to the drive-in to steal the little red speakers. Economics and vandalism certainly hurried the Skyview’s closing.
It’s hard to run any theatre when only six or seven cars show up for a movie. Chances are they won’t buy anything from the inflated concession stand. Next door to the Skyview is public housing which houses more than a few young vandals who have thrown rocks at cars and are constantly breaking in the concession stand. Pity the poor Skyview, she never really stood a chance with the progressive 70s. Teenagers today don’t go to the drive-in to drink beer because most Augusta bars allow 16-17 year olds to drink. And you don’t need to go there to neck, you can do that in your climate-controlled house.
Like the popular drive-in eating establishments of the 50s, a very popular theatre of the 50s and 60s will close. The movie? You can bet it will be something cheap and dirty, an R-rated flick. I mean why not show the type of film that led to the closing?
END
For the record: in my column a picture was added after I wrote this. And on the Skyview Marquee? The last film to play there? “Let’s Make A Dirty Movie” and “Teasers”. Need I really write more?
Addition to my post above: Middlesboro is the home of Lee Majors! I bet the 6 million dollar man sat in plenty of those seats. I was surprized when I typed in Manring on CT as I never expected to see anything on this theatre.
For you Manring fans here are some of the movies that played there:
“Somebody Love Me” with Betty Hutton and a 2nd feature “Desert Pursuit”, “The Sea Hornet” and “Desert of the Lost Men”. They had a kids show with free comic books for the first 100 kids buying tickets at 10:00 AM Saturday, and in addition 3 big color cartoons.
Nice ads for “The Birds” and “The Dirty Dozen”. Also, “Operation Bikini” “The Phantom Planet” “Clash By Night” with Marilyn Monroe with 2nd feature “Young Man With Ideas” with Glenn Ford.
From 1952: “Les Miserables” with Michael Rennie plus 2nd hit “Holiday for Sinners” with Gig Young, “Snows of Kilimanjaro” with Gregory Peck, “Hangman’s Knot with Randolph Scott, "Voodoo Tiger” with Jungle Jim, “The Sinners” an adult movie for 1952, “Don’t Bother To Knock” with Marilyn Monroe and 2nd feature “Sellout”, “Wait till the Sun Shines Nellie” and 2nd feature “Tomahawk Territory” with Clayton Moore, “Clash By Night” with Marilyn Monroe, “Lawless Breed” with Rock Hudson, “Desert Legion” with Alan Ladd.
The ads for “The Sinners” for 1952 are quite graphic. Judging how you look at these ads it could imply two women getting ready to kiss! The ad said, “Julien Duvivier’s masterpiece” and the tag line was, “emotional secrets women only whisper about!”
I’m surprized there’s nothing written on the Park Theatre or The Reda Drive-In. Was The Reda changed to The Rosa in Middlesboro? A few years ago I found the site of The Rosa Drive-In. The projection booth and concession stand were still standing!
Back in 1977 while we were busy readying Columbia 1 and 2 for the big grand opening for Colmbia County and Augusta, none of us ever thought that right up 1-20 in Harlem sat a vacant rat infested closed theatre called the Columbia.
The Columbia was your typical small town theatre. It probably sat about 500 people. It had a small concession stand and an ample supply of grade-B movies and serials. Since it served a rural section I’m sure it played quite a few 2 or 3 reeler Republic pictures. I’ve never been in the booth; I tried several times but the door was locked. I’m sure the 35mm projectors are long gone. If the new Columbia Theatre shows films I’m sure it will be on video — sadly just like the Imperial in Augusta.
The theatre was run by Bill and Nan Griffin during the 1950s to the mid 1960s when it went dark. Some blamed Augusta’s growing market, others blamed Thomson GA with its very nice downtown theatre and a drive-in called The Rebel. Television however really put the nail in the coffin. It affected several Augusta Drive-Ins, and I believe the Columbia suffered the same fate. The good news is the Columbia is getting a marquee that matches the original in color, and the theatre will be open for local productions. Harlem wants it to be the place to be!
Oliver Hardy was born in Harlem and every October the city celebrates his birthday with a huge celebration. Thousands pour in from all over the world. Now Harlem will have a link to Hollywood.
Larger, and I mean much larger cities like Charlotte tore down every downtown theatre and today they suffer. A small town like Harlem at least saved the building even if it was for the local natural gas company.
I’ve added the Columbia Theatre with the Campus Theatre in Milledgeville GA with the Oliver Hardy tie-in between the two towns.
Maybe I should be more open minded, but folks, the Capri Cinema in Augusta was a porn house! Nothing more! I debated if I should include it in my brief history. It opened in the middle 1970s, and was constantly in the news with the vice squad.
When I was working at the Imperial I went in one day. The lobby wasn’t much of a lobby. They did show 35mm, and the 30 seconds or so that I saw while I stood at the back was certainly hard core. It was put in an existing building, and it never seated more than 100 people.
Once when it was fighting the vice squad again, Augusta College had “Last Tango In Paris” set to run as one of the films in its film series. But what was going on downtown scared the college into cancelling the Marlon Brando movie!
Clifford Scott Carson…you couldn’t be more wrong. I know you and your father never went to the Capri in Augusta. If you saw “Poseidon Adventure” first run you saw it at National Hills. If you saw “Wild Rovers” (which is a very good western) you saw it at Southgate Cinema. “Love Story” opened Southgate Cinema in 1970. “Lost Horizon” played at Daniel Village. You really have your Augusta theatres mixed up!
The Capri finally did close after about a 10 year run and became a nightclub for rockers. On March 22, 1977 the typical Capri Cinema movie was “Schoolgirls Report 75” “There Is More Than An Apple For A Teacher” and a double bill called “Country Girl”.
Working at National Hills Theatre with John Mackey gave me a chance to get my hands in booking late shows. We put together quite an impressive list. Often the bookers in Charlotte were amazed that an 18 or 19 year-old was helping in selecting movies for late shows. This lead to a manager at our sister theatre the Imperial asking me for some picks.
Being the biggest Clint Eastwood fan in Georgia, I suggested the WWII movie “Where Eagles Dare”. I wanted to see it on the big screen having only seen it on network-edited TV. So it was booked and I got down to the Imperial and there were only two paying customers!
I guess Bill Barkley who was running this almost 3 hour movie was probably teed. But the show went on and I sat in the back row and enjoyed a great movie. The next night I think 30 or 40 folks showed up to see “Eagles”. Usually films such as “Mad Dogs and Englishmen” “Vanishing Point” or any rock related movie played great on midnight shows.
I knew in the back of my mind that “Eagles” probably wouldn’t sell a lot of tickets as midnight show crowds tend to not care about WWII movies. Unless it was an anti-war movie like “Johnny Get Your Gun”.
The Modjeska Theatre always seemed a little creepy. I worked at the Imperial and had to walk over one night to borrow ice for the Imperial’s concession. Even though we were different theatre chains, the three downtown theatres would help each other.
It opened in 1912 and was an outstanding example of Moorish-Persian design, as Frank Christian wrote in the Richmond County News. However, there was an orginal Modjeska that burned to the ground so the one built in 1912 was the new one. The Modjeska was named after Madame Modjeska, a star of silent movies in the early 1920s. In those days the Modjeska was a showcase theatre. In its closing days it was a soft porn theatre playing “The Cheerleaders” “Savage Sisters” “A Woman For All Men” and of course “The Slasher” (the sex maniac!)
A 1979 article by Bob Young, Mike Rogers, and projectionist F.B. Beaufort Jr. told that the Modjeska was classy and beautiful. Beaufort said the Modjeska had live Vaudeville shows. In 1929 the Modjeska gained local fame when it showed the first sound movie, “The Jazz Singer” with Al Jolson. Beaufort said by 1935 the Modjeska had hit a slump and never recovered.
The Imperial and The Miller would shine on with grade A product for the most part until the kung fu/black film rage of the 1970s. Today The Modjeska sits empty after briefly opening as a slick nightclub aimed at the yuppie crowd.
I went inside the theatre once it had closed, and all that was left were some reports filled out by the RCA soundman who checked all the local theatres in the 1970s. I often wondered what happened to all the one sheets. I was able to get most one sheets out of the Miller while us stagehands were painting the dressing rooms below the stage. But I’m sure any one sheets at the Modjeska were trashed.
Masters 4 opened in 1975 to much fanfare in Augusta. It was the city’s first quad theatre, and really started the wave of multi-plexes. The city manager was Curt Harris, and for years Brenda McClasin ran the theatres.
It had a lobby and a large concession stand to match. Above the entrance to the 4 theatres was a beautiful mural painting of four legend golfers, Jack Nicklaus, Arnie Palmer, Gary Player, and Sam Snead. It was painted by a local artist, and I believe it was 8 feet by 30 feet across. It remained until the addition of 4 more cinemas in the 1980s. I was told a very stupid manager had the painting tossed in the dumpster. Oh well, they’ll let just anyone be a theatre manager!
The theatre had 4 platter automated systems. Mr. Griffin was the union projectionist who handled the movies. Later Bill Barkley would handle the shows. Walter Brooks was assistant manager for a few years. It may have had some effect on National Hills, being within easy walking distance, but in 1975 the public still demanded a decent film presentation and top notch service which National Hills Theatre most certainly gave to the public.
If Masters 4 ever played late shows it didn’t last long. They were a typical Georgia Theatre – very little promotions. I think “One Flew Over the Cukoos Nest” might have been one of the films to open the theatres. Others movies of note to run first run were, “Silver Streak” “Rocky” “Coming Home” “Apocalypse Now” “The Spy Who Loved Me” and most all of Peter Seller’s Pink Panthers.
Masters 4 was expanded by 4 theatres, and included a complete remodeling of the concessions and lobby. The restrooms stayed the same even though 4 more screens were added. Today it’s one of the last oldies…a second run $2.00 per-seat theatre.
Regency Mall Cinemas 1-2-3 opened July 27, 1978 with the following features, “Foul Play” “Jungle Book” and “The Driver”. It was the first General Cinema Theatre to open in Augusta, joining ABC Theatres, Georgia Theatres, and Weis Cinemas. The theatre was located in the center of the mall with entrance and exit doors close by. The box office sat outside the theatre in a white open square box.
Upon entering the cinemas you were greeted with 3 one sheet display cases, then up several steps and the moviegoer is at a rather large concession stand. Cinema 1 was to the left, 2 was in the center, and 3 was on the right. Cinema 2 being in the middle, often picked up lobby light when the doors were opened to the theatre. Restrooms, projection booth, offices, popcorn, and stock room were on the top floor.
On opening day the projectionists were Chuck Dray (transferred from the Imperial) and Paul Adams (transferred from Columbia Square). Dray told me he realized with the mall’s opening, that both the downtown area as well as its theatres would dry up, and he wasn’t very wrong. By the early 1980s all the downtown theatres were history except for the Capri Cinema (an X-rated theatre).
“Animal House” played at the Regency soon after opening. Later it would also play “Star Trek” which according to GCC officials, had some of the best box office figures for that 1979 hit. I also enjoyed seeing “2001: A Space Odyssey” which played on a late show but those small screens could not compare with the screen at National Hills Theatre.
I worked there from 1981 to 1983, and Craig Zacker was an exciting manager to work for. He had constant promotions. Russell Smeak and Barry Morrison made up the management team. I filled in as Chief-of-Staff until Barry moved on. I then joined Russell for a couple of years.
We played many midnight shows. The biggest being “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”. It got so crazy, a county commissioner’s wife coming out of a regular feature saw all the crazies lining up to see it, and actually wanted her husband to have our business license pulled.
I did meet my future wife there. She was one of the box office girls. It was a pleasure to work there. The mall was still a pretty safe place to work at but bad times were quickly on the way for Regency Mall 1-2-3.
I did have one strange experience. I was standing down by the box office, and some lady comes out and wants to see a manager. She told me some guy was feeling ladies' long hair as it draped down the back of the seats in Cinema 2. So I walked down the aisle, and sure enough some nerdy teenager about 15 or 16 was feeling the ladies' long hair! I asked him to leave telling him he’s lucky some boyfriend or husband didn’t clobber him!
Just recently a group of managers from National Hills got together for lunch. This included Bob Gordon Smith, our relief projectionist. Bob now is a TV weatherman at TV12 in Augusta. He also worked in radio at WROW and WBBQ. He thought FM radio would never make it being mainly “elevator music”.
Bob discussed with us guys working with Mr. Pete, the old crusty projectionist who grew-up with the great Augusta native character actor Dub Taylor. Mr. Pete was always tickled when Dub Taylor was in a movie that he was running. Bob was impressed with National Hills ability to play 70mm, that was a task indeed.
Also attending were Tommy Capers, Lewis Robertson, and Bill Barkley and Mark Barkley who would later run movies at National Hills. Jerry Tiney, the city manager spoke of the classics that played: Gone with The Wind, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Dr. Zhivago, Ryan’s Daughter, Little Big Man, and Woodstock – all in 70mm. Neil Morgan and Mike Rogers were assistants in the mid-to-late 70s. Mike Rogers would do all the marquees until he moved to Columbia 1 and 2.
To the best of my knowledge these are all the films to play in 70mm:
Sound of Music (I have some of this 70mm print)
Oliver
Dr. Zhivago
2001: A Space Odyssey
Gone With The Wind
Woodstock
Grand Prix
Ryan’s Daughter
Little Big Man
The Right Stuff
Indiana Jones Temple Of Doom
Oklahoma
Star Trek: The Wrath Of Kahn
Chorus Line
Quest For Fire
Amadeus
And according to projectionist Bill Barkley, Stroker Ace also played in 70mm – that was the Burt Reynolds turkey of all time.
Columbia 1 and 2 opened with Columbia 1 showing “Nickelodeon” on November 23, 1977. On the show’s opening night everyone was admitted for 5 cents. Thousands showed up, so many that we had to bicyle the print over to Columbia 2 which hadn’t opened yet, and let folks fill that theatre up. The film starred Ryan O'Neal and Burt Reynolds, but even with that star power it died a quick death. I think the thousands that saw it that night was about it. Following opening night we had very bad crowds for a new theatre.
Columbia 1 and 2 was located in Martinez, Georgia, a suburb of Augusta. Columbia 1 had dual projection Xerox lamps, and Columbia 2 had a platter system. Columbia 1 seated close to 500 while Columbia 2 had about 350 seats. Both screens for a twin were wonderful. The staff included two veteran I.A. Projectionists, Paul Adams and Bob Smith. Smith would later go on to a TV broadcast career at TV 12 doing the weather. Bob also had a career in radio at several top AM stations.
The management team was made up of City Manager Jerry Tinney, and two assistants or house managers, Tommy Capers and Mike Rogers. Tommy came from the Imperial in downtown Augusta, and after having a regular diet of “Shaft” movies, Columbia 1 and 2 was much different. However, Tom will tell you today that he loved the Imperial.
Plain and simple, Mike Rogers was glad to be five miles closer to home. Columbia 1 and 2 played mainly PG films like National Hills – a family theatre. The hardest adult movie that played was a South American film called “Dona Flora”. Thank goodness Columbia County didn’t have a vice squad! Also, Al Pacino’s “Cruising” was a very hard R.
Mike Rogers let it be known that he would put up the first marquee. Well, on an errand to National Hills Theatre, Mark Kuchinski comes and puts “Nickelodeon” up. Talk about being hot! Mike did put up “A Star is Born” on Columbia 2. Columbia 2 opened on Christmas Day 1977 with Streisand’s “A Star Is Born”. To this day I don’t know why another film wasn’t shown in that theatre when it opened in November 1977. Some of the other managers from our theatre chain would sneak up to Columbia 1 and 2 and stand on Tommy Caper’s van and fiddle with the marquee. On one night Mike Rogers caught them and we all laughed!
Columbia 1 and 2 was an ABC theatre, and remained so until the broadcasting giant sold out to Plitt Theatres. Only Mr. Tinney, Bob Gordon Smith, and Mike Rogers knew of the sale. When Plitt Theatres took over there was no change at all.
The only news item that came from this theatre was when some local churches were protesting the George Burns film “Oh God!” The local paper came out, and somehow the Associatd Press picked up the story, and it made it’s way all the way to Hollywood alerting Warner Brothers! Jerry Tinney stated that the churches sold more tickets just like the protest of “The Exorcist” had done at the Imperial.
By far, the biggest grossing 1st run picture was “A Star Is Born”. Columbia 1 played late shows but they never pulled crowds like National Hills and the Imperial would. Probably the biggest grossing late show was “Easy Rider”. The worst was the 1976 remake of “King Kong” where only two people showed up on Friday night.
“Star Wars” was set for Columbia 1 and 2 but instead played across town at Weis Cinemas, a very small twin theater. Mike Rogers did keep the original art work one-sheet. I guess the boys in the home office in Charlotte didn’t think it would do business. It played the entire summer at Weis Cinemas.
The architecture for Columbia 1 and 2 was not one-of-a-kind. Theaters owned by ABC/Plitt in Knoxville and Atlanta had the same style and color. Tommy Capers stayed at Columbia Square until he got and accountant job at a major department store in 1978. Mike Rogers would stay until 1979 when he was fired for missing an employee meeting. Karen Harpe was the first female assistant manager at Columbia Square joining Cindy Muns who was assistant manager at National Hills when Charles Bruni quit. Jerry Tinney would stay a few more years before moving to the local newspaper. He was replaced by Richard Anderson, whom almost every employee couldn’t stand. Jerry Tinney made it family. Anderson was 100% opposite.
Columbia 1 and 2 was robbed once – shaken employees but no one was hurt. The concession crew included Helen Stark, Pam Mance, Frankie Burroughs, Laurie Avclair, Cathy McNitt, Mary See, Karen Harpe, Angie Darrell, and Cindy Dogget. A fantastic crew for 2 young assistant managers. Susan Shaver was lead box office girl. She was from National Hills, and trained new box office girls, and kept Mike Rogers mind on closing up the box office with the right numbers! Cathy McNitt would marry Johnny Arena, the assistant manager at the Imperial. Cathy Medlin and Mark Barkley, two employees at the Imperial, would also marry.
Columbia 1 and 2 was bought out by United Artists which quickly cut Columbia 1 into two theatres, ruining a beautiful screen. Later, United Artists sold to Georgia Theatres, and they cut Columbia 2 into two theaters making a quad. By that time it was second run, and all the magic that was there in 1977 was long gone.
I was told by a good friend to feel free to include more on the Imperial so here’s my story.
I started in the theatre business at the young age of 17 working as a doorman at National Hills Theatre, the Imperial’s sister theatre located in the beautiful area across from the Augusta National Golf Course. Every once in awhile some of us guys would be sent to help out down at the Imperial. It was still a first-run movie house playing big name movies, but it also ran a lot of Bruce Lee type films. And of course it also played the black films of the day such as “Coffy” “Claudine” “Cleopatra Jones” and “Slaughter”.
Our theatre, National Hills, played mainly PG-G movies – a real family theatre. I got sent down to the Imperial during a “Shaft” film, and that was a whole different experience! We would sell out all 800 seats on a Sunday night, when right up the street there might be 100 or so for the last showing at National Hills – very different markets!
One summer I was assistant manager for a few weeks at the Imperial, and the biggest film to ever play there money-wise had to be “Jaws”. It played all summer long with sell-outs on every show. So many people we had to go out and buy ice; our old ice machine at the Imperial couldn’t keep up!
The Imperial had a janitor named Robert. He couldn’t write so he marked an X on his payroll check. He was a nice man. The concession stand had Margret Whitehead who started in the 1940s and worked there serving popcorn until the Imperial closed. Our city manager was Jerry Tinney. He could come up with brilliant promotions!
The booth was run for the most part by Bill Barkley, and his relief man was Chuck Dray. The first time I met Chuck Dray he scared me to death! He would cuss at anyone just like Archie Bunker, so on a black film you know what his state of mind was! We did become good friends, and he was my projectionist at General Cinema when I moved to the mall theatres.
The group of guys and gals I worked with down at the Imperial and at National Hills are still close today. I always enjoyed working the Imperial. My good friend Charles, a Doorman at National Hills never cared much for the Imperial. Many people told me he had said it was a dirty theatre, and he would use napkins to sit on the balcony steps!
There was also a great robbery with Tommy and Jim one night while going to the bank, but that’s another story!
It opened Nov. 18, 1966 with the movie “Texas Across The River” with Dean Martin. A movie star was there in person, Phillip Alford, who was Jimmy Stewart’s son in “Shenandoah”.
National Hills Theatre had all purpose projection on a depth wall-to-wall screen, and transistorized magnetic and optical high fidelity sound. The large lobby had an elegant ladies lounge, and the auditorium had rocking chair seats, ceiling-to-floor drapes, and a contour curtain. The admission in 1966 was $1.25 for adults, and 50-cents for children. It was the only theatre in Augusta that played 70MM.
Watching “2001” in 70MM blew my yound mind away. It was mainly a family theatre although it did play a few R-rated movies like, “Lovers and Other Strangers” “Summer of 42” “Up the Sandbox” “Easy Rider” “Mash” and “Woodstock” in 70MM in the 70s. The hardest R-rated movie that played not on a late show format was “The Groove Tube”. In the middle 70s when I worked there we did play quite a few R-rated late shows but those were for an entirely different crowd.
I was hired Sept. 21, 1974 by John Mackey who said, “I wasn’t going to hire you because you acted like you knew more about the theatre business than I did.” But John did hire this smart ass kid and we became great friends, and have remained friends even today.
The first movie I worked was “For Pete’s Sake”. I would’ve worked for free as I loved the business that much. Within about a year and a half I was promoted to Assistant Manager over Mark Kuchinski who had been there much longer. I don’t remember any hard feelings when I moved up but he did get me one Thursday night when I had him put up the new marquee. I went outside about 10:30PM to look it over, and Mark had made up his own title and it was glowing for all of Augusta to see.
He thought it was quite funny! Needless to say he did change it to what was starting but that was Mark. Charles Bruni would start about 2 months after me, and he too shot up to the management level. Mark did finally become Assistant Manager at the Imperial, our sister theatre downtown.
National Hills was the pride of Augusta theatre-wise. I was proud to work at that 1st class theatre. There are so many stories about it. The sad part was when Georgia Theatres bought it, and for greed turned that beautiful theatre into a triple! I was able to take quite a bit of stuff out of the theatre when it closed so I saved some history.
Working at the Imperial was an experience for an assistant manager from a sister theatre in the circuit in the suburbs. I remember one night – and drinking does happen – James Brown came to see “Escape From Alcatraz” and he sat in the balcony with a girlfriend. I offered him a Bud, and we both drank a cool one during the last show of the night. This was after I had checked out and had the money in the bank.
Overton, Texas is a quiet town. Much like Washington, Georgia. But while the folks in Washington were unable to save the Wilkes Theatre, the folks in Overton are saving the famed Overton Theatre.
Of course they are battling the same problems that the Miller Theatre in Augusta faced — moldy curtains, torn stage curtains, leaky roof, bird droppings and so on. The theatre was built in 1938 and remained open until 1965. John Cohagen’s father-in-law was the projectionist during the 40s. He said movies were 15-cents. And one could get a Coke for 5-cents and candy for 5-cents.
As stated above, The Overton Theatre was bought by Loretta and John Posey, a husband and wife team that want the theatre open for the small town of 2400.
The Overton area was served by the small Redwood Drive-In which held 100 cars and was owned by Paul Horton. I couldn’t find out if he also owned the Overton Theatre.
Contributed by Tyler Morning Telegraph/Mike Rogers.
From I-40 North you could see the screen of the Newport Drive-In. Beside it was the Woodzo Drive-In whose screen was opposite so you saw the back. It could have easily been a twin drive-in but both drive-ins were separate.
The Newport parked 200 cars and was owned by Newport Amusements. Surprizingly the last time I drove by, the box office was still standing as well as the marquee. The screen was also still standing but most of it was gone. The concessions and booth had stood for a long time but had been bulldozed down. I walked through the torn down concessions and could find nothing but a frame for a now showing slide-in insert. I tried to unscrew it but didn’t have a screwdriver so it was left behind. Maybe one day I’ll get it!
Newport had three drive-ins, The Newport, The Woodzo, and another that I can’t remember the name but it was clearly the newest. A shopping center that’s now closed is in that location. It faced a radio station on a East Tennessee ridge. I always thought the DJs could catch a nice movie. No sound but they could clearly see the screen.
The screen at the Woodzo was made of very solid concrete blocks and supports behind. It had a dark yellow/brown paint design. The last time I drove by the screen was still standing and the box office was still there with the glass windows.
You would’ve thought by now vandals would have broken those windows! The concession stand and booth are on one level and its really a nice size concessions with the booth to the right front. Four posted display cases were mounted on the wall separating the booth from concessions.
Walking through the lot the Johnson grass was almost waist high. I carefully watched for Copperhead snakes that surrond that drive-in near the mountains. The Projectors were gone but the booth had reels, trash, and coming attractions all over the floor. Popcorn baskets were still stacked in the stock room with cups and such.
I went back a year or so ago to find a padlock on the snackbar/booth. I did find a storage shed and grabbed several drive-in speakers! Many were rain-damaged and rusty. I couldn’t find the Woodzo listed in my 1956 Motion Picture Almanac so I assume it was built in the 60s.
I did find a ledger showing all the money the box office took in each night on each film. The last entry was “Die Hard 3” which took in $350.00 on Friday night 5-19-95, and $447.00 on Saturday night 5-20-95. So the Woodzo was still going in the mid-90s.
The ledger states that on 5-20-94 “Maverick” grossed a total of $1,081.00 for the first week. I can add more if people are interested in a certain movie between 5-20-94 and 5-20-95.
I don’t know if it was locally owned. The marquee was the only thing missing. I did got some letters and my kids spelled their names with them!
It is simply amazing the Wilkes Theatre was ever allowed to be torn down in a city like Washington that prides itself on such historical treasures.
The Wilkes Theatre was on the end of downtown Washington, about half way between Augusta and Athens. As a child going to Athens for Georgia Football games, my dad and I would drive right by the theatre.
On the outside of town there was a hot dog joint and we would eat there. Beside the take-out window were little handbills for features coming to the Wilkes Theater. I think most of the time I wanted a little movie ad handbill to look at and keep. Wish I’d saved one. Well, I took ‘em home later to lose them!
One night coming back from the ballgame the lights were on the rusty red sign. The vertical marquee or name sign was a regular look for those theatres that wanted something more than a simple marquee. The spire in Wilkes reaches higher than the small town roofs around it. It hits the sky, I remembered, with an indian feather look.
That night the Wilkes was playing “Rosemary’s Baby” and I thought how scary that movie must’ve been! Funny how you never forget certain movies! I know when I drove by in 1981 it was closed -
darkened to the world. Many years later instead of taking the little by-pass around Washington I decided to drive through town for a look at the Wilkes Theatre. Like so many theatres on Cinema Treasures – a parking lot!
According to the historical society, they were, as they told me, “very upset not to have been able to save the Wilkes.” And yes, the theatre was torn down for a parking lot.
The Wilkes was a Martin Theatre of Georgia. I guess it seated 500 or 600 folks – don’t know if it had a balcony.
According to my facts Georgia Square Mall 1-2-3-4 Cinemas opened the opening day of the mall on February 11, 1981 as a General Cinema Theatre as stated above.
It was located towards the back of the mall. Upon entering the mall you’d spot that white open little box office much like the one at Regency Mall 1-2-3 in Augusta.
I was suprised by the opening date because when I came up from Augusta to help Craig Zacker who was in desperate need of a good second man after being talked into it, the mall just had a worn look like it could’ve opened in the late 70s.
So it opened in a town made up of ABC-Plitt Theatres, Georgia Theatres, an independent theatre, The Alps, and the Beechwood Cinemas. It made a huge inpact. Soon the Athens Drive-In near the mall would close.
The concession stand was large. You went down 10 steps or so, and you would step down into the theatre to the concessions stand. When Georgia Bulldog basketball players would come for a movie their heads would almost hit the ceiling. I think we had two one-sheet frames. At one time we didn’t have any one-sheets so I put up some old ones from the 70s. I heard lots of comments, “that’s been on TV!”
We played the usual midnight shows and they played quite well. Mr. Zacker even played “Rocky Horror” a movie we had to pull out of Augusta! (see Regency Mall 1-2-3).
The crowds in Athens were well behaved. Sorta dull after Augusta. The booth was run by Herbert Smith, and his wife Miss Anne ran the box office for years. Karen Shaw was our other box office girl and she was a licensed pilot! She was a sweetheart. Pam – Lars – Tommy – and so many others. We had a good staff. Lars would always change the names on midnight shows like “Rocky Horror” was “Transvestites A Go-Go” and such.
1983’s “The Big Chill” was probably one of the longest running films to play at Georgia Square Mall. Sam Peckinpah’s last movie, “The Osterman Weekend” played there – a great looking one sheet.
Singer Kenny Rogers, an Athens resident, came to see “Deal of the Century” and I was off in the mall when he presented a $100 bill. The box office girl couldn’t take it unless a manager was there so he had to walk over to a restaurant to break the bill. I apologized to him when he came out for not being there. He said, “it’s no big deal, I worked in a theatre before”. After seeing “Deal of the Century” I’m surprised he didn’t demand a refund!
Charles Pileggi was the other assistant manager. Mr. Zacker, Pileggi, and myself shared shared a trailer unti Mr. Zacker could move his family up to Athens. As I remember, Charles kept forgetting to pay the bills after we gave him the money. Often the gas or cable would be off. The warm theatre was a welcome relief!
Lots of out of town college football teams seem to come out to our theatres Friday night before playing Georgia on Saturday. Hershell Walker came to see “Vacation”. I saw “The Dead Pool” there while my wife Rochelle and newborn son Sean Rogers watched “Roger Rabbit” (Sean slept).
Five more cinemas would be built outside the mall for Georgia Square Mall – all GCC theatres. Craig wanted a golf cart! But I don’t think he ever got one.
I ended my theatre career in Athens at Georgia Square Mall. The cinemas inside the mall are long gone. I’ve been wanting to go by there one day. A large food court now takes that space. The five cinemas outside the mall are dollar theatres, and are run by Georgia Theatres.
This is a column written in the Richmond County News in 1978 by a then 22-year-old reporter – me!
“Another Gone”
Another fad of the 1950s is slowly slipping away from Augusta. And like many 50s fads it stayed as long as it was supported. The Skyview Drive-In Theatre which for over twenty-five years had shown everything from Humphrey Bogart movies to the latest R-rated soft-core sex film will close come the end of July leaving Augusta with two drive-in theatres.
When I heard Georgia Theatres was closing the Skyview, I called a good friend who was the projectionist at the Skyview for a number of years, Wave Ballard. I hate to see any theatre in Augusta close especially ones such as the Modjeska and Skyview. Wave talked about “the good old days” of movies when the Skyview would sell out two shows a night with close to a thousand cars on the lot. He laughed about the time the police would have to direct traffic on Olive Road when the Skyview was doing great. Business did drop off in the mid- 50s when television hit.
The Skyview’s days have been numbered for quite awhile, and with more and more neighborhood cinemas poppping up, the film product did become hard to acquire. The grade B film product flooded the Skyview keeping the family trade away by the hundreds. The grade B film consists usually of soft-core sex and hard-core violence that pulled the beer drinking rednecks to the drive-in to steal the little red speakers. Economics and vandalism certainly hurried the Skyview’s closing.
It’s hard to run any theatre when only six or seven cars show up for a movie. Chances are they won’t buy anything from the inflated concession stand. Next door to the Skyview is public housing which houses more than a few young vandals who have thrown rocks at cars and are constantly breaking in the concession stand. Pity the poor Skyview, she never really stood a chance with the progressive 70s. Teenagers today don’t go to the drive-in to drink beer because most Augusta bars allow 16-17 year olds to drink. And you don’t need to go there to neck, you can do that in your climate-controlled house.
Like the popular drive-in eating establishments of the 50s, a very popular theatre of the 50s and 60s will close. The movie? You can bet it will be something cheap and dirty, an R-rated flick. I mean why not show the type of film that led to the closing?
END
For the record: in my column a picture was added after I wrote this. And on the Skyview Marquee? The last film to play there? “Let’s Make A Dirty Movie” and “Teasers”. Need I really write more?
Addition to my post above: Middlesboro is the home of Lee Majors! I bet the 6 million dollar man sat in plenty of those seats. I was surprized when I typed in Manring on CT as I never expected to see anything on this theatre.
For you Manring fans here are some of the movies that played there:
“Somebody Love Me” with Betty Hutton and a 2nd feature “Desert Pursuit”, “The Sea Hornet” and “Desert of the Lost Men”. They had a kids show with free comic books for the first 100 kids buying tickets at 10:00 AM Saturday, and in addition 3 big color cartoons.
Nice ads for “The Birds” and “The Dirty Dozen”. Also, “Operation Bikini” “The Phantom Planet” “Clash By Night” with Marilyn Monroe with 2nd feature “Young Man With Ideas” with Glenn Ford.
From 1952: “Les Miserables” with Michael Rennie plus 2nd hit “Holiday for Sinners” with Gig Young, “Snows of Kilimanjaro” with Gregory Peck, “Hangman’s Knot with Randolph Scott, "Voodoo Tiger” with Jungle Jim, “The Sinners” an adult movie for 1952, “Don’t Bother To Knock” with Marilyn Monroe and 2nd feature “Sellout”, “Wait till the Sun Shines Nellie” and 2nd feature “Tomahawk Territory” with Clayton Moore, “Clash By Night” with Marilyn Monroe, “Lawless Breed” with Rock Hudson, “Desert Legion” with Alan Ladd.
The ads for “The Sinners” for 1952 are quite graphic. Judging how you look at these ads it could imply two women getting ready to kiss! The ad said, “Julien Duvivier’s masterpiece” and the tag line was, “emotional secrets women only whisper about!”
I’m surprized there’s nothing written on the Park Theatre or The Reda Drive-In. Was The Reda changed to The Rosa in Middlesboro? A few years ago I found the site of The Rosa Drive-In. The projection booth and concession stand were still standing!
Back in 1977 while we were busy readying Columbia 1 and 2 for the big grand opening for Colmbia County and Augusta, none of us ever thought that right up 1-20 in Harlem sat a vacant rat infested closed theatre called the Columbia.
The Columbia was your typical small town theatre. It probably sat about 500 people. It had a small concession stand and an ample supply of grade-B movies and serials. Since it served a rural section I’m sure it played quite a few 2 or 3 reeler Republic pictures. I’ve never been in the booth; I tried several times but the door was locked. I’m sure the 35mm projectors are long gone. If the new Columbia Theatre shows films I’m sure it will be on video — sadly just like the Imperial in Augusta.
The theatre was run by Bill and Nan Griffin during the 1950s to the mid 1960s when it went dark. Some blamed Augusta’s growing market, others blamed Thomson GA with its very nice downtown theatre and a drive-in called The Rebel. Television however really put the nail in the coffin. It affected several Augusta Drive-Ins, and I believe the Columbia suffered the same fate. The good news is the Columbia is getting a marquee that matches the original in color, and the theatre will be open for local productions. Harlem wants it to be the place to be!
Oliver Hardy was born in Harlem and every October the city celebrates his birthday with a huge celebration. Thousands pour in from all over the world. Now Harlem will have a link to Hollywood.
Larger, and I mean much larger cities like Charlotte tore down every downtown theatre and today they suffer. A small town like Harlem at least saved the building even if it was for the local natural gas company.
I’ve added the Columbia Theatre with the Campus Theatre in Milledgeville GA with the Oliver Hardy tie-in between the two towns.
Maybe I should be more open minded, but folks, the Capri Cinema in Augusta was a porn house! Nothing more! I debated if I should include it in my brief history. It opened in the middle 1970s, and was constantly in the news with the vice squad.
When I was working at the Imperial I went in one day. The lobby wasn’t much of a lobby. They did show 35mm, and the 30 seconds or so that I saw while I stood at the back was certainly hard core. It was put in an existing building, and it never seated more than 100 people.
Once when it was fighting the vice squad again, Augusta College had “Last Tango In Paris” set to run as one of the films in its film series. But what was going on downtown scared the college into cancelling the Marlon Brando movie!
Clifford Scott Carson…you couldn’t be more wrong. I know you and your father never went to the Capri in Augusta. If you saw “Poseidon Adventure” first run you saw it at National Hills. If you saw “Wild Rovers” (which is a very good western) you saw it at Southgate Cinema. “Love Story” opened Southgate Cinema in 1970. “Lost Horizon” played at Daniel Village. You really have your Augusta theatres mixed up!
The Capri finally did close after about a 10 year run and became a nightclub for rockers. On March 22, 1977 the typical Capri Cinema movie was “Schoolgirls Report 75” “There Is More Than An Apple For A Teacher” and a double bill called “Country Girl”.
Nope, the Capri never played “Lost Horizon”.
Working at National Hills Theatre with John Mackey gave me a chance to get my hands in booking late shows. We put together quite an impressive list. Often the bookers in Charlotte were amazed that an 18 or 19 year-old was helping in selecting movies for late shows. This lead to a manager at our sister theatre the Imperial asking me for some picks.
Being the biggest Clint Eastwood fan in Georgia, I suggested the WWII movie “Where Eagles Dare”. I wanted to see it on the big screen having only seen it on network-edited TV. So it was booked and I got down to the Imperial and there were only two paying customers!
I guess Bill Barkley who was running this almost 3 hour movie was probably teed. But the show went on and I sat in the back row and enjoyed a great movie. The next night I think 30 or 40 folks showed up to see “Eagles”. Usually films such as “Mad Dogs and Englishmen” “Vanishing Point” or any rock related movie played great on midnight shows.
I knew in the back of my mind that “Eagles” probably wouldn’t sell a lot of tickets as midnight show crowds tend to not care about WWII movies. Unless it was an anti-war movie like “Johnny Get Your Gun”.
The Modjeska Theatre always seemed a little creepy. I worked at the Imperial and had to walk over one night to borrow ice for the Imperial’s concession. Even though we were different theatre chains, the three downtown theatres would help each other.
It opened in 1912 and was an outstanding example of Moorish-Persian design, as Frank Christian wrote in the Richmond County News. However, there was an orginal Modjeska that burned to the ground so the one built in 1912 was the new one. The Modjeska was named after Madame Modjeska, a star of silent movies in the early 1920s. In those days the Modjeska was a showcase theatre. In its closing days it was a soft porn theatre playing “The Cheerleaders” “Savage Sisters” “A Woman For All Men” and of course “The Slasher” (the sex maniac!)
A 1979 article by Bob Young, Mike Rogers, and projectionist F.B. Beaufort Jr. told that the Modjeska was classy and beautiful. Beaufort said the Modjeska had live Vaudeville shows. In 1929 the Modjeska gained local fame when it showed the first sound movie, “The Jazz Singer” with Al Jolson. Beaufort said by 1935 the Modjeska had hit a slump and never recovered.
The Imperial and The Miller would shine on with grade A product for the most part until the kung fu/black film rage of the 1970s. Today The Modjeska sits empty after briefly opening as a slick nightclub aimed at the yuppie crowd.
I went inside the theatre once it had closed, and all that was left were some reports filled out by the RCA soundman who checked all the local theatres in the 1970s. I often wondered what happened to all the one sheets. I was able to get most one sheets out of the Miller while us stagehands were painting the dressing rooms below the stage. But I’m sure any one sheets at the Modjeska were trashed.
Masters 4 opened in 1975 to much fanfare in Augusta. It was the city’s first quad theatre, and really started the wave of multi-plexes. The city manager was Curt Harris, and for years Brenda McClasin ran the theatres.
It had a lobby and a large concession stand to match. Above the entrance to the 4 theatres was a beautiful mural painting of four legend golfers, Jack Nicklaus, Arnie Palmer, Gary Player, and Sam Snead. It was painted by a local artist, and I believe it was 8 feet by 30 feet across. It remained until the addition of 4 more cinemas in the 1980s. I was told a very stupid manager had the painting tossed in the dumpster. Oh well, they’ll let just anyone be a theatre manager!
The theatre had 4 platter automated systems. Mr. Griffin was the union projectionist who handled the movies. Later Bill Barkley would handle the shows. Walter Brooks was assistant manager for a few years. It may have had some effect on National Hills, being within easy walking distance, but in 1975 the public still demanded a decent film presentation and top notch service which National Hills Theatre most certainly gave to the public.
If Masters 4 ever played late shows it didn’t last long. They were a typical Georgia Theatre – very little promotions. I think “One Flew Over the Cukoos Nest” might have been one of the films to open the theatres. Others movies of note to run first run were, “Silver Streak” “Rocky” “Coming Home” “Apocalypse Now” “The Spy Who Loved Me” and most all of Peter Seller’s Pink Panthers.
Masters 4 was expanded by 4 theatres, and included a complete remodeling of the concessions and lobby. The restrooms stayed the same even though 4 more screens were added. Today it’s one of the last oldies…a second run $2.00 per-seat theatre.
Regency Mall Cinemas 1-2-3 opened July 27, 1978 with the following features, “Foul Play” “Jungle Book” and “The Driver”. It was the first General Cinema Theatre to open in Augusta, joining ABC Theatres, Georgia Theatres, and Weis Cinemas. The theatre was located in the center of the mall with entrance and exit doors close by. The box office sat outside the theatre in a white open square box.
Upon entering the cinemas you were greeted with 3 one sheet display cases, then up several steps and the moviegoer is at a rather large concession stand. Cinema 1 was to the left, 2 was in the center, and 3 was on the right. Cinema 2 being in the middle, often picked up lobby light when the doors were opened to the theatre. Restrooms, projection booth, offices, popcorn, and stock room were on the top floor.
On opening day the projectionists were Chuck Dray (transferred from the Imperial) and Paul Adams (transferred from Columbia Square). Dray told me he realized with the mall’s opening, that both the downtown area as well as its theatres would dry up, and he wasn’t very wrong. By the early 1980s all the downtown theatres were history except for the Capri Cinema (an X-rated theatre).
“Animal House” played at the Regency soon after opening. Later it would also play “Star Trek” which according to GCC officials, had some of the best box office figures for that 1979 hit. I also enjoyed seeing “2001: A Space Odyssey” which played on a late show but those small screens could not compare with the screen at National Hills Theatre.
I worked there from 1981 to 1983, and Craig Zacker was an exciting manager to work for. He had constant promotions. Russell Smeak and Barry Morrison made up the management team. I filled in as Chief-of-Staff until Barry moved on. I then joined Russell for a couple of years.
We played many midnight shows. The biggest being “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”. It got so crazy, a county commissioner’s wife coming out of a regular feature saw all the crazies lining up to see it, and actually wanted her husband to have our business license pulled.
I did meet my future wife there. She was one of the box office girls. It was a pleasure to work there. The mall was still a pretty safe place to work at but bad times were quickly on the way for Regency Mall 1-2-3.
I did have one strange experience. I was standing down by the box office, and some lady comes out and wants to see a manager. She told me some guy was feeling ladies' long hair as it draped down the back of the seats in Cinema 2. So I walked down the aisle, and sure enough some nerdy teenager about 15 or 16 was feeling the ladies' long hair! I asked him to leave telling him he’s lucky some boyfriend or husband didn’t clobber him!
Regency Mall 1-2-3 closed in the early 1990s.
Just recently a group of managers from National Hills got together for lunch. This included Bob Gordon Smith, our relief projectionist. Bob now is a TV weatherman at TV12 in Augusta. He also worked in radio at WROW and WBBQ. He thought FM radio would never make it being mainly “elevator music”.
Bob discussed with us guys working with Mr. Pete, the old crusty projectionist who grew-up with the great Augusta native character actor Dub Taylor. Mr. Pete was always tickled when Dub Taylor was in a movie that he was running. Bob was impressed with National Hills ability to play 70mm, that was a task indeed.
Also attending were Tommy Capers, Lewis Robertson, and Bill Barkley and Mark Barkley who would later run movies at National Hills. Jerry Tiney, the city manager spoke of the classics that played: Gone with The Wind, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Dr. Zhivago, Ryan’s Daughter, Little Big Man, and Woodstock – all in 70mm. Neil Morgan and Mike Rogers were assistants in the mid-to-late 70s. Mike Rogers would do all the marquees until he moved to Columbia 1 and 2.
To the best of my knowledge these are all the films to play in 70mm:
Sound of Music (I have some of this 70mm print)
Oliver
Dr. Zhivago
2001: A Space Odyssey
Gone With The Wind
Woodstock
Grand Prix
Ryan’s Daughter
Little Big Man
The Right Stuff
Indiana Jones Temple Of Doom
Oklahoma
Star Trek: The Wrath Of Kahn
Chorus Line
Quest For Fire
Amadeus
And according to projectionist Bill Barkley, Stroker Ace also played in 70mm – that was the Burt Reynolds turkey of all time.
Columbia 1 and 2 opened with Columbia 1 showing “Nickelodeon” on November 23, 1977. On the show’s opening night everyone was admitted for 5 cents. Thousands showed up, so many that we had to bicyle the print over to Columbia 2 which hadn’t opened yet, and let folks fill that theatre up. The film starred Ryan O'Neal and Burt Reynolds, but even with that star power it died a quick death. I think the thousands that saw it that night was about it. Following opening night we had very bad crowds for a new theatre.
Columbia 1 and 2 was located in Martinez, Georgia, a suburb of Augusta. Columbia 1 had dual projection Xerox lamps, and Columbia 2 had a platter system. Columbia 1 seated close to 500 while Columbia 2 had about 350 seats. Both screens for a twin were wonderful. The staff included two veteran I.A. Projectionists, Paul Adams and Bob Smith. Smith would later go on to a TV broadcast career at TV 12 doing the weather. Bob also had a career in radio at several top AM stations.
The management team was made up of City Manager Jerry Tinney, and two assistants or house managers, Tommy Capers and Mike Rogers. Tommy came from the Imperial in downtown Augusta, and after having a regular diet of “Shaft” movies, Columbia 1 and 2 was much different. However, Tom will tell you today that he loved the Imperial.
Plain and simple, Mike Rogers was glad to be five miles closer to home. Columbia 1 and 2 played mainly PG films like National Hills – a family theatre. The hardest adult movie that played was a South American film called “Dona Flora”. Thank goodness Columbia County didn’t have a vice squad! Also, Al Pacino’s “Cruising” was a very hard R.
Mike Rogers let it be known that he would put up the first marquee. Well, on an errand to National Hills Theatre, Mark Kuchinski comes and puts “Nickelodeon” up. Talk about being hot! Mike did put up “A Star is Born” on Columbia 2. Columbia 2 opened on Christmas Day 1977 with Streisand’s “A Star Is Born”. To this day I don’t know why another film wasn’t shown in that theatre when it opened in November 1977. Some of the other managers from our theatre chain would sneak up to Columbia 1 and 2 and stand on Tommy Caper’s van and fiddle with the marquee. On one night Mike Rogers caught them and we all laughed!
Columbia 1 and 2 was an ABC theatre, and remained so until the broadcasting giant sold out to Plitt Theatres. Only Mr. Tinney, Bob Gordon Smith, and Mike Rogers knew of the sale. When Plitt Theatres took over there was no change at all.
The only news item that came from this theatre was when some local churches were protesting the George Burns film “Oh God!” The local paper came out, and somehow the Associatd Press picked up the story, and it made it’s way all the way to Hollywood alerting Warner Brothers! Jerry Tinney stated that the churches sold more tickets just like the protest of “The Exorcist” had done at the Imperial.
By far, the biggest grossing 1st run picture was “A Star Is Born”. Columbia 1 played late shows but they never pulled crowds like National Hills and the Imperial would. Probably the biggest grossing late show was “Easy Rider”. The worst was the 1976 remake of “King Kong” where only two people showed up on Friday night.
“Star Wars” was set for Columbia 1 and 2 but instead played across town at Weis Cinemas, a very small twin theater. Mike Rogers did keep the original art work one-sheet. I guess the boys in the home office in Charlotte didn’t think it would do business. It played the entire summer at Weis Cinemas.
The architecture for Columbia 1 and 2 was not one-of-a-kind. Theaters owned by ABC/Plitt in Knoxville and Atlanta had the same style and color. Tommy Capers stayed at Columbia Square until he got and accountant job at a major department store in 1978. Mike Rogers would stay until 1979 when he was fired for missing an employee meeting. Karen Harpe was the first female assistant manager at Columbia Square joining Cindy Muns who was assistant manager at National Hills when Charles Bruni quit. Jerry Tinney would stay a few more years before moving to the local newspaper. He was replaced by Richard Anderson, whom almost every employee couldn’t stand. Jerry Tinney made it family. Anderson was 100% opposite.
Columbia 1 and 2 was robbed once – shaken employees but no one was hurt. The concession crew included Helen Stark, Pam Mance, Frankie Burroughs, Laurie Avclair, Cathy McNitt, Mary See, Karen Harpe, Angie Darrell, and Cindy Dogget. A fantastic crew for 2 young assistant managers. Susan Shaver was lead box office girl. She was from National Hills, and trained new box office girls, and kept Mike Rogers mind on closing up the box office with the right numbers! Cathy McNitt would marry Johnny Arena, the assistant manager at the Imperial. Cathy Medlin and Mark Barkley, two employees at the Imperial, would also marry.
Columbia 1 and 2 was bought out by United Artists which quickly cut Columbia 1 into two theatres, ruining a beautiful screen. Later, United Artists sold to Georgia Theatres, and they cut Columbia 2 into two theaters making a quad. By that time it was second run, and all the magic that was there in 1977 was long gone.
I was told by a good friend to feel free to include more on the Imperial so here’s my story.
I started in the theatre business at the young age of 17 working as a doorman at National Hills Theatre, the Imperial’s sister theatre located in the beautiful area across from the Augusta National Golf Course. Every once in awhile some of us guys would be sent to help out down at the Imperial. It was still a first-run movie house playing big name movies, but it also ran a lot of Bruce Lee type films. And of course it also played the black films of the day such as “Coffy” “Claudine” “Cleopatra Jones” and “Slaughter”.
Our theatre, National Hills, played mainly PG-G movies – a real family theatre. I got sent down to the Imperial during a “Shaft” film, and that was a whole different experience! We would sell out all 800 seats on a Sunday night, when right up the street there might be 100 or so for the last showing at National Hills – very different markets!
One summer I was assistant manager for a few weeks at the Imperial, and the biggest film to ever play there money-wise had to be “Jaws”. It played all summer long with sell-outs on every show. So many people we had to go out and buy ice; our old ice machine at the Imperial couldn’t keep up!
The Imperial had a janitor named Robert. He couldn’t write so he marked an X on his payroll check. He was a nice man. The concession stand had Margret Whitehead who started in the 1940s and worked there serving popcorn until the Imperial closed. Our city manager was Jerry Tinney. He could come up with brilliant promotions!
The booth was run for the most part by Bill Barkley, and his relief man was Chuck Dray. The first time I met Chuck Dray he scared me to death! He would cuss at anyone just like Archie Bunker, so on a black film you know what his state of mind was! We did become good friends, and he was my projectionist at General Cinema when I moved to the mall theatres.
The group of guys and gals I worked with down at the Imperial and at National Hills are still close today. I always enjoyed working the Imperial. My good friend Charles, a Doorman at National Hills never cared much for the Imperial. Many people told me he had said it was a dirty theatre, and he would use napkins to sit on the balcony steps!
There was also a great robbery with Tommy and Jim one night while going to the bank, but that’s another story!
It opened Nov. 18, 1966 with the movie “Texas Across The River” with Dean Martin. A movie star was there in person, Phillip Alford, who was Jimmy Stewart’s son in “Shenandoah”.
National Hills Theatre had all purpose projection on a depth wall-to-wall screen, and transistorized magnetic and optical high fidelity sound. The large lobby had an elegant ladies lounge, and the auditorium had rocking chair seats, ceiling-to-floor drapes, and a contour curtain. The admission in 1966 was $1.25 for adults, and 50-cents for children. It was the only theatre in Augusta that played 70MM.
Watching “2001” in 70MM blew my yound mind away. It was mainly a family theatre although it did play a few R-rated movies like, “Lovers and Other Strangers” “Summer of 42” “Up the Sandbox” “Easy Rider” “Mash” and “Woodstock” in 70MM in the 70s. The hardest R-rated movie that played not on a late show format was “The Groove Tube”. In the middle 70s when I worked there we did play quite a few R-rated late shows but those were for an entirely different crowd.
I was hired Sept. 21, 1974 by John Mackey who said, “I wasn’t going to hire you because you acted like you knew more about the theatre business than I did.” But John did hire this smart ass kid and we became great friends, and have remained friends even today.
The first movie I worked was “For Pete’s Sake”. I would’ve worked for free as I loved the business that much. Within about a year and a half I was promoted to Assistant Manager over Mark Kuchinski who had been there much longer. I don’t remember any hard feelings when I moved up but he did get me one Thursday night when I had him put up the new marquee. I went outside about 10:30PM to look it over, and Mark had made up his own title and it was glowing for all of Augusta to see.
He thought it was quite funny! Needless to say he did change it to what was starting but that was Mark. Charles Bruni would start about 2 months after me, and he too shot up to the management level. Mark did finally become Assistant Manager at the Imperial, our sister theatre downtown.
National Hills was the pride of Augusta theatre-wise. I was proud to work at that 1st class theatre. There are so many stories about it. The sad part was when Georgia Theatres bought it, and for greed turned that beautiful theatre into a triple! I was able to take quite a bit of stuff out of the theatre when it closed so I saved some history.
Working at the Imperial was an experience for an assistant manager from a sister theatre in the circuit in the suburbs. I remember one night – and drinking does happen – James Brown came to see “Escape From Alcatraz” and he sat in the balcony with a girlfriend. I offered him a Bud, and we both drank a cool one during the last show of the night. This was after I had checked out and had the money in the bank.