Kingston Four Cinema
8357 Kingston Pike,
Knoxville,
TN
37919
8357 Kingston Pike,
Knoxville,
TN
37919
2 people favorited this theater
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Fotomac, The movies playing on July 15, 1977 were “Orca”, “The Island of Dr, Moreau”, “Final Chapter Walking Tall”, and “The Other side of Midnight”.
Saw many movies here in the late 1970’s but I remember two in particular. I remember Dad taking my bro and I to see the first Superman movie starring Christopher Reeve here around 1980 on a Sunday night and to the former Darryl’s down the road on Bearden Hill for dinner that night. Also remember my mom and her co-worker taking myself and her daughter to see “Animal House” back in 1978. I was only nine at the time, but that movie was my first introduction to college fraternities, something that would eventually be out of my reach later on in 1989 due to my GPA and lack of funds. Before finding this page, I had completely forgotten about the fire that happened a year after in 1979. Must be why they moved The Rocky Horror Picture Show down the road to the old Capri Terrace Tap House where it ran for many years afterwards and always at midnight. I remember finally getting to take in the “Rocky Horror” experience that I first became aware of from the movie scene in “Fame” in 1993 when I went to see it at a midnight showing and that was only because I had the next day off from work at the time.
Can anyone remember what the feature was for the week of 15 July, when Star Wars came to town?
There was a fire that broke out in theater #4 on December 21, 1979 Newspaper article is posted in the photo section.
Can anyone remember the seating capacities of each auditorium?
tntim, link is dead. This opened on December 17th, 1976. Grand opening ad already posted.
According to local newspapers, this theater switched to discount movies in 1994 and was later closed by Carmike on May 16, 1996.
WE played “ROCKY HORROR” at Regency Cinemas in Augusta,HAD nightmares too,more trouble than it was worth.
This was a midnight movie destination for years in the late 70’s-early 80’s, including at least one year, if not two years of consecutive Rocky Horror Picture Show runs.
GMNash – also the same design as the University Cinemas in Huntsville, AL. Built as a 4-plex with 2 more screens added later. The building still stands, and recently has been renovated into something else.
I performed projection & sound equipment service here for several years. I remember receiving a call about a fire in one the auditoriums where they had been running “Rocky Horror Picture Show” for over a year. Several rows of seating toward the front of the room were burned, ceiling tiles above burned out,and screen melted. Smoke damage in projection room but all was restored and reopened. Don’t remember the outcome of the investigation.
Wait, that was some other movie I was thinking of at Christmastime… Ishtar was May of 1987…. was still dumped, though.
@KingBiscuits = dat true, lol! I was stuck with that as one of my holiday flicks that Christmas. It was quickly dumped in the 200-seater!
Actually, I think people were leaving because they realized they were watching Ishtar.
This theatre was built and operated by Consolidated Theatres of Charlotte NC. This was the same design as the Cinema North and Cinema South in Nashville, and the Valley Cinemas in Salem VA. I worked for Consolidated in Nashville, and competed with sales at this theatre. Carmike bought most of Consolidated’s screens in 1989, and this was one of them.
Don’t look for the footprint now. A large “Rooms to Go” store now sits on this location.
@ Mike: Wow! The footprint is still there, that’s amazing!
I have fond memories of this theater. I remember seeing “Beetlejuice” here on my 16th birthday. I saw “Ishtar” here with my Mom the night that a huge storm blew through Knoxville and did a lot of damage to signs all along Kingston Pike. The storm was so bad people were leaving during the film to keep an eye on the situation through the lobby’s huge plate-glass windows.
Both films I just mentioned were shown in the big main auditorium whose footprint is on the right. How do I remember this sutff??
This was 300 meter east of Gallaher View. you can see the outline at View link